Reflection on the Crossings Conference, 19-22 Jan 2025, USA
Hearing Christ: The Gospel for an Exhausted World
Preacher Allan Ng (YCCL Eng.)
I give thanks to God for a meaningful learning opportunity to learn from gifted theologians, experienced and retired pastors, especially from USA. The 6-Step Crossings method of Law & Gospel brings Bible passages alive, thanks to Rev. Dr. Jerry Bridges, founder of Crossings ecumenical movement. Through learning these tools, God’s Word can become alive to read us, transform us and apply to us. We can let God speak to us, convict us by the Law, & then be comforted by the Gospel as Jesus is the One who meets us and changes us from the Word. This is when we ‘cross’ our lives with Bible passages through self-examination via the lens of Law and Gospel.
This year we have another theme, on the Sabbath, with several experts on the field – Rev. Dr. Jason Brian Santos, Rev. Dr. Steve Turnbull, Rev. Dr. Amy Linderman Allen and Rev. Dr. Adam Morton. Jesus ultimately is our Sabbath through Whom we can enter into His rest, not just the Sabbath day of rest which is God’s gift to us as His people. Furthermore, this Conference is an eye-opener for me from wide, deep engaging mealtime conversations with seminary students, other preachers and pastors from Ethiopia, UK & USA. We shared ministry stories, tips and experiences to learn from and edify one another.
The key take-home for me is I found the answer to applying Law and Gospel to my life from the Scriptures, besides having a very useful tool to preparing my sermons. God’s Word must become real to me first before I can articulate it to others. Initially, I have my hesitation as this might be reading into the text but after practicing it as well as discussing with other pastors, laity and even renowned theologians, I am convinced this is useful as it is an added reinforcement for exegesis and study of the Scriptures.
Another interesting experience is from the Taizé repeated singing during morning devotionals and night prayers with Scripture reading and silence. This quietens down our spirit man, builds up our trust in Him in our situations and focuses our attention on God. The last night on 21 January was our Eucharistic Divine Service when we experienced how Rev. Lori used the Crossings method to preach a true-to-life sermon which gave Jesus all the credit and brought comfort and encouragement to our souls.
Finally, kudos to Catherine Lessman for her superb warm hospitality to host Preacher Admond and I in her house and taking us on some sightseeing to overcome our jetlag for a few days before the Conference. She also introduced key persons to us in Crossings so that we could ask useful questions whenever needed.
To God be the glory!
