The warning of the Flood

Binhi sang Pagtuo

September 28, 2009

Dear Centralians and Friends,

Greetings from the campus!

Last Friday, September 25, 2009, Bagyo Ondoy visited the country. In the afternoon, a siren was heard in Jaro and people started going home from the CPU campus. Lopez-Jaena Street is beginning to flood. Later, news coming from Luzon broke our hearts. Disaster struck our fellow Filipinos.

The 8 hours of continuous rain brought flood in many cities in Luzon. The last big rainfall that fell in the Philippines was on 1967. The rain brought by Ondoy is so far the biggest, even bigger than Bagyo Frank. Some reports said that the rainfall is approximately equivalent to 6 months of rain. The flood reached more than 12 feet in height.

In the midst of this situation, we can raise a question, why did God allow this to happen? Is God deaf, not to hear the prayers and pleas of our fellow Filipinos? Or is there really a God? Is God dead?

Romans chapter 8 reminds us that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Jesus Christ our Lord – be it trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword.

I may sound callous but I am reflecting that the flood is a big warning to all of us. Tropical Storms are normal occurrences but floods like this one are abnormal. We reclaimed lands that are normal pathways of water. We dump garbage in the river. Industrial wastes go to the river also. Graft and corruption in the making and cleaning of canals are rampant. We cut trees that are essential in holding big amounts of water. We are killing our environment. No wonder we are all experiencing the fruit of our own labor.

God always brings a way out of this situation. He sends people like Noah. We ridicule people like Noah, people who are always giving warnings. Are we listening to warnings?

Let us remember to go inside the ark. The ark symbolizes the church. Sad to say, like in the time of Noah, only a few are inside the ark. The animals even outnumbered the people. How about us? Are we inside the ark?

After the flood, there is a rainbow. It symbolizes hope. Hope is what propels the Christians faith to go on. And faith is what pushes us to continue in loving one another, to make actions that will make planet Earth, our only home, a better place for the next generation. Let us not lose hope.

The flood is a very costly reminder. Let us listen to its warning.

May God bless us all!

Sincerely,

Pastor Francis Neil G. Jalando-on

Assistant Chaplain

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Chaplain's Office Website: http://www.cpu.edu.ph/chaplain
Audio Sermons of Binhi sang Pagtuo: http://binhi.4shared.com
Blog: http://cpuchaplain.blogspot.com

Freedom!

Binhi sang Pagtuo

September 21, 2009

Dear Centralians and Friends,

Greetings from Iloilo!

37 years ago, September 21, 1972, Martial Law was declared in the Philippines. Centralians struggled against the dictatorship of Marcos. They engaged in “parliament of the streets.” Some Centralians and Baptist pastors were imprisoned, and some were sadly killed.

Let us reflect on some historical notes:

Rev. Moley Familiaran, President of CPBC 1976-1978 reflected on the May 1977 CPBC Assembly theme: “Life Worthy of Human Dignity” held in Capiz:

“The life worthy of human dignity is the Christ-like life. It is free. It is true. And it is the only way to live. On the editorial pages of the Bible we read the Good News that Jesus Christ gives light to the darkened eyes; he removes resentment that breaks the heart; he sets them free, those who were bound by many invisible chains; and he announces the arrival of the new age – the age of liberation! In everyone of us there is a Christ going to be. Dignity is only one of the flowers of that Christ-seed. It is the flag flying in the brilliant sky proclaiming Jesus’ sovereignty over a human life. Where there is no freedom, there is no dignity.”

Through the leadership of Rev. Dr. Domingo J. Diel, Dean of the College of Theology in 1975, CPU put forward a new approach on theological education in the light of the contemporary issues during that time. The statement says,

“We believe that theological education should help in preparing Christians serve God through service in the world. As such, theological education should start where the people are. It should take on account the people’s desires and aspirations, their struggles, and most of all, their needs. It should be able to understand the ‘hows, whys and wherefores’ of the people that it may be able to apply the Christian message relevantly to the lives of the people, and the community wherein they live. We believe that Theological Education can do this when it opens itself up and enters into dialogue with the world – its cultures, ideologies and religions.”

“Theological Education should promote a living involvement in the life situation of the people. Having understood the hows, whys and wherefores of the people, it should seek to put into practice such understanding in terms of involvement in actual life situations of the community, participate in its struggles and become a motive force in the shaping of history.”

The struggles of our foreparents bore the fruit of freedom. Most of them are still alive. They are a continuing visible reminder that pricks the young generation’s insincerity, insensivity, indifference and passivity. They are not yet the “clouds of witnesses” that cheers us to go on. They are in the midst of us – continuing the struggle for liberation. Let us march with them.

May God bless us all.

