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News From Malaysia - 1
Mar 16, 04:13 PM
I arrived into Kuala Lumpur at midnight Saturday night/Sunday morning, was met by my hosts and then taken to a hostel on the fifth floor of the Wesley Methodist Church where I will be speaking all this week. Wesley is located in the midst of the large city of Kuala Lumpur, called “KL” by the locals, near the city center. I should call it centre since Malaysia was colonized British until independence in 1967. I hear the history of so many countries which were colonized by Western nations.
I got to bed around 2 am and had just fallen asleep when my cell phone rang. It was my son, Justin. “Dude,” I said, “do you know what time it is where I am right now?” Malaysia is exactly twelve hours ahead of the Eastern U.S. so I am literally on the other side of the world. The time difference was not an issue for him; he had a story to tell me. Seems he and his buddies were at the Georgia Dome, watching the University of Georgia men’s basketball team play in the SEC Tournament when all of the sudden the building began to shake and the roof was nearly torn off by a tornado! He was fine and has a life long story to tell. As a father, I am thrilled that one of my grown children would actually think to call me and share something like that with me regardless of the time!
I was back up at 6 am and prepared for the first of three worship services at the 111 year old quite traditional Wesley UMC. It has a complex of about four buildings, one of which is six stories high and which contains the church offices, a meeting hall, class rooms, and the pastor’s residence on the sixth floor. Wesley, like nearly all of the Methodist churches, was started by missionaries. You may or may not be aware that there is a lot of negativity attached to the history of the Western missionary movement. The church’s collusion with political aggression, slavery, and oppression do not always paint a pretty picture. But as I encounter believers in various parts of the world, I hear so much appreciation for what the missionaries have done in their respective countries. The same is true here in Malaysia. One man, ethnic Indian, told me that he attributes his faith in Christ to missionaries. Others related how the Methodists have done so much good in the development of the nation, especially in the area of education.
Now, however, the nation is about 60% Muslim and perhaps 10% are Christian. The Christians are almost all ethnic Chinese with a spattering of Indian. It is against the law to convert a Muslim here and practically against the law to convert to Christianity if you are Malay. I am told there is an underground church within the Malay people. The attendance at the first two morning services was quite good, almost all were ethnic Chinese with some Indian as well. The services are in English. Most everyone here speaks it. The services were traditional and we celebrated communion from within an oval shaped central altar in front of the choir/pulpit area. It was quite nice to participate in and serve communion while being surrounded by such precious people. Those receiving communion were kneeling as we served them; those who stood waiting to be served formed another circle outside them. I realize it was simply habit for them, but for me the concentric circles formed a beautiful pattern in which to receive the Body and Blood of the Lord.
There were, I suppose about 700-800 total in attendance for the first two services in which I preached. The third service,what we would label “contemporary,” was attended by perhaps 200-300, primarily much younger, people. I dislike the term “contemporary” in reference to that kind of service. Be that as it may, there was a sweet flow of life as the worship team led us. As is the case all over the world, the Malaysian Methodist church is struggling with how to reach a generation which has become so alienated from the current expression of Christianity. Wesley UMC is actually doing a pretty good job with its ministry to younger people, but their participation in worship and service is weak like so many churches throughout the world. It takes more than simply turning up the volume of the music to reach a new generation.
Following the last service, which concluded at around 1:30 pm I went back to the hostel, changed, and was moved from there to a downtown hotel which overlooks the major metropolitan area of KL. The city itself is quite large and is a mixture of modern high rises, traditional Malaysian/Indian/Islamic architecture, and poorer run-down buildings. It is actually quite lovely in many areas and possesses the same blend of old and new, Western and Eastern which you see in many cities in this part of the world. They have their fair share of the major companies and stores. You would recognize a lot of the brands.
Lunch was, of course, at a Chinese restaurant, although it was real Chinese. I was taken to dinner later in the day, and the cuisine was, you guessed it, real Chinese. I noticed at lunch that amidst the eclectic variety of foods before me was a sweet and sour dish which obviously stood out from the others. I asked about it and was told that they ordered it for “the American,” aka ME, because so many of us can’t eat real, as in non-Westernized, Chinese food. The same dish appeared at the evening meal and I told them to cut it out because I love to eat what they eat. We had quite a laugh over that one.
And so it is that I find myself once again immersed in a country of mixed ethnicity, trying to find its way amidst the tumultuous battles for political and ideological power. It is important not to add my voice to the already overcrowded field of political opinions but to encourage and strengthen the believers to understand who God has called them to be, how profoundly different Kingdom life is in comparison to the societal norm, and how they might respond to the challenge of the current day. My message is one of the dynamics and life of the Kingdom of God, the supremacy of Christ and His love for all people, how the Scriptures form the basis of our understanding all that, and how by the Spirit the Church fulfills its mission to embody Kingdom life and continue the ministry of Jesus.