“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

“True Worshippers” (John 4:23-26) - Meaningful Membership IV –

When Syndrome?

Have you heard “When Syndrome”? When we are the age of a young child, we think life will come together when we become teenagers and get big and strong. When we are teenagers, we think life is going to get better when we graduate from high school. When we are in college, we think our needs will be met by marriage. When we are married, we think it will come through children. After that, it is when the children leave home. And finally, we put our hopes on retirement. The fact is, trying to quench our thirst with the things of the world is like drinking seawater – the more we drink, the more thirsty we feel.

Why Am I Thirsty?

In today’s Scripture we meet one woman whose soul pants for something. She is a Samaritan woman. If we dramatize this text, the story would go like this. She felt parched with thirst. She made every effort to satisfy her thirst through “husband” – companionship and intimacy. She got married with a man who had money. But soon, she felt something missing. So, she got married a second time with a man who had fame in town. But not long after, she saw his imperfections and was disappointed. So, she got married a third time with a man who got actively involved in charity work. But it did not help to quench her thirst. So, she got married a fourth time with a man who had a noble character. But soon she got bored with him. So, she got married a fifth time with a man who was in politics. But she was still thirsty. So now, she got divorced and lived together with another man, thinking, “Why am I thirsty?”

So why are we thirsty? The reason why is because our relationship with God is broken. You and I are created to have fellowship with God. We are created to praise and worship God – that’s who we are. In Isaiah 43:21 God says, “The people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.” But since Adam and Eve, we have been trying to dig our own well and drink from it. The Bible says, “My people have done two evils: They have turned away from me, the spring of living water. And they have dug their own wells, which are broken wells that cannot hold water” (NCV). The truth is, we can never quench our thirst with the waters from our own wells. Companionship, intimacy, money, fame, and power will not satisfy our longings. “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again” (v. 13) Jesus says.

How Can I Quench My Thirst?

Now we know the reason why we are thirsty. Now we know our relationship with God is broken. But still, we have another problem. Although we know the cause of our thirst, we do not have the power to solve the problem. So, Jesus came to us first. Jesus came to the Samaritan woman first. John 4:4 says, “Now he had to go through Samaria.” It was not necessary. In Jesus’ time, Jews did not associate with Samaritans. When the Jews wanted to go to Galilee from Judea, they always used a roundabout way instead of passing through Samaria. But the Bible says, “Jesus must go through Samaria.” Why? Because he had to meet this woman. She had no power to come to God. So Jesus came to her. We have no power to come to God. So Jesus comes to our life. “But those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty” (v. 14).  

God seeks to restore a relationship with us through Jesus Christ. Jesus is God’s way of salvation. We all, like sheep, have gone astray. We all have turned to our own way. The relationship has been broken. God gave us his law, but we did not obey. God sent his prophets, but we didn’t listen. Finally, when the time had fully come, God sent his only Son to reconcile us to himself. On the cross Jesus endured the separation from God that should have been ours. On the cross he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. On the cross the way has been opened for us to be reconciled to God, to be united with God once again! (cf. Isaiah 53:4-6) Jesus is God’s way of salvation.

What Must I Do?

Are you thirsty? What are you thirsty for? At first, the Samaritan woman was thirsty for love and happiness. But now, she pants for God, the fountain of living water! Jesus came to her and opened her eyes. At first, she thought that Jesus was a mere “Jewish man” (9). But then, she respected him as “a prophet” (19). And at the end she confessed that Jesus is the “Christ” (29). Many people recognize Jesus and say, “Oh, Jesus is a good teacher. He is my role model.” It’s a good start, but Jesus is much more than that. When we believe in Jesus as our personal Savior and Lord, and when we worship him, he will satisfy our thirst. But the act of worship itself does not quench our soul automatically. There is one condition: We must worship him “in spirit and truth.” The Message Bible clarifies the meaning of “in spirit and truth” this way:

"It's who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That's the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship. God is sheer being itself--Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration." 

This is an amazing mystery. When we worship God with all our hearts, with all our souls, with all our strength, our thirst is completely satisfied.

