“The Gift” (Isaiah 9:2-7)

 

Amazon Box

Do you recognize this box? Yes, it’s an Amazon box! Perhaps many of us received these boxes this past week. Every time a box comes to our home, it is a reminder that someone who lives far away in our family or from our friends is thinking of us and we are not alone. Or perhaps some of us have ordered gifts for our children or grandchildren, we had them come to our door, we put them under the Christmas tree, and we can’t wait for them to come and open those gifts on Christmas Day. It is a reminder that we are thinking of them and care for them.

The Gift

During the Christmas season, many of us exchange gifts. It is a reminder that God gave us the Gift. It is a reminder that God still gives us the Gift today.

Love came down at Christmas. Love came down today (tonight). The message of Christmas is this: “We are so lost, so dark, so unable to save ourselves, that nothing less than God himself could save us. So God came down. He came to our messy life and loved us just as we were. He became one of us. He became our sin. He lived to die to give us new life. And he invited us to be part of his family. He invited us to play an important role in his story. He showed all this great love for us, while we were still sinners.”

When we receive God’s gift, the Christ Child, our lives are transformed forever. At the first Christmas, Joseph’s life was changed, Mary’s life was changed, the shepherd’s lives were changed forever because they received the Christ Child, because they believed in the Christ Child. I still remember when I was wandering and walking in the dark in my college years. I knew I was lost, but I didn’t know what to do and where to start. I didn’t have strength to turn around. Although I tried hard to pull myself together, I just was not able to do it. But God was constantly pursuing me. He came to my broken and messy life. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.” I was one of them. I saw the light, and my life was changed forever.

 

The Road

There are times when we wonder whether God cares for us. When we look around the world, we wonder whether God’s goodness prevails.

The Road is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Cormac McCarthy. The story begins with a father and his son who survive after the total destruction and end of the world. All plant life and animal life are extinct, only a few human survivors are left. The man and boy travel on a road to the coast, to the South, hoping that they can find safe haven. In their journey they encounter so many hardships and dangers. At the end of the story, they finally make it to the coast. But the father is fatally injured, dying. Because he is dying, he had planned to kill his son to protect him from greater suffering after he himself is gone. But when the time comes, he takes a leap of faith. He chooses to let his son live, trusting in the goodness of God—that somehow God will care for his son in spite of the horrific dangers of the world.[1]

On this Christmas Eve we are convinced that God’s goodness prevails. We are convinced that God’s light is greater than darkness. We are convinced that nothing, absolutely nothing can separate us from God’s love. Today (tonight) love came down.

 

Barbara’s Card

In early December I received a Christmas card from a 95-years-old former church member. Recently, she lost her husband after 69 years of marriage. She had heart surgery, knee surgery, hip surgery, and recently two teeth had to be pulled out. But still, in her card, she says, “I’m thankful that at 95 years of age I can remember at all and depend on and love my Lord. He sustains…” The other day I had a chance to talk to her on the phone. She said, “Pastor, I can’t imagine life without God and the church family. Every Monday morning six of us still get together. That keeps me going. God is good.”

One morning I was overwhelmed with the problems. I was almost paralyzed and unable to even to get out of bed. No strength, no desire to start the day. On that day my four-year-old daughter, Hannah, gave me this coloring paper that she had made at school. At that time she herself was having trouble adjusting to the school. The coloring paper simply said, “P is for Praying.” That moment I heard the inner voice saying, “Why worry? Why discouraged? You can pray!” That day she carried me out of bed and into life again. It’s God’s grace. It’s God’s light.

 

The Gift Is on the Way

Life is hard. But for those who received the Christ Child, they always carry the fire. We Christians always keep the light within us, and darkness can never extinguish it.

God’s gift (God’s presence, God’s reign, the Christ Child) is like a mustard seed. It’s like the life of a child. We can barely notice, barely see at first. But it grows and grows. It transforms us. In the meantime, we still suffer, we grieve, we die. But that’s not the end of the story.

Not only did God come down to be with us here on earth, but also he will take us his home. In Revelation 21-22, 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).

At the first Christmas God gave the greatest gift to his people. On this Christmas Eve God still gives the greatest gift to us. So today, we hear and believe and proclaim this same Good News:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace… He will rule with justice and with righteousness from this time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will do this.”

May we receive God’s gift and believe in the Christ Child. May we come to him, abide in him, and walk with him always. Amen.   

 

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[1] Alan Noble, On Getting Out of Bed: The Burden and Gift of Living (p. 102). InterVarsity Press. Kindle Edition.

