Deeper Longings with Christina
8 April 2020
Hello friends,
My name is Christina and I attend first congregation at RHC along with my husband and son. Our family like yours have been in increasing social isolation for a few weeks now. Today Singapore begins a full month of a nation-wide circuit breaker in an effort to put a hard stop to the spread of COVID-19. As believers, we are not immune from feeling this mixed bag of being overwhelmed, helpless, anxious etcetera. We see our dwindling supplies, we see our children who are kept home from school, we see the loss of community and opportunities to build relationships. Ironically, the call to protect our health can morph into guarding our own self interests. The more inward looking we become, the more isolated we will actually feel. I mean how else can we be if we are only seeing our own needs, our own inconveniences or annoyances.
One of my favourite stories from the bible is the widow’s offering, recorded in both Luke and Mark. Reading from the gospel of Mark 12:41-44. “And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
This unnamed woman who Jesus saw and loved and honoured, would have otherwise lived an unknown life amongst the masses of the invisible poor of her time. What she contributed to the temple was worth a penny which is equivalent to only 6 minutes of a day’s wages. To the world, it is equivalent of nothing. And yet in Jesus’ words this radical act of giving was everything.
Now I am not a health care professional or first responder of any kind. I’m a mom, I’m a writer, I make theatre, so from time to time, I find myself in paralysing moments of wondering what good am I during a global pandemic.
What can I possibly do to help? Can I make any sort of an impact during this crisis?
I wanted to share with you a few examples of how our brothers and sisters are answering those questions. A woman from my CG has been rallying support for frontline medical workers by fundraising for proper rest accommodations, snacks, food and other necessities. She also coordinated handwritten notes and cards with encouragement for the staff. Another woman from my CG is working to make sure that girls from the GP home are not neglected during this time. People who are already vulnerable tend to be overlooked during crisis and I know that many others from RHC are actively serving these communities as well. Finally, another sister from another church has been serving meals at transit point, a shelter set up for foreign workers who would be otherwise sleeping outdoors. She also coordinated supplies, volunteers, and raised funds.
These are but a few examples of how God is raising up his people.
Our few coins given wholeheartedly are valuable in God’s economy. So my prayer for myself and for all of us is that we will not be overwhelmed with how small we are but how enormous God is.
Dear Heavenly Father, you truly hold the universe in your hands.
As it is written in Isaiah, who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance? Father thank you for seeing us, truly seeing us down deep into our hearts. Would you sweep away any strongholds of selfishness or judgement or apathy so that we may be used as vessels for your will. We pray that you will enlarge our hearts as individuals, families, CGs and as a church so that we would not circle up and close ourselves off from the world, would you pour into us your spirit of generosity and kindness so that we may overflow and pour the same into others. Like the widow that Jesus praised, I ask for you to grant me the courage to give everything. Let me be generous with my time, my energy, and my resources. Help me to have compassion and make space for others. Direct my gaze to you and hold my heart accountable to your will, then show me where to stretch out my hands and activate my feet. In Jesus name I pray, amen.