“Jesus, Immanuel” (Matthew 1:18-25)

The Gospel in a Nutshell

On one day in September last year, about a week after Lydia recovered from COVID-19, she was not feeling well. She had a migraine, double-vision, vomiting and delirious. She went to ER at the local hospital, then was sent to Bangor that night. As soon as she got there, they took her for all different kinds of tests. But they couldn’t figure out exactly what the cause was. It was a scary night. Joyce and I could feel her pain. We could feel her agony. We wish we could take her place. But all we could do was to be with her.

In Exodus 3:7-8, when the Israelites groaned under their slavery and cried out, the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people… I have heard their cry… I know their suffering, and I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians…” And God did send Moses to deliver his people. But Moses was a just shadow of the true and better Messiah to come. When the right time came, God sent his Son… to set us free from our sins and to give us new life. On this Christmas Eve, we affirm that Christ is “Immanuel” – God with us. Christ is the God whom we can know, feel, and touch. He is God with skin.

I like the way Dick Foth explains the gospel in three sentences: “God came to our place. God took our place. And then God invites us back to his place.”

God Coming to Us

He came to our place, in order to be with us. For parents and grandparents, Christmas season can be stressful. Many of us are thinking about what would be the best gift for our children and grandchildren. But the greatest gift we can give our children is the present of presence. For me personally, my greatest hero is my grandfather. When I was in Korea, I used to live close by him. Probably it would take about half an hour by car. Even after I was grown up and went to college, I often dropped by my grandfather’s place, particularly when I felt down and depressed. At that time, he was a retired pastor, but he was still quite busy. But always, he made himself available to me. He shared his life stories with me. He attentively listened to my stories. We had a meal together. We watched TV together. We took a nap together. I didn’t always open up and share my struggles and problems. But after spending time with him, I always felt much better and uplifted. He gave me the present of presence. That’s what Jesus did to us. The greatest gift God gives us is the present of presence. Immanuel, God-with-us!

God for Us

God came to our place. But not only that, he also took our place. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made Christ, who never sinned, to be sin for us, so that we could be made right with God” In other words, Jesus became our sin, so we could be his righteousness. He became our darkness, so we could have the light of life. He became our curse, so we could be his blessing.  The prophet Isaiah describes Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes our place this way (53:3-6, MSG):

He was looked down on and passed over,
    a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
    We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
    our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
    that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
    that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
    Through his bruises we get healed.
We’re all like sheep who’ve wandered off and gotten lost.
    We’ve all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we’ve done wrong,
    on him, on him.

He took our place.

God with Us

But there is more! He invites us back to his place. Years ago I did a cross country trip from Vancouver to Quebec with four other friends. So many good places. But for me personally, my favorite place was Rock Mountains, Banff and Jasper, particularly Lake Louise. It was truly breath-taking, to say the least – the sight of the emerald green water and rugged peaks and glaciers. I will always remember that feeling. It was a perfect day. But now as I look back, one thing was missing. “I wish Joyce was here.” One of my bucket lists is to take her back there, so we can experience it together.

That is why God became “Immanuel,” not only to be with us here in our place on earth, but also to invite us back to his place and to live with us forever! As we read Revelation 21-22, we see his place, the new heaven and the new earth. It is just beyond description in our human language. God wants to spend eternity there with you. The Apostle John by the Spirit says this way: “Look, God's home is now among his people! He will live with us, and we will be his people. God himself will be with us. He will wipe every tear from our eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain.” (NLT). He came to our place. He took our place. Then he invites us back to his place.

Experiencing Immanuel

Do you experience this Immanuel? A.W. Tozer said that “Most Christians are theological Christians… They’re trying to be happy without a sense of the presence.” In other words, many people intellectually agree that Jesus is Immanuel. And they want to live a life with God – life filled with love, power, joy. But they don’t experience it. They don’t experience God’s presence. Why?

Here’s what many Christians tend to do: when we receive Christ, we invite him to be our guest, special guest at best, but not our Master. We are still in control of our lives, making decisions according to our experience, our preferences, our knowledge, our plans. We drive the car, and Jesus is in the passenger’s seat. Even though he is the best driver and is with us all the time, our life is still constantly in conflict, confusion, and stress. And there is a constant danger of accidents. The best way to handle this situation is to get out of the driver’s seat and let him drive. Where is Jesus in your life? Is Jesus in the driver’s seat in your life? May Christ Jesus dwell in your hearts as Lord of all! May Christ be made much of in and through your life! “I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live. But Christ lives in me! The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me!” (Gal 2:20). Amen. 

“Jesus, Light of the World” (Matthew 2:1-12)

Lost and Found

Have you ever been lost? Have I ever been lost? Yes. Countless times. There is one particular incident that I still remember. At that time I was in the 3^rd grade (in Korea). That year there was a pastoral appointment change for my dad and the family. Since a newly appointed church was not far from the previous church, I didn’t have to transfer to a new school. But still, I had to take the public bus to school. One day on the way home I took the wrong bus. As soon as I realized something was wrong, I got off the bus. I stood there for a while, because I didn’t know what to do. I was lost. Then I just started walking. On the way I met a kind sanitation worker. I asked him to tell me how to get to the town where I lived. He pointed his finger at a certain direction, naming some big buildings on the way. With his guidance, I walked, walked, walked, probably for about an hour, then I began to see familiar buildings. I was lost and found.

Journey to Jerusalem

Today’s story is about a journey – the journey of the Magi. Their journey is an intimate, peculiar story, but at the same time it’s the universal story of all Christians. So, who are the Magi? The term “Magi” (magos, “magician”) originally referred to a priestly caste in ancient Persia, a Persian teacher and prophet. If the Magi came from Persian or Babylonian area, they would have traveled approximately nine hundred miles. It would have taken several months until they arrived in Jerusalem. It is doubtful that they come to worship Jesus, knowing that he is the Son of God. They most likely follow their custom to pay homage to the king of their neighboring country. One day they observed a star in the east that signaled the birth of a new king. The Magi must have assumed that they would find the newborn king in Herod's palace in Jerusalem. So now they’re on pilgrimage to Jerusalem to worship him.

In this story, the star signifies God’s presence, God’s grace – God’s prevenient, justifying, sanctifying grace. In particular, Magi’s journey to Jerusalem is led by prevenient grace – the grace that prepares their hearts to receive a new king, the grace that gives them new desire and thirst for the truth and meaning of life, the grace that helps them to realize, “I cannot save myself. I need a savior.” Agha Behzad was one of Iran’s well-known painters but he lost his way. He violated the laws of his Moslem religion by drinking alcohol and smoking opium. Even his best friends deserted him so he lost both his friends and his religion. Without hope, he was lost, wandering and searching, until his neighbor invited him and took him to a Christian gathering. There he saw the light. He started a new life and began painting again. Now he used his talent to paint Christian themes used in the church in Iran. His art portrays Christianity through the eyes of a new convert, filled with awe, wonder, and joy.