“Christian Joy” (John 3:22-30)

Two Stories

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. 

 

Two Joys

As we celebrate Jesus as our joy this morning, I want us to ask ourselves this question: “What is at the bottom of my joy?” “What is the feeder of my happiness?” All of our joys have a foundation. What does it mean by that? Let me give you an example. Once my daughter Grace said to me, “Dad, when I grow up, I want to be either pastor or teacher.” I said, “Great. But why do you want to be a pastor or teacher?” She said, “Because you teach and talk in front of many people, and they listen to you.” So I asked, “Why does that make you happy?” She replied, “Because you can tell them what to do and boss them around.” If we continue this “why – because” conversation, we get to the bottom of what makes us happy. At the bottom there are only two possibilities of our joy: making much of me, or making much of God. Self or God.

The default mode of human heart is self-centered, self-exalting, making much of self (cf. Jer 17:9). That’s why being “born again” is necessary. The new birth changes the default mode of our fallen heart. It changes the bottom of what makes us happy. It changes the foundation of our life.

 

Nicodemus

In John 3 we see a contrast between a person who has self at the bottom and a person who has God at the bottom – a contrast between Nicodemus and John the Baptist. But both of them have something in common: Their worlds are falling apart. They are going through a major crisis in their lives.

First, we meet Nicodemus. The Bible introduces Nicodemus as a man of the Pharisees, a ruler of the Jews (v. 1), the teacher of Israel (v. 9). In other words, he was serious about God. He was a good man, moral man. He was knowledgeable, experienced, respected, full of credentials. Seen from outside, he was a perfect example of how to live as God’s people. But in reality, Nicodemus’ inner world was falling apart. He felt miserable. He felt thirsty. He felt something was missing. Why? Because there was self at the bottom. Because self at the bottom could never satisfy his heart made for God. Blaise Pascal rightly said, “There is a God-shaped hole in the heart of every person which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made known through Jesus Christ.”

So Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. And Jesus said to him, “You must be born again.” Here Jesus was saying, “Nicodemus, you need something new at the bottom. Now God is not at the bottom. You are at the bottom. You must exchange yourself at the bottom with God.” So, to be born again is to experience this exchange at the bottom – an exchanged life! It is no longer I at the bottom, but Christ is at the bottom.

 

John the Baptist

The second person we meet in John 3 is John the Baptist – the one who has God at the bottom of his joy. How do we know what’s at the bottom? Oftentimes, storms in life reveal what’s in there at the bottom. Right now John is going through a major crisis in his career. He was a rising star. Everyone in Israel was talking about him, and many of them came out to be baptized by him. But then, all of sudden a storm came. He saw his ministry begin to fade away as Jesus began his ministry. His disciples said, “Rabbi, your star is sinking. Your ministry is diminishing. All are going to Jesus, the one whom you testified. What are we going to do?” They were upset, anxious, jealous. But, John said to them, “I am not the Messiah. I am not the Bridegroom. I am the friend of the bridegroom, his ‘best man,’ who stands beside him and hears him, rejoicing greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:29-30). So what’s at the bottom of his joy? Making much of Christ!

William Barclay tells us about the role of the bridegroom’s friend in Jesus’ time as follows[2]:

The “friend of the bridegroom” had a unique place at a Jewish wedding. He acted as the liaison between the bride and the bridegroom… And he had one special duty. It was his duty to guard the bridal chamber and to let no false lover in. He would only open the door when in the dark he heard the bridegroom’s voice and recognized it. When he heard the bridegroom’s voice he was glad and he let him in, and he went away rejoicing, for his task was completed.

The joy of the best man! The joy of making much of Christ, the Bridegroom! This is the new birth, new heart, new creation, new exchange! John the Baptist is new you, new me. When we are born again, myself being made much of ceases to be the bottom, and God becomes the bottom for the first time. God becomes the source of all our joys. Then, so naturally, we treasure him, savor him, enjoy making much of him!

 

Look to Jesus

Our Christian journey is a journey from making much of self to making much of God, a journey from a life of Nicodemus to a life of John the Baptist. It takes a miracle to change. We need the new birth. “How can this be?” “How can I be born again, born from above?” Nicodemus asked. And we ask today. Jesus answers, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life” (vv. 14-15). It is not enough to be educated. It is not enough to grow up in the church. It is not enough to do religious activity. We must look to Jesus, who gives a new foundation of joy.

