Exploring the Depth of Kindness

In our own lives, a kind person would be seen as nice, generous, thoughtful, and helpful. You can do nice things for people and it reflects a part of the fruit of the Spirit. You can also do nice things for others without having to be particularly religious. The tough part is doing kind things for people who may not be kind to you. Whereas, it is very easy to do acts of kindness to people who are kind to you.  Some people can do acts of kindness without having a positive view of that person. It is almost as if you are tolerating them. 

We have a rule or expectation at our after-school program that says, “Be respectful with your words and actions” and it was easy to remember, but difficult for the kids to apply. When disrespectful words are thrown, kids would retaliate because that’s justice. When explaining to the kids about respect, we try to explain to them that they may not necessarily like each other or be friends, but what are some ways we can try and get along with one another. In a class setting or work setting, you do not have to like the people you work with nor do you have to be friends with them to work with them. Showing kindness could be like that as well. For example, being kind to your coworkers so that they may reap rewards down the road or being kind to the unkind ones so that they get off your back. 

At programs, it’s hard sometimes for the kids to be kind with their words. Whether it’s to intentionally humiliate or harm, protecting their pride or self-esteem as a defense mechanism, it just happens all at the moment. One of the kids asked us why they should be kind when no one is kind to him. Is the purpose of showing kindness to keep the status quo, or preventing a spiraling cycle of word-slinging, or because someone told you so, or is it something else? There was a youth who shared with us that she was kind to others to avoid trouble or to hopefully have those people be kind to her. In truth, kindness does not have to be reciprocated for you to be kind to others. 

The Hebrew word “chesed” is the closest thing to kindness, though it can be seen as merciful as well. There is also the Hebrew word “hesed” which refers to God’s character outlined below in Exodus: 

“The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation” - Exodus 34:6-7

There is a level of depth in the Bible’s definition of kindness where it’s not about just being nice or doing nice things. It encompasses love, compassion, long-suffering, being merciful, and gracious. God’s kindness is demonstrated through the death and sacrifice of His son Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:7). Furthermore, in the New Testament portion of the Bible, kindness is part of the fruit of the Spirit, associated with Christ-like character, and attached to acting out of love (1 Corinthians 13). It requires putting aside the self and hard-heartedness for it to be seen.

“Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. ”

—  Ephesians 4:31-32

Showing kindness can be sacrificial. It means taking a loss on our end. It means long-suffering and patience. But it also can be such a small wonderful gesture that reflects your genuine heart and concern for the other. Just like how God shows his kindness to us. 

Who is Jesus?

This semester, we are exploring the book of Mark with our youth and trying to delve into the question of "Who is Jesus?" From what they know, they mentioned he was the Son of God, a friend, the person who died and rose again, someone who performed miracles, and a teacher. Was there more to this or was that it? Through the Gospel of Mark lens, the book begins with this - The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. (Mark 1:1 ESV).  For Mark, Jesus Christ is God's Son, which was quite a strong declaration. Within the same chapter, John the Baptist proclaimed Jesus as this:

“After me will come One more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

— Mark 1:7-8 ESV

John the Baptist was preparing people the way for Jesus by having people repent to the Lord through the act of baptism, yet he had a posture of great humility when describing Jesus. Though John was making way for Jesus, Jesus was and is indeed the "way, truth, and the life." (John 14:6 ESV)

In contrast, other views of Jesus could include a martyr, a man, a prophet, or a character in a story and those examples make him detached from reality. If Jesus Christ was a mere man, we are doomed to the brokenness of our own sin. How many animal sacrifices, baptisms and cleansings would we need in order to be right with God, only to have fallen short a few seconds later?

Jesus is the bridge and truly the way between us and God. A righteous, holy, loving God and broken sinful people. How would that work? If there was a distance between us and God, God closed the gap by sending His Son Jesus to dwell amongst us as fully human and fully God. Christ sought out the sick, the rejected, the poor, and the unfavourable. He lived a perfect life submitted to God the Father, yet was also tempted and tried. He died a death we deserved to die, yet taking on the sins of humanity past, present, and future. If he stayed dead, there would be no hope, but he rose again conquering death. By his death and resurrection, we were and are redeemed for eternity. Because he died on the cross for our sins, we are finally right with God with him as the mediator. 

