All I want for Christmas is...

All I want for Christmas is...waitforit...mm, how about this? 

All I want for Christmas is for...Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer to experience an unfortunate snow-sleight accident while travelling across the storm clouds with Father St. Nicholas. 

Let me flesh out my Christmas wish a little more here for completeness.

After the accident, Rudolph suffered more than a red nose. He was nursing a fracture in the wintry North Pole infirmary. Needless to say, some of the wrapped presents were not delivered on time because of it. Mind you, the snow-sleight had to be repaired too. But, fortunately, Father Nick had a spare or two. 

After an exhausting night of delivery, Father Nick, his elves and a few of Rudolph’s cousins went to the infirmary to surprise Rudolph, who was at that time quite sad and lonely. 

They surprised him with a warm bowl of soup, a velvety bucket full of salad made of leaves from willows and birches, and a few gifts from Father Nick himself.

They then talked through the early hours of the morning until sunrise. They talked about how blessed they were, how what they have done has brought broad smiles to poor kids and orphans all over the world, and how it gave them a deep and intimate meaning doing what they do during this season of giving. Suddenly, Rudolph felt much better and the hurt from the fracture was transformed to deepening joy in his heart. A joy shared with family, with loved ones.

Mm...that about wraps up my Christmas wish, if you should ask me in two days’ time. 

Yes, I know it is not much of a wish. Some may even think it is a request from someone who is sick in the mind. Whoever wishes for an accident to happen to loved ones, especially during a festive season like Christmas? Next saner wish pls.

But in my defence, Rudolph is imaginary. He was invented in 1939 so that some American store could give away millions of copies of his heart-warming story. That red-nosed ruminant is basically a myth. Santa Claus had a much longer mythical history than his fellow reindeer. 

Yet my point is this: If you want to remember Christmas, it is definitely not about that roasted turkey, that unwrapping of gifts, or those Christmas hymns we belt out with careless abandonment. They are no doubt part of the celebration, but there is much more to it of course. 

As opposed to Rudolph, which is a myth, Christmas is about the story of Christ. It is no happy story - and we all know that. It is about betrayal, about injustice, about torture, about tears, about death. 

All of that, or most of it, should be quite familiar to most of us reading about his life. It definitely went beyond some bullying because some reindeer got an unusual shiny red nose or some cooked up Christmas wish about some storm cloud accident. 

Alas, my wish for an accident to an imaginary character is a wish to bring out a point and not that I wish for it to happen. It is a point that is always worth reminding during this season of celebration. 

As an adult, I have come to realize that the best Christmas wish coming true is not so much to make the holiday as festive and joyous as possible. Yes, we celebrate His resurrection. That is surely a cause for great joy. 

But at some point, His life on earth (how He lived it) must mean something to us. And it is personal no doubt, for personal reflection and processing. That is why in the above sentence I chose to express my Christmas wish as one “coming true” and not one that has already arrived.

It is a wish “coming true” because I am still work in progress, but at least, the keyword is progress. Sure, I can’t explain that to my kids, because their minds are only consumed with unwrapping the gifts. Well, that is only natural. 

But, yet, there is something supernatural about Christmas - not the date, but the person or life. It has a message beyond encountering an accident, beyond bad things happening, beyond possessions we surround ourselves with, beyond the Orchard Road decorations, and beyond the festive lights and the shiny star we satisfactorily put as a finishing touch on top of our bejewelled Christmas tree.  

And I think I have come full circle with my Christmas wish. And by now, you should know that I wish for no accident to happen to Rudolph. It is not about bad things happening in our life, which is unavoidable, but how we and our loved ones come together to pull through that brings the richness/reality of the Christmas' narration to life.

At this juncture, it should be noted that our life and insurance policy come together for a reason. They come together because we don’t expect it to be smooth. There will be “storm cloud” accidents - so to speak - and it is how we overcome it that, to me, brings out the true meaning of this empowering season, and for all seasons of life. 

I think philosopher Martha Nussbaum puts it best here: -

“To be a good human is to be a kind of openness to the world, an ability to trust uncertain things beyond your own control, that can lead you to be shattered in very extreme circumstances for which you were not to blame. That says something very important about the ethical life: that it is based on a trust in the uncertainty, and on a willingness to be exposed. It's based on being more like a plant than a jewel: something rather fragile, but whose very particular beauty is inseparable from that fragility." 

Indeed, my Christ is that beauty. Not as in a jewel, hard, but something fragile, approachable and identifiable, and it is that fragility that brings out His timeless beauty, that is, a beauty that was no doubt shattered in very extreme circumstances, but He went through it nevertheless, not running from it, because life is not about being cushioned by an "insurance-policy" mentality, it is however one that is insured by the way He lived His life which is summed up in these words: -

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

That is the meaning of Christmas for me, and it is the best Christmas wish I hope to keep unwrapping for all seasons of life, even at most times, most unwillingly amidst the tears. 