Elizabeth Prentiss was a native of Maine. She was a pastor’s wife, and was very good at writing prose and poetry from a young age. But sadly, for much of her life she lived the life of a near invalid, she always suffered from chronic pain. To make things worse, she lost a child and shortly thereafter a second. In her diary Prentiss wrote, “Empty hands, a worn-out, exhausted body, and unutterable longings to flee from a world that has so many sharp experiences.” But it was then that she looked up to Jesus, and she was able to refocus her understanding of her own value and worth from doing to being – being with Christ, being in Christ. In the midst of grief and suffering, she found peace, rest, and joy[3]. That night she wrote the four stanzas of her hymn, and the second verse goes like this:

Once earthly joy I craved, sought peace and rest;

Now Thee alone I seek, give what is best;

This all my prayer shall be:

More love, O Christ to Thee,

More love to Thee! More love to Thee!

 

John the Baptist became less and less. He was slipping off to the sidelines. Perhaps he struggled with self worth and purpose in life and questioned himself whether he was on the right track. Then he looked to Jesus. He saw Jesus exalted. And he was filled with joy and said to the whole world, “Look, look to Jesus, the Lamb of God! Look to Jesus, and you will live! Look to Jesus, and you will be filled with joy!”

In the same way, there are times when we wonder whether we are on the right track – especially when our health is failing, when our life is falling apart. But if Christ is exalted and glorified in and through our lives, we are on the right track. By this, we can rejoice. Yesterday I visited one of the church members who was going through the final hours. I was sitting at her bedside. All I could do was to help her to keep her eyes on Jesus. I visited another church member who recently lost his spouse, confused and overwhelmed with sorrow. I held his hand and prayed with him, encouraging him to look to Jesus, our exceeding joy (cf. Psalm 43:4).  

Looking to Jesus is not just the ABC of the Christian life but the A to Z of the Christian life. Everyone who looked to the snake on the pole lived. Everyone who looks up to Jesus on the cross lives. Nicodemus looked to Jesus and lived. John the Baptist looked to Jesus and lived. Let us look to Jesus – not just once, or twice. Let us keep our eyes on Jesus even when our world is falling apart. Then, Christ will become the bottom of our joy, and we will be filled with joy – joy of making much of Christ, saying, “More love, O Christ to Thee, More love to Thee!”

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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

[2] Kent Hughes, John: That You May Believe (Crossway, 1990), 93.

[3] “History of Hymns: More Love to Thee, O Christ,” https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/history-of-hymns-more-love-to-thee-o-christ

"Peace Impossible" (Mark 1:1-8)

 

Whose Side Are You On?

“If you are a real Christian, it’s impossible for you to be a Democrat,” one devout Christian woman said to me.

Many Republicans and Democrats see people in the other political party as closed-minded, dishonest, immoral, unintelligent and lazy. In 2022, 72% of Republicans said Democrats were more immoral, and 63% of Democrats said the same about Republicans.[1]

One day Jesus is sitting at a well and asks a Samaritan woman for a drink. The Samaritan woman said to Jesus, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” In Jesus’ time, Jews and Samaritans did not associate with each other. The Samaritan woman had a binary worldview: “Whose side are you on? Are you in or are you out?”

When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and saw a man standing before him with his sword in his hand. Joshua asked, “Are you for us, or for our enemies?” And the man said, “Neither, I have come as commander of the Lord’s Army” (Joshua 5:14). The natural tendency of humanity is an “either/or.” But Jesus’s is a “both/and” and a “neither/nor.” Jesus is neither conservative nor liberal, but he is also both. Pastor Tim Keller once said to young pastors, “For us preachers, the longer it takes people to figure out where we stand on politics, in all likelihood the more faithfully we are preaching Jesus.”[2]

One New Humanity

Once we had no peace with God. We were separated from God, we were hostile to God, we were out of it altogether. But Christ is our peace. Through the cross, he broke down the dividing wall of hostility. He made peace. And he made us one. He created one new humanity, new society, new community, that is, the Church, for us to taste and see God’s new reality – unity and peace.

 

The Church Is a Family

By Christ’s suffering, death, and resurrection, God gave birth to his church. Church is God’s idea. Church is God’s household. Church is family. God is our Father, and Jesus is our Brother. And we are all brothers and sisters. 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.”[3] 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.

The Church Is Not a Club

There is a significant difference between the 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” we don’t naturally enjoy. D. A. Carson writes in his book, Love in Hard Places this way[4]:

[The church] is made up of natural enemies. What binds us together is not common education, common race, common income levels, common politics, common nationality, common accents, common jobs, or anything else of that sort. Christians come together, not because they form a natural collocation, but because they have all been saved by Jesus Christ and owe him a common allegiance… In this light, they are a band of natural enemies who love one another for Jesus’ sake.