Now I invite you to pause and think about God’s guiding star that led you in the right path. For me personally, the star was my grandparents’ presence. It was my mother’s tearful persistent prayers. It was my sickness that drew me close to God. God is at work, nudging us and guiding us even before we seek him.

Journey to Bethlehem

With the guidance of the star, the Magi finally arrive at the palace in Jerusalem. We don’t know for sure, but it seems like the star is no longer visible or stops guiding them. So now they have to ask King Herod, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?” (v. 2) They get the answer from unlikely candidates, unexpected guiding star – the chief priests and teachers of the law, saying, “Bethlehem!” Magi’s journey from Jerusalem to Bethlehem reflects God’s justifying grace. It’s not enough to know, “I cannot save myself, I need help. I need savior.” It’s not enough to intellectually agree that there is a creator or supreme being out there. God’s guiding start, God’s justifying grace, specifically takes us by the hand to Christ. After the encounter with King Herod and his people, to their surprise the Magi see the star again, and it guides them to Bethlehem. Then in Bethlehem the Magi personally encounter Christ. And now they are filled with joy, worshiping him, adoring him.  

As I was pondering how the Magi encountered Christ, one particular individual came to my mind. His name is Blaise Pascal. He was perhaps the most brilliant mind of his generation. At the age of 19 he invented the world’s first mechanical calculator. He achieved both wealth and honor at a very young age, but for some reason at the pinnacle he felt miserable. He felt something was missing. Though he considered himself a Christian, there was no joy, no peace. On November 23, 1654 he got a major horse carriage accident, but miraculously he was saved. He saw this as a warning directly from God. That night he humbly surrendered his life to Christ and encountered him in his room. In his journal Pascal said:

FIRE. God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, not of philosophers and scholars. Certitude, heartfelt joy, peace. God of Jesus Christ. God of Jesus Christ. "My God and your God." . . . Joy, Joy, Joy, tears of joy. . . Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ. May I never be separated from him!

Since that night, he always carried this note in his inside coat pocket until he died. For the Magi’s journey to Bethlehem, unexpected people and unpleasant incidents were their guiding star. How about you? For some of us the star that leads us to Christ is our sickbed. For some it is a crisis or traumatic experience in life. Whatever it is, by God’s grace – God’s presence and power in our lives, we are guided to Bethlehem where we encounter and worship Christ the King.

Journey to Home

After the Magi worshiped Christ, they returned to their home country. We may think their journey from Bethlehem to their home was smooth and easy, and they lived happily ever after. But the truth is that since Herod’s military had a heavy presence all over the county, the Magi had to take great risk to their own lives by avoiding Herod and making a long detour back to their homeland. Their journey to home was tough and treacherous, but God’s grace was greater. God’s guiding light in their hearts was brighter. That’s God’s sanctifying grace – the grace that sustains us, grows us, leads us home.

The journey to our heavenly homeland is hard for the saints and ordinary Christians alike. In August 2007 TIME magazine had an amazing cover story titled “Mother Teresa’s Crisis of Faith.” Mother Teresa’s secret letters were made public by her mentor and colleagues. The letters show that she spent almost 50 years without sensing the presence of God in her life. In one of the letters that she exchanged with her mentor, Rev. Michael Van Der Peet, she says, “Jesus has a very special love for you. As for me, the silence and the emptiness is so great that I look and do not see, listen and do not hear…” In more than 40 communications, she compares the experience to hell, and at one point she says it has driven her to doubt the existence of heaven and even of God. As she was walking through the darkest night of the soul, her constant prayer was, “Lord Jesus, come be my light.” And Christ did come, and she made it home safely. 

Life is a journey. Some of us may be on the way to Jerusalem – wandering and searching, some on the way to Bethlehem – encountering and worshiping Christ, and some are on the final journey to home – struggling and tired and afraid. But wherever we are in our journey, God’s grace – God’s presence and power in our lives – is always greater than our problems. God’s light is always brighter than our darkness.

Through many dangers, toils, and snares

I have already come;

’Twas grace that brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.

May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you. And may the light of Christ lead you home. Amen.

 

 

 

“Jesus, Prince of Peace” (Acts 6:1-7)

The Crisis

It’s the second Sunday of Advent. Today we proclaim Jesus as the Prince of Peace. I don’t know about you, but for me, when I say, “Jesus is the Prince of Peace,” I feel tensions between God’s promise of peace and the reality of conflicts and divisions in our world today. I cannot but ask, “Yes, Jesus came to us. But where is peace? Where do we see the signs of peace?” As I was wrestling with these questions, reading and meditating on different passages in the Bible, I discovered that God’s promise of peace is now partially realized through the church – the community of believers who confess Jesus as the Lord. The church is God’s means of showing the world how good, how peaceful it is to live in God’s kingdom, under the lordship of Jesus Christ.

The early church did taste and see that the Lord is good, and that Jesus is the prince of peace. They met together both at home and at the temple day by day. They shared everything they had. They shared their meals. They shared their possessions with joy and generosity. They were in great harmony. The disciples were increasing in numbers, and everything seemed to be going well. But then, the enemy launched a counter attack – first from without (persecution particularly from the Jewish religious leaders), and then from within (division and distraction).

Today’s passage tells us how the enemy tried to destroy the church through division and distraction. In the early church there were mainly two groups of people in terms of language and culture. The majority of the church believers were Hebrew-speaking Jews, and there were some Greek-speaking believers as a minority group. Satan tried to distort this "diversity" into "division." For some reason, the Greek-speaking widows were neglected in the daily distribution of food. So the Greek-speaking disciples started to complain against the majority group, that is, the Hebrew-speaking disciples. Satan put a barrier between the believers. That division made the apostles “distracted” from their ministry. Now the peace and unity of the church were at stake. So how did the early church overcome this crisis and keep the unity of the Spirit?

Holy Conferencing

The first principle is: holy conferencing. When the apostles heard this problem, they called a meeting of the disciples (v. 2a). Now I would like to invite you to use your artistic imagination and see what’s really happening in these seven verses. Though it’s rather a brief passage, there are a lot of things going on – between words, between verses. I don’t think the apostles called the meeting and told the group what to do. Rather, I think they did a holy conferencing – listening to each other, discerning together, praying together – for hours, or perhaps for days.  

