“Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul, praise His holy name!” Indeed, the words from this praise song, taken from Psalm 103, are fitting for the commissioners gathered for the General Assembly. Our almighty God is very much alive and is turning people’s hearts back to Him through faithful witness of brothers and sisters in Christ, within our denomination and beyond.
As a first-time commissioner to the General Assembly, I have seen how our church is thriving from coast to coast. The encouraging stories shared on Sunday really gave me a renewed interest in improving the dynamics between our church neighbours and the congregation. Our neighbourhood is our mission field and I look forward to the time of harvest.
In Sunday’s panel discussion, Rev. Kent Burdett invited commissioners to go and love our neighbours instead of focusing on church growth alone. We must not be obsessed with the idea of “bigger is better,” but we ought to foster an environment promoting Christian witness wherever we are—in our families, churches, schools, work places and communities.
I had the privilege to see how Presbyterians across Canada argue with manner and sincerity. The moderator played an important role when things got a little intense. Sometimes we were asked to stand so a close vote could be counted. But we worshipped in unison and we were unanimous in the vast majority of issues, in particular, the motion to adjourn.
The reports from different ministries and agencies were uplifting. Congregations need to be made aware of the impact of their contributions to Presbyterians Sharing. I am glad to see how youth were represented and how the Assembly Council ensures equal representation from clergy and lay people.
Rev. Dr. John Vissers, outgoing moderator, reminded us in his sermon on Sunday evening, “Unity celebrates diversity. Uniformity seeks to eradicate it. Uniformity is coercive and exclusive, it wants to dominate and control and assimilate. But true unity is characterized by love, which does not seek its own way. Because that’s who God is.”
The beauty of God’s kingdom is anchored in the unanimous adoration and praise to the Creator in spite of the disagreements among His children on lesser issues. This image of unity is also visible in a married couple where two distinct individuals come together with different backgrounds, genetic makeup and personalities. Somehow, love comes in to unite the two souls and makes the couple as one, with a common vision to build a family, a God honouring family.
As a concluding thought, I wonder how we can best respond to His grace and love? I believe that God wants us to do the simple things, such as loving our neighbours and meditating on His words day and night, and He will pour out His amazing power in response and use us as His channels of peace.
May all glory, honour and praise be unto our loving Father.
About Michael Yen
Michael Yen is the representative elder from Taiwanese Robert Campbell Presbyterian in Montreal.
