Pope Francis kisses the leaders' feet for peace.

Call it what you want, but it is still a very moving picture of displayed humility. Why displayed? Because I believe it had to be, to raise public awareness, to raise public accountability and to raise public pressure. 

Pope Francis pleaded for the warring leaders of Sudan not to go back to civil war. For five years before, Sudan had been rocked by wars. The nation and people were and are exhausted and the Pope is begging them to build the young nation for the people’s sake.

He invited them for a retreat in the Vatican and stunned them when he (82-year-old, who suffers from chronic leg pain) “was helped by aides as he knelt with difficulty to kiss the shoes of the two main opposing leaders and other people in the room.”

The two leaders, President Salva Kiir (“Kiir”) and his former deputy, Mr Riek Machar (“Machar”), was speechless by the humbling act from the Vicar of Christ. 

The background to that is this. 

In 2011, Sudan (a predominantly Muslim state) was split in the middle with South Sudan (Christian state) declaring her independence. 

Two years later, Kiir fired his deputy Machar and a civil war lasting 5 years (from 2013 to last September 2018) broke out. 

“About 400,000 people died and more than a third of the country’s 12 million people were uprooted, sparking Africa’s worst refugee crisis since the 1994 Rwandan genocide.”

What led to a truce last September was when the two sides signed a power-sharing deal “to assemble, screen and train their respective forces to create a national army before the formation of a unity government next month.”

This is done in the hope that there will be a permanent peace between the two religiously divided nations whose people have suffered tremendously, with children growing up without fathers, and mothers and daughters raped, exiled and dehumanised as sexual slaves. 

Here, I recall the parable of the sower, that nothing could ever be built on rocky dry ground and thorns, and this young nation of Sudan desperately needs leaders who are prepared to put aside their differences to rebuild the foundation upon which they and their families can grow once more on good fertile soil of peace, trust and hope. 

But a recent incident threatens the power-sharing deal recently signed.

Last Thursday’s coup in neighbouring Sudan “might put at risk the fragile peace” that ended the five long years of atrocity, social dislocation and death. 

This led to the papal kiss for peace followed by a 24-hour prayer and preaching in the Vatican residence to close the gap towards a unity government. 

Pope Francis made this plea: -

“I am asking you as a brother to stay in peace. I am asking you with my heart, let us go forward. There will be many problems but they will not overcome us. Resolve your problems.”

“There will be struggles, disagreements among you but keep them within you, inside the office, so to speak. But in front of the people, hold hands united. So, as simple citizens, you will become fathers of the nation.”

Lesson? Just one. 

When I look at the image of the Pope kissing the feet of the leaders, I am reminded of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. 

In John 13:14-16, the scripture reads: “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.”

These words of Jesus came with his lowly act: “Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos" ("I give you a new commandment, That ye love one another as I have loved you”). 

Alas, if we had followed this example, carried out the new commandment faithfully, with leaders washing the feet of their people and transforming their own hearts first before winning the people’s hearts, the world would be very different from now. 

I believe that religion has lost much of its force for change when it claims to do the reverse, that is, instead of washing feet, they bath in their own glory, instead of being a servant, they become the master, with force of tyranny, and instead of changing their own hearts, allowing love to lead, they leave it untouched and pursue ruins driven by their own enslaved appetites. 

The power of religion is never in the power of subjugation. If the truth sets us free, then enduring freedom has to come from setting ourselves free from the carnal appetites of our hearts. 

If leaders can’t do that, if they can’t set themselves free, then every act that comes from them, regardless of how religious it boasts to be, is no more than an act to further enslave them - for they are never truly free. 

And this enslavement perpetuated only leads to destruction unmitigated. 

So, I have come full circle with the Pope kissing the feet of the Sudanese leaders. The leadership of my Saviour is always about a sacrifice that starts with him first.

In the wilderness, it was a sacrifice of the flesh. In his selection of his disciples, it was a sacrifice by example. In his ministry and teachings, it was the sacrifice of self in service to others. 

In Gethsemane, where he pleaded for the cup to be removed, it was a sacrifice of soul, emotion and will. And at the Cross, it was a sacrifice of love to bring about the healing and overcoming of hearts.

That is why the revolution that Jesus started never went out of circulation. It was so revolutionary during his time that till today, many leaders cannot but acknowledge its distilled power and enduring truth. 

And its truth promises to set us free as leaders if only we wash the feet of our people not as an act for show, but as the result of a changed heart redeemed by a love bestowed. Amen.

Law & Grace equals Liberation.