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.”

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.

 

Prepare the Way

The local church is the classroom for learning how to get along in God’s family. The local church is the classroom where we can grow and become more like Christ.

A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain” (Isaiah 40:3-5). Here the Prophet Isaiah by the Spirit is describing the natural state of the human heart. It’s uneven, crooked, ups and downs, rocky, rough, closed. So the very first step to prepare the coming of Christ is to repent – to fill in the valleys, smooth out the ruts, clear out the rocks in our hearts.

Living a life together in the church community can help us to prepare the way and make the path of the heart straight and smooth, a highway for God. Especially, those who are different people, and 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.

 

Our God Is Able

There is a gap between God’s reality and our reality. If we look around, it seems impossible to have unity and peace even in the church. But our God is able. When everything seems hopeless, John the Baptist proclaims, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1:7-8).

Is anything too hard for God? With God nothing is impossible. The other day one of my mentors shared his faith journey with me. A few years ago, he went through life threatening crisis. He was very sick and on the verge of death. But miraculously he was recovered and given a second chance at life. He said, “Because of that experience, I changed from conservative to real Christian.”

If we focus on difficult people, difficult problems, difficult issues, debates will be endless, and the church will be divided. 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.” Being loving is more important than being right. Let us always ask ourselves, “What is the most loving thing I can do in this situation?” “How can I love my natural enemies?” Let us make every effort to keep the unity of the church by the power of the Spirit. The One 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] "As Partisan Hostility Grows, Signs of Frustration With the Two-Party System," Pew Research Center, August 9, 2022, https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2022/08/09/as-partisan-hostility-grows-signs-of-frustration-with-the-two-party-system/, quoted in “Transcending Toxic Polarization,” Mathew59.org.

[2] Scott Sauls, Jesus Outside the Lines: A Way Forward for Those Who Are Tired of Taking Sides (p. 4). Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.. Kindle Edition.

[3] Ibid., 50.

[4] Ibid., 54. 

“Shocking Hope” (1 Cor 1:4-9)

Advent: Beginning with the End in Mind

Today we celebrate the first Sunday of Advent. The word “Advent” is from the Latin “Adventus,” which means “coming.” Advent is the beginning of a new church year. As we celebrate Advent, the coming of Christ, we proclaim the Good News to the world that Jesus is our hope, Jesus is our peace, Jesus is our joy, and Jesus is our love. But in real life, sometimes we wonder if this good news really makes a difference to us and to those who struggle. One of this week’s lectionary passages, 1 Corinthians 1, tells us how the good news of Jesus Christ can shape each of us individually and the church corporately.

Called

Paul’s greetings are surprisingly (almost shockingly) positive and encouraging. Looking at it from our perspective, the Corinthian church was a mess. It was made up of people from many different backgrounds, including Romans, Greeks, Orientals, and people from all over the world. It was a melting pot, and they didn’t get along at all. There was quarreling, cliques forming, wealthier people not eating or associating with poor people, and the list goes on. The Corinthian church was filled with the problems, and they were not repentant; instead, they were proud, rebellious, not teachable.

To this hopeless church, Paul begins his letter this way: “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints…” (v. 2) How can he be so optimistic? If we take a look at our text carefully, then we can find how Christ-saturated Paul is. He refers to “Christ” 11 times in these 9 verses. His surprising encouragement is firmly grounded in Christ. Here Paul is essentially saying, “Look, Corinthian church, you may be falling apart at the seams, but the God who called you has secured your past, present, and future. He is holding you together.”[1]

On my wedding day, my father-in-law said to me, “Son, I trust the Holy Spirit in you.” Once in an interview Dallas Willard was asked about the challenges facing the church. Dr. Willard spent much of his life addressing the problem of why the church isn't raising up more people who look and act like Jesus. At the end of that two-hour interview, Willard was asked this pointed question: "When you look at how off track the church is, do you ever just throw up your hands in despair?" Willard smiled and said, "Never." "But how can you not?" the interviewer asked. "Because," he said, "I know Christ is the head of his church and he knows what he's doing."[2]

 

Equipped

After his greetings, Paul’s tone becomes even more positive, saying, “I give thanks to my God always for you… in every way you have been enriched in him… so that you are not lacking in any gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ” (vv. 4-7). Eugene Peterson’s Message Bible paraphrases verse 7 this way: “Just think--you don't need a thing, you've got it all! All God's gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale.” From our perspective, the Corinthian church is falling apart. From our perspective, our church seems to be lacking in many ways. But by the Spirit Paul is saying, “We’ve got it all because we have been secured, enriched, and sustained in Christ. We have Christ. He is our all in all”