Sincerely,

Pastor Francis Neil G. Jalando-on

Assistant Chaplain

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Chaplain's Office Website: http://www.cpu.edu.ph/chaplain
Audio Sermons of Binhi sang Pagtuo: http://binhi.4shared.com
Blog: http://cpuchaplain.blogspot.com

Let us listen to our grandparents

Binhi sang Pagtuo

September 14, 2009

Dear Centralians and Friends,

Greetings from the CPU campus!

Yesterday, churches in the Philippines celebrated Grandparents Day!

Our reflection for this week comes from Ruth 4:13-17. It is the story of a grandmother – Naomi.

Ruth was the daughter in law of Naomi. She had no children with Naomi’s son. Ruth and Naomi soon became widows in the land of Moab. They eventually decided to go back to Israel. Ruth remarried through the prodding of Naomi. Ruth and Boaz were blessed by God with a son named Obed. Now, Naomi became a grandmother. She took care of Obed to the point that the neighbors were calling Obed as Naomi’s son.

The significance of this story is that Obed is the father of Jesse, and Jesse is the father of King David. And in the line of King David comes our messiah, Jesus Christ. Indeed the prayer that the line of Obed will be great became a reality.

We can learn two lessons.

First, Grandparents should be the storytellers of the family’s history and legacy to their grandchildren. They must also be the roots that strengthen the faith of their grandchildren. In Hiligaynon we call this “apostolic” ministry (the root word is “apo” – grandchild).

Lois Wyse said, “Grandchildren are the dots that connect the lines from generation to generation.” The relationship of grandparents and grandchildren is the chain that links the past and the future.

When grandparents retired, this does not mean that they are very tired already. It means that they have another tire. God gives them a brand new tire so that they can play with their grandchildren.

Second, Grandparents, like Naomi, are given by God a second chance. Naomi felt that she was a failure with her children. Now, she gave it all to her grandson.

A quotation says, “A Grandmother is a wonderful mother with lots of practice.” And “A grandfather is a father who has a second chance.”

Young parents should listen to the words of grandparents. We must not reject “the strength and wisdom that time and experience have given them.”

May God bless us all!

Sincerely,

Pastor Francis Neil G. Jalando-on
Assistant Chaplain




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Chaplain's Office Website: http://www.cpu.edu.ph/chaplain
Audio Sermons of Binhi sang Pagtuo: http://binhi.4shared.com
Blog: http://cpuchaplain.blogspot.com

We are Empowered

Binhi sang Pagtuo

September 7, 2009

Dear Centralians and Friends,

Greetings from the Mactan International Airport!*

Our reflection for this week comes from Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere - in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

The theme of the recently concluded 104th University Day celebration of CPU is “Empowering the Centralians for a better Central.” There are two immediate questions that went into my mind when I read the theme: Are Centralians not yet empowered? Is Central not better already?

If we take positively our theme, then it means that we are always empowering our students and alumni; Centralians are always empowered. And that Central is fundamentally better yet we strive to continue to make it better, and better.

Christians are empowered by the Holy Spirit. To be empowered means to have the power to do things. Yet the term “power” has several negative connotations. It is associated with abuse, dictatorship, authoritarian and being bossy.

One time, the disciples of Jesus associated empowerment to be like that – to be a boss, someone who is a master with slaves. The disciples were clamoring who will be in the right hand or left hand of Jesus when he assumes the kingship of Israel. But Jesus Christ scolded them by saying, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:42-45.

This statement of Jesus means that as Christians we do not strive to become rulers with an attitude of “lording it over the people” but we are empowered to become servants. The Holy Spirit is our guide in giving service to the people. Every day we must ask ourselves the question, “How can I be of service to the people of God?”

Our text tells us that we are empowered to be witnesses of Jesus Christ. “In Jerusalem” symbolically means to be a witness of Jesus in our own homes; for a Centralian it means to be a witness of Jesus inside the community of CPU. “In Judea” symbolically means to be a witness of Jesus with our neighbors – with fellow Centralians outside the campus, with our alumni. “In Samaria” symbolically means to be a witness of Jesus in our surrounding communities. “Into the ends of earth” means to be a witness of Jesus everywhere.

Are we a good witness of Jesus Christ? If we are, then we can positively say that indeed Central is getting better because Centralians are becoming servants of Jesus anytime and anywhere.

May God bless us all.


Sincerely,

Pastor Francis Neil G. Jalando-on
Assistant Chaplain

* I’m in Cebu City en route to Dipolog and then to Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte to conduct a continuing theological education seminar sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Theological Studies in partnership with the Central Philippine University, Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches and Convention Baptist Ministers Association. I’m with Rev. Jerson Narcio and Rev. Job Santiago, CPBC General Secretary.