And I wish you an overcoming life too, a life always working towards progress, a life which keeps holding on to a hope that is unshakeable amidst the trials, and a joy that is beyond the shimmering glitters of this world. Amen. 

YA Retreat: Identity.

I was at a leaders’ retreat for young adult (YA) over the weekend. We gathered to chart the course for next year and to bond with one another. 

It started with a bike ride at Pulau Ubin on Friday afternoon, a cosy peranakan dinner, an intense discussion at night, morning breakfast thereafter, and another round of discussion followed by lunch at the famous Changi Village’s nasi lemak stall, and after that, we were home bound. 

Unavoidably, the word we were trying to grapple with was “identity”. What is our identity in the YA? 

Well, I will not go into the details of what was discussed, but let’s just say that on paper, it was not too difficult to put identity into words. 

But we wanted to go much deeper, to put words into action. That is, to make it real, impactful and meaningful to and for every young adult so that they may take ownership and embrace it, and in turn be inspired by. 

Call me old fashioned, but I believe symbolism and meta-narrative still matter in a world of fake news, postmodernist truths and individual expressionism. 

Take light for example. The image that comes to mind is a light bulb, a torchlight, a campfire or the rising sun. I can also think about a long, dark tunnel with a light at the end.

Undoubtedly, those images inspire deeply for those struggling in their own trial. It speaks of hope, end of pain, and eventual overcoming for those who are never weary in well-doing for in due season a harvest awaits. 

But there is still a palpable gap to bridge between light on paper and light in action or application. 

Being the light of Christ, salt and light, and a city on the hill are powerful metaphors, but how do we get the young adults to embody those powerful and timeless truths in the life they are living day by day, year by year? 

And the reality is, how do we as leaders be inspired and empowered by what is written on pulp paper when we ourselves are at times jaded, divided and distracted? 

In our discussion, we threw out many questions, and many definitions of identity in a youth adult ministry. Honestly, in the end, it was a fruitful discussion not so much that we have nailed what identity meant to us in a general consensus. 

The truth is, we didn’t nail it. In our intense discussion, we did not come up with anything that is new or novel under the sun. But I believe that while there is nothing new under the sun, there is a lot of “old things” we do not know with enough depth. 

I also believe that familiarity may breed contempt, but I can expect nothing less than contempt if we are only familiar with it and are never deeply convicted by it. For, yes, familiarity may breed contempt, yet conviction breeds transformation, and transformation however long it takes reaps a life worth living for Christ. 

So, what is our identity as a young adult ministry? 

As I had written above, each of us was invited to offer one practical definition of identity and the usual familiar words came up. To the skeptic, it may appear to be a hot tubbing session of devising grand idealism. But let me address that by saying this, our contributions converge rather dynamically, organically and spontaneously on one word, love. 

However much we wanted to eke out a definition with a “wow!” factor, we ended up with...waitforit...love.

In essence, in our brainstorming, we could not escape from what Jesus once said when he was asked about the greatest commandment. There are only two: “Love Him with all your heart, soul, and mind” and “love your neighbor as yourself”.

Well, apart from the two greatest commandments, love exists only in vain ideology, grand idealism and self-serving postmodernist values. 

Alas, you can reinvent the wheel for some things, like putting seats at the periphery and it becomes a Ferris wheel. Or assigning numbers and multiple slots and it becomes a roulette wheel. 

But you can’t reinvent the wholeness of love because it is not measured by numbers assigned or seats attached. It is however measured by the distance you travel with it, and I know of one man who once went all the way with and for love. He made all the difference. He did not reinvent love in the way we wanted it, but he embodied and lived it out in a journey that has transformed many lives.

Mind you, love is a simple word, mundane to many, too familiar to some, and even viewed as hypocritically offensive to others. But as the saying goes, “fish is the last to discover water”, so it is with love when we take it for granted or treat it as an inconvenient truth, setting timeless standards our fleshly desires naturally rebel against.

But say or feel what you like, take water out of the ocean and all the fishes will die. Same here with love. Drain it out of our lives and we will destroy one another eventually. With love, all are elevated. Without it, no one stands in the end. 

So, let me wrap up with what I felt was a good definition of our YA identity. It was offered by a pastor. He said: “A blazelighter (young adult) is one who experiences the bountiful love of God and boldly expresses this love within and without the community.” 

And yes, ultimately, the challenge is this, is that too familiar to us, or are we truly convicted by it? 

For if it is the latter, we can indeed do all things through Christ.