Every Christian is a bearer of Christ’s true light of resurrection
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is no stranger to many of us. Every year, the Hong Kong Catholic Diocesan Ecumenical Commission and the Hong Kong Christian Council would come together for a week of ecumenical prayer. This year’s theme was ‘Do you believe this?’ (John 11:26), and the week spanned 18-25 January.
An ecumenical Prayer Meeting was organised on the evening of the 18th, at St Ignatius Chapel. The Revd Wong Ka-Fai from the Hong Kong Council of the Church of Christ in China preached, whilst the Revd Billy Ip from the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui presided. The Old Testament reader was the Catholic Vicar General the Revd Joseph Chan, the Anglican Bishop of Hong Kong Island the Rt Revd Dr Matthias Der did the New Testament reading, and Fr Stephen Law, SJ did the Gospel reading.
The liturgy of the evening emphasised an expression of a common faith. The president led by saying, ‘Jesus said, “I am the light of the world.” In the Christian faith, when a person is baptised he received a lit candle, and at the same time, Jesus calls for the newly baptised to be the light of the world. We all are the bearers of this true light of Christ’s resurrection.’ What followed was the lighting of candles, done jointly by Cardinal Stephen Chow, Archbishop Andrew Chan, Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hong Kong ,the Revd Jackson Yeung Yau-Chi, and President of the Methodist Church, Hong Kong, the Revd Tim Lam. Their candles are then used to light the candles of the congregants. When all had their candles lit, they raised their lights and said, ‘The true light of Christ,’ and recited the Nicene Creed.
Congregation reciting the Nicene Creed with their candles lit
The intercessions were led by representatives from more than 10 denominations, including the Anglican Secretary General, the Revd Kenneth Lau. The ecumenical joint choir was conducted by Mr Alan Tsang, and the organist was Ms Erma Lee, both hailing from the HKSKH.
Towards the end of the service, Archbishop Andrew Chan, Cardinal Stephen Chow, Bishop Jackson Yeung, President Tim Lam, together with all the priests, elders, and deacons present, gathered in front of the altar, and gave a blessing to the congregation. They prayed for the Lord’s blessing, that all believers may receive the zeal to live out the true faith in this world, bringing it hope, love, and charity.
The Revd Wong Ka-Fai noted in his sermon that 2025 marks the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed – a hallmark of the core beliefs of Christianity.
The Revd Wong continued that the theme of this year, ‘Do you believe this?’, is an apt reflection of how different people have different understanding of the same faith. The question, then, is if we could surpass such differences, and still gather together and become united within our Lord. We read from John 11:26, that Jesus asked Martha, ‘Do you believe this?’ What ‘this’ refers to how Jesus is ‘the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die.’
In our daily to and fro, there are many people who are technically alive, but they lead such lives that are not much different from a state of death. They may be people who are trapped by addictions to gambling or drugs, or they may be those who, out of a desire for wealth or power, chose to ignore their own conscience. In contrast, those who sincerely believe in God may indeed die in flesh, but the good things they leave behind in deeds and tongue become a blessing to the many. In a way, their lives live on, and continue to influence others towards goodness.
Sermon by the Revd Wong Ka-Fai
The Revd Wong continued: faith requires understanding, and understanding is a process. It is not a single moment where you can simply reach a conclusion. Many have partaken in this process in the long history of humanity, and this same long process is one that all who treat their faith seriously should also partake in. Other than seeking for an understanding, faith asks us to put it into action. If we only have faith in our heads, then our lives remains untouched by faith.
The sermon continued with a point of reflection: it is wonderful, of course, that so many have gathered for this Christian Unity service, but if we cease to communicate with each other for the rest of the year, then this evening is more or less meaningless. If we look around our world of today, we will see military conflicts at every turn of the map, and each day we hear news of innumerable lives lost to the violence, and others forced to leave their homes. How could, Wong asked, the church ignore all of this, and mind its own business? If we affirm that we are citizens of God, and that all humanity are created and beloved of God, then there is no excuse for the church to ignore the suffering of this world. Rather, the church should stand with the suffering, and provide assistance where it is needed. When the church is powerless in preventing man-made tragedies from happening, it could at least help the afflicted in escaping from the affected area. If we can all gather together, then we can at least provide what little help we could for those who are troubled, and let them know that they are not alone.
‘Do you believe this?’ The question rang an echoing chime in our hearts. Though we might have different understandings of the Christian faith, when we put this faith into action, perhaps such differences will become insignificant. The church does not reach unity by liturgy, but by actual deeds of help for those in need.
19 January was Unity Sunday, where Catholics and Protestants of different denominations swapped places when delivering their sermon of the day. The Ecumenical Eucharist Service was then later held in the morning of 23 January, at the Sham Shui Po Tsung Tsin Church.
Anglicans’ group photo after the service