Vision for China Mission to the World { Apr.-Jun. 2020 } Bulletin Faculty Take Care of My Sheep Stephen Lee President Address to be given at the Commencement Service of Chinese Theological College Australia in Lam Ko Kit Tak Professor Sydney on 19 March 2020, event cancelled because of COVID-19. (Biblical Studies) On behalf of China Graduate School of words are synonyms, but we may observe a straight from the Bible, whereas the latter is a Theology ( CGST ), I would like to congratulate focusing from a broad to a narrow sense. Paul slogan from hymns of the Victorian era. Peter each and every one of you graduating from encouraged the elders of Ephesus to be vigilant reminded the church elders that when they CTCA today. My own divinity graduation from to “pastor the church of God,” and the key is “shepherd God's sheep,” they should not adopt New College, Edinburgh, was way back in 1982, on “God, and the word of his grace.” He also the ways of a gentile monarch, “to rule those almost 38 years in retrospect. But for you, the listed the various spiritual gifts of serving the entrusted to you.” The congregation is not the 40 years of faithful ministry, called and sent by church, and intentionally used a conjunction to stepping-stone for the pastor to succeed. “With our Lord, is still ahead of you. May the good connect “pastors” and “teachers” together. me, you win; against me, you perish!” This hand of our God guide you and keep you, as Many people think “pastoring” involves “caring, style of strong man leadership, even if it brings you seek to follow His will in your footsteps. counselling, and therapy.” I am not saying that hundred folds of increase in number, is no more And neither should you forget that 45 years these are not important, but if we go back than a temptation of “the glory of the nations.” ago, your principal, Rev Dr Dennis Law, came to New Testament theology, we must try to Be on your guard. to CGST in Hong Kong. He was among our first distinguish among the priorities. John Stott, MDiv graduating class, together with Andrew without doubt, was the most influential Church Eugene Peterson looks back in his Memoir Ng, Joshua Mak and Ronald Yu; people used to leader in the 20th century. For his whole life on his life journey during the 29 years of full- memorize this gang of four by their last names, Stott was a rector of an Anglican church in time church ministry in Maryland. There were “Ng, Law, Mak, Yu” (in Cantonese, it means “five central London. From the time he began his two years he was together with 15 other baskets of squids”). These “153 big fish” lead us pastoral internship, Stott had made up his mind pastoral colleagues every Tuesday, learning back to the shores of Tiberias, and recall Jesus' to faithfully expound the Holy Scripture on every from a practising psychiatrist from Johns last words to Simon Peter after His resurrection. Sunday. I would suggest that you read chapters Hopkins Hospital to recognise various needs 9 and 10 in the first volume of his biography.2 of psychological counselling. This valuable Chinese seminaries all consider training They may help you to set up your direction and experience expanded his horizon, but also and nurturing church ministers as their core goal when you launch out into your first year of brought an unexpected reflection. He found that responsibility, but few have included the word church ministry. he started to classify his congregation into various “pastoral” in the very name of the school. As groups of “problem cases,” and tried hard to find a matter of fact, the word “ποίμαινω” appears Many New Testament scholars have therapies and solutions, forgetting that they were in the New Testament just four times1: John pointed out that although Jesus used “my individuals created in the image of God. 21:16; Acts 20:28; Ephesians 4:11; and 1 Peter lambs” and “my sheep,” and that in ancient “They are not problems to be fixed, 5:2. We may want to trace the metaphor of manuscripts there even appear three different but mysteries to be honoured and “shepherding” as applied to church ministry words for “sheep,” these are probably to be revered. Who else in the community to this conversation between Jesus and Peter. best taken as stylistic variations without any other than the pastor has the assigned In other words, all subsequent ecclesiastical intention of making a significant distinction. task of greeting men and women and understandings of “pastoral” ministry must But what Jesus did was to repeat the welcoming them into a congregation in begin with these words of our Lord in order to “sheep” metaphor three times, and He also which they are known not by what is remain faithful and true to its original meaning. stressed that they were “My sheep.” From wrong with them, but by who they are, the perspective of pastoral ministry, the just as they are?” 3 In the three times Jesus asked Simon congregation is never the volunteer team nor Peter to “take care of my sheep”, the first the clientele of the church minister. To use Peterson did not ignore the contributions and the last time the word “feed” is used. another familiar imagery to make the same of clinical counselling in modern society, but Only in the second time the word “shepherd” point: “the Lord's sheep” are not to be trained he insisted that it was not the same as the is used. In the Greek Septuagint these two to become “Christian soldiers.” The former is duties of the pastors. “And my work is not to 12 Dorset Crescent, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong | Tel: (852) 2337 4106 | Fax: (852) 2794 2337 | E-mail: [email protected] Editing and Production: Development Department | Publishing Supervisor: Stephen Lee Interview fix people. It is to lead people in the worship of God and to lead them to living a holy life.” “Holy” means “separated, belonging to God,” as they are all “the Lord's” sheep. Who Holds the Destiny of Biblical scholars also have different opinions on the use of the two distinct words for “love” in John 21:15-17, and the arguments This Tumultuous Age? keep going on. We have no intention to be drawn into this debate in these last minutes. But we still have to ask, at the end of the day, what is the connection between “pastoring my – An Interview with Chaplain Leung Kam Wah sheep” and “do you love me?” If the motivation of pastoring comes from “loving the Lord”, then whether the sheep are lovable is of no relevance. Actually, there are warnings from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah that the nature Recounting Our Journey of Faith reflect on our relationship with and our faith of the sheep is “going its own ways.” The Lord in Him. To what extent do we believe that as the supreme shepherd will use His rod and God has been accomplishing life-changing God is in control of everything? Do we believe His staff to chastise.4 Daniel Jenkins, visiting events on insignificant people. This is what our in God’s righteousness and mercy? Do we professor at Princeton Theological Seminary in Chaplain Kam Wah firmly believes. believe in His time? Do we believe that God 1982-83, half-jokingly said that we were, at the has huge plans like ravines of mountains? Do most, sheep dogs of our Master. In a BBC TV "The passing of generations is defined by we believe in God?! series, “One Man and his Dog”, one sheep dog historical events as we take the time to account following the whistle of its master, has to fetch for them in details,” Kam Wah analyzed. He said Casting All Things on God a group of four sheep from the opposite hillside when we open the Bible, we see that in the back to the pen. On the screen you can see the history of Israel, God’s turnaround power did Cast all things on God! It is easier said than dog running hard, chasing or blocking the sheep not happen to an era anytime and anywhere, done. However, it may not be too hard for Kam here and there, and barking constantly. But the but on insignificant individuals and at invisible Wah to do that. He recalled that after graduating dog would never knock over or bite any sheep, places, where He implemented major events from social work studies in college, he actually though the sheep may just turn away at the that transform lives. In this vast generation, we ran off to become a journalist-something he last moment in front of the sheep pen. From must learn to see and believe that God is also would never had imagined. After working in where does the dog get its endless energy? doing great things on every little one. Therefore, journalism for a while, when least expected, The answer is easy to be seen: it is from its no matter how unpredictable the surrounding he dedicated himself as a school social worker. loyalty and obedience to the master. In fact, this environment has become, the only correct and Then in 2000, he went to CGST, where he is the teaching going through the Old and New most promising direction is to believe in God pursued his Master of Divinity. By the time Testaments, “Love the Lord your God with all and cast everything upon Him.