Recently, I read the book Holy Listening written by Margaret Guenther. The first thing I have learned is holy listeners ask questions in order to put themselves in other people’s shoes and to feel their feelings and emotions. They ask questions with curiosity such as: “Could you say a little more about that? Can you give me an example of what you mean by…?” “Help me understand what you are saying. Do you mean ...?” Then they listen with compassion.  I am positive that the apostles would ask good questions to listen and feel the people’s feelings. It is not just about food. Underneath the complaints, as a minority the Greek-speaking disciples have the pain of not being accepted, of not being listened to, of not being heard. The apostles would sense that they have been hurt a lot. After this holy conferencing (listening), they develop two action plans.

Focus on the Essentials

First of all, the apostles focus on the essentials. They do their part, saying, “It is not right that we should neglect the word of God in order to wait on tables” (v. 2b), “… while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word” (v. 4). They did not ask “Who or what is right and wrong?" (“knowledge approach”) Instead, they asked themselves, "How can I practice love in this situation?” "How can we build up the church together?" (“love approach”) And they found the answer! The answer was to devote themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word of God. The apostles realized that the church would be spiritually united only through prayer and the word of God. So they chose to focus on the essentials. They chose to focus on their own calling. The great temptation for pastors today is to try to control all church ministries. They become leaders in every area of the church ministry, but the thing is they come to neglect their own calling because of other ministries. This is the strategy of Satan: "Distraction."  But the apostles discerned that this distraction was from the enemy and that the cure for this was to go back to the basics. They knew the limitation of their time, energy, and gifts. They knew that they were called to be one part of the body, and they chose to focus on their calling, the essentials. 

Our spiritual ancestors practiced the following spiritual disciplines: “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things love.” Then, what are the essentials? As Christians, we need unity on our Christian core beliefs, such as the Apostles’ Creed, the Ten Commandments, the Great Commandments (Love God, Love Others), and the Great Commission (Make Disciples). For any other non-essentials, we can have room to think and to let others think.

Choose Love  

The second action plan is this: empowering love. The apostles designated and empowered others. In verse 3 they said, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task.” Now it is the believers’ turn to choose. The great temptation for believers today is to be outsiders and complain against those different from them. This is the strategy of Satan: “Division.” But the early church believers followed the example of the apostles. They also used a “love” approach. They asked themselves, “How can we practice love in this situation?” “How can we build up the church together?” Then they chose the seven people. We can find a very interesting fact here. All seven were Greek names. In other words, all of them came from a minority group. The majority of the early church believers did not choose their own people. They did not insist on their own way, but instead, they chose the right persons for this issue. They chose seven people from the minority group to take care of their widows. This is love approach.

Jesus is our great model. One day the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery. They came to Jesus to catch him in theological or legal error and asked him a question, “What is right and wrong?” But Jesus refused to get hooked. Instead of answering them, he bent down and wrote something with his finger on the ground in silence. By his silence Jesus forced them to stop playing games, to look within themselves, and to ask themselves, “Is this love?” After this, they went away, one by one. Then, Jesus said to the woman, “I don’t condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin” (John 8:11). Love and compassion without compromise.

The Church: A Foretaste of God’s Peaceful Kingdom

Jesus wants his church to foretaste his peace, his love, his joy, his hope today and to show them to the world. In today’s passage the apostles and the believers all together in one mind asked the same question, “How can I practice love in this situation?” When they devoted themselves to practicing love, the church of Christ prospered. The Bible says, “So the word of God continued to spread, and the number of disciples in Jerusalem continued to grow rapidly. Even a large number of priests became obedient to the faith” (v. 7, ISV). The point of this verse is not just about the church growth. But, it testifies when we really practice Christ’s love, the Lord will even soften the hearts of our enemies, and draw them to Christ.

When we think about the present and future of the UMC, it almost seems impossible to become one between traditionalists and progressives. But just as Dr. King had the vision of building beloved community, I have a dream today. I have Isaiah’s vision of God’s peaceful kingdom: “The wolf shall live with the lamb; the leopard shall lie down with the kid; the calf and the lion will feed together, and a little child shall lead them” (Isaiah 11:6). My prayer is that we as a church will never give up having holy conferencing together, always focus on the essentials, always choose love, so that Christ’s Church may be strengthened and God get glory. Amen.

 

“Jesus, Mighty God” (Revelation 5:1-10)

Who Am I?

Have you ever played the “Who Am I?” game? (also called 20 Questions) Now guess who is this person:

•        The Mighty God

•        The Prince of Peace

•        The Light of the World

•        Immanuel

The answer is Jesus. Scriptures are filled with the promises about Jesus, particularly his arrival. Advent (meaning “arrival” or “coming”) is the season of waiting for the coming of Christ. As we expectantly wait for his second coming throughout this Advent, each week we will explore a core aspect of Jesus’ identity drawn from Isaiah’s prophesies. Today’s theme is Jesus as the Mighty God.

Why?

Now can you guess what it is in the picture? It’s really hard to tell. It’s a tapestry, but undiscernible—a confused spattering of twisted, knotted and tangled threads.

Around the time when the Book of Revelation was written, the Early Church Christians were severely persecuted. As they were suffering under Roman oppression, probably they had many questions in their minds: “Do my sufferings have any meaning?”, “Does God have a plan for this?”, “Who can give me a clue to the mystery of suffering?” They might get frustrated and weary. Perhaps they were looking for someone who could give them an answer.

In today’s passage, basically an angel asks the same question, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” John does not tell us what the scroll is, but from the following chapters we know it is the book of history, particularly the sealed record of the unknown future. The scroll is in the right hand of God (v. 1). So we know our history and our future are in God’s hand. They are safely sealed. But, as long as the scroll is sealed, we don’t know what is written inside.

Today some of us in this room may feel the same way – frustrated, confused, tangled, never seem to make sense. We know God holds the future in our heads. But, when we are hard pressed on every side, in our minds we ask the same questions that the early church Christians had, “Why me? Why now? Does God have a plan for this?” No one can seem to answer this question.

Lion of Judah

But, there is good news! The seals are now broken and the scroll is  wide open! Now John hears one of the elders say to him, “Do not weep. See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals” (v. 5). So who is the Lion of Judah? Jesus! Then, why do you think the elder calls Jesus a lion? What are the characteristics of a lion? Powerful. Brave. Courageous. Strong. Fearless. Ferocious. So the lion symbolizes in personality: majesty, strength, courage, justice, and military might. The lion is commonly referred to as "the KING of the beasts," it is a symbol of Kingly power and might. Jesus is the King of kings, Lord of lords. Jesus is the mighty God, who has conquered the world.

