on learning something new about Abraham's busom...

ah, went for Reverend (Rev) Stephen Tong's evening preaching service yesterday's evening. It was packed the the brim, as people brought along their friends to hear this old-school preacher speak. For me, I didn't read the schedule carefully - thought it would have been a continuation of his series on answering difficult passages in the Bible. Turns out that yesterday was actually Easter special service.

Prior to the start of the sermon, we were treated to a choral performance by one of the choirs that were formed by the Indonesian churches of the Reformed Evangelical Movement. Me being musically dis-inclined*, can't really appreciate the full extent of the performance. But it was moving, to see the various singers performing in harmony and synchronisation to the conductor's leading. The choir performed  Part III of Handel's masterpiece "Messiah"** for about 10 - 15 minutes***, but it felt like an eternity of being ministered by angelic voices.  

After that and the worship service, Rev. Tong led us through a brief slide-show on the latest update of the church-building project in Jakarta. It was inspiring to see so many of our brothers and sisters in Jakarta gathered^ even before day-break, to go to the immense plaza to pray together.

After that, Rev. Tong went into the sermon proper, where he summarized on what he was led to preach earlier on for the Easter service on the preceding Saturday evening service and the Easter Sunday morning sermon. In a nutshell, he taught on how Jesus is the Lamb of the Passover for us and how Jesus is also the Lion of Judah. More nuggets of knowledge tumbled into my mind. An example of new knowledge is about the Roman Catholic and the Lutheran views about Limbo and Purgatory, and how it came to be that the line "he (Jesus) descended into hell/ to the dead" came to be incorporated in the Apostles' creed. Rev. Tong just mentioned the Latin term Limbus Patrium; and I sort of guess how that term became a vulgar^^ corruption into "Limbo". Yes, sometimes my mind just gravitates towards this kind of apparent useless trivia. Well, something learnt is something gained~    

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*"tone deaf" and "music buffoon". :p

** from No. 50 onwards

*** I'm guessing, didn't really keep track of time.

^ about 3,000 plus people, if i remember the figures being reported correctly.

^^ "vulgar" in the sense of becoming the common vernacular, not having the meaning of "profanities".

See also

http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Limbus

http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/LEO_LOB/LIMBUS_Lat_for_edge_fringe_eg_o.html