In his book Pilgrim’s Progress John Bunyan tells us this truth in a creative way. In the story, the main character, “Christian,” saw an unquenchable fire against a wall. And he also saw a man clothed in black standing by and continually pouring water upon it, but the fire only burned brighter and hotter. And then the guide took Christian behind the wall to show him the reason for that. Here Christian saw another man with a vessel in his hand continually pouring oil upon the fire. Christian asked, “What does this mean?” The guide said, “This is Christ. He pours the oil of his grace to his children continually. So, the devil’s power cannot quench the fire in their heart.” We may be tempted, fall apart, and even shrink back at times, but we need to remember this. The risen Christ is within us through his Spirit. He is greater than the one who is in the world! (1 Jn 4:4) His grace is enough. So we are enough.  

 

Perfected

Paul continues. “He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless (perfected, glorified) on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the partnership of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord” (vv. 8-9). For Christians, hope can be defined as “sure confidence in God’s promises.” Paul puts his hope in God’s character – his goodness, his faithfulness, his strength. 

In Romans 8:29-30 Paul expounds God’s faithfulness this way: “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” I would call these five verbs (foreknew, predestined, called, justified, glorified) the unbreakable chain of God’s grace. Here Paul speaks of our future glorification in the past tense. Why? Because it is so certain as if it were past, although it is still future. It is a so-called ‘prophetic past’ tense. James Denney writes that ‘the tense in the last word, “glorified” is amazing. It is the most daring anticipation of faith that even the New Testament contains.”[3] God himself is right alongside to keep us steady and on track until that day (cf. verse 8, Message).

 

God Is Faithful

The other day I visited some of our churches at a nursing home. I asked, “How was your day?” One member answered, “Uneventful.” Another member said, “Although I sleep more nowadays, I am still tired when I get up. I am always tired.” Where do we find hope?

Some of us in this room may wonder and doubt. “What if I give up? What if I suffer from dementia and stop believing? What if my children’s love for God grows cold and dies and they stop believing? What if our church falls apart and dies?” What ifs…? Where do we find hope?

The movie Greater is based on a true story about a life of Brandon Burlsworth, a walk-on college player who later became an NFL player. He was a devout Christian. He was killed when he was 22 because of a tragic car accident. His older brother, Marty, was struggling so much. He could not accept the loss. He could not understand why God would take away his brother. As preparations for the funeral begins, Brandon’s friends come and decorate a stadium with flower pots. To Marty, it looks all random and arbitrary and chaotic. But then, he is invited to come up by his mother and takes a look from the top. Then he is able to see the entire flowerpot decoration, saying, “WE TRUST.”

Our grief is great, but our God is greater. Our challenge is great, but our God is greater. Our suffering is great, but our God is greater. God will strengthen you, help you, and sustain you. God will make all things work together for good. God will keep you strong and on track to the end. God’s grace is always enough and active in our lives. God is faithful. The one who calls you is faithful. He will surely do it.

 

“Our _______________________ is great,

But God is greater.”

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[1] Stephen T. Um, 1 Corinthians: The Word of the Cross (Preaching the Word) (p. 22). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

[2] Skye Jethani, Immeasurable: Reflections on the Soul of Ministry in the Age of Church, Inc. (Moody Publishers, 2017), 49.

[3] John Stott, The Message of Romans: God's Good News for the World (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1994), 253.

“Steward Mindset” (Job 1:13-22)

No Holding Back

One of the books that I read over and over again is Missy Buchanan’s poetry book Living with Purpose in a Worn-Out Body. The following is one of the poems titled, “No Holding Back”[1]:

I have brand-new clothes I’m saving for a rainy day.

In fact, I’ve been saving them for years.

Underwear and pajamas still sealed in plastic wrap.

Shirts with price tags hanging from the sleeves.

Some were gifts; others were bargains.

All are waiting for a special-enough kind of day.

O Lord, why do I act this way?

Perhaps it is how I was raised.

To work hard and save.

Certainly you want us to be good stewards, but now I wonder.

Have I also held back my praise to you as if I might one day run out?

Have I cautiously doled it out in small portions?

Where did I get the idea that worship must always be restrained, quiet, and dignified?

Throughout my long life, you have showered me with blessing upon blessing.

Today I will not withhold the praise you deserve.

Awaken the passion that I’ve kept tucked away for a rainy day.

