SUNDAY WORSHIP SERVICE 林思乐
I come from a family of free-thinkers. However, my mother still wanted to give my brother and I a chance to learn about God, and so she placed us in Ang Mo Kio Methodist Church Kindergarten. I also went to CHIJ St. Nicholas Girls' School (primary and secondary) and even attended Heart of God Church for a while in my teens. Still, I did not commit to Christianity.
When I was 15, my mother contracted cancer. She eventually accepted Christ, but she passed away just before I entered university. Although I was not yet a believer, what got me through that difficult period was the knowledge that she was with God.
When I was in Year 4 of university, for some reason I decided to start looking for a church to settle down in. I wanted to solidify what I knew about Christianity from my years in school as well as whatever I believed at that point. At first, I went back to Ang Mo Kio Methodist, but being someone who doesn't like talking to strangers, I felt lonely there.
It was in 2014 that my university course mate, Colin Ng, brought me to COR. He introduced me to his cell group, El Hakkadosh, where I found like minded people and finally felt comfortable. And so, I stayed.
One highlight of my time in COR was the 2016 Easter Service. My cell member, Scholastica Wong, invited me to join the dancers to put up a dance item depicting Jesus' resurrection, set to the closing soundtrack of The Passion Of The Christ. That experience was an eye opener for me. I've been dancing since I was 13, but that was the first time I learnt that dance could be used in this way - as a meditation on God's word. I also watched the movie a few weeks before the service, which really struck a chord in me.
Right now, I'm part of the dance team and am learning flagging. I'm eager to try that out in service to minister to everyone.
我来自一个无神论的家庭。然而,我的母亲仍然想要我和弟弟有机会认识神,所以她给我们报读宏茂桥卫理公会办的幼儿园。后来,我也就读于圣婴圣尼哥拉小学和中学,甚至在青少年期间,参加神之心教会崇拜。但我仍然没有委身于基督教信仰。
我15岁那年,我的母亲罹患癌症。她后来也接受了基督,但在我未上大学时,她就逝世了。虽然那时我还不是信徒,但因深信她已经回到上帝那里,这信念帮助我度过那段煎熬的日子。
在我大学4年级时,不知何故,我决定寻找一间教会安顿下来。我想要强化我在学校时对基督教信仰的认识,和我到目前为此所相信的。起初,我回到宏茂桥卫理教会,但像我这样不善于与陌生人沟通的人,我在那里感到很孤单。
在2014年,我的大学朋友,Colin Ng,带我来到复活堂。他把我介绍给他小组,El Hakkadosh 里的组员,我找到了志同道合的朋友,让我觉得很舒服。故此,我就留下来了。
我在复活堂一个突破性的时刻发生在2016年复活节的崇拜聚会。我的小组组员邀请我参与一个舞蹈项目,是要以舞蹈描绘耶稣的复活,用“耶稣受难记”的音乐为聚会的尾声。那次的经历让我打开眼界。我自13岁就习舞,但那次的服事让我学习到原来我们可以用舞蹈来默想上帝的话语。在这聚会前几周,我也观看了这部电影,它确实触动了我的心。
现在,我是舞蹈事工的一份子,也正在学习挥旗。我非常期待有朝一日能够在崇拜时用我所学的服事会众。
This article first appeared in Issue 20, December 2019 CHORUS Magazine.
Comments