Message From Senior Pastor
MIND PA I N I N T H E
By Chris Kam, Senior Pastor
W
e have crossed the 16-month mark after the first MCO in March 2020 and the severity of the pandemic is not only unabated, but increases in ferocity with the new virus variant, throwing the world into yet another tailspin. We have been encouraged and exhorted to keep our heads up. But the economic challenges, physical distancing with those important in our lives, and the missing leisurely routines we enjoy to unwind and stay sane with, have taken a toll far greater than we had anticipated. It is like a dent in world history when everything seems to come to a surreal pause. This is not an easy time for anyone to go through and added on to that, it is closer to home now that we are experiencing for ourselves the loss of those close to us during this time. The loss through succumbing to COVID-19 or other illnesses, is compounded by the fact that we are not able to be there to share and stand with those in their grief and suffering. These are real pastoral issues that we grapple through with our members – why some get healed and others do not, even when we have persistently prayed. It is not unique to this period of a devastating pandemic, but in every situation when the answers elude you. Attempting to write on a subject like this sobers me to realise that I do not really have
the answers either. How do we wrestle with this? Why do bad things happen to good people? Why is there so much suffering in the world? How can we be honest and real with each other about our doubts and what do the Scriptures have to say about this? I have decided to touch on this as a reflection point to help us navigate through this. I am not attempting to give you an answer, but a framework on how you can work this through. Fresh in my mind is the home going of Pastor Ravi, a dear friend and colleague, who succumbed to COVID-19. He was the second colleague to pass on, with the first one barely over a year ago due to her heart condition. All these were happening within the period of this pandemic, including two other dear friends, although they succumbed not to COVID-19 but cancer. It pained our hearts not being able to be present at their funerals with their families due to the lockdowns. Different people process this differently depending on the season of their life and the theology they carry. By theology I do not mean the academic study of it, but the belief system they have built based on their understanding of what Scriptures say about suffering and the blessings of God. Their 1
