On the way to the MRT station, I will pass by several ATMs from different banks. The difference this time was that several of them had very long queues. Upon closer looking, I realized that they were there to get new notes for CNY. The other ATMs have no queue. The banks had to deploy staff to make sure that the withdrawal of new notes was done orderly.

I could understand the need to exchange for new notes in the past. Those were the days when money was literally “dirty.” Singapore was not that prosperous, and the notes circulating were dirty and tattered. So, when CNY comes about, there was always a rush to exchange for new notes. After all, the Chinese believes that a new year will have a new hope.

I cannot understand the need for it today. The notes we used today are relatively new and clean. Nobody will begrudge anyone for using them for new year angpows. In fact, the government encourages people to use such notes. Printing new notes does cost quite a sum of additional cost to the nation.

Old habits die hard. Once a habit is formed, it is very difficult to change. In fact, you will be ridiculed when you try to be different. That is even if you are really the one doing the right thing. No one likes to be told and proven wrong, especially in the ‘traditions’ that they hold so dear without knowledge of why.

How about us in the matter of our Christian life? Are we living in some ‘bondages’ that we cannot get out of because they were there in the beginning and shall be forever? There was a time having the piano in the church was taboo. Then, it was the drums. Now they are common place and should have. But these are over many painful arguments and breakups in churches. Do we really have to go through all these because people refuse to adapt and change that which is not essential?

Brothers and sisters, hold on to what is important and change what needs to be replaced. Time and tide demand that we move on from obsolete practices, like new notes in CNY. After all, a fifty-dollar note is equally good whether it is new or not so new.

God bless,
In Christ’s service,

Barry Leong

我在前往地铁站的路途中会经过几家银行的提款机。这一次与往常的不一样是其中几个排了很长的人龙。靠近一看，我方知他们为了农历新年而提取新钞。其他提款机门可罗雀。银行必须让职员站岗使提取新钞得以有序的进行。

我可以明白过去换新钞是必须的。那时候现钞真的是名副其实的“肮脏”。新加坡曾经不是那么繁荣而在市面上流通的现钞既肮脏又皱皱的。因此，当农历新年的来到，人们是曾经是迫不及待地换新钞。毕竟，华人相信新年有新希望。

我不明白至今还是有这样的需要。今天我们所使用的现钞相对地来说是新兼干净的。没有人会因为别人把它作为红包钱而抱怨。其实，政府是鼓励人们使用这些的现钞。印新钞真的会加重了国家一笔相当大的成本。

旧有的习惯难改。一旦一个习惯成形，它会很难改变。其实，当你尝试与人不同的时候，你会被人嘲笑。这就算是你是在做正确事的人。没有人喜欢被人告知或证实是错的，特别是仍然紧紧守护在所谓的不知所以然的“传统”中。

在我们的基督徒的生命又是如何呢？我们是否活在一些无法摆脱的“捆绑”中因为一开始就已经在那里并永远的存在？有一段时间教堂里摆设钢琴是禁忌。之后是鼓。现在它们已经是常见和必须的。但是，这是经过了许多的痛苦的争论和教会的分裂所带来的结果。我们真的需要经过这些只因为人们拒绝适应和改变那些不是根本性的东西吗？

弟兄姐妹，守住什么是重要的以及改变那些需要被取代的。时间和潮流要求我们在向前走的时候放弃旧有的做法，好像农历新年的新钞。毕竟，无论是新的或不是太新的五十元现钞都是一样的好。

上帝赐福,
在基督里服事的,

Barry Leong
（林忠彬翻译