The
Coffee Shop
The Coffee Shop
“When in Rome,
do as the Romans do”
It was evening time at a coffee shop in City Hall
Singapore. The patrons come and go, many tourists from Australia and New
Zealand. At about 8pm, the scene changed.
The couple in the table in front of me was a young
gay couple, early 20s, talking about fashion business and they were very
talented, intellect with perfect English. They were confident,
expressive and entrepreneurial.
A family came and sat in the table behind me, a
conservative family that you would find in the HDB heartlands but not so
often in a city café. They had two gay sons in the 40s I thought? But it
soon became evident hearing their loud gossips in Chinese by the Gay
couple that the family had accepted the gay couple into their midst.
A group of gay men in their late 20s, then came in,
6 of them, energetic, playful, bitchy, waiting for time I guess before
the evening main draw at the gay pub or disco down the road. They talked
for the whole hour.
Then a rather quiet gay couple came in, early
thirties perhaps, and sat quietly sipping their coffee and talked very
gently. In all, there were 13 gay men, and 2 straight ladies!
I left soon after for my partner of 10 years
stepped in. As we walked out, a gay malay couple walked passed-by in a
rather quiet empty Saturday night in Singapore city centre.
The Gay/inclusive Christian churches that I went to
probably only fit the young intellectual and highly educated couple in
the early 20s. We may claim we are inclusive, but our sermons perhaps
catered narrowly to the liberal intellectual. We wouldn’t be the show
case for inclusivity anyway for many of us are middle class or higher, a
part from a very few which we would gladly do our act of charity to help
out.
Gay/inclusive churches are terribly
like mainstream Methodist, High Anglican, for all intention purposes
except for their sexual orientation in time for which nobody will care
too much. The Audis, BMWs, the Jaguars, etc lined the car park much the
same as these churches.
Our Queer theology actually doesn’t matter that
much for gays in their small numbers would never be the spearhead of any
mainstream liberal Christian movement. We are often too focused on our
partner and we should be for they have become the source of strength and
survival in a difficult and lonely world. We only have our partner in
this world, for our families have rejected us.
Sadly we are not the revolutionary radical activist
that some paint us to be, but we are so loving that we wouldn’t even hit
back when we get abused and kicked out of the churches or called evil
names! May God bless our enemies!
Gay churches often failed miserably when we imposed
some sort of liberal emphasis to love thy neighbour to minister to the
least. That was never our domain, for we are the folks in the city
centre drinking our coffee, shopping for bags and the latest fashion,
and minding our business and struggling just to survive.
Our domain and talent is in the areas of plays,
singing, writing, acting, film making, photography, arts, architecture,
design, fashion, legal profession, medicine, and that’s what a cross
over from gay Christendom to the World would look like. We are perfect
for the glamour of Hollywood and Orchard but not for the slumps of the
former wall city of Hong Kong with her drug addicts and prostitutes
where even the angels would not dare visit.
God visits us where we are – at the Coffee shop in
the city centre where we reside most of the time and camp often. He
doesn’t barge in to ask us to love our neighbours by going out to
Geylang to help the prostitutes, or visit the construction sites to help
out the foreign workers being ill-treated, but would instead asks us to
buy Him a cup of coffee.
God would join us in the Coffee shop in our
meaningless gazing of life passing by the city centre of Singapore or
counting the number of gay men in a coffee shop in the city.
I had a dream that night, a return to the Coffee
shop and a deep sense of peace came over me. Jesus was there, and how
amazing it was as a Christian I can have access and commune directly
with God.
Surely God is everywhere some may protest, and yet
invisible for without putting on Christ and His righteousness by faith
we are unable to dwell in His abode.
Yet, even then Christ may walk by us, for often, we
didn’t offer Him a seat or even a drink and He walked passed by as not
to impose on us.
We may say that aligning with Christ’ good works is
sufficient, but He called us to believe in Him, His death and
resurrection, that we may be in His Kingdom, and having kindom
relationships drinking coffee with God.
Lord, what is my purpose in life? Surely it is to
commune with God and be at rest for that is all we could do when we
enter the coffee shop.
If a coffee shop can have 12 gay men over a two
hour period, surely it is not too difficult to have a gay church. All it
takes is good coffee, sandwiches, and cakes.
Yet, God asked us to consume Him! to receive His
word which brings with it renewal, life, strength, and Holiness. We are
changed just by being in His presence
In essence when Christ leaves to return back to
heaven for the night, we find ourselves continuing on the ministry of
Christ to be with those who are hurting, sick, despised and the outcasts
not to condemn but to have a good cup of coffee with them.
And yes, we are exclusive, we don’t drink with
anyone, only those who invites us in.
But God doesn’t asked us to do what we are not
naturally – He would sent us out two by two, couple by couple to the
Arts, Entertainment, Media, fashion, and literary world to Cross Over
that all may be touched by the Saviour’s love to know Him as their Lord
and Saviour.