2011

Life is no fairy tale.

"Happily ever-after" is not a spell.

Dreams don't come true just by "wishing upon a star."

But, I believe in one thing:

Dreams do come true when you decide to wake up and start to work,

With heart and soul and mind wrapped in solid prayer and faith.

It's never easy.

But it's worth it.

And in the end, we will stand tall.

Thank God, we've got this single life to dream and fight for.

Welcome, 2011.

Christmas 2010

Christmas and Easter: two celebrations that are no less than two sides of the same coin.
People may celebrate Christmas far more extravagant than Easter, but what would Jesus' birth mean if not for redeeming mankind upon the cross? But, then again, without His birth, there would be no redemption and salvation.

Give thanks to God, the Savior is born today!
Let all His redeemed people glorify Him!
May every second we live on Earth is filled with realization that we are redeemed for the glory of His name.
May Christmas and Easter dwell forever in our hearts.

Have a very Merry Christmas 2010, Folks!
God bless :-)

Halloween and All Hallows' Eve

The end of October and the beginning of November are moments of excitement, especially for those living in the European countries, Latin America, and the United States. It's time for trick-or-treating, Halloween, and also to commemorate All Saints' Day or All Hallows' Eve on the following day.
Although these two celebrations are so closely dated to one another that many have associate them to each other, they hold different meanings, have different backgrounds, and stem from different traditions.
Halloween, which falls on October 31st, originates from Samhain, a Gaelic pagan rite celebrated every end of summer. "Samhain" in Old Irish means "summer's end."
The Ancient Irish folks believed that on the end of summer, the barrier separating the world and the afterlife grew thinner, due to the arrival of "the darker half" of the year, allowing the spirits of the deceased to travel back to the land of the living. Thus, Samhain also included the "Festival of the Dead" back in medieval days.
People wore masks and costumes to placate evil spirits, and made lanterns of carved turnips or pumpkins to ward off the souls of the dead. The tradition was handed down for generations up to this day. And, since the date was so close to the "Festival of All Saints" or "All Hallows' Eve" on the following day, people saturated their names, calling Samhain with a new name: Halloween (All Hallows' Evening).
On the contrary, All Hallows' Eve or All Saints' Day has a completely different origin from Samhain. It is a tradition of the Roman Catholic Church which falls on the first of November, celebrated to commemorate the departed saints and holy martyrs. It is now held not only to remember the saints, but also to remember all those who have passed away in the congregation of believers in the Lord.
In the Roman Catholic Church, All Saints' Day is a holy day of obligation, which means on November 1st, they gather for a mass to celebrate this special occasion. In many countries, people visit the graveyard after the mass to light candles on the tombs of deceased relatives. In most English-speaking countries, the festival of All Saints is also celebrated by singing the hymn "For All the Saints."

Celebrating Easter

My friend, Arum, now resides temporarily in Australia. She's completing her master degree in a country where the people and culture differ greatly from the ones she grew up in.
Yesterday, on Good Friday, she posted an Easter greeting on my Facebook Wall.
I replied, "Thanks, Rum. How's Easter in Aussie?"
And she said, "Easter here means a week holiday! I like it! Loads of Easter chocolates and hot buns!"
I laughed. Easter is, of course, not about chocolates, hot buns, eggs and bunnies. It's about commemorating the turning point of human history, when Jesus' sacrifice redeemed us from the bondage of sin and death, opening us the way to salvation and eternity.
Easter is the moment of victory!
But Arum certainly does not fully understand the significance of the feast to Christians. Nevertheless, she enjoys becoming part of the celebration as much as I enjoy finding ketupat and dates on Idul Fitri.
And to all of you who celebrates Easter this morning, I wish you a very Happy Easter. May the power of Christ's resurrection fills our lives and guides us all the way through the passage to eternity. Amen!