The Heart of Worship

Matt Redman is a world-renown worship leader and songwriter. Many people attended Matt’s home church, Soul Survivor, in Watford, England, simply because they wanted to listen to his music. The senior pastor and the congregation felt that there was a dynamic missing. One day the pastor did a pretty brave thing. He suggested to the worship team that they would get rid of the sound system and band for a season and gather together with just their voices. His point was that they’d lost their way in worship, and the way to get back to the heart would be to strip everything away. Initially, it was hard, embarrassing, awkward. Many people stopped coming to church. The bubble burst. But eventually, the congregation began to join in a capella songs and heartfelt prayers. They encountered God in a fresh way. The song “The Heart of Worship” written by Matt Redman simply describes what occurred at that time:

 When the music fades, all is stripped away,

and I simply come longing just to bring something

that’s of worth that will bless your heart…

I’m coming back to the heart of worship,

and it’s all about You, Jesus.

It’s all about You, Jesus.

Yes, it’s all about Jesus. It’s all about worshiping him, loving him, savoring him. Today Jesus is calling us, “Are you thirsty? Come to me and drink. If you believe in me, streams of living water will flow from your heart” (John 7:37-38). So come, let us drink and live. Amen. 

“Abide” (John 1:1-14)

Grace, Grace, Prevenient Grace!

This is my 9th year since being sent to serve the community in Aroostook County. One of the most frequently asked questions is “Why did you come to the US?” Or, “What brought you up here in Aroostook County?” To answer that question, I need to start with talking about my maternal grandfather, who was a North Korean defector. He managed to escape to South Korea, crossing the river by swimming just before the Korean Civil War broke out. But because of the hardships of life in South Korea he was considering committing suicide. But by the grace of God, he was invited to church by one of his friends and encountered God there during early morning prayer. He was then called to ministry a few years later. My uncle and my father were deeply influenced by the transformed life of my grandfather, and they also became pastors. I am a third-generation pastor.

Conversion

When I was young, I thought that I was a good Christian, because I was born in a pastor’s family and always grew up in the church. But in reality, I didn’t have any personal relationship with God. I believed in God, but my faith didn’t affect my everyday life and my daily decisions. I was the person in charge of my life. I always came up with my own plans, proceeded them, and then asked God for his blessings. But in those years God was merciful and patient.

One of the defining moments happened in the year 2000. I was in the army at that time. That year I was sent to East Timor as the UN Peace keeping forces. East Timor was a lonely island. There was neither the church in the Korean barrack, nor spiritual mentors. Instead, sexual temptation and debauchery were lurking all around. At that time God gave me burden to start Sunday service in the barrack. But, I ran away from the mission like Jonah did when God told him to go to Nineveh. After this, by his grace God allowed me to fall ill with an endemic disease, ‘Dengue Fever.’ There was no way to be properly treated because at that time I was dispatched to a remote area for three weeks. I was suffering from a high fever and had a rash all over the body. My condition got seriously worse. That night I could not eat anything, nor sleep. I became delirious from a high fever. Intuitively, I knew that I was walking through the death valley. I knelt down on a camp bed and said a simple prayer. “God, help me. Have mercy on me, a sinner. God, if you spare my life, I will humbly serve you with all my heart for life.” Then, I was able to fall asleep in peace. I woke up early next morning. And I found the fever had left me, and the rash completely disappeared. That healing experience became a turning point in my life. Since then, and for the first time I read the Bible from cover to cover because I wanted to know more who God is. As I was reading through the Bible carefully, I encountered the person Jesus Christ. I received assurance of pardon, and heavenly peace and joy overflowed. I did receive Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord.