Lamb of God

So now John looks up to see this triumphant lion, but to his surprise what he sees instead is a Lamb, looking as if it has been slain (v. 6). It is crucial that we recognize the contrast between what John hears (“the Lion”) and what he sees (“the Lamb”). Both images are the “true face of Christ.” Yes! Christ Jesus is indeed the Lion of Judah. He is God Almighty. He is able to save us by his almighty power. He reigns with God and is equally worthy of our praise and worship. But at the same time, Jesus is the Lamb of God. To be precise, the great lion of Judah conquered the world not by his might, but by becoming a lamb. He saved us, not by his almighty power, but by his sacrificial death.

In his book The Chronicles of Narnia, C. S. Lewis describes this paradoxical truth so powerfully. During the Winter Revolution, the White Witch tricked Edmund to betray his siblings by revealing their location to her. According to Narnia’s law Edmond now belonged to her as her lawful prey. When the Witch made a claim on Edmund, Aslan spoke to her, offering himself in Edmund's place. The Witch accepted, and that night near the Stone Table, Aslan went up there alone to sacrifice himself in Edmund's stead. The Witch had all her followers gathered at the Table, to witness the mighty lion, the great King of Narnia's fall and death. It was not enough, though, that he simply die, as she wanted him humiliated, tortured, and shamed. So she had him bound, gagged, beaten, and shaved before being dragged over to the Stone Table, where he was executed by the Witch, using her Stone Knife. But what the Witch didn’t know was the Writing upon The Table, saying, "If a willing Victim that has committed no treachery is killed in a traitor's stead, the Stone Table will crack; and even death itself would turn backwards." – The Deep Magic. At dawn, there was an almighty crack, and the Table split in two right down the middle. And Aslan was once again alive and well.

Leviticus 17:11 says, “It is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life.” Hebrews 9:22 says, "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." Jesus, the Lion of Judah, conquered the world by becoming a lamb. Jesus, the Lamb of God, took away the sin of the world, our sin, by shedding his precious blood. Jesus is the Lion and the Lamb.

King’s Crown

Now we clearly see what it is in the picture. The tapestry was a glorious picture of the king’s crown. This insight is actually from Corrie Ten Boom’s own experience. She was imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp along with her father and sister for hiding Jews in their home. Her father and sister both died in the camp. For years, Corrie struggled with why God had allowed this tragedy, especially, why God had allowed a certain woman, prison guard, to be so cruel to her dying sister.

One day Corrie was touring one of the many European castles. There she saw a massive tapestry, mounted and stretched on a wooden frame. But Corrie could only see the underside of the tapestry, not the front. The underside looked all messy, tangled, confused. Then workers in the castle moved the tapestry to its proper place, and Corrie saw its upper side. The tapestry was a glorious picture of mountains, meadows, cathedrals and castles. What a difference, seeing the upper side. Then, Corrie realized that the events of this life are like the tangled, confused dark threads of the tapestry — they never seem to make sense. But, in heaven, we will see the upper side of the tapestry. We will see how God, the weaver, has woven the dark threads of this life into something beautiful. Corrie often said something like this: “If you look at the world, you'll be distressed. If you look within, you'll be depressed. If you look at God you'll be at rest.”

Facing the Red Sea

At first, an angel questioned, “Who is worthy to open the scroll?” No one was able to open the scroll. So John wept bitterly. But later he heard the elder say the Lion of Judah is able, then he himself saw the Lamb that was slain. After this, he joined the company of heaven in singing and praising: “To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!” (v. 13).

Today we might be standing on the edge of the Red Sea – confused, weary, afraid. But let us be still, stand firm, and wait expectantly for the coming of Jesus, the mighty God. He will come and save us.

When you are surrounded on every side by troubles,

In front of you is the Red Sea,

Behind you are the Egyptians,

On the one side is a range of craggy rocks,

On the other side are fortresses of Egypt,

Then, begin to praise God and thank him ahead of time,

Because it is time that God will work for you!

“Thank God for the Church” (1 Corinthians 1:1-9)

Leaving Church

Episcopal priest Barbara Brown Taylor was one of America’s most effective and beloved preachers. But after much reflection, she decided to end her 20-year career and leave the church. While she was in ministry, she always felt she hadn’t done enough. If she spent enough time at the nursing home then she neglected to return telephone calls, and if she put enough thought into the church meetings then she was less likely to catch mistakes in the Sunday bulletin. Mrs. Taylor said, “My tiredness was so deep that it had seeped into my bones.”[1] To make things worse, she was conflicted, internally and with the church, because of church dividing issues, including human sexuality. She lamented over the church. She said, “I had been wearing my collar for about six months by then, and I wore it like a string of thousand-dollar pearls. Fifteen years later, I was ready to hang it up.”[2] After leaving parish ministry, she taught at a college in Georgia. And she said that teaching school is saving her life now. Researcher George Barna describes this trend in our society as follows: “We found that while some people leave the local church and fall away from God altogether, there is a much larger segment of Americans who are currently leaving churches precisely because they want more of God in their life but cannot get what they need from a local church.”[3] Even today many people are leaving the church out of frustration rather than rebellion.

My Story

I am a third-generation Methodist pastor. So when I was young, I went to either my grandfather’s church or my father’s church. Those two were my home churches for 27 years. When I came to the US for further study, for the first time I had a chance to choose my home church. After much thought and prayer, I began to serve one particular local church as a student pastor. Guess what? After my first year of ministry I was burnt out. I was ready to leave the church. I got tired of the chronically difficult people and the problems in the church. I wanted to stay away from the “institutionalized religion.” So I did. For a while, I felt freedom, particularly Sunday mornings. Some Sundays I attended different churches that I wanted to explore. Other Sundays I just stayed in my seminary dorm, listening to the sermons from my favorite preachers. I did my charitable giving to the different causes that I trusted. And I also had an informal community of like-minded believers in seminary. But about six months later, I began to feel spiritually dry. I felt something was missing. One Sunday afternoon while I was taking a walk on the campus, I asked God why I felt dry and restless deep in my soul. Then I heard the inner voice. The answer was because I did not stay connected with God’s household, the church. In other words, my vertical relationship with God was ok, but my horizontal relationship with other believers was not. After this, I came back to church.

Back to the Early Church?

So problem solved? No! After coming back to church, the problems were still there. The difficult people in the church were still there. But this time I seriously asked myself the following question: “What is the church?” And I began to study the church history, particularly the early church. In the book of Acts the early church was described as a perfect example to follow. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They shared their possessions and goods with those in need. Every day they got together both at the church and at home. And they enjoyed the favor of all the people (Acts 2:44-47). But then, as I continued to study it, I found something very interesting. The truth was the early church was messy as much as today’s church. This morning we read the introduction of Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth. In fact, at that time the Corinthian church was filled with problems. There were major strife and divisions among the church members (1 Cor 1:11; 3:3). There was sexual immorality among themselves (5:1). They sued each other (ch. 6). They divorced without biblical grounds (ch. 7). They abused their Christian liberty and caused new believers to fall (ch. 8). They accused the Apostle Paul of being a false apostle and gave him a hard time (ch. 9). And the list goes on. To make things worse, they were not remorse or repentant. They were proud. But Paul didn’t throw in the towel on the Corinthian church.

