A Sculpture’s Witness

A letter from Myoung Ho Yang serving in Hong Kong

June 2015

Dear friends:

It is becoming hotter and more humid here in Hong Kong. People say that we will experience real summer weather only in July and August. We will see how hot and humid it gets! We are waiting with curiosity since we haven’t experienced it yet. We hope we like it.

In front of the school dormitory building where we live there is a life-size bronze sculpture of Jesus. The sculpture portrays Jesus washing the feet of one of his disciples. I guess the disciple must be Peter, who seems to be a little bit puzzled; he doesn’t seem to know what to do. Jesus is kneeling and his disciple is sitting on a chair. Water is flowing from a basin.

A Bronze sculpture of Jesus’ washing of feet in front of our dormitory

Those who visit us here on the campus of Chung Chi College Divinity School often take pictures of this sculpture. It’s a kind of photo zone of this school. On a plaque placed on one side of the chair is written in Chinese, “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet” (John 13:13-14). I heard that the sculptor who made it was not a Christian. After he was commissioned to make the sculpture, he began to read the Bible to become familiar with the story. And when the project was finished, he became a Christian.

When I pass this sculpture, I often stop and read the Bible passage on that plaque. Then I often pray that I can serve as a teacher who imitates Jesus and that our ministry here has a holy influence, cultivating servant leaders of Hong Kong and China who will serve as Jesus did and make a multitude of disciples.

The school is in the middle of summer term. I am teaching one course, “The Bible and Worship.” I have 20 students. One of my students is taking this course although he is in prison. I am going to visit him in a couple of weeks when I get my visitor’s application approved. There is also one student from Cambodia who has served as a pastor and seminary teacher there. I hope he will play a key role in teaching worship in his country after he returns next year.

Ji Yeon is with Chinese friends who invited her to a lunch

I can feel that students here have a great passion for worship. In this course I spent a great amount of time searching for the spirituality of worshipers in the Bible;  to understand the picture of “worshiper” drawn in the Bible. It is a source of encouragement and joy when students share with me how much this class has meant to them. One student shared that he has come to re-establish his relationship with God. Another student came to a clearer understanding of a personal issue she was struggling with. For another student it was an opportunity for her to develop a biblical view on worship that she can apply to her ministry.

Many pastors here have a keen interest in worship renewal. Recently I’ve had the opportunity to meet with a pastor and a deacon who are in charge of worship at the church I often attend. They asked me to discuss with them their worship service and worship renewal plan. I hope to meet many students and pastors and encourage them to share with each other their worship practices so that we can have wider and deeper understanding and experience of worship in Hong Kong and China.

Ji Yeon and I continue to study Chinese. Since our Chinese class restarts in September, we practice Chinese with friends during the summer. Learning language really requires lots of patience and time. During the summer I have devoted most of my time to preparing for this summer course.

We are very grateful for your partnership with us in this ministry. It is your prayers and support that make this ministry possible. We ask you to continue to pray for us and for this ministry. Please pray that we are always filled with the power of the Holy Spirit so that we can faithfully follow God’s will in this ministry. In your prayers, please also remember our two sons, Samuel and John, who are in the U.S., and all our students and the professors here at the Chung Chi College Divinity School. We also especially ask for your financial support. Without your generous support, our ministry here cannot continue.

Grace in Christ,

Myoung Ho and Ji Yeon

For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lordas the waters cover the sea  (Hab. 2:14).

The 2015 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 241