It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden
plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its
branches.” Matthew 13:32
My father was a music enthusiast and had a turn-table and a hi-fi system. I
grew up listening to hits like Carpenter’s Yesterday, Teresa Teng's Siew Bak
Chang (燒肉粽), Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini to Chal Chal Mere
Haathi from the Hindi hit Haathi Mere Saathi (1971). I will listen to them again
and again.
When I converted at the age of 13, it was only natural that my musical
inclinations took a turn. The new world of Christian music filled my life with
depth, joy, meaning and inspiration in a way which
secular music could not. Musicals like Jimmy Owen’s
Come Together and iconic songs like Evie’s Give them All to
Jesus and Scott Wesley Brown’s I Wish you Jesus became
my daily favourites. These music were played through
cassette tapes (see pic). By the mid 80’s, worship songs and recordings of live
worship became popular and these other Christian songs, sometimes
labelled as “Contemporary Christian”, took a backseat.
Till today, worship songs continue to dominate the scene. It isn’t a bad thing
but it does mean that some good Christian music often passes by unnoticed
by most.
I came across Josh Wilson's song, Dream Small during the Covid season. I
found it inspiring and a reminder that it is the small things that truly count. It
was also a ministry reality for me as I moved from the Cathedral to MPCC. I
was involved with the restoration of the set of 12 huge bells at the Cathedral.
The contrast cannot be more telling when Pas Emmanuel showed me the
solitary tiny bell hung outside our sanctuary.
However, as I looked by at my years in ministry, it is often the small things
that matter most. As Josh Wilson will sing, it is “these simple moments which
change the world.” I am a “home farmer”, as some of you will know. There is
nothing that can be more plain and generic looking as a seed. Our MPCC
famers will also tell you that. The amazing thing is, each seed will bloom into a plant which can look very different from the other. They start small – very
small- and with time, the true significance of a single seed is felt.
It does not matter if the parish is large or otherwise. If the church is in a
megacity or a small town. It is all down the seeds of His Kingdom which we
plant everyday. In dreaming small, we focus on one person at a time. Wasn’t
that how Jesus fulfilled his ministry?
We will see this miracle happening as we prepare for the coming Alpha
Introductory Lunch this Saturday. Dream Small. Pray. Invite. Ask. Give
someone an opportunity to encounter the love of Christ.
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