Someone on FB asked me how I reconcile Law and Grace and how does the two (working hand in hand) lead me to liberation. Here is my answer:- 

"I note your point. I understand Salvation is a free gift. 

Thru His grace and sacrifice at the Cross, it is done. We are thus counted or deemed as righteous by faith and belief, by proclamation and acceptance. 

But, when we are talking about law (not ceremonial ones), we are talking about the ten commandments (TC) too right?

Now, It is NOT thru obedience to TC that we are saved, (which is impossible as it implies human effort and belief), but by faith and only by faith through the finished work of Christ that we are saved, right? 

Thus far, I supposed, we are on the same page?

Yet, TC is not the cause of sin, right? 

Paul mentioned that the coming of the law makes us sin more. But surely, the law of sin (and death) differs from sin of the law right? 

The law of sin is about the First Adam for whom we are bound until the Last Adam came to set us free for good, for all time. 

But that (that is, the law of sin) does not mean the sin of the law right? The law is not sin, TC is not sin, OT/OC (Old Covenant) is not sin. For there is no human agency involved. 

They are all imperfect instruments trying in earnest to bridge the "graceless" gap.

Paul said: "What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law. For I would not have known what coveting really was if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”

Sin is sin, and the power of sin is the law (by breaking it and not its mere existence mandated by God Himself) does not mean that the law gives one the power to sin. It is still our choices from our fallen nature that we break the law (or are disobedient to it). 

Take out the human agency factor and the law is nothing more than a divine normative template.

For it is illogical (even unfair) to say that our secular law, for example, (like "Do Not Litter Fine 500" or "Please Flush Fine 1000") is the cause of me littering or not flushing. 

Law makes us aware of sin, but it does not make us sin. Our sinful nature from First Adam entices is to sin by the awareness of the law and then breaking it.

So, the liberation I talk about is not just to know the law, that is, TC, but to know Christ and His unfailing Grace. 

The knowledge of the law without Grace is helplessness and the proclivity to sin by dint of our fallen unredeemed nature. 

But the knowledge of the law and its obedience through the power of Grace is liberation. 

The perfection of His Grace is in the Grace of His Perfection that we proclaim through faith in vicarious wholeness. 

The law is thus not redundant. Just as OT is not redundant. They are a purposeful interlude (or backdrop) to herald the perfect sacrifice made perfect in the Amazing Grace of the Last Adam. 

For to rely solely on Grace without the historical and soteriological background of the law is like putting a child near the warm fire against the cold outside, but leaving no boundaries for the child and thus risking him to touch the fire. 

With Grace, the law makes sense to me to remind me of what is good and what is not, and to allow me to claim freedom from it not through disowning it (or by disassociation), but fulfilling it through the unmerited favour demonstrated in the finished work of Christ. Not by might or power, but by His Spirit in positional righteousness. 

So, therein lies my freedom from the awareness of the law and the empowerment of Grace, working hand in hand, heart to heart and soul to soul."

Alas, in this endless debate about Law and Grace, it is supposedly "endless" for a reason, that is, we each have our own opinion and it is better to live and let live, to believe in a way that we are still able to grow in our own way because there are other more pressing issues in life that calls out to us, and trust me, this Law and/or Grace "schism" will not break the unity of faith if we learn from and respect the differences of views and then, march forward to transform ourselves and others, one lighted step at a time.

What breaks the seemingly fragile unity of late however is when we polarise faith with such hostility and antagonism arising from such distracting differences that we lose sight of how each of us can impact lives by coming to Christ with the simplicity and innocence of a child, that is, no preconceived bias, no presuppositions that elevate oneself above others, no contention of who is more right than the other, and no boasting of doctrinal superiority. Because in our infinite ignorance, we are all equal. 

Christ has called us to join our faith in one spirit, one soul, and one body to make a difference in one life, one hope and one passion, not to create differences over one stubbornly held belief that will not count much (if at all) for unity, eternity and charity. 

That's my view this morning (and for all mornings until I heave my last breath - for that I know I am sure). Amen. Cheerz.

Kim & Trump Summit.

The historic summit is this morning and it will likely end at 2 pm, where Kim is scheduled to depart. Trump will leave at about 5 pm today.

Whatever the outcome of the meeting, for the sake of peace, I pray for the best. 

But what caught my attention in the papers today was the little night outing that our foreign minister took with Kim, his sister, and his entourage to Marina Bay Sands and our iconic Gardens by the Bay. 

Vivian and Ong Ye Kung took selfies with Kim in the Garden and it was a proud moment for Singapore. 

At one point, one of the locals, chef Tiara Rodrigo, 20, and her friend, 19, joined the media scrum to catch a glimpse of Kim in the Garden. 

