Surprised by Grace (18): Nothing you can do

Ever since July 1, hordes of professional bodies like engineers, lawyers, doctors have been queuing to hold seminars to study the so-called Xi’s talk in his significant speech.
The latest joker is the Government Housing Bureau’s seminar on the “Spirit of President Xi Jinping's Important Speech”.
For the life of me it just couldn’t make sense to me why it is related or matters.

But I guess that’s just the political musical chair being on display—just don’t be the last one when the music stops!

So it wouldn’t surprise me to overhear this conversation in the ethereal world:
Szeto Wah: “It’s so sad Allen. The entire HK has played kissing the hand of Saudi Prince the murderer! Our work over all these years yielded nothing!”
Allen Lee: “Yes, really Wah Suk. Just hope Martin could hang on.”

Then a third voice chimes in.
Goddess of Democracy: “Do not despair you two. I have kept 7000 in HK who has not and will not join these stupid Xi seminars.”

Alas! 7000 out of 7.3 millions.

Which high schools these 7000 principled men and women come from? Pui Ching? St Paul? LaSalle? Or Salesian?
Which churches they go to that taught them so well? Alliance? Baptist? Or Evangelical Free?

These are questions that perennially deny an answer.
Why so?
Because these questions blur the focus.

It’s not important to know what schools that shaped these people.
Neither is what church that teaches.
The process is not the focus.
The origin is.
The 7000 is not the point.
The Goddess of Democracy is.

Only if she exists.

But perhaps if we had believed in Kwun Yam (觀音), we would have had no problem saying that it was the mercy of Kwun Yam that kept the 7000.
It was never difficult to ascribe to any traditional deity, that it was them who looked after us.

Unfortunately most people have problem ascribing the superintending to God the Heavenly Father.
Most wouldn’t even know that the above fictitious conversation between Szeto Wah/Allen Lee/Goddess of Democracy has an earlier recorded version.

That was between Prophet Elijah and Yahweh.
The prophet complained fearfully that all Israel had bowed to Baal and he was the lone survivor, probably not for long.
Yahweh assured him that He had kept 7000 in Israel who never did! (1Ki 19:18)

Frederick Leighton: Elijah in the Wilderness (from Wikimedia Commons)

That conversation recorded hundreds of years before Paul’s time was cited by Paul, in his argument for grace: So in the same way at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if it is by grace, it is no longer by works, otherwise grace would no longer be grace (Romans 11:5-6, NET).

The focus is not on the quality of the 7000.
Nor their schooling.
Nor their churches.
Nor their principled deed.
The key point that should be in focus: God’s grace!

Forget schools.
Pay no attention to churches.
Ignore which 7000.
It’s not about human good works, religious or righteous.
It’s not what they did that should be in focus.

Focus on the grace of God.
It never ceases to surprise.