Paul, an Eternal Optimist

Rather, he starts off his letter filled with the words of hope and encouragement. He says in verse 2, “Your identity is certain. You have been called by God to be his own holy people. You are sanctified in Christ.” In verse 5 he continues, “Your gifts are sufficient. You are enriched in Christ in every way.” He concludes in verse 8, “Your future is secure. Jesus will keep you strong to the end.” What encouraging words they are! But if we consider the reality of what was happening in the Corinthian church, we cannot but ask, “What is Paul thinking? Why is he so naïve to think everything will be ok? On what basis is he so positive and optimistic?”

The answer is Jesus. In today’s passage (1:1-9) the name Jesus occurs eight times, and if we include the pronoun that refers to Jesus, it would be about 13 times. We can see how much “Christ-saturated” view Paul has. All of Paul’s surprising encouragement is firmly grounded in Christ. Yes, more than anybody else Paul was keenly aware of the Corinthians’ flaws and their problems. But he sees all things through Jesus’ eyes. Here Paul is saying, “Corinthians, you are holy people not in yourselves, but in Christ. Your speech, your knowledge, your gifts are enriched in Christ. And in Christ, God will strengthen you to the end.” So in the midst of all the problems Paul is still able to say to the church, “I give thanks to my God always for you!” (v. 4) Paul is an eternal optimist in Christ.

Church Is Family

It is God who started the church where we are adopted into his family through Christ Jesus. Yes, the church is God’s household. God is our Father, and we are brothers and sisters in Christ. Let us think about the nature of family. We don’t get to choose our family. We don’t choose who will be our parents or siblings or uncles. Our family is chosen for us by God. In the same way, we don’t choose our church family. We don’t choose one another. Instead, we are given to one another by our heavenly Father. Justin McRoberts says, “Being a Christian can sometimes feel like being in a family with a thousand drunk uncles.”[4] But we need to remember this: Like it or not, uncles are still our family. We don’t throw in the towel on the family. As members of God’s family, we are called to stick together through thick and thin. There is a significant difference between a church and a club. The club consists of “like-minded” people who have something in common – school, hometown, interest, age, politics, or jobs. The club members are kind of “natural friends.” So those who have different perspectives, cultures, and experiences find it difficult to be part of it. But the church is different. By design, God created the church to be made up of “natural enemies” – those we don’t naturally enjoy. D.A. Carson says, “Ideally… the church itself is not made up of natural friends. It is made up of natural enemies… Christians come together… because… they have all been loved by Jesus himself… They are a band of natural enemies who love one another for Jesus’ sake.”[5] In the church there are hypocrite priests, coward Levites, good Samaritans, people in need, and even robbers. If we are united because we are natural friends, we are not necessarily called “church.” But if we are united because we are family washed by the blood of Jesus Christ no matter what the differences, we are the church.

I think Martin Luther King Jr. and Billy Graham showed us a great example of loving natural enemies. They both came from very different backgrounds in terms of their theology, their culture, their experience. However, they saw amazingly positive things in each other’s ministry and expressed their appreciation to each other. This is back in the 50’s and 60’s when racial tensions ran high. Once Graham said to Martin Luther King, “I will stay in the stadium and make them integrated. And you go ahead on the street and do your thing.” Graham was well known for integrating his ministry and insisting on integrated crowds at many of his rallies. In his later years, but still Graham lamented, wishing he’d done more for the cause of racial equality. And he publicly repented and asked for forgiveness, even though he had done so much. While Graham and MLK were in Latin America together on a mission, Dr. King said, “Had it not been for the ministry of my good friend Dr. Billy Graham, my work in the civil rights movement would not have been as successful as it has been.” The church is the classroom for learning how to get along with natural enemies in God’s family.

Thank God for the Church

On this Thanksgiving there are many things to be grateful for. But more than ever, for me personally, I give thanks to God for the church. I give thanks to God for you. You are holy people in Christ. You are enough in Christ. And in Christ God will sustain you to the end. 

If we focus on difficult people, difficult problems, difficult issues, debates will be endless. But if we focus on Jesus, exalting him, we will be united. From day one my prayer for our church is to be known as the “most loving place in town.” Let us always ask ourselves, “What is the most loving thing I can do in this situation?” “How can I love my neighbor? How can I love my natural enemies here and now?” God is faithful. He who began a good work among us will continue to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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[1] Barbara Brown Taylor, Leaving Church (HarperCollins, 2012), 108.

[2] Ibid., 114.

[3] Scott Sauls, Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who Are Tired of Taking Sides (Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2015), 42.

[4] Ibid., 50.

[5] Ibid., 64.

“Two Ways of Life” (Deuteronomy 11:8-17)

The Land of Egypt vs. the Land of Canaan

What image comes to mind when you think of the “Promised Land”? One of the most popular images would be a "land flowing with milk and honey." But, if you read today’s passage carefully, Canaan doesn’t sound like the land flowing with milk and honey. It seems rather a barren land. In today’s scripture Moses compares the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan. In verse 10, he says, “In the land of Egypt you planted your seed and irrigated by foot like a vegetable garden.” In other words, Egypt is fertile ground for planting crops. Yearly floods bring soil rich in nutrients to the Nile Valley. The Nile basin is one of the birthplaces of ancient civilization. In this respect, the land of Egypt is a land flowing with milk and honey. That is why when Korah rose up against Moses, he said as follows in Numbers 16:13, “Isn't it enough that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey to kill us in the desert?” From a human point of view surely Egypt is a land flowing with milk and honey. The life in Egypt is predictable, self-reliant, and self-sufficient.

How about the land of Canaan? In verse 11, Moses says, “But the land that you are crossing over to occupy is a land of hills and valleys, watered by rain from the sky.” In other words, unlike Egypt, in Canaan people must totally depend on rain to get water. They must depend on God for living. The life in Canaan is dependent and unpredictable. Then, why is the land of Canaan called “a land flowing with milk and honey”? The answer is in verse 12. Moses says, “It (Canaan) is a land that the Lord your God looks after. The eyes of the Lord your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.” Canaan is the land that the Lord cares for. It is the land that the Lord himself is a Provider. So, The Lord promises his people, “If you love me and obey my commands, I will send rain on your land in its season so that you may gather in your grain” (13-14). From a human point of view, Canaan is not a land flowing with milk and honey. But, from God’s point of view, it is the most fertile and blessed land because only when we have a right relationship with God, we are then able to live a prosperous life in the land of Canaan.