Abide

Another formative experience happened in 2018. I grew up in a large city near Seoul, South Korea. I had been shaped by a culture that equates effectiveness with significance. I was always encouraged to make an impact on as many people as possible and change the world. Effectiveness is a good thing. The problem is that I made it into an ultimate thing. That effectiveness-first mentality became my idol. So when I was appointed to Houlton and Hodgdon UMCs in 2014, my initial goal was to shake things up and change the church, the culture, the community for Jesus’ sake. But apparently, it didn’t work. As a result, after three years of my ministry there, I felt “stuck.” My sense of significance and self-worth diminished because I thought that my ministry was a reflection of my effectiveness, ultimately myself. And I asked myself: “Am I effective?” “Is my ministry here effective?” “Who am I if I don’t succeed here?” “When am I going to make an impact on more people in a larger ministry setting?”

Around that time, I had an opportunity to attend a spiritual formation conference. While I was there, God did speak to me through worship, fellowship, prayer and devotional times. The word given to me was “abide.” I thought I did abide, but in fact, it was revealed that what I did was to tolerate and endure, but not abide. I did not make my home among the people and the community. Then, God showed me what Jesus did: “The Word became human and made his home among us” (Jn 1:14 NLT). He chose to abide with us. He brought God’s kingdom to earth. Then, God gave me assurance that I was called to abide, not to change. That epiphany changed everything. That changed me.

 My pastoral vision is now to abide where I am planted. For me, it is to stay put, be present to people where they are and love them as they are. Jesus was born at a particular time. He ministered to particular people in a particular place. But his ministry was in fact a ministry for the entire world. He walked three miles in an hour. He met one person at a time, touched one person at a time. He didn’t heal all the sick. He didn’t solve all the problems. That was not his ultimate calling. But as he did teach, preach, and heal some of them so faithfully, he always did reveal God’s kingdom and bring the kingdom to earth. That was his calling. So on the cross, he was able to say, “It is finished!”

Here and Now

In the same way, we live in a particular place and time. It’s October 16, 2022, we live in Aroostook County, ME. We don’t have to wait, or we don’t have to go somewhere to meet Christ and to do his will. The risen Christ is now here in this place. This is our mission field. On one occasion a woman wanted to join Mother Teresa in Calcutta, India. But Mother Teresa said, “Stay where you are. Find your own Calcutta. Find the sick, the suffering, and the lonely right there where you are — in your own homes and in your own families, in your workplaces and in your schools. You can find Calcutta all over the world, if you have the eyes to see. Everywhere, wherever you go, you find people who are unwanted, unloved, uncared for, just rejected by society — completely forgotten, completely left alone.”

Where is your Calcutta? As Mother Teresa said, let us start with the person nearest us. Let us pick up one person. Let us love one person at a time in our family, in our church, in our community. And we will begin to see God’s kingdom right in this place where we are called and planted, saying, “Surely God is in this place!” Amen. 

“Love in Our Eyes” (1 Corinthians 13:1-13) - Meaningful Membership III –

Father and Son

There’s a story about father and son. One day they took a subway together in Seoul, Korea. The 3-year-old son was unusually hyper that day. He was restless and agitated. The passengers in the subway became more and more annoyed, irritated, and even angry. Eventually, one of the passengers scolded the boy and said to the father, “You’d better calm him down.” The father said, “I’m sorry for disturbing you. My son and I just buried his mother. He doesn’t understand what’s really going on. He doesn’t even know how to process it.” After listening to the father, the place became still. The expressions of their eyes changed, became less impersonal and more compassionate.

Putting the Love Chapter into Context

“Knowledge knows only in part, but love knows fully” (v. 12).  Today’s passage, 1 Corinthians 13, is famously known as the “love chapter.” It is often read at weddings. We are told that love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant. It is used for a husband to declare his love for a wife, or vice versa. There is nothing wrong with using the love chapter in these contexts, its original meaning was to demonstrate how church members relate to one another. Paul by the Spirit wrote this love chapter to edify the church members in Corinth. In fact, he wrote this letter to rebuke the Corinthians because they were lacking each of these attributes of love. At that time the Corinthian church was filled with problems. They judged each other harshly; they were divided over minor theological issues; they committed adultery; they divorced without biblical grounds; they sued each other; they ignored the needs of the poor, and the list goes on.

