The heart of Christ. What is it like?
Pastor Philip Chan has passed on, at age 69. He left behind his wife, Christina, and daughter, Joaquim, 39-year-old chef.
Pastor Philip was first diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2006, and later with stage 4 liver cancer in 2016.
Reported by Theresa Tan, she wrote that “Pastor Philip Chan, who dedicated his life to helping drug addicts and co-founded The Hiding Place with...Christina, died on Monday.”
“A former drug addict, (Pastor Philip) used to work as a salesman in his father’s trading firm and led a self-described “havoc” life of drinking and drugs up to his early 20s.””
Theresa added: “He was introduced to Christianity and stayed at the Christian halfway house House of Grace, which was set up by his wife before they married and he kicked his drug habit”
“The couple later tied the knot and renamed the halfway house The Hiding Place in 1978. It housed and helped drug addicts to turn their lives around while also assisting gamblers and those hooked on alcohol.”
Lesson? Just three, and they are from the grateful souls that he had touched over more than 40 years of ministry.
His daughter, Joaquim said: “I’ve been given ample time to prepare for this day. But no matter how much time is given, when it comes, it feels like I have been hit by a truck.”
This is a wake up call for those with loved ones. Alas, life and death, each takes their turn. But in our youth, we know nothing about death, because like the midday sun, all we see is its light, leaving nothing untouched by it. Not a trace of shadow can be detected. For the young, at their prime, the horizon is brightly lit.
But, as the day draws near to evening time, we see shadows more clearly. For most of us, it is a draw-down, that is, the ending chapters of a life.
Yet we are never ready to let go of a life, especially one who has lived so well like Pastor Philip. Joaquim said: “Dad was like a crab, soft on the inside, firm and stern outside. My dad has a very big heart and he would give whatever he had to others. I will definitely miss him so much.”
Another soul touched by him is Pastor Tan Hock Seng, 62. He too was a former drug addict. He had known Pastor Philip for 39 years.
Pastor Tan said: “I couldn’t understand why they were helping us as we were not the obedient kind and gave them lots of headaches. They did not gain financially from it.
“I learnt that they did it for the love of God. They sacrificed a lot to take care of us, living with us and sacrificing their privacy. They also had raised funds to keep this place going.”
Indeed, for Pastor Philip, he had taken the road less travelled, the straight and narrow. As Pastor Tan said, “they did not gain financially from it.”
And their sacrifices over the decades are from a heart that never goes weary in giving to others. It is not about financial rewards, but lives restored, not about wealth in possession, but wealth in conversion.
From his tumultuous early years to a marriage of sacrifices unwavering, and through love unfailing, Pastor Philip turned his “havoc life” into a “haven life”, that is, one that provides a home to the wayward, tends to their needs in the worst of times, and treats them as his very own, a father to the fatherless.
This leads me to my final lesson from a life that shone as bright as the midday sun. And it comes in a life defined not just by words, but deeds.
Here is how Caleb Tan, a former drug addict, raised by his grandmother, (who doesn’t know who his biological father was) related this one incident.
“For instance, he was preparing jam one day to make the pineapple tarts that The Hiding Place sold to raise funds when he was badly injured in a kitchen accident. He suffered extensive burns, had five broken ribs and his lungs collapsed.
Caleb said: "We have no blood relation but Pa (what he calls Pastor Philip) told me not to worry so much. He promised me The Hiding Place would take care of me. And even if The Hiding Place doesn't take care of me, Pa said he would personally take care of me."
“He said Pastor Philip helped him to get back on the straight and narrow and taught him what it means to be a trustworthy man and a good husband. Said (Caleb), who now works as a cook at The Hiding Place.”
“He always put others before him. And even when he was very ill, he still constantly worried about us."
Let me return to the question I started with in this tribute, “The heart of Christ, what is it like?”
Well, I do not know Pastor Philip personally, but from those who know him, lived with him, and are deeply touched by him, his legacy is undeniable. To me, his life shows me, most intimately, the heart of Christ, the love of enduring sacrifice.
For the heart of Christ is not defined by an act, but a life. It is not momentary or seasonal, it is lifelong and unceasing, in its giving, loving and sharing; truly unbounded.
The heart of Christ is also beyond defilement. Indeed, the things of this world go strangely dimmed as a life like Pastor Philip draws itself closer and closer to the lover of his soul. It is strange only when seen through the eyes of the outsiders. But to the partakers, there is no treasure greater, no joy more unfathomable, for a love so unconditional.
And lastly, the heart of Christ never gives up or gives in. It is a life that walks a soul to the end. It is a life that remains faithful to the call because its broken heart finds strength and hope in the brokenness of those he gives himself to.
And let me end with what a social worker Benny Thiam said of his papa. Benny himself stayed in The Hiding Place for three years.
“He was a very forgiving and generous man who was always willing to give others a second chance. I have learnt this from Pastor Chan - not to give up on someone and to give them a second chance.”
Indeed the heart of Christ journeys with a soul to his last breath. Amen.
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