Out of Egypt

The thing is our human nature seeks to control of our life. We try hard to avoid unknown, unpredictable. We want to live in the land of Egypt where we are in charge – self-reliant, self-sufficient life. Once Jesus told a story of a rich man who had a large farm that produced fine crops. And he thought himself, “What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops. I know! I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then, I’ll store all my grain… and I will say to myself, “Self, you have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take it easy and have the time of your life!” But God said to him, “You fool! You will die tonight. Then who will get everything you worked for?” (Luke 12:20) So in this story what is the rich man’s problem? Self-sufficiency. He believed if he had enough possessions, his life would be easy, happy, good. If believed if he worked hard, his life would be predictable, controllable. Wrong. On another occasion, a young rich official asked Jesus, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said, “You know the ten commandments.” The man replied, “I have kept them all since I was a boy.” Jesus said, “There is still one thing lacking. Sell all your possession and give the money to the poor… then come, follow me” (18:22). When the man heard this, he became very sad and went away. Here Jesus was nudging him out of his comfort zone – self-reliance. Here Jesus was challenging him to see one thing lacking, that is, God-dependence. Here Jesus was inviting him to come out of the land of Egypt and to enter the land of Canaan, but he was not willing.

Into the Land of Canaan

One day Jesus was at the temple with his disciples, watching people putting their gifts in the offering box. There were some rich people dropping their offerings, and everyone could hear the sound of their coins clanging. But then, Jesus also saw a poor widow put in two small coins. And he said, “This poor widow has given more than all the rest of them, because all the others have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she out of her poverty gave her all” (21:4). This woman is a shining example of those who live in the land of Canaan – living a God-dependent life. This quality – “dependence on God” – doesn’t come naturally. It is not a natural quality, but it has to be cultivated over the time. In the following chapters of Deuteronomy, God gives detailed instructions to the Israelites how they should live as God-dependent people in the Promised Land. In particular, three things are essential: “worship and feast celebration,” “clean food,” and “tithes and offerings.” Through these spiritual disciplines the Israelites must learn to fully rely on God.

This morning we will explore further why God emphasizes on tithing. What is tithing? The word tithe simply comes from the Hebrew word “maaser,” which means ten percent. Tithe is one-tenth. Why does then God command his people to tithe? It is because through tithing we can learn to let go of self-reliance and to trust the Lord as our “Provider.” One time I read an interesting story about a trapper in the African Congo. The natives hunt monkeys in a very creative way. They devised a monkey trap using a hollow gourd, and they pour peanuts through a small hole into the gourd. The monkey would reach in and grab the peanuts, but the hole was too small to remove his closed hand. Interestingly, once monkeys grab the peanuts, most of the time they never open their hand until they are caught. Many of us live in a mentality of “I can’t afford it.” We grasp tightly and try to keep everything under control. There is no one in this room who had an open hand to God from the beginning. We need to learn to open our hand, and in this regard tithing is a valuable spiritual discipline to open our hand to God in surrender and trust.

Deuteronomy 14:22-23 says, “Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year… so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always” (NIV). Tithing banishes the fear of losing our control and strengthens our trust towards God. The practice of tithing is a faith journey from self-sufficient life to God-dependent life. It is a practical action we put with the faith statement, “Lord, you are my source of provision.” Tithing requires faith for anyone. If we make $1,000 per month, giving that $100 is difficult, because we need every dollar available for expenses. If we make $10,000 per month, giving the $1,000 is difficult, because it is a lot of money. The discipline of tithing is very similar to the discipline of keeping the Sabbath holy. Sunday is not a weekend. It is the first day of the week. It is the day of worship and rest in the Lord. We rest on Sunday not because we worked hard during the previous week. But by faith, we rest on Sunday first to find time to have fellowship with God, and then we work hard throughout the week. Priority. In the same way, we tithe not because we can afford it. But, by faith we tithe first before using money for anything else. As we develop this spiritual discipline of tithing, we are able to learn to live a God-dependent life more and more.

Living in the Promised Land

Tithing is a floor, not a ceiling. What does it mean by that? Once one of my colleagues shared his grandson, Warren’s story. When Warren was a child, he didn’t like peas and vegetables. So he and his wife set a minimum standard for Warren – 10 peas for instance. He ate those minimums. And now his grandson is a young adult. He eats like a horse. There is no need to set a minimum any longer. The tithe is the same. It is like a training wheel. Once we know the joy and blessing of generosity, we realize that tithing is a floor, not a ceiling. God calls us to grow beyond the tithe. But for some of us, it might be challenging to tithe right away. But I encourage you to take a step in that direction. You may give 2 percent or 5 percent. God will help you to become more and more generous. And for those of us who tithe already, I encourage you to consider not only tithing but also going beyond the tithe as you can for God’s kingdom work. The real issue is not whether we will give 10% or not, but what we will do with the entire 100%!

God is not after our money, but rather after our heart. Every year about this time of the year we do a financial stewardship campaign. Probably you will receive a stewardship letter and pledge commitment card in the near future. I commend you to be in prayer and seek the Lord’s direction. I don’t know how much your income is. I don’t know how much you make an offering to God. But, I strongly exhort you to do one thing – take time to pray for what you will do with your 3 T’s (time, talents, and treasure) next year, and take a step of faith. God’s command in tithing today is descriptive, not directive. We don’t have to abide by it. We tithe, not because we have to. We tithe, because we get to. Our tithes and offerings are a tangible sign, “Lord, I love you. I own nothing; Jesus, you own everything.” My prayer is that all of us in this room may not just “survive” in the Promised Land, but we may “thrive” and “taste” the joy of living a God-dependent life. “Keep his statutes and his commandments, which I am commanding you today for your own well-being and that of your descendants after you, so that you may long remain in the land that the LORD your God is giving you for all time.” (Deut 4:40). Amen.

 

“Run (or Walk) with Jesus” (Hebrews 11:39-12:2)

Hero of My Faith

Do you have a photo album? Do you ever look through the pages, remembering the people that shaped your life? For me personally, I save some important photos on my phone and always carry them with me, and from time to time I look through those photos, remembering those who shaped my life. Among them, the greatest hero of my faith is my grandfather, who led me to Christ when I was 12 years old. As a Korean Methodist pastor, he was appointed to several different churches throughout his life. Wherever he was sent to, those churches became unified, revitalized, and revived. Surely the power and presence of the Holy Spirit was with him and his ministry. But more importantly, his life was congruent - congruent between preaching and living, congruent what is on the inside and what is lived on the outside. He was a good husband, a good father, a good pastor, and most of all, he was a good Christian. Although he passed away last year, he still speaks to me through his example of faith.

Heroes of Your Faith

The other day I asked you via email, “Who is the greatest hero of your faith?” Several of you graciously responded and shared your stories.