Ms Rodrigo said: "He is staying at the hotel near my house, so it is funny that I would bump into him here, at such a touristy location, the night before the big meeting."

Her friend added: "Not much is known about North Korea and you don't see figures like him out a lot, which makes it more exciting to try and spot him."

Apparently, the local scene has turned the hunt for political celebrities like Trump and Kim into a "where's-Waldo?" kind of sports, and the excitement is indeed captured in the moment. 

In fact, if you'd like to know, there is not much to know about North Korea and how the country is organised. 

It is basically a nation ruled by a family, a dynasty. 

Kim's grandfather and father preceded him before he took over in 2011. As such, you won't be wrong to call N. Korea by its alternative name, "Kim's nation".

Now, every leader will have a lot of bodyguards around them because their safety and security is paramount. 

But Kim seemed to have more because it is essentially a paranoia nation where distrust and suspicion are everywhere, what's more in a foreign land.

Further. the Kim dynasty is revered with messianic zeal and the country is put on a very tight lease in terms of personal freedom, human rights and privacy.

Loyalty and allegiance to the Kims are considered the people's revolutionary duty, which far outweighs familial relations, friendship and workplace ties. 

The secret police is there to ensure that the citizenry is kept within clearly-defined boundaries to maintain law and order. Anyone who is suspected of crossing the line, even by association, will be punished and sent to training camps (more on that later). 

As a social side-note, girls were not allowed to ride bicycle as it is deemed sexually suggestive. There is an official edict against it and it is considered illegal. 

N. Korea is an economically starved nation due to the heavy worldwide sanctions against it and the channelling of funds to build up its nuclearization programmes (instead of to the people). 

Most of her people have to struggle for scraps as food to feed themselves and their family. 

During the famines in the 1990s, many perished. Those who survived have to do whatever it takes to live.

For the girls, they have to sell their bodies. And for the boys, they have to fight and compete for food. For this reason, many black markets emerged as a means of survival. 

Earlier, I mentioned about training camps. They are actually euphemism for lifelong detention. Those who are deemed the nation's traitors are locked up in those camps. 

Even their children (including those born into the camps) are vicariously punished for the sins of their fathers.

These children are considered forgotten for their sufferings were never known or published until an escapee named only as "Shin" lived to tell the tale in the book "Escape from Camp 14" (Blaine Harden). 

Although purely anecdotal, and the authorities have fully denied it, Shin related one account that broke my heart. 

At Chapter 2 of the book, Shin recalled an incident when he was in the camp's school with a class of about forty plus six-year-old.

One day, the teacher conducted a spot check and rummaged through all their bags. 

When the teacher found five kernels of corn in a girl's bag, he shouted at her, "You bitch, you stole corn? You want your hand to be cut off?"

Shin remembered that the girl was "short, slight and exceptionally pretty." 

The next part is best left to Shin's own words in the book. 

"He ordered the girl to the front of the class and told her to kneel. Swinging his long wooden pointer, he struck her on the head again and again. As Shin and his classmates watched in silence, lumps puffed up on her skull, blood leaked from her nose, and she toppled onto the concrete floor. Shin and several other classmates carried her home to a pig farm not far from her school. Later that night, she died."

She was only six years old, caught for stealing corn. 

I know one should not get too emotional about such anecdotal stories, but I believe - from the many horrid accounts from defectors - there is a kernel of truth in Shin's narration because we should never underestimate the length and breadth a man or regime will go to maintain and horde power. 

So, when Vivian toured the capital of N. Korea recently, what caught my attention was his gushing comment:-

"There is no substitute for experiencing a place firsthand. I was very impressed by what I saw on my trip to Pyongyang. It is clean, modern, and beautiful with clear evidence of ongoing construction around the city. There are many high-rise buildings and modern designs. The streets of Pyongyang are also well-maintained and lined with greenery. It is clear that the government has been hard at work to upgrade the city infrastructure."

I guess there are other parts of the country that he did not visit and thus he may not have the full picture. 

But then, politicians will be politicians, as the ultimate goal of diplomacy is always to be short on memory and long on cordiality. The past is the past, let's look forward to the future to change things, right?

That I guess is why this historic summit is so important to change the fate of those who are suffering and have died for what they believed in. 

It is always for the people, even one as young as six years old, that we look to leaders for hope, safety and protection. 

Let's hope that this is a crossroad for N. Korea towards a positive trajectory, especially for the silenced and buried voices of the invisible people. Amen. Cheerz. 

Sources from "Nothing to envy" by Barbara Demick and "Escape from Camp 14".