If we were Paul, we could have very easily thrown in the towel. But he didn’t. Why? Because he knew that the local church was God’s idea. He knew that Christ Jesus is the head of the church, and he knows what he is doing. It was Jesus who began a good work in us (the church), and he will bring it to completion. One of the chief metaphors to describe the church is family. Church is family. We don’t get to choose our family members. We are given to each other. We are family when things are going well. We are family when relationships are difficult. The nature of family is to stick together through thick and thin, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health. Family can be messy. In the same way, being a Christian, especially living in community with other Christians, can sometimes feel like being in a family with a thousand drunk uncles.[1] But still we are the family of God, who intends for us to stay together. In fact, the church is a great classroom for learning how to get along and practicing unconditional love.

Compassion

When I was a student pastor, serving the young adult group, there was a time when my relationship with the senior pastor was difficult. In my eyes, at that time, he seemed to say one thing and do another. He started different ministries, but he left so many things undone. His sermon seemed to be unprepared. I was critical of him. But when I myself was put in the same position, serving as a senior pastor, I then realized that he did his best. I realized that I was looking at things only from the young adult group’s perspective, while he had to consider things in its entirety. Then I became more compassionate toward him and those who are in similar positions. Knowledge sees only in part, but love sees fully.

The word "compassion" is ‘compati’ in Latin, meaning “suffer with.” Compassion means someone else’s heartbreak becomes my heartbreak. Another’s suffering becomes my suffering. The Bible says when Jesus saw the crowds – smelly, dirty, hungry, needy, demanding, unlovable, ungrateful, he was moved with compassion, because they were helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. So he taught them, preached the good news to them, and healed their diseases (cf. Matt 9:35-36). On another occasion Jesus heard the news that John the Baptist just died a martyr. He wanted to get away for desperately needed prayer time. But the people didn’t leave him alone. They kept following him. But instead of reacting in anger, the Bible says this: When he went ashore, he was a great crowd, and he was moved with compassion and healed the sick, preached the good news, and fed thousands of people with the five loaves and two fish. (cf. Matt 14:13-21). Jesus’ ministry was the ministry of compassion.

All attributes of love in today’s passage are Christ’s love and his compassion:

Christ’s love is patient; his love is kind; his love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. Christ’s compassion does not insist on its own way; his compassion is not irritable or resentful. Christ’s love does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. Christ’s compassion bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

As we were embracing Mars Hill UMC family as our new team ministry partner, the people at Hodgdon UMC had to make more adjustments than Houlton UMC. For instance, they used to see all of the Hans, but now they see only half of them each Sunday. Joyce used to be fully involved in children’s Sunday School, but now she is no longer able to do so. When we were gathered for our listening session, at first we talked about what we would miss, what we would lose. But then, one of the members said something like this: “Last Sunday when I heard the news about Mars Hill UMC. My heart was broken. I can’t imagine what they are going through. They had a shepherd to lead, feed, protect. But all of sudden, they became a sheep without a shepherd. I am so happy that now they too would be fed and guided again.” Knowledge knows only in part; compassionate love knows fully.  

The Gift of Love

Just like all other spiritual gifts, love is a gift from God. It’s not something we can earn. We receive this agape love, this compassionate love as a free gift. “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). How do we receive the gift of love? Yes, we receive it by faith. But also, we receive the gift of love by living in community with other Christians. Especially, those who are difficult people are actually a gift from God. They are like a mirror, that shows our reality – how selfish, how loveless, how unforgiving we are. As we learn how to get along with them, practicing forgiveness and compassion, we become a person whose heart is filled with Christ’s love. May we stay connected and grow in love until we see Jesus in each other’s eyes.

 

Let there be love shared among us

Let there be love in our eyes

May now your love sweep this nation

Cause us, O Lord, to arise

 

Give us a fresh understanding

Of brotherly love that is real

Let there be love shared among us

Let there be love

 

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[1] Scott Sauls, Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who Are Tired of Taking Sides (p. 50). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

“The Mind of Christ” (Philippians 2:1-11) - Meaningful Membership II –

The Call

About ten days ago I received the phone call from DS Rev. Jackie Brannen. She asked me to see if Joyce and I could help lead Mars Hill UMC. Recently, the group of people in Grant Memorial UMC (Presque Isle) broke away and started a new church, which became the first Global Methodist Church (GMC) in the Northeast Jurisdiction. Pastor Choi, who was serving Grant Memorial and Mars Hill UMCs, withdrew his membership from the UMC and became the pastor for those who broke away. So all of sudden, the people of Mars Hill and those who remained in Grant Memorial became sheep without a shepherd. It was devastating and heart wrenching.

After much thought and prayers, Joyce and I said yes to the call. You may wonder, “What does it look like serving three churches – Hodgdon, Houlton, and Mars Hill UMCs?” A general idea of the ministry plan is something like this: As a ministry team, Joyce and I will take turns, leading Sunday worship service at Hodgdon and Mars Hill, and I will continue to lead the service at Houlton every Sunday. For instance, Joyce will lead the service at Hodgdon on the first and third Sunday, and at Mars Hill on the second and fourth. And I will do the opposite – at Mars Hill on the first and third Sunday, and at Hodgdon on the second and fourth.

Personal Discernment

Now let me share with you my discernment process in terms of personal and communal aspects of how I got to the point where I could say yes to this challenging call. First, personal discernment. Two weeks ago I briefly shared my experience at the spiritual formation conference in Tucson, AZ. Around that time I felt stuck. There were several things I was praying for, including the next vision for the church, and the next step for Joyce’s and my journey. But I saw nothing, I heard nothing. I just felt like I was stuck in the middle. On the day I was leaving to Arizona, the word came to me during my morning devotion time. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you… Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all who are upright in heart!” (Psalm 32:8, 11). That moment I felt assured that God would teach me the way, even though I didn’t see coming yet.

While I was in the conference, 12 hours of silence were given each day. One day while I was doing listening prayer in silence, all of sudden the Spirit put it into my heart to pray for Joyce. The Spirit gave me a strong desire to support Joyce – her continuing education and ministry. So after this, I bought a beautiful card at the gift shop and wrote her a letter, saying, “Just as you became my wing, I promise I will be your wing as well. I will help you thrive and live up to your calling.” Since then, I began to pray how I might support her. Then, five days later I got the phone call from Jackie concerning the possibility of team ministry between Joyce and me. That’s how God prepared me and guided me along the pathway.

Communal Discernment

Now discernment process in a community context. Two particular passages came to my mind – one was 1 Corinthians 12, “the church as one body,” and the other Philippians 2, “having the mind of Christ.” In 1 Corinthians 12 Paul uses a human body metaphor to explain what the church is. He says, “Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ” (v. 12). “As it is, there are many parts, but one body” (v. 20). “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it” (vv. 26-27). The church is a living organism. Each of us is a part of the body of Christ. Every part is connected with and dependent on every other part. If one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. When the people of Mars Hill and Grant Memorial suffer, we too suffer with them. We are Christ’s body – interconnected, interdependent – that’s who we are!

In today’s passage, Philippians 2, Paul exhorts the church how to live a life in a community of the Spirit this way: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others” (vv. 3-4). In his book I Am a Church Member Thom Rainer and his research team conducted a survey of churches that were inwardly focused. In their survey they found ten dominant behavior patterns of members in these churches[1]:

1.      Worship wars (traditional vs. contemporary, music styles, etc.)

2.      Prolonged minutia meetings

3.      Facility focus

4.      Program driven

5.      Inwardly focused budget

6.      Inordinate demands for pastoral care

7.      Attitudes of entitlement

8.      Greater concern about change than the gospel

9.      Anger and hostility

10.  Evangelistic apathy

We get the picture of the inwardly focused church. These church members were looking for their own needs and preferences. I want the music my way. I want the building my way. I am upset because the pastor didn’t visit me. I don’t want to change anything in my church. I. Me. Myself. But Paul by the Spirit teaches us that church membership is all about serving, giving, putting others first.