[Mars Hill] For Marge Yeager, the greatest heroine of her faith is her mother, Elaine Bailey. Marge said, “She always trusted in God no matter what. Even during very hard times of loss and sickness she never wavered in her faith. Though she is no longer with us I can still look to her example and try to live in the same faithful way.” Susan Boyd said, “For me it would be my father he always was my rock, my mentor, the one that I knew I could always count on in my life. He has been gone since 2011, but he is still the one who is approval I most seek out, and who I would hope, or I would want to be proud of who I am and what I do.” For Susan’s daughter, Elizabeth, the greatest hero is Mrs. Churchill, her teacher she has had since 6th grade. Elizabeth totally believes in herself when Mrs. Churchill is around. Mary Miller’s heroine is Lynne Josselyn. Mary said, “[It is] because she lived out Christ’s justice and compassion, because she led the way in women’s ministry and gave me courage to serve, because she sang and danced and preached and laughed the grace of God, because she ever embraced and served, with energy and commitment, God’s people.”

[Houlton] Linda Maraya answered, “The greatest hero of my faith is my mother because even during the worst of times, she never lost sight that she had full confidence and trust towards God.” Jo-Ann Barton said, “Mine was my parents took us all to Church every Sunday morning and evening. I accepted Jesus as my savior in Bible School, and I never forget the feeling when I was baptized.” Similarly, Sharon Lyons replied, “My family brought me up in the Christian faith and took me to church every Sunday. I got saved when I was seven and baptized in a river as a teen.” For Angela Cowperthwaite, the greatest hero of her faith was her dad. She said, “because he taught me about faith in God and to trust God in everything in my life.” Cynthia Hillman-Forbush said, “The greatest hero of my faith is Senator Earle M. Hillman (grandfather) because he lived out his faith daily.” Jack Forbush replied, “Garth Gooding.  Mentor and man of great faith. He showed me “the path” to walk on.” Liz Taylor said, “The greatest heroes of my faith are #1, my Godmother, my Aunt Violet, who welcomed me to her home every weekend to go to church… And #2, my husband, Lee, who brought me to Methodism.” Kathy Maclachlan said, “The greatest hero of my faith is my junior high Sunday School teacher, Ralph Dirats because he challenged me to APPLY the meaning and context of Jesus' words and scripture to controversial topics and decision-making… he stretched my childhood faith and my love of the Lord grew and grew.” Lastly, Brenda Richards said, “No one in particular but those who led by example influenced me. When as a teen I became a member of the church was the best experience ever. I can’t explain how I felt but will never forget that special feeling.”

Heroes of Our Faith

Perhaps no particular individual person comes to your mind as your hero. Perhaps you think, “I wish I could have one.” There is good news! Today’s scripture tells us we are part of a community filled with heroes and heroines of faith. We are not alone.

In Hebrews 11, the Hall of Faith, we discover two categories of faith. The first group of people lived a victorious life – they conquered enemies, obtained promises, shut the mouths of lions, even gained victory over death. But the lives of the second group were filled with suffering: they were imprisoned, persecuted, mistreated, and even killed. From the outside, the images of these two groups are so different and impossible to reconcile. But they have one thing in common: whether they triumph or suffer, they are faithful before God to the end. Their faith, their faith-fullness, still so brightly shines and encourages us today. As we listen to the stories of Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Joshua and Rahab, we remember who we are. As we listen to the stories of martyrs, we learn that we are not alone in our suffering and that we are surrounded by so great cloud of the heroes of our faith.

Jesus, the Pioneer and Perfecter

The heroes of our faith in the Bible as well as in our lives have finished their race. And now, the baton passes to us. The writer of Hebrews gives us the final and most important word of advice: “Let us run the race with perseverance, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.” Pioneer translates a rich Greek word, archegos. The archegos is the author, the beginner, the initiator, the trailblazer who goes before us. In the context of a race, the archegos is the team captain. In the Greek games, the team captain would run the race and then wait at the finish line to encourage his teammates as they followed in his steps.[1] As the pioneer, “[Jesus] entered the Most Holy Place once for all time, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with his own blood, so that we may be set free and follow in his steps” (Heb 9:12).

But Jesus is not simply the pioneer; he is also the perfecter. So Jesus not only waits for us at the finish line, but also he fills in and fills out what is lacking in our faithfulness, in our race. So when we feel worn out in our faith journey, wondering whether we can make it, Jesus walks with us, sustains us along the way, and makes us whole. “Jesus himself has gone through suffering and testing, so he is able to help us when we are being tested” (Heb 2:18). Jesus is the pioneer and perfecter of our faith journey. So let us fix our eyes on Jesus.

Crossing the River

The writer of Hebrews doesn’t tell us why hardship is part of the Christian life. Life is difficult and the Christian life is no exception. To many of us in this room, perhaps death and dying process – loss of memory, mobility, or independence – can be discouraging and even fearful in our faith journey.

In John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress Christian and his companion, Hopeful, have gone through many hardships: The Valley of the Shadow of Death, Giant Despair, Doubting Castle, and the list goes on. And now they were within sight of the Celestial City. Between them and the gate of the Celestial City was a river, but there was no bridge crossing over it, and the river was very deep. Upon entering, Christian began to sink and cried out to his good friend, Hopeful, “I sink in the deep water! The billows go over my head; all his waves go over me!” The Hopeful said, “Be courageous, my brother. I feel the bottom, and it is firm.” Christian was greatly troubled with thoughts of the sins he had committed. He was troubled with visions of demons and evil spirits. Hopeful struggled in his attempts to keep his brother’s head above water. Christian’s knees were week and his hands drooping. He could not see before him. Hopeful continued to speak him, “Be courageous. Jesus Christ makes you whole.” With that Christian broke out in a loud voice and said, “Oh, I see him again! And he tells me, When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you” (Isa. 43:2).” Then the two pilgrims both took courage, and the enemy became as still as a stone, until they had crossed over.

On your death bed, what would be the most comforting words? ‘You made a fortune. Why worries?’, ‘You have such a good family and children. Why worries?’, or ‘God has been with you, God is with you, and God will be with you forever. Why worries?’ As John Wesley said on his deathbed, “Best of all is God is with us.”

On this special day we give thanks to God for the heroes of our faith. We give thanks to God for our faithful church members and companions on our journey. But above all, we give thanks to God for his Son Jesus Christ, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.

 

And then one day, I’ll cross that river

I’ll fight life’s final war with pain

And then, as death gives way to victory

I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He reigns.