It’s all about you, Lord. Not me—but you.

Before I get out of this chair, I will lift my hands and say aloud the Lord’s Prayer.

Today I will consider what all those words mean.

I will sing a hymn of praise while I comb my hair and put on my socks.

I will not wait for another day. I will make a joyful noise!

Steward Mindset
I own nothing; Jesus owns everything. This steward mindset changes our perspectives from “how much can I keep” to “how much can I give away.”

In today’s passage a series of calamities come from nowhere when Job’s sons and daughters were gathering and eating in the oldest brother’s house. Some Bible commentators say that this was probably the beginning of the weekly cycle. This would be the day when Job had offered sacrifices to God.[2] It’s like right after you have uplifting Sunday service, you would hear all this devastating news at the church door. The first messenger came to Job and said, “Sabeans attacked and stole the animals and killed the field hands.” Another messenger arrived and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up your sheep.” Another messenger said, “The Chaldeans stole your camels and killed the servants.” Another messenger said, “Your sons and daughters were feasting in their oldest brother’s home. Suddenly, the house was collapsed by a powerful wind. And they all died.”

When Job heard this news, he said, “Naked I came… naked I will return. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away” (v. 21). Even in the most devastating time he recognized that all he had was given to him by God for a season.

Money comes and goes.

Health comes and goes.

People come and go.

Family comes and goes.

As stewards, we must realize we own nothing – we started with nothing and we end with nothing. What we do have today, we only have for a season - it is a gift from God. We should use it wisely for God’s kingdom.

Ownership Vs. Stewardship
Ownership is the act of possessing something. Stewardship is the activity of being responsible for something on behalf of others. For example, a steward is someone who looks after what belongs to someone else. Owners have rights, while stewards have responsibilities. God is the Owner; we are his stewards. All that we are and all that we have – money, health, family, talents, roles, time – is a gift from God to be used for the good of others, according to his purposes, for a season.

There are pros and cons for the UMC to have an itinerant system – pastors to go and serve wherever their bishops send them. One of the benefits is to practice “stewardship.” As a pastor serves one church for a long time, he or she tends to have ownership (This is “my” church). But as an itinerant pastor, I am keenly aware that the day will come. So I always ask myself, “What does it mean to be a “temporary” pastor? How can I use my time here wisely?” I mainly focus on three essentials. First, I want to be a pastor who prays – the pastor who tastes and sees that the Lord is good at first hand, the pastor who has learned well how to talk to God for people. Second, I want to be a pastor who preaches. I am given a protected time each week to do the ministry of the Word. This pulpit is a gift for a season, and I want to use it well. Third, I want to be a pastor who visits – the pastor who takes the time to listen and attend to God’s sheep. So now let me ask you. As God’s stewards, how can you develop a life of stewardship? How can you use your 3 T’s (Time, Treasure, and Talents) wisely?

Tithing and Stewardship
Tithing is a practical and biblical way to cultivate a stewardship mindset (cf. Lev 27:30; Luke 11:42). We define our priorities, values, and what we love through our giving. We often ask how much should we give to God. I think our spiritual ancestors probably had the same question. So God offered a minimum standard to measure their response: the tithe (Deut. 26:1-11). When Abe was young, he didn’t like milk. So I set a minimum standard for him – one cup a day for example. He ate those minimums. Now he is 12 years old, and he loves milk. He drinks like a fish. There is no need to set a minimum any longer.

The tithe is the same. It is like “training wheels” of giving. Once we know 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 much 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%. Joyce and I tithe not because it is God’s requirement, but because we love God. Our tithes and offerings are an expression of gratitude and love. It is a tangible sign, “Lord, I love you. I own nothing. You own everything.” The steward mindset is a journey from “how much should I keep” to “how much should I give.”

In 1731 John Wesley resolved to limit his expenses so he would have more money to give to the poor. He records that one year his income was £30, and his living expenses £28, so he had £2 to give away. The next year, his income doubled, but he still lived on £28 and gave £32 away. In the third year, his income jumped to £90; again he lived on £28, giving £62 away. The fourth year, he made £120, lived again on £28, and gave £92 to the poor. One day somebody came running up to John Wesley and said, "Your house just burned down!" Wesley replied, “I don’t have a house. I manage a house for the Lord, His house just burned down. Since I’m His son, and He wants me covered, I guess He’ll find me another place to live." That is a steward mindset.

A Time of lament
Today we live in a time of lament. War, violence, polarization, and as Methodists, we are in a season of disaffiliation. Many of us feel burned out, overwhelmed, anxious, wary, and lost. We don’t even know how to respond and where to turn. In this season of lament I believe Job and his steward mindset can be a shining example for us to follow.