The Mind of Christ

It’s going to be a stretch. We’ll need to make some adjustments and sacrifices as of October 16, 2022. For instance, all seven members of the Hans are no longer able to be present all at the same time at Hodgdon every Sunday. Hodgdon church will see Joyce and me every other Sunday. There will be some adjustments in Sunday school. For Mars Hill church, they need to give up their favorite service time and change it from 10 to 9 am. They don’t have their own pastor any longer, but a shared pastor. For Houlton church, they too need to change service time to 11 am. Perhaps, you might have some questions. There will be listening sessions – right after service today, and also during the week (Houlton: Wed, Oct 12 at 6 pm, Hodgdon: Tue, Oct 18 at 4:30 pm). These changes might not be easy and convenient. When we are tempted to insist on “my way,” when we think we’ve had it with making sacrifices for others, let us remember the cross. Jesus emptied himself, humbled himself, became obedient to the most humiliating kind of death – a crucifixion.

For me personally, I continue to examine myself and ask,

“Why am I doing what I am doing?”

“Am I doing this out of selfish ambition, or out of compassion and Christian love?”

“Am I doing this out of a sense of duty, or out of the love for Christ and others?”

“Am I doing this to make much of me, or to make much of Christ?”

I want to invite you to join me in asking these questions.

“Why are we doing what we are doing?”

“Are we doing this out of selfish ambition, or out of compassion and Christian love?”

“Are we doing this out of a sense of duty, or out of the love for Christ and others?”

“Are we doing this to make much of ourselves, or to make much of Christ?”

Joy

When Christ Jesus humbled himself and made much of his Father, God exalted him to the highest place and made much of him greatly. Today’s passage, Philippians 2:1-11, can be summarized into one sentence found in Hebrews 12:2: “Jesus endured the cross for the joy set before him. And now he is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” In the same way, when we make much of Christ and put others first, God will make much of us. We will be rewarded in joy. Our reward will be to enter into the joy of our master. My prayer is that as a church we will be dancing not juggling, rejoicing not despairing, unifying not dividing. “God will instruct us and teach us in the way we should go; God will counsel us with his loving eye on us. So let us rejoice in the Lord and be glad always!” Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[1] Thom Rainer, I Am a Church Member (B&H Publishing Group, 2013), 37-38.

“What Is a Christian?” (Isaiah 6:1-8) - Meaningful Membership I -

UMC Today

We Methodists are getting a divorce. After four decades of debate on same-sex marriage and LGBTQ ordination, some of the traditionalists (the conservative) broke away and formed a new denomination, “Global Methodist Church” in May 2022. A couple of years ago the United Methodists began to talk separation. Some of us thought that we’d have a friendly divorce. But now we see things are getting ugly and this schism brings so much pain to the church. For instance, as of this past week one of our sister UM churches in the county split into two churches over this very issue. My heart was troubled throughout the week, and I’m still grieving. As we going through this challenging time, we cannot but ask fundamental questions: “Is a church split inevitable?” “What is a church?” “What is a Christian?” “What does it mean to be a church member?” Starting from today, we will explore these questions under the theme of “meaningful membership” for five weeks, and the at the end of the month we will have an opportunity to commit or recommit to the church membership. It is my prayer that through this sermon series we may have a better understanding of the church and that we may have more love to Christ and his body – the church.

One Lord

What makes someone a Christian? What are the marks of a true Christian? As I was pondering this question, today’s passage brought a new sense of clarity and gave me the answer. First of all, a Christian is a person who believes in Jesus Christ – cherishing him, treasuring him, following him as one Lord and one and only Savior. Today’s scripture begins this way: “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord” (v. 1). Uzziah and Isaiah were first cousins. Uzziah's death was not just an event of state. It was personal and profound. Uzziah was a powerful king, who reigned for 52 prosperous and secure years. Isaiah greatly relied on King Uzziah, but now he is dead. Assyria’s threat has become imminent. In this hopeless, desperate situation Isaiah encounters the true King sitting on the throne, then he says, “My eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty!” (v. 5). His lips are cleansed, his sin is forgiven, his heart is regenerated. It was the moment that Isaiah became a Christian who encountered God [Christ] and treasured him as his one King and one Lord.

