Reflections

The guest speaker for the service, Rev Dr Caleb Soo Lee Chong, Singapore Life Church, delivered a heartfelt and moving message centred on a profound spiritual truth - real life comes through death. His message reminded us that if we refuse to surrender our lives - protecting our comfort, reputation or personal ambitions, we will isolate ourselves from God’s transforming work and fail to bear fruit. Conversely, if we surrender our lives, God often uses us to bless others, even in ways we cannot see. Rev Dr Caleb Soo’s sharing encouraged and strengthened the faith of our brothers and sisters.

I am especially thankful to God for the opportunity to serve as part of the Organising Committee for the 2025 Combined Good Friday Service. It was an enriching experience to work alongside pastors, elders, preachers, and deacons from the BPCIS Chinese-speaking congregations. Under the warm and experienced leadership of Pastor Daniel Ho from Mount Gerizim BP Church, the planning process was smooth and collaborative. Each process was marked by mutual respect, a shared vision, and a deep desire to glorify God.

One of the most beautiful aspects of this Combined Service was the way it fostered stronger bonds among our Chinese-speaking congregations. It was not just an event—it was a demonstration of unity in the body of Christ. Through our collaboration, new friendships were formed and existing ones were deepened. It is my hope and prayer that this spirit of unity will continue to grow in the days ahead.

May there be more opportunities for connection, collaboration, and cooperation among the Chinese- speaking congregations of the BPCIS. As we continue to work together, may our unity be a powerful testimony of the gospel and a reflection of Christ’s love to the wider community. All glory be to GOD!

For the past 30 years, I have been attending the Easter Sunrise Service (ESS) at MacRitchie Reservoir. It has been the highlight for me during the whole Easter weekend.

This year, I had the unique first-hand experience of helping to organize the event. This has made it extra special for me and allowed me to appreciate the ESS even more.

In an age of experiential emphasis in our worship, the ESS is as simple as it could be in its form. There are no special visual or audio effects in the worship – just an electric keyboard being played for the songs to be sung.

Worshippers are seated on the ground, with many bringing their own mats and chairs to sit on. The simplicity reminds us of how the early churches must have worshipped the Risen Lord.

Stripped of all the usual comforts and embellishments, it is a good reminder to us that the worship of God ought to be simple, an encounter with God. And in this case, in the midst of His Creation, the natural environment of MacRitchie Reservoir.

This year, I believe we witnessed one of the largest turnouts of worshippers in recent years. Praise God.

While the nature of ESS is simple, it is filled with important symbolism. First, the ESS was conducted near the tomb of the late Lim Bo Seng, one of Singapore’s past heroes.

As the organizer, I had the opportunity to be the first (and only) soul to arrive at the reservoir well before the crowd came in – like how Mary and other women were the first to visit the tomb of Jesus. For me, it was an especially surreal experience!

The timing of the service, starting at dawn before sunrise, continues to be a powerful reminder to us that the resurrection of our Lord Jesus brings all believers in Christ from darkness to the Light.

Furthermore, I’m sure that as the worshippers sat on the grass slope directly facing the water body of the reservoir in front of them, they would have felt a direct connection to the Living Water being provided to the believers of Christ. Light and water!

Perhaps for me, the biggest reflection is one of submission. The fact that we have been able to hold the ESS at MacRitchie Reservoir all these years can only be by the grace of God. First, we need approval from the authorities every year to hold the event there. And we can only pray and submit to God that they will continue to grant us permission to do so.

Second, and completely outside any human’s control, we are at the mercy of God to provide good weather for the event. I understand that we have not had to activate the wet weather plan in the history of ESS!

In the days before the event, there were intermittent rains and thunderstorms, even the very night before. But the Lord cleared the sky so that we were able to witness a glorious sunrise before us on that morning. And the thunderstorm came back in the afternoon that day. We simply have to go by faith and in full submission.

We thank God for allowing us to hold the ESS at MacRitchie Reservoir for yet another year. May those who came be blessed by the simple yet symbolic event. And as what Rev David Wong reminded us in his sermon, may we hear the sweetest sound of the Risen Lord calling each of us by our name. Amen!