If you could go back and witness any historical event, which one would you pick?
If I could witness any historical event, I would choose not simply to observe the life of Jesus, but to live within it—from the breath of His birth to the weight of His ascension.
I have always admired the disciples who circled Him during those three years in Galilee and Judea. Yet my longing goes deeper: to stand at the manger in Bethlehem, to watch Him grow in the poor village of Nazareth, to accompany His every pilgrimage to the Temple, to sit at His feet through every sermon, and to break bread with Him at every meal.
On that devastating night when His heart was torn (Matthew 26:31), I would look into His eyes and say: “I believe in You. You are the Christ, the Son of God, the Lamb slain for the world—so that all may bear witness: God is Love.”
At Gethsemane, I would kneel in reverent awe as He prayed in anguish (Matthew 26:36–38). I would weep with Him at Lazarus’ tomb—not only for the dead, but for the littleness of our faith (John 11:38–40). I would lift some weight from the cross He carried to Golgotha (Luke 23:26). And when He was raised upon it, I would stand near enough to witness His glory and the Father’s—and to comfort His mother, helping John care for her (John 19:25–27).
Because I believe in His resurrection on the third day (Mark 10:32–34), I would wait at the tomb to be among the first to see Him risen (Luke 24:1–7). I would not miss the moment He breathed the Holy Spirit upon His disciples (John 20:22), nor the last meal by the Sea of Tiberias before He ascended (John 21).
Even without this prompt, I feel His presence whenever I read and meditate on the Gospels. His ministry is not merely ink on paper—it is living history, carried forward by all who belong to Him.
Today, we gather in churches, share the Lord’s Supper, and hold fellowship in His memory. But to remember Him truly is to walk as He walked, speak as He spoke, and bear witness to the truth that God loves the world—that none should perish (2 Peter 3:9).
Yet we also live in reverent awe, for the Lord will return like a thief. Scripture warns of earthquakes and fire that will lay the earth bare. And we see these signs now: tremors daily, heat waves claiming lives across Europe, bushfires roaring through homes and families alike.
In the face of such dread, Scripture asks: “What kind of people ought you to be?” And it answers: “You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with His promise, we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells” (2 Peter 3:11–13).
On that note, I close with this poem. May you discern wisely, and long for your name to be written in His living history as well.
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✨Completion and Return✨
Fate and affection once were kin by nature,
Love and hate each kept their ordered place.
But man reversed the ancient ordinance—
Hate outweighed love, and evil conquered grace.
The heart is deep and hidden, yet known to You—
Who can escape the searching of Your face?
Your only Son, the Word, You gave for us,
To turn from dark to light—this is my choice.
The heavens trembled as if torn apart;
All creation waits, reborn, with hope for me.
How long, O Lord, how long will You endure?
Completion and return—in calling on Your name.
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en yan hua fang 