Four Seasons Cantata Dedicated to God (Part 1)

Thank God that our 40th Wedding Anniversary fell right on last Sunday (July 23). We preached from Psalm 113 and dedicated the Tree of Life Anthem and the Four Seasons Cantata that we wrote to God at the services.

The Four Seasons Cantata was written by me at the request of C-Mo on our anniversary trip back. The 17-day trip was filled with the leading of the Holy Spirit. We went to the ancient coastal city Dubrovnik of Croatia, which we had never imagined before. There they had the small Alpine swifts flying back and forth between Africa and Europe. We also stayed in Prague of Czech and never expected them to have the Four Seasons Concert and were surprised to see its poster. I used to listen to Four Seasons very often during my difficult days in Vancouver. God seemed to tell us that He remembered the hard time that we passed by looking upon Him.

I blended the elements of four seasons and the Alpine swifts into my Four Seasons Cantata to review the ups and downs in our 40 years of marriage and to remember God’s ceaseless grace. Newly wed, C-Mo and I were like the swifts, looking forward to flying up the sky. We saved up money and flew to Vancouver to get equipped and then pastored a local church. In blistering summers, we made a tiny nest.

However, reality is relentless. Chilly winds and crisp air filled our days in the church. I was disillusioned. I used to think that a pastor would be respected, but indeed I was labored and faced battles. We persevered but the circumstances did not turn better. C-Mo miscarried and suffered from uterine bleeding and I was under the attacks of rumors at church and was finally abandoned. Pummeled by snowstorms and winds, the nest was ripped. Sitting in the sofa by the fireplace and with the Four Seasons playing in the air, I gazed upon a painting of a withered tree in white snow, inscribed with a bible verse at the bottom: “From the rising of the sun to its going down, the Lord’s name is to be praised.” (Psalm 113:3) I asked God, “Lord, You are worthy to be praised, but I feel so painful. When will You take me away from here?” When we went to the U.S. from Vancouver, C-Mo asked me one night, “Do you still feel God loves you?” In my head I knew He loved me, but my heart was unable to echo this.

Now we have flown back Hong Kong from Vancouver. Looking back, though tough, we truly had to walk through the trials of summer, autumn and winter to finally enter spring and get to God’s destination. God played the Four Seasons for us at our 40th Anniversary, telling us that He has counted our days and remembered our sufferings. Dear brothers and sisters, God knows our situation and let’s keep moving forward in faith and we will definitely enter spring!■【2023.07.30】