3
APRIL 2015
HOPE – THE GREAT GIFT OF EASTER
3 Praise
be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has
given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead, 4 and into an
inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in
heaven for you, 5 who through faith
are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to
be revealed in the last time.
~
1 Peter 1:3-5
Every
Easter, the hills of Long Semadoh resound with the celebration of the greatest
event that is observed by Christians. I remember the days when I was growing up
in the idyllic villages, when preparations would begin early for the Easter
celebrations. Thousands of members of the Borneo Evangelical Church / Sidang
Injil Borneo from all over the state would congregate at one designated place
for a celebration called the Irau Easter, that would last a few days. Big
tents, called Sedayans, would be erected to house the people from various
villages, and speakers were invited from neighbouring areas, such as Indonesia,
to speak at the Irau. This practice started from the days when the church was
formed and lasted until the 70s. Later, it was decided that the celebrations
would be held in a few places, so that people would not have to travel such
long distances.
Easter
is celebrated in such a large scale because it is the most significant event in
the Christian calendar besides Christmas. The events that mark Easter are the very
events that form the foundation of the Christian faith - the death and
resurrection of Jesus. These are the events upon which the hope that Christians
share, are found. Easter reminds us that no matter how dire the situation we
find ourselves in, we must not give up on hope.
It
cannot be denied that Malaysians currently find themselves in really the most
challenging times yet. Our country appears to be in deep financial trouble and
nobody is being held accountable for the numerous financial scandals that are
dragging our country deeper into debt. Malaysians are deeply worried about effect
of the impending GST on their already stretched incomes. The terrorist
organization ISIS is recruiting Malaysians to join their violent campaigns. The
Prime Minister does not seem to be aware of the unhappiness of the rakyat; instead
we are treated to tales of the extravagant lifestyles of his family. In Sarawak
our people do not see any discernable improvement in their lives and in the
rural areas, many families are also worried about the social ills plaguing
their communities such as drug and alcohol abuse and illegal gambling.
Easter
reminds us that there is hope and that we have the power to change. Most of the
problems we face arise from selfishness – the selfish actions of those who
abuse their authority in order to enrich themselves. Those who wish to make
change happen must realize that the people have to get out of their insular
lives and come together to effect change. Let us not hope passively. If we
collectively harness this power that we have to change, then wonderful things
can happen – unity is strength. We should make an effort to be involved in
community activities, join special interest groups, NGOs and political parties
that speak up for for truth and justice. It does our society no good if we take
no interest in the governance of our country. Our responsibility to our country
and the future generations requires us to be involved, and this way, we have
reason to hope for better times.
I
wish all Christians a blessed Easter.
Baru
Bian
ADUN
N70 Ba’ Kelalan
~ Behold they are one people, and they all have the same language. And
this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be
impossible for them. [Genesis 11:6] ~
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