The Apostle Paul commends Ephesian Christians to make every effort to keep the unity of the church and describes what Christ’s Church looks like this way: “There is one body and one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all” (Eph 6:4-6). That’s the church. We may have many doctrines, many traditions, many opinions, but we only have one Lord, one Head of the church – Jesus Christ. In his sermon On Schism, John Wesley edifies us this way:

“Separation [schism] is evil in itself, being a breach of brotherly love, so it brings forth evil fruit . . . the most mischievous consequences. It opens a door to all unkind tempers, both in ourselves and others. 

"Beware of schism, of making a rent in the Church of Christ. That inward disunion, the members ceasing to have a reciprocal love 'one for another,' (1 Cor. 12:25,) is the very root of all contention, and every outward separation. Beware of everything tending thereto. Beware of a dividing spirit; shun whatever has the least aspect that way.

The unity of the church comes through shared experience of the new birth (“seeing the Lord sitting on a throne, high and exalted”; Christian experience). Where there is a Christian, there is one body, one Spirit, one Lord, one Head, one God.

One Calling

Secondly, a Christian is a person who is called and commissioned. As soon as Isaiah was born anew, he heard the voice saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And he said, “Here am I. Send me!” (v. 8). Jesus said to his disciples [Christians], “Go, make disciples.” All Christians are called and have same highest calling, one calling, “Making disciples of Christ.” We may have different gifts. Some of us are encouragers. Some are generous givers. Some are helpers. Some are leaders. Some are teachers. But whatever gifts we are given, we must use them for one calling.  We encourage, we help, we serve, we lead, we teach, in order to make disciples. The mission of the church is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

We learn from Isaiah’s calling that we are called not to be successful, but to be faithful. The message Isaiah had to preach to the people of Israel was not the words of comfort and encouragement, but the words of warning and judgment. The more he preached, the more the people turned away from him. The more he called for repentance, the more they refused to listen. He even had to preach naked and barefoot for three years as a sign of warning. As he so faithfully continued to preach and live out his calling, God preserved the remnant (“the holy seed,” v. 13) as he has promised. Then real healing, real repentance would begin, and the stage would be set for the promised Messiah to come.

There are times when we just want to throw in the towel. For me personally, I had to admit there were several times when I were about to quit ministry. I was ready to give up. I was discouraged. I was afraid. I felt so exhausted to the bone. But every time I was going through the darkest valley, what sustained me was my calling. I heard the voice saying, “I have called you.” “Don’t be afraid. Keep on preaching…for I am with you… for there are many people in this city.” “Stand up for truth. I will be at your side forever.” After this, I was ready to face anything. I was able to stay the course. Christians, you and I, are called. We are called to be faithful. We are commissioned to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

UMC Tomorrow

When I think about the UMC’s future, it’s depressing. But still, we can rejoice no matter what, because Christ is still the Head of the Church, and he knows what he is doing. For Christ’s Church and his followers, there is one Lord, one calling.

As I close, let me share the words of John Wesley:

“Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on Earth.”

May you and I be one of those 100 Christians who desire God alone. May we focus on the mission that God has entrusted to us instead of divisive issues. May we make every effort to keep the unity of the church until the day of Christ Jesus. Amen.

 

“Return and Know” (Hosea 6:1-3)

Experiencing God

How do you experience God? One day during a bedtime conversation Grace asked me, “Dad, how do you invite Jesus into your heart? And how do you know Jesus is in your heart?” Another day she asked, “Does God really speak? How do you know God speaks to you?” Not just Grace, not just children, but if we are honest, we all have the same question: “How do we experience God?”

God Speaks Today

God speaks to us through many ways. One of the ways is through scripture. Let me tell you my story. It was December 31, 1999 that God spoke to me for the first time. At that time I was in the army, and it was during Watchnight Service. At that time spiritually I was in the desert. I was wandering, searching, trying to make sense of life. While the pastor was giving his benediction, I heard the inner voice saying, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” That was from Jeremiah 33:3. From that moment, my life was never the same.

The most recent experience of God happened right before I went to the conference this past week. Around that time I fell stuck. I felt anxious. I was praying for the next step on my journey, and for the next vision for the church, but I saw nothing. On the day I was leaving to Arizona, the word came to me during my morning devotion time. “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you… Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in the heart!” (Psalm 32:8, 11) That moment I felt like the burden was lifted from my shoulders.

 

Return

So how do we experience God? When I think about those moments that God spoke to me (or I experienced God), there is something in common. I was at the bottom, I was in the desert, I was humbled or humiliated, I was poor in spirit, I was seeking.

 

Today’s story, the story of Hosea and Gomer, teaches us how we can experience God here and now. Hosea is a weird story. One day God tells Hosea to marry an unfaithful woman, Gomer. They get married and have three children. But Gomer doesn’t love her husband; instead, she keeps running away and loving other men. But Hosea just keeps going after her. He even pays a price to get her back. In the story Hosea is God, and Gomer is Israel. Hosea commends Gomer, the unfaithful Israelites, “Let us return to the Lord. Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord.” Here the two verbs are important: “return” and “know.”

First, return. At the heart of Israel’s problem is pride (or complacency). Their heart was proud. They said, “We are ok. We are good. We know God. We worship God. We give sacrifices to God. We are rich. We have enough resources to know God and to take care of ourselves.” But God said to them, “You are not ok. You are destroyed because of your pride and lack of knowledge of me. I desire mercy, not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.”

In Isaiah 66:2 God said to Israel, “This is the one I esteem: he or she who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” Laodicean church was rich, and they thought they were prosperous and needed nothing. But Jesus said to them, “You don’t realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked… therefore repent (return)” (Revelation 3:17, 19).

The first step to experiencing God is to acknowledge that we have strayed from God’s ways and to return. We are not ok. No more pretense! No more hypocrisy! “Lord, I am blind, and I want to see! Lord, I am lame, and I want to walk! Lord, I am dead, and I want to live a new life! Lord, I need you.” That’s returning to God.

Know

Let us return to the Lord. Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. There are different levels of knowledge. People know that I am a Korean, a pastor, a dad of five children, etc. That’s knowledge about me. My children know more about me. They know what’s my favorite color, what’s my favorite food, what food I can cook, etc. Then my wife Joyce. She knows me well enough to know my history, my personality, my secrets, my motives. That’s knowledge of me.

Here when Hosea says, “Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord,” he uses the Hebrew word yada. This same word is used in Genesis 4:1, “Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain.” Intimate knowledge between husband and wife. Knowledge of God, not just mere knowledge about God. But what Israel had was shallow knowledge about God. For them, believing in God, experiencing God is like a formula religion, like getting a candy bar out of a vending machine: put in the money, push the button, and out comes the candy. Give sacrifices to God, live a moral life, and out comes healthy and wealthy life, a trouble free life. They didn’t know God. But the Christian life is a relationship with God. As we live out in everyday life with God, we then get to know – really know who God is – God’s character, God’s love, God’s grace, God’s ways. That’s knowledge of God.

“Let us press on” pictures one actively pursuing or chasing after God. As part of financial education, this year Lydia and Abe started a stock market investment. Especially Abe is really in it. He bought a share of Amazon stock. He checks its highs and lows day and night. When we have something to buy, he would say, “Dad, why don’t we order it through Amazon? That would help its stock price increase.” To me, that’s the image of “pressing on to know” – thinking about it, meditating on it day and night, living a life with it.

Return and Know

How do you experience God? The theme of the spiritual formation conference was “Journey into the Heart of Jesus.” During the sessions I listened to many different stories. I heard a story of Korean comfort woman whose body was broken, and who still has a big nail in her heart for several decades. I heard a story of a black mother who has walked on the thin ice to care for her three children’s safety for life. I heard a story of a grieving dad who lost his beloved son to suicide.

Where is Jesus’ heart? Where is your heart? Let us return and take a journey together into the heart of Jesus. Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. And as surely as the sun rises, he will appear. He will come to us. “I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me” (Proverbs 8:17). Amen.