In the Christian view, Jesus can be described and explained in a multitude of ways - many facets. Christ can be your everything, your saviour, a healer, a prophet, and your righteousness. But for me, Jesus Christ is the redeemer and Son of God, the bridge between us and God. Because of Christ, there is hope. The hope is for our youth to understand and experience why Christ is necessary and to make their relationship with Christ their own. 

Who is Jesus to you? 

Does God Answer Prayers?

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.”

— Matthew 7:7-8 

In this week of our Bible Curriculum, we will be talking about God’s promise of answering prayer. From the beginning of my Christian journey, prayer was to ask God for things, as if He were cosmic. wishing-granting, genie. My faith would increase as I saw my prayer answered in the way I envisioned it. Contrary to this, my faith would decrease and question God’s existence if my prayer request did not pan out my way and my timing. My faith was like a small boat blown away by the sea and the wind on circumstances, while not being anchored by understanding God’s character. Essentially, I made myself god and to have God bend to my will. Over the course of many years, prayer is not a tool for getting my wishes granted, but a time of conversation with God. It’s to bring about thanksgiving, the struggles, dwell in the short time of resting in His presence, to listen to what He has to say, and confessions in an organic manner as if you were conversing with an individual. It has a speaking component and a listening component for both parties. It is a two-way street. I may request something of God, yet realize God may also request something of me, but I digress. 

It is indeed a bold statement to say that God promises to answer our prayers because sometimes we might not like what we receive. The basis of handling the news of answered prayer is having a solid understanding of the following: God’s character - who He says He is, God hears our prayers, God sees the entirety of the situation, and God is timely. Whether you are looking into the Bible or people in your life or even your own life in hindsight,  examples can be found even if seemingly coincidental. God’s answer to prayer could be to wait, yes, or no. Unfortunately, we openly embrace our ‘yes’ to answered prayer by giving our praises of adoration and feeling loved by God. In contrast, we struggle to accept the response where God says ‘no’ or ‘wait’ which could lead us to feel distanced or unloved. Yet during the ‘no’ or ‘wait’ God still provides what you need the most. Parents know that they will not say ‘yes’ to everything a child requests. ‘Yes’ may seem like a loving answer, but the intention behind saying ‘wait’ and ‘no’ can also be just as loving. To generalize, a ‘no’ can prevent potential danger while a ‘wait’ can build anticipation, patience, character, or realizing the timing was not right. Even our own children and youth at program, some of them come from tough backgrounds. They may want to be rich, dreams of being famous, or become an athlete, but that may not be needed at the moment or what God has in store for them. He will listen. We cannot promise them that God will answer their prayer of winning the lottery or that they can get good grades without studying and that if their prayers are not answered, God must not be real. We have to help them see that God is not a genie, but what is described in Exodus 34. He definitely provides them with what they need in a timely fashion, every day. So we pray that they may continue to ask God for the right things.  

[God describing His own character] And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation. -Exodus 34:6-8

For this current season of ministry at Flemingdon Park, we have had answered prayers of receiving space to do programs. Back in the ‘20-’21 school year, we were struggling to find a space and were praying fervently. In October 2020, we were asked to vacate the TCHC space at Vendome. During July 2021 summer day camp, we ran it outside in an empty field with a small group of kids. This year, we were able to connect with the local church during March Break and Summer Break to run a day camp. We knew that God could provide a space for us at any time, but having to wait was disheartening. In these moments, my pride and insecurities were revealed. It revealed that my security in ministry was whether I had access to space or not. It revealed that I did care about the number of participants as it reflected poorly of my stewardship and potentially the “success” of my ministry. However, nowhere in the Bible did it say that God promised that just because we’re doing ministry meant we will have a space. God never promised abundantly successful ministries either. It would be nice to have those things, but He has simply asked us to be good stewards with what He has provided - little or large, space or no space. This school year, we were able to return to the TCHC townhouse in Vendome to run after-school programs. Seeing the results of answered prayer is great, but in the midst of our online endeavours, God was at work in one of our girls named Katiya. She grew up in a Catholic School setting and possibly a religious home, but never knew what her faith was all about. My colleague Nuri was leading the Bible time during our online after-school program and witnessing the authenticity of her faith allowed Katiya in wanting to take her faith and relationship with God more seriously, and with more curiosity. 

All of this is to say, in humility I am not God. You are not God. We are not God. God is Sovereign and we are not. Behind the yeses, the noes, and that waits of our own personal prayers, God is at work, but also orchestrating something behind the scenes for someone else. There is a bigger picture that we cannot come to comprehend in full, but it is a blessing to see a snippet and experience just even a little of it. By all means, ask away of God and He will listen because He does care for you and for me. Over time, we learn to ask for the things that align with His will, not for our own benefit but in sharing His Kingdom's work in the midst of wherever we are placed.

A Christmas Blessing

Written by: Lincoln Li | Outreach Worker in Flemingdon Park

Lincoln Li currently works as an Outreach Worker in the Flemingdon Park community, alongside Nuri Lee. During the month of December, they had the opportunity to share about their ministry with the youth of Chinese Gospel Church Scarborough. 

Unbeknownst to them both, the church was fundraising money to be able to buy Christmas gifts for the families Lincoln and Nuri serve. Lincoln was blown away by the amount that was raised as it exceeded the church's initial goal and being able to experience the willingness and generosity of others was heartwarming. The youth leaders were also blown away by the amount raised and witnessed how God provided abundantly for their goal.

Lincoln and Nuri knew that their kids would be super excited to receive the gifts prepared by the youth group because there were tons of sweets and  containers of their favourite things! Accompanied with the gifts were also other gifts like gingerbread houses and devotionals gifted by various donors. Lincoln expressed how nice it was to witness in person how this partnership blessed not only the families of Flemingdon Park, but also the CGCS youth group in how God provided for them. This was a great reminder that partnerships should also bless and benefit the giver, not just the receiver. It is a way for us to respond and receive through our deepened relationship with God.

A Heart of Thankfulness

By: Lincoln Li | Outreach Worker in Flemingdon Park

Give thanks to the Lord for He is good; His love endures forever. This phrase can be found in worship songs and various books in the Bible as a theme or a paraphrase. A quick search would lead you to Psalm 107, Psalm 118, and Psalm 136. Personally, my attitude is not geared towards thankfulness, rather it is one of criticism and borderline pessimism. However, taking the time to journal and meditate on a Bible passage does help with aligning my heart towards a heart of thankfulness to God. It also brings me into a place of humility, surrender, and awe. 

If I were asked, “What is something you are thankful for this week?”  It would be easier to think about all the things that went wrong, as opposed to the good. Our hearts are so finicky that we have made a standard of what a good thing ought to be and ought to look like. Anything that falls short of what we imagined to be good defaults to a bad or overall dissatisfaction. It is also easy to miss God’s bigger picture while we focus on our tiny pixel. 

I am thankful for the relationships built at Flemingdon Park through the formal programs that take place there, and also through spending time with the kids and youth during our off times. If I would solely focus on the negatives, here are a few. Through each turnover of staff, there is the inevitable loss of relationships. Through the COVID transitions of lockdowns and going online resulted in further losing a few more relationships with children and families. Due to being online, there was a lack of community amongst the children and youth. Some were less engaged online and some chose not to show up. Lastly, sometimes I wonder how God can grow these kids and youth? 

However, God is good and gracious. He provided for us in terms of children. He has sustained the previous family relationships from previous outreach workers that carried over to us. Through lockdown, we have gotten to know the families a lot better and friendships were created. There were times we reconnected with children and youth that we have not seen in a long while. The children have created their own community when we met in person for day camp this year. Friendships and hanging out continued and now they are all friends with one another. Kids and youth want to come and hang out for after-school programs. Lastly, God has grown our kids and youth. There are a few who have displayed leadership qualities. There are some who have grown in patience and there are some who have grown in their capacity to be kind.  Sometimes, this verse comes to mind despite these situations not being “harmful” and such but just focus on the overall message. “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.’ Genesis 50:20. It’s a reminder of God’s Sovereignty in Joesph’s life, Joseph’s family, and the Israelites, despite the unfortunate circumstances of being sold, imprisonment, and famine. 

Through the big and the small, I am humbled to see God’s hand in each moment, and for that, I am thankful. It was once thankfulness based on results, but now it has changed to a thankfulness that stems from knowing God’s presence in every situation and being content in His Sovereignty.