A Gift

Aside from chocolates, the only thing I got from our recent family holiday to Switzerland was a crucifix which I bought from a second-hand store next to the Brunig-Hasliberg railway station. Our small group tour was on its way from Interlaken to Lucerne and we wanted to make a quick toilet stop at the station. Someone wondered into the store and we ended up spending the next half an hour there.

I  was reluctant to enter the store. I only shop when I have something specific in mind and I didn't like the idea of seeing something interesting but too bulky to lug around for the remainder of the holiday without damaging it.  Next to the entrance of the store, I saw dusty books and what looked like VHS tapes which made me wonder whether the store had anything interesting to offer. But there was a few minutes to kill and it was more comfortable to be indoors away from the cold. Upon entering the store, I was surprised with how big it was considering that we seemed to be in the middle of nowhere. It had a wide variety of goods from small badges and pins to a full knight's armour. This was getting interesting.

The crucifix was laying flat on a table near the entrance and quickly caught my eye. I've often seen crucifix made fully of either wood or metal, but this one was slightly different. The cross was carved out of wood whilst the image of the crucified Christ was sculpted in metal. It was large - 24cm x 50cm. There was a small piece of masking tape stuck to the bottom of the cross with the price written on it - "22".  I held it up and looked around. I was genuinely confused. Such a beautiful artefact for CHF22 placed so close the entrance and nobody took interest in it? Was it really only 22 Francs?

I walked around the rest of the store to see if I could find something identical. This crucifix didn't have to be one-of-a-kind but I wanted to be sure it wasn't mass produced either. There were other crucifix but nothing similar.  I like the fact that it was second-hand, that it meant something to someone some time in the past. It made me think about why it may have been given away or sold to a second-hand store. What was the story behind the ownership of this cross? I decided to buy it.

I once told a bible study group that I sometimes wished I had something to visually remind me of the pain and the humility of Christ as he hung on the cross.  When the mind is confused and the heart anxious, the sight of the cross stops me on my tracks.  In His most defeated hour, the cross is a reminder of His promise "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light". I thank God that He placed this crucifix with me to remind me of His grace.

Have a blessed new year ahead.

"There is no problem too big 
God cannot solve it
There is no mountain too tall
God cannot move it

There is no storm too dark
God cannot calm it
There is no sorrow too deep
He cannot soothe it

If He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders
I know my brother that He will carry you
If He carried the weight of the world upon His shoulders
I know my sister that He will carry you" 

~ Scott Wesley Brown

Christmas in Switzerland

We arrived in Switzerland about 2 weeks ago for a family vacation. We signed up for a small group tour with Tour 168 of Switzerland (www.tour168.ch) run by Mario and his Peranakan Singaporean wife Andrea. The itinerary and pace of the tour fit our family perfectly. With a teenage son and two very young kids, a large group tour would not have worked for us and I suspect we wouldn't have known what we may have missed if we did that. 

Being a country historically rooted in Christianity, there is at least one church in each village. These churches are visually stunning and they warm the senses when the bells toll. During this time of the year, there are no shortage of visual cues of Christmas. Blending in the seasonal markets and decorations with quintessential snow covered mountains, quaint villages and family fun in the snow it feels like we've jumped right into a series of Christmas greeting cards. You can't help but feel Christmassy.

Yet the first Christmas more than 2000 years ago was something that happened far away from Switzerland at the time of the year that probably wasn't quite as cold. Somewhere in the Middle East, in the little town of Bethlehem, "a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace". The claim is that God himself had come to us incarnate, that he may one day be a full and perfect living sacrifice to reconcile man to Himself. The claim is that God is able, willing and longing to dwell among us, and this was fulfilled with the birth of baby Jesus, witnessed by lowly shepherds "wrapped in cloths, lying in a manger". 

On our 2nd day in Zurich before we joined the tour, we visited the Christmas market at Bellevue located next to the lake. Whilst there we chanced upon a stall that was still under construction. It looked like a barn, with two donkeys and two goats feeding on hay. The stall was surrounded by families and kids reaching out to pet the animals. In one corner, was a man was carrying a lamb and offering it out to families for photo opportunities. My younger kids were very excited at the prospect of carrying the lamb but in the end they were too frightened so I ended up carrying it. I was surprised by how calm it stayed. It was warm and fluffy and had a gentle look in its eyes. At that moment, I was reminded of baby Jesus, who came as the lamb of God who came to " wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow".

Have a blessed Christmas. God is good.

No Apple Juice

This should be quite familiar to most parents with young kids. The kids squabble over something without an end in sight and I resort to telling them that the next person who opens his or her mouth will not receive a treat. If we are on our way to a restaurant, I would tell them that their apple juice is at stake. If they are on their way home, it would usually be their TV time. In many cases, the results are instantaneous. Thank God for the parental authority to withhold apple juice and TV time from screaming kids.

Last Sunday, we were on our way to the evening Communion Service in church. I can't remember what started the squabble this time but as usual it went on and on between the two younger kids. To end the fight, I wanted to tell them that whoever spoke next will not receive the bread and the grape juice, which they serve during Communion. Fortunately, I caught myself before I verbalised my thoughts and stuck to the apple-juice-for-dinner threat.

In that moment, it struck me once again how special the gift of the Communion is. In trying to correct the wrong and hopefully allow an important lesson to stick, I sometimes resort to withholding a treat or make the kids stand in the corner. When in the car, there are no isolating corners, so it has to be the former. But with God, when he saw the mess that we've created for ourselves, he responded with the Christmas plan. And Christmas bears its full meaning when it is seen in the light of Good Friday and Easter Sunday. When something needs forgiving and fixing, the gift of the Holy Communion reminds us that the deed is already done, and all we need to do is to receive it. What God has given, nobody can withhold.

In the season of Advent, I am reminded of the great hope that we have that one day God will right all our wrongs. On that day, we will finally understand that no form of human deprivation, whether it is terrorism, slavery, child-abuse or world hunger, can hold back God's love from prevailing. And until that day, we must try to live with hope and not despair, with care and not with indifference, with faith so that we are not caged in by fear. We must continue to strive to do good and when we fall short, allow the Communion meal to remind us that we are in good hands because God has it all covered.

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”(which means “God with us”).

                                                                                                                                  ~ Matthew 1: 22- 23