Angels!

At House Worship at Allen/Loan's house for our "Free Day" (i.e., choice to visit a congregation or have a House Worship) we were honored to have Cindy Nam and her friends Tu and Gloria attend with Chen, Mai, May, Larry, Julie, Loan, and Allen!

Prayers were offered for Danie Tai & Family while visiting Singapore and for Cindy Nam while she's preparing for her overseas studies in Singapore.

SERMON: A PowerPoint Presentation about Angels was shown.
1. In a Christmas favorite, Clarence the angel helped George Bailey realize that truly "It's a Wonderful Life!"
2. A Christian family emailed that they will welcome receiving Cindy in Singapore if needed, stating that we must always be prepared to show hospitality to strangers for some by doing have entertained angels unaware (from Hebrews 13:2)!
3. Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet that "in action how [man is] like an angel", but B.F. Skinner (founder of Behavioral Psychology) argued in his 1971 best-seller, "Beyond Freedom & Dignity", that man is nothing more than an advanced rat (living only for food, sex & survival) and there is no such thing as free-will. His book made the 1999 Intercollegiates Studies Institute (50,000 college students and professors) list of the 50 worst books of the 20th century for its wide influence although it was based on wrong information.
4. So who's correct? Are we like angels, or more like rats?
5. In a videotape interview, (A) a scientist and his wife in England reported witnessing (with a group of people) a driverless out-of- control tractor (the driver didn't set the brakes properly) rolling down hill towards (B) a crowd of picnickers. Suddenly, a person ("angel"?) was seen by (A) to steer and crash the tractor away from the crowd. After the tractor crashed, (A) couldn't find the body of the "angel", but (B) claimed all they saw was a driverless tractor.
6. "Angels" are "messengers" (e.g., the announcement of the birth of Jesus, Luke 2), and "ministering spirits" (Hebrews 1:14).
7. The message they bring is a need for change. People are reluctant to change, but nothing ventured will likely yield nothing gained (e.g., women's right to vote, automobiles in place of horses, etc.). As we face the New Year, we must keep in mind that true renewal of the heart comes from God.
8. Baptism is a step forward towards spiritual renewal, when a person makes a decision to turn to God.
9. Matthew 18:10 says that the angels of the children are always in the presence of God (i.e., holds a special, dear place).
10. Therefore, let us be kind to one another, don't forget to show hospitality, and work for spiritual growth! Happy New Years to all!