Will Yahweh receive Sara Duterte’s offering?

Something popped up in the news today… a story so bewildering and strange you’d think it was lifted from a tabloid. Vice president Sara Duterte will slaughter one hundred cows as an offering to the heavens in exchange for making the Philippines a secure and prosperous nation.

To the Dutertes, prosperity and slaughtering go hand-in-hand.

What does the Bible say? Let’s look at Micah 6.

6Wherewith shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?

7Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?

8He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Can you imagine with me a Philippines where, as an offering to Jesus, we all live justly, love kindness, and walk with our God in all humility? Where all deal with all fellow Filipinos with respect to Justice, where we show kindness to each other, where there is no haughtiness among the rich?

Thinking now of Christ’s baptism

I am thinking of Christ’s baptism recorded in Matthew chapter three, verses thirteen to seventeen. I am thinking of the Voice from Heaven that declared, “This is My Son, whom I love; with Him I Am well pleased.” I am thinking of the Holy Spirit descending from Heaven and alighting on Jesus.

And I feel jealous!

First off, Jesus is perfect. He didn’t need to be baptised. He didn’t need to declare to the world He has turned away from sin and repented and is now dedicating Himself to God. He has no sin. He is God!

My baptism was, well, with my wife and daughter. Quite historical. We were the first family to be baptised at the evening service of Union Church of Manila. We felt loved and celebrated by our home church. But no heavenly theatrics! No doves. No voices.

I am not bemoaning Jesus’ status as favourite Son. After all, He is the One and only begotten. But what child doesn’t long to make his parents proud? Don’t we all long for that affirmation? “I love this son. I am well pleased with you.”

Did Jesus need that affirmation?

The old exhortation was this: if you work hard enough to be as perfect as Jesus, maybe, just maybe, you’d earn enough good-works points to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” But you gotta work hard for it. And I believe that. It’s true. Servanthood—serving God—that’s work. But I’m looking at my sonship. The one I received by grace. The adoption I received as a free gift with my salvation. I long to hear God say He loves this son. He is pleased by this son, too.

So, I do need to be like Jesus. But He’s perfect. Not for all eternity can I strive to be like that.

Not without His help. Not without His redemption. Not without His death on the cross and resurrection from the tomb. Not without His Holy Spirit.

But perhaps, I can emulate Jesus in His love for the Father. I can never obey God one hundred percent of the time. I will make mistakes. I will fail. I will need grace every day. But I can try my best to love God.

After all, He loved me first.

So maybe, maybe there was a celebration in heaven at my baptism. At all of our baptisms. Except we didn’t get to hear it. It happened in Heaven.

And if I think about God loving me perfectly, completely, then my heart can respond with loving Him back.

What is God recreating anew in me?

Is Yahweh creating in me the virtue of determination? A doggedness that won’t stop until it realizes what it works for? Is this determination to be partnered with bravery?

Is it love? A deeper love for Jesus, for my wife Veck, and my daughter Dana? A love for Union Church of Manila. A love for the lost?

Perhaps God is making Rico as he was meant to be: the actor, the author, who, by God’s Spirit, will no longer let the depression and the past sexual abuse he received from John Lustre rule over him anymore. Perhaps God is recreating Rico to be the one who takes his assignment, the great commission, seriously.

Dear Yahweh, my Creator GOD, please reveal to me what new thing you are creating in me. Am I to be an obedient son? A truly returned prodigal? A son with a Father. A warrior on this broken planet. A father to a daughter. A true and faithful husband to his wife. An unblocked artist.

What is it, Creator GOD?

(And the answer that came to me is) A redeemed heart. This is what the Creator GOD wants to create in me. I am God’s workmanship. I am God’s work of art. I belong to God’s body of work. I can trust the Creator GOD.

God, I want to be a prolific author and a respected actor. Please imbue me with love, courage, and determination. Please help me develop my memory, will, action, imagination, and faith. Amen.