To all the members of Early Rain who are called by God,

Peace be with you! There is much to be thankful for this week. Brothers and sisters from the Covenant Fellowship have started memorizing passages of Scripture. What better way to commemorate the advent of Christ our Lord than by letting his Word dwell in our memories? If the Lord’s Word does not dwell in our hearts, can we truly say that he has come to us? This would be like observing a helicopter hovering overhead while refusing to clear a place for it to land.

We remember so many things. Some of us can still recall, word for word, an insult someone hurled at us over ten years ago. And yet, we cannot remember the words of the Lord. Our capacity for grace is so small. As the year draws to a close and businesses take inventory, perhaps we too should take stock of our souls—to throw out whatever needs to be thrown out, to delete whatever needs to be deleted, to give away whatever needs to be given away.

Praise God, some members of the Gracious Word Fellowship and the youth group have been visiting earthquake victims at the Huaxi Hospital and homeless people under the South Gate Bridge. When we step outside ourselves, we realize how small our world truly is. When we attempt to love, we discover how barren the fields of our hearts truly are. When we visit the bodies of strangers, the Holy Spirit visits our souls. When was the last time the Holy Spirit visited you? You might exclaim, “I’ve not even been visited by someone from the church!”

True visitation, however, is about both seeing and being seen. To be visited is a blessing, but to visit is a double blessing. A brother who recently returned from overseas asked me, “Is your church under surveillance?” I answered, “We are not being surveilled—we are being seen.”

Because the Word became flesh, the Word was seen. Because the Father gave His only begotten Son, the Father was seen. Because Christ was born in a manger, the Son was seen. Because the Light entered the darkness, the Light was seen. Because Christ hung on a cross, love and justice were seen. Because the Holy Spirit descended at Pentecost, the church was seen. Because the house church has emerged from underground and begun visiting the world, because we have left our house and begun worshipping God in public, the gospel is being seen.

In our church hymn “The Blessing of Early Rain,” we sing, “We are the light, we are the salt.” Light is meant to be seen; salt is meant to be tasted. Our weekly bulletin includes information about our church governance, our finances, our staff, and our gatherings. We do this because we long to be seen—not that we ourselves might be seen but that the body of the Lord might be seen, that the word of the Lord might be heard.

Let us not make the world crane its neck to catch a glimpse of us. We must go out and visit the world. What is surveillance? It is to monitor those who are not seen and who do not want to be seen.

But with a church bulletin like ours, what is the use of surveillance? The authorities can just read the bulletin. Have you noticed that our church’s bulletin is actually a great evangelistic tract? It is one of the best ways to introduce those you know to our church. I’ve recently noticed some brothers and sisters asking for extra copies each week to share with others. I hope all of you do likewise—take an extra bulletin, take an extra blessing. Always keep one at hand to give to those whom the Lord brings your way.

With Christmas approaching, our joy is complete—-for the Bridegroom is coming, and we are his friends.

Hallelujah! The Lord himself commands, “Praise the Lord!”

Your brother and servant in Christ,

Wang Yi

December 19, 2009