 

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow

Because He lives, all fear is gone

Because I know He holds the future

And life is worth the living

Just because He lives

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[1] Bryan J. Whitfield, “Commentary on Hebrews 11:29-12:2,” https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/ordinary-20-3/commentary-on-hebrews-1129-122

“God’s Beloved Community” (Matthew 5:13-16) - Meaningful Membership V –

How to Squeeze All the Juice out of Retirement

Recently, I listened to an interesting TED Talk on retirement (Oct 13, 2022). The speaker was Riley Moynes, with the title, “How to Squeeze All the Juice out of Retirement.” Mr. Moynes emphasizes that as we plan to retire, it’s very important to be prepared psychologically as well as financially. He then explains the four phases of retirement. Phase one is a vacation phase. You wake up when you want, you do what you want, you have no set routine. It’s relaxing. Freedom. But typically, it lasts only for about a year or so. Then, you feel bored, you miss your routine and structure, and you ask, “Is this all there’s in retirement?” You are already moving into phase two. You feel loss and lost. You lose sense of identity, you lose many of the relationships that you have established at work, you lose sense of purpose, and for some people there is a loss of power. We don’t see it’s coming. It’s traumatic. You feel like you are hit by the bus. Phase three is a time of trials and errors. You begin to ask yourself, “How can I make my life meaningful again?” The answer is you do what you love to do and do really well. There will be some sense of achievement, and also disappointment and failure. It’s a rocky road. But it’s important to keep trying different activities. If you don’t, your chances are likely to slide back to phase two. And not everyone makes it to phase four. Phase four is a time to reinvent and rewire. It’s also involving answering some fundamental questions: “What’s the purpose and the mission of my life?”

So where do we find our identity and the purpose of life? I believe we can find the answer in the life of the church – God’s beloved community. In today’s passage – part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus tells us (his disciples, his church) who we are (“identity”) and how we should live our lives (“purpose of life”).

Salt: Alternative Community

First, Jesus says, “You are the salt of the earth” (v. 13). In the Old Testament, salt is associated with the following meanings: purity, covenant loyalty, an element to be added to sacrifices, a seasoning for food. The meaning of salt in this context is clarified when we focus on Jesus’ second sentence, “if salt has lost its taste… it is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.” Here Jesus is saying to the church, “Don’t be conformed to the world, but be different. Be a peculiar community. Be an alternative community” (cf. Romans 12:2). Here a helpful image might be the church as a pioneering community, which takes a new path different from the world, following God’s will, God’s vision instead of the American dream.

In his sermon, “Don’t Waste Your Life,” Pastor John Piper shares two different stories with us.[1] The first story goes like this. In his church two of the faithful church members, Ruby Eliason and Laura Edwards, who went to Cameroon as missionaries, had both been killed because of a car accident. Ruby was over eighty. Single all her life, she poured it out for one great thing: to make Jesus Christ known among the unreached, the poor, and the sick. Laura was a widow, a medical doctor, pushing eighty years old, and serving at Ruby’s side in Cameroon. As people read this story in the paper, they said, “What a tragedy!” But no, that is not a tragedy. That is a glory. Then, Pastor John tells us the second story, what a tragedy is. He reads to us from the Reader’s Digest: “Bob and Penny… took early retirement from their jobs in the Northeast five years ago when he was 59 and she was 51. Now they live in Punta Gorda, Florida, where they cruise on their thirty-foot trawler, playing softball and collecting shells.” Yes, there’s a time for relaxing and taking a vacation. But if the purpose of our life is the American Dream: a nice house, a nice car, a nice job, a nice family, a nice retirement, collecting shells, that’s a tragedy. If Bob and Penny’s life describes the last chapter of our life, what a tragic way to finish the last mile before entering the presence of Jesus who finished his last mile so differently.  

As a pioneer, Jesus set a new path. He set a different precedent for us to follow. We, community of his disciples, are called to be different from the world and to follow a revolutionary way of life – the way of the cross. We are invited to life a life of love, justice, inclusiveness, servanthood, and forgiveness. We are the salt of the earth!

Light: Caring Community

The second imperative is this: “You are the light of the world – not hiding, but shining” (vv. 14-15). Many Bible scholars believe that when Jesus was saying this, perhaps he kept Qumran community in mind. In Jesus’ time there was a group of people who withdrew themselves from the world into a rigorous monastic community as they saw a moral corruption under the Roman occupation. The Separatist Qumran people were living in a way very different from the world – in a way, they were salty, (they were living by the Dead Sea, which was literally very salty), but they were not shining their light. They were hiding. Their saltiness became tasteless.

How do we let our light shine? How do we engage? Jesus is our perfect example. He came as a light into the world. But he came not to condemn or destroy his enemies, but to save them. As a good shepherd, Jesus came to lay down his life for the sheep. Jesus’ example shapes the tone of our engagement. As a shepherd, we (the church) nudge, encourage, guide, sometimes chastise, but do not seek to destroy enemies; rather, we lay down our life for them. During the Nazi period the German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer took a stand against the Nazis, but at the same time, he confessed his own sin powerfully as a representative of German society. And he died a martyr. We need a church that is different not by authority but by caring, especially for the lost and the needy. We need a church that is a shepherd, the friend of sinners, the lowly and the brokenhearted. We need a church that is caring, repentant, forgiving, rather than finger-pointing.

Deeds: Disciple-making Community

The church is salt and light. We are salt and light. As a salt, we are distinguished from the world. As a light, we illuminate the world through our sacrificial and good deeds, following the way of Christ Jesus.

Probably, some of you have seen the film, Schindler’s List. German businessman Oskar Schindler bought from the Nazis the lives of many Jews. At the end of the film, there’s a heart-wrenching scene in which Schindler looks at his car and his gold pin and regrets that he didn’t give more of his money and possessions to save more lives. Schindler had used his opportunity far better than most. But in the end, he longed for a chance to go back and make better choices. The Nazis wanted to kill Jews. They desperately needed concrete help from non-Jewish people/Christians. It was not enough to pray for Jews. It was not enough to hope for the best for Jews. It was not enough to talk about helping Jews. They needed “Schindlers” who took risks and actually offered hiding places and fed them.

At the end of his sermon on the mount, Jesus concludes this way: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven” (7:21). When Jesus the King comes in his glory, he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed… for I was hungry, you fed me. I was thirsty, you gave me a drink.” Then they will say to him, “Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?” And the King will say, “Truly I will tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (25:31-40). 

Sisters and brothers in Christ, as we welcome new church family member(s) today, may we remember who we are and what we live for. We are the salt of the earth. We are the light of the world. Let us be different from the world, following the way of Jesus instead of the American dream. Let our light, our good deeds, shine out for all to see, so that everyone will see Jesus in us and glorify God in heaven. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[1] John Piper, “Don’t Waste Your Life,” https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/boasting-only-in-the-cross/excerpts/don-t-waste-your-life