When Job was pressed on every side by troubles, his response was stunning. He stood up, tore his robe, shaved his head (outward expressions of lament), then fell to the ground to worship. In the deepest and darkest valley he knew who God is (“owner”) and who he is (“steward”). As God’s steward, he was able to say, “I came with nothing, and I will return with nothing. God gives, God takes. Blessed be the name of the Lord!” (v. 21)

In these turbulent times what we need is lament in the context of worship. What we need today is a steward mindset. We need to stay present in our grief and distress. We need to keep showing up to do the work of lament together. We need to keep building up God’s church and caring for God’s people as his steward. This too shall pass, and in the meantime, as Wesley encouraged, let us “do all the good we can, by all the means we can, in all the ways we can, in all the places we can, at all the times we can, to all the people we can, as long as ever we can.” Amen.

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[1] Missy Buchanan, Living with Purpose in a Worn–Out Body (p. 13). Upper Room Books. Kindle Edition.
[2] Francis I. Anderson, Job: An Introduction and Commentary (Inter-Varsity Press: Downers Grove, 1974), 85.

Job by Léon Bonnat (1880)

“They Still Speak” (Heb 11:1-4; 12:1-2)

Hebrews 11:4

“By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain’s.

Through this he received approval as righteous,

God himself giving approval to his gifts;

he died, but through his faith he still speaks.”

 

He died, but through his faith he still speaks…

 

They Died, But…

Yesterday I shared through “Life Together Community” email how my grandfather has impacted my faith journey. As a Korean Methodist pastor, he was appointed to very difficult churches and communities. But wherever he was sent, he bloomed where he was planted. Right before I came to the US for my seminary education, he said to me, “Son, no matter how good the school is, your education is like an empty bowl. You need to fill that bowl with your prayer and your own Bible study. And he was right. He always prayed, always studied God’s word, always cared for God’s people. His life shaped my pastoral roles. I strive to become a pastor who prays, who preaches the word, and who attends to God’s people. My grandfather died, but through his faith he still speaks.

How blessed we are to have the people who died, but still speak to us and impact us through their faith.

Congruence. When I think about Ed and Pricilla Clark, the word “congruence” (one of my favorite words) comes to my mind. They were the same, when I met them at church, or at their shop, or at their home. They were the same inside and outside. There was no pretense. They died, but through their faith they still speak.

Faith. Chip Wilde was a man of faith. I still vividly remember his final three weeks. He had aggressive cancer. Every time I saw him, his conditions changed noticeably. At times he became emotional, but he had unwavering faith. He was steady like a rock. He stayed the course, and his faith was shining like stars to the end. He died, but through his faith he still speaks.

Thoughtfulness. When I met Bill Conway, at first I thought he seemed unfriendly. I thought he didn’t like me. But the more I got to know him, the more I realized he was a man with much thoughtfulness. When Joyce was approved as a certified candidate, he gave her a very meaningful gift – a butterfly brooch he got from his sister, who was a Methodist clergy. He carefully prepared and gave thoughtful gifts to many others. He died, but through his faith he still speaks.

Perseverance. I would say Arlene Friel was a woman of perseverance. For the first time when I visited her place, I was just amazed at how she drove that distance with that road condition to the church. When she was no longer able to drive that far, she drove to the post office, and our church members gave her a ride. When she was not able to drive at all, she never gave up. She kept going. She was content, positive, grateful. She died, but through her faith she still speaks.

Acceptance. Jane MacPherson passed away this past Wednesday. We are grieving over her rather sudden death. Though it was sudden, I believe she was ready. Right before she was leaving to her niece’s place in Portland for chemo treatments, I had an opportunity to talk with her about “death.” She was aware that she might not be able to come back home again. She was calm, accepting, ready. She was at peace with God and had resurrection faith. She died, but through her faith she still speaks.

             Generosity. I don’t know Ralph Ivey personally. But I had the honor to officiate his funeral this spring. As I was listening to his three sons and family and friends, there was one word that describes who he was – generosity. Angie Wotton shared the following story with me. She didn’t know Ralph well, but she used to drive past his house and admire the lilies he had planted at the end of his driveway. One day she stopped and asked him about them and the next thing she knew, he had dug some of the flowers up and shared them with her. She still has them in her garden and thinks of his generosity whenever they are in bloom. He died, but through his faith he still speaks.