The Answer

Every turn of the year has always brought about meaningful contemplation in our lives. Always, as the year ends and I am faced to the question of evaluating the days that have gone by, certain values emerge in my mind as to remind me of the lessons I’ve learned the past 365(6) days.
Closing 2009, I was blessed by a song I just learned at church. (Being translated) it says, “Father, You grant me what I ask. When I seek, I find. When I knock at Your door, You open. You are my Father, my Eternal Father. Never will You let me walk alone. You are always there for me. You are my Father, my Eternal Father.”
As singing the song, I realize that my Heavenly Father never grants me exactly what I ask of Him. My prayers, hopes and wishes seldom come true precisely the way I want them to. Is God being treacherous to me?
No, definitely not. I find Him to always answer my prayers differently and come up with something almost completely different from what I’ve asked Him (many times, His moves are bewildering). As I receive the answer to my bidding, I learn (sometimes through many, confusing days) that the thing He gives me is way much better than what I ask for.
God always grants me more than I could ask!
He is so good!
In relation to Christmas, we see that the way God deals with me is pretty much the same with the way He dealt with Israel.
Prior to Jesus’ birth, the Israelites were under the yoke of oppression, suffering in the hand of the Romans. They were all waiting in eager expectation for the coming of the Messiah, the Savior who will rescue them from the chain of bondage. Israel was praying for a Deliverer.
In their mind, they imagined their Savior coming in majesty, a Ruler who would overthrow the Roman government and bring everlasting peace to the land. When Jesus came, born an infant wrapped in swaddling cloth in a manger, raised as a carpenter’s son, and preached from town to town on foot (not on horseback), Israel dismissed Him. They couldn’t believe that this Man was actually God incarnate, the promised Messiah.
But God’s mind was ultimately different from the mind of man. He fulfilled His promise not the way man expected Him to. Jesus came to set free not only Israel from the bond of oppression, but (through His death and resurrection) He granted mankind liberty over the bondage of sin and death – which was way much oppressing than any foreign government could’ve been.
God did not grant Israel freedom. He granted freedom for all man. Now, that was unfathomable for any to grasp.
That’s the way God deals with us.
Never try to measure or judge God with our finite mind and understanding! He always provides us a much better answer. All we need to do is to have faith in Him.
This is the lesson I’ve learned through 2009.
Happy New Year and God bless you, All!

Prioritizing Christ on Christmas

Since Christmas is in the air, it is worth remembering what Christmas is really all about. It is the time to celebrate and commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ, God incarnate, into this sin-laden world as human being, to finally redeem the sin of mankind by His death upon the cross.
Christmas, the birth of Christ, is really the most precious gift God ever gave us. Without this heavenly gift of the Father’s mercy, none of us can anticipate the promise of eternal life in heaven. Without Christmas, all that is in store for us is death and eternal condemnation.
Nevertheless, for the past century, our focus on the birth of Christ seems to be distracted by the presence of another figure whose commemoration is also celebrated on December. People hang more decorations of Santa Claus instead of Baby Jesus, everywhere around the city, in every city of the world.
(Even the Japanese, who mostly don’t believe in Christ, celebrate Christmas! Try visiting Tokyo on December and you’ll find it decorated in red-white-green-and-gold as much as any city in USA!)
Now, Santa Claus also gives presents, especially to children, and especially to good-behaved ones. They come in sweetly-wrapped gift-boxes, containing toys, candies and treats. Who wouldn’t want to receive such nice gifts on this special month of the year? I believe all children love Santa Claus.
It’s not that it’s basically wrong to distribute presents during Christmas-time. The underlying idea is good enough: “Kids, if you behave, be nice to others and obedient to your parents all through the year, on the last month of the year you’ll be rewarded.”
This is a sort of incentive to cultivate good-behavior in the lives of our children. The problem doesn’t lie on the giving of gifts itself, but rather in the nature of man.
It is only human to regard with more respect the things that are visible over those which are invisible. We want material presents that can be touched with our hands, smelled with our noses, seen with our eyes, and tasted with our tongues. We find it rather elusive to understand the idea of an immaterial gift that will secure our future existence after leaving this material world.
Isn’t that the case?
So, the matter in question here is not whether it is wrong or not to have Santa Claus around on Christmas. What we need to ask ourselves is: what or who are we prioritizing, the gift or the Giver of gifts, the celebration or the One whose birth we are celebrating? First thing first!
We need to understand the reason why we are celebrating Christmas, and understand it to the full! All those celebrations, presents, carols, lights and bells will mean nothing if we do not first accept the gift of salvation granted to us by the Creator of Heaven and Earth. Receive Christ and the gift of eternal salvation first into our lives. Then, we are ready to celebrate and give thanks to God for all His goodness and mercy!

The Origin of Santa Claus

A long time ago, in Turkey, in a city called Myra, lived a young bishop named Nicholas. Despite his age, Nicholas was a wise man.
It so happened that a father in his neighborhood was about to sell his three daughters since he couldn’t afford their dowries. The family was very poor.
Nicholas gave a thought and then came up with a generous idea. Secretly, at night, he climbed on top of the poor family’s house and dropped a bag of gold coins down the chimney to provide for the girls’ dowries. He did it for three consecutive nights. And so the three girls were saved from being sold.
This story took place some time around the 4th century. As time went on, the legend of St. Nicholas spread to other lands: Russia, Germany, the Netherlands, and England.
In the Netherlands, the Dutch called him Sinter-Klaas, a variant of St. Nicholas. And, after the discovery of America, some Dutch settlers founded New Amsterdam in the newly discovered continent. We all know this city today as New York.
The Dutch brought the tradition of Sinter-Klaas to America as they settled in New York. Plays and stories evolved and additions to the legend of Sinter-Klaas took place: they gave him another variant of name: Santa Claus, together with stories about the flying reindeer, the toy factory in North Pole, and the furry outfit he wore.
People still holds St. Nicholas Day on December 6 every year. But, seeing how close that date is to Christmas, finally the two celebrations were fused, and Santa Claus becomes the icon of Christmas as well.

Thanksgiving Day 2009

I can’t believe it is two more days to November!

For us in Indonesia, the last two days of October do not hold any significance. But for our friends living in the USA and other parts of the globe, today is Thanksgiving Day. And tomorrow is All Hallows’ Eve (Halloween).

It is the time to bring in the autumn crops: the time of rejoicing and giving thanks for God’s supplication. Soon it will be winter, and there won’t be any planting and harvesting for the next three months.

Thanksgiving Day is the perfect moment to celebrate the Lord’s goodness in giving us provision before the coming of snow and frost. So, let’s gather those crops into storage and serve pumpkin pie and turkey on the dining table. It’s time to celebrate!

Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Idul Fitri 1430 H

Finally, Ramadhan is over and Idul Fitri has come!

After 30 days of self-evaluation, resisting hunger and thirst, denouncing natural desires and focusing on returning to purity (fitrah), the Moslems all over the world once again celebrate the triumph of Idul Fitri.

A friend of mine made a statement in Facebook earlier on the first week of the fasting month, "Why should we wait for a special season to self-evaluate ourselves and concentrating on doing what is pleasing in the eye of God? Should we not do this every single day of our lives?"

I quite agree. Just as Idul Fitri is a great celebration for the Moslems, Christmas and Easter are of the same value for the Christians. During those holy days we commemorate the birth and death of Christ and the importance of the events in our lives as believers.

But religious festivals are given not only for us to commemorate and celebrate certain events. They are meant to kindle the spirit and importance of the celebrations throughout our lives. As Christians, we need to always remember the reason why Christ was born into this Earth and why He died upon the cross, because that is the essence and core of our faith and entire existence while living in this temporary world.

As it is, Idul Fitri is given so that the Moslems will always remember God's statutes and will for His people to constantly live in purity, always be forgiving, doing good to others and showing mercy to the poor and needy. This is the spirit of Idul Fitri that should be remembered and put into action daily in the lives of the Moslems.

Another year has passed. May the next twelve months we live prudently in constant self-introspection and purity of heart.

Have a wonderful Idul Fitri, my friends...!

Holy Matrimony at GPdI Betania - Sunday, July 5, 2009

Wedding comes in many packages. There are as many customs regarding wedding as there are languages on earth. Some couples get married in churches, some in temples. Others hold their wedding by the beach, or in the garden. But these two friends of ours were wedded in front of a coffin!

Here’s a piece of their story. Willy and Nita had been having a serious relationship for some time – and he was sure to marry her. But, prior to the wedding plan, her father passed away. Thus, according to the Javanese custom, they were married off before her father’s coffin.

It took them over half a year before the two of them can come before the congregation to be blessed in a holy matrimony. This morning, we have the honor to witness their wonderful union in front of the assembly of believers.

Congratulations, Willy and Nita!

“For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh” (Ephesians 5:31).

Valentine 2009

When St. Valentine was lurking in his cell in Rome, counting the days, hours and seconds awaiting his execution centuries ago, I’m pretty sure he never had the slightest idea that his death would be commemorated by people all over the globe up to this day.
But destiny is strangely peculiar.
A deceased became a real hero through his death.

May the spirit of St. Valentine echo throughout the ages on Earth!
Happy Valentine’s Day!