31 Dec 2021
The birth of baby Jesus is among the most popular stories in history and it has been for centuries. Beyond the declaration of peace and goodwill to the world, His birth speaks of a far greater promise – that of the coming of a king.
Festive feelings spread throughout the hall on that Christmas morning as 464 visitors gathered for their first physical Christmas celebration since the Movement Control Order (MCO) was lifted. All were invited, both virtual and physical attendees, to contemplate the familiar story of Jesus’s birth. The CERC Choir sang classics like “O Holy Night”, “Hark The Herald Angels Sing” and “King of Heaven Come Down”, guiding listeners on a musical journey to Bethlehem as they told the story of the birth of Jesus.
The CERC Choir carols exuberantly, dressed up in festive colours.
Visitors enjoying their first Christmas together since the end of the MCO.
That morning, the message of Christmas was about the coming of a King without splendour. Our Church Ministers’ Apprentice, Cheah Wei Kin preached about how glorious and worthy of worship Jesus is despite his humble birth in a manger, proclaiming “You wonder, what does this baby have to do with my life? But you have to see that Christmas has always been about God’s plan to rule mankind… Jesus was the only one who perfectly obeyed God, and that’s why he is worthy of being the ruler of our lives.”.
Throughout the Christmas gathering, there was a deep concern to show the unbelieving world their need for this King. “When we’re not accountable to God, we pursue our ambitions and happiness at whatever cost we think is right. As urban people with plenty of prosperity and freedom of choice, we’ve essentially become modern-day kings,” said Eldwin Oui, the emcee for the gathering.
The Christmas skit depicted the dark consequences of the selfish pursuit of happiness through the story of a beautiful and career-minded woman. She justified breaking up a marriage because “she deserved to be happy”. She also achieved her dream of making her law firm greatly successful even though she got there by betraying her mentors and co-workers. In the end, she found no lasting fulfilment after her success.
From the skit: A woman struggling with her moral choices alongside her patient therapist
The same evangelistic concern was present in the Kid’s Christmas TV show “The True Story of Christmas”. In the virtual musical production, children got to “travel back in time” together with Zechariah to witness the birth of baby Jesus, while also enjoying a sing-along and dance session with David and Emma.
Kids learned about Jesus, the prophesied true king over all the other kings of the past, like the Pharaoh of Egypt, Caesar of the Roman Empire, and other kings. The show was both entertaining and educational, as it taught important themes from the biblical theology series on seeing Jesus as the Messianic king.
Amongst the most creative of the depictions of Jesus at Christmas was one of a Dragonslayer! Inspired by the book of Revelation, the youth transformed CERC into a dungeon with flaming torches and a ruby-red painted dragon’s head on the stage.
The youth enjoyed Christmas in a dungeon-themed hall complete with a dragon!
The mood of the evening was dramatic and slightly gothic, as Ilona Gan opened with a chilling original rap on Jesus coming to finally defeat sin and darkness. Jesus was preached as the great Judge of the present world, coming to judge sinners who ally with satan, the dragon in the book of Revelation.
Pastor-in-training Jerome Leng explained how the book of Revelation can be understood through a biblical theological lens. By referencing books like Daniel, he explained how the beasts in Revelation are nations that opposed God, ultimately pointing to the rule of Satan in this present age. The sermon ended with a call to obey Jesus and side with him, rather than follow the values of the world.
Christmas then finds its true meaning in the Lordship of Christ. Beyond giving the world hope and peace, God’s concern is for the unbelieving world to worship His Son instead of living for their desires. CERC was glad to proclaim that established rule on Christmas day and call the world to turn to the King of Christmas in repentance.