Hospitality. When I think about Don Woods, the word “hospitality” comes to my mind. When I was appointed to this community in 2014, Don was one of the first persons who warmly welcomed me. When we had a July 4^th parade, he invited my family and me to get on his trailer, which had his handmade signs, “Welcome Pastor Victor Han.” He wanted to make sure the whole town to welcome. He was always positive, proactive, friendly, hospitable. He died, but through his faith he still speaks.

 

Such a Great Cloud of Witnesses  

The Bible says, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses… let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (Heb 12:1, NIV). Here we learn two spiritual truths. (1) We are in the race, and (2) we are not alone. We are surrounded by all these saints who have gone before us, cheering for us.

This past week I attended a pastor’s retreat at Rolling Ridge Retreat Center in North Andover, MA. While I was taking a prayer walk one afternoon, I found a sculpture in the yard. The title is “Our Humanity” made by Mico Kaufman. As you see in this photo, we are all inter-connected and inter-dependent. Yes, we are in the race marked out for us. But it’s not a sprint. The better picture would be a lifelong journey, walking hand in hand.

On this journey we may not see Jesus with our physical eyes. But we see Jesus in Chip Wilde. We see Jesus in Arlene Friel. We see Jesus in Don Woods. We see Jesus in Jane MacPherson. Jesus Christ is present among us in the church, because the church is the mystical body of Christ. As we remember, honor, follow in the steps of our saints, we are then able to look to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith (cf. Heb 12:2).

 

Spiritual Exercise

1.     Make a big circle together.

2.     Take one step forward. What happens? We are getting closer to God (in the center), and to each other.

3.     Take one step backward. What happens? We are getting further away from God and from each other.

4.     When I call the names of the saints, take one step forward.

If we know God and see God today, that’s because we are standing on the shoulders of our saints. We give thanks to God for their lives. Thanks be to God. Amen.

by Mico Kaufman

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The Power of One” (Ex 33:12-23)

Life of Moses

D. L. Moody sums up 120 years of Moses’ life this way: “Moses spent forty years thinking he was somebody; then he spent forty years on the backside of the desert realizing he was nobody; finally, he spent the last forty years of his life learning what God can do with a nobody!” From somebody to nobody, then to God’s body.

Moses’ Intercession

Today’s story is the pinnacle of Moses' life. He sees a glimpse of God’s glory. Think about his life – a life of full of ups and downs. His beginning was not impressive at all. He was nobody. He was abandoned by his own parents when he was just three months old. But then Pharaoh’s daughter found him in the papyrus basket and pulled him out of the water. That’s why he was named “Moses” (drew). He grew up as a prince of Egypt. When he was 40, he thought he was in the prime of his life. He tried to save his people, the Israelites, from the oppressive Egyptians; but rather, he became a runaway murderer. He became nobody again. When he was called at the age of 80, he said to God, “I am nobody. How can I go to the king and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” (Ex 3:11 GNBUK). But eventually, he said “Yes” to God’s call. The call was to be a bridge, a mediator between God and his people.

As a mediator, in today’s story, Moses prays for God’s people. The Israelites committed a terrible sin. They made a golden calf for themselves. So Moses came before God and prayed on behalf of them, standing between God and the people, praying, “But now, if you will only forgive their sin – but if not, erase my name from the book you have written” (32:32). God said, “I will send an angel before you… but I will not go with you.” Moses replied, “If you don’t go with us, we don’t go.” Somehow Moses yoked himself with the Israelites. Somehow his own relationship to God was linked to Israel’s salvation. Because of his faithful intercession, the Israelites were forgiven. Because of his intimate relationship with God, the Israelites were saved. Moses was an effective mediator.

 

The Mediator

Moses points us to the Great Mediator, Jesus Christ our Lord. God agreed to forgive and go with Israel because he was pleased with his prophet Moses. In the same way, today God forgives and saves anyone who trusts in Jesus because he is pleased with his Son. “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt 3: 17).

Jesus is the Mediator. He does for us what Moses did for Israel. While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to God. And God heard his prayers because of his intimate relationship with God (cf. Heb 5:7). Jesus still lives today and always to intercede for us (7:25). He asks God to accept us not because we’re acceptable, but because he is. Jesus says to his Father, “If you are pleased with me, then save my people.” God says to Jesus, “I will do the very thing that you have asked. Because I am pleased with you, I will save everyone who trusts in you. O my beloved Son, I will be as pleased with them as I am with you.”[1]

 

Mully

So if anyone is in Christ, that person becomes a new person. Nobody becomes God’s body. Somebody becomes God’s body. We are forgