Fragrance of the Glory of God
Ryan Ang was a part of the outreach to the community in MacPherson. He shares about the event and encourages us to continue to love and serve the community even in 2023.
18th December 2022: the fragrance of the Zi Char dishes enveloped my olfactory organs as the GBC volunteer team unwrapped the catered food in preparation to serve the MacPherson community for our Christmas outreach event.
“Dear Lord, as we serve the food, and as people feed their mouths, may you feed their hearts as well, with the truth of your love and grace,” we prayed.
Standing next to me was my Japanese pal, Asuka, tongs in hand, ready to “kiap” the delectable-looking prawns and distribute them to the hungry crowd. Across us was Alan, our Taiwanese-American buddy, who recently moved to MacPherson, and was busy engaging one of his neighbors in a discussion about Christianity. A few steps away from him stood our other friend Krystal, from Malaysia, who was taking a breather, after having sung a slew of rousing Christmas songs with the caroling team. And out of the corner of my eye, I saw Pastor Oliver (Ollie) actively interacting with numerous guests, presumably sharing the Gospel, as a person would later remark: “I have never heard of the Gospel shared through the full context of the Bible before, until Pastor Ollie spoke to me today.”
Pastor Ollie, Asuka, Alan, Krystal, and I are vastly different people. We are from different countries, distinct cultures, and disparate backgrounds. But one thing unites us, and that’s the blood of Christ. And along with the many other GBC volunteers from both the Chinese and English congregation, we were gathered together that day to celebrate Christ -- his birth, his death, and his resurrection -– and to share this good news with the community. It has been a while since GBC has done an outreach event: the last one being prior to the pandemic, so we weren’t sure how the turnout would be. The day of the Christmas outreach event also coincided with the 2022 FIFA World Cup Final between Argentina and France, so some had speculated that there would be lower attendance. However, during the event, more than twice the expected number of people participated! Thankfully, we had more than enough food to serve, and even had significant leftovers, which felt simply providential.
The highlight of the entire evening was witnessing brothers and sisters across both congregations engaging with the local residents and attendees and sharing about our faith and the significance of Christmas. In Matthew 28, Jesus said that “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” This passage in the Bible is a mandate for all of us believers to follow and to abide by, and it was encouraging to see GBC live this out.
I was also especially heartened to see my Pastor, and Elder, Ollie, lead by example and live in a manner worthy of emulating. Throughout the whole evening, he was zealously sharing with others about the veracity of the Gospel and the meaning of Christmas. One couldn’t help but give thanks for this faithful Elder and servant of God who stands in our midst.
Altogether, the event appeared to be a success: during the evening, the advent of our King was proclaimed, His birth was celebrated, and we rejoiced at what He did for us on the cross. Whereas the fragrance of the Zi Char may have been rich and permeating, the fragrance of the knowledge of Him illuminated the entire event, as many faithful brothers and sisters encouragingly served and shared. Looking ahead, I pray and hope that GBC and her members would continue to share God’s Word mightily to our MacPherson community, as well as to our respective neighbours, and persist in being the aroma of Christ.
In 2 Corinthians 2:14-16, Paul writes: “But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life.”
We are able to share about Him because of what He has done for us on the cross: rendering victory against sin and death for us despite our depravity. Therefore, may our every breath spread the fragrance of the knowledge of Him -- of our King, who came to save the world.
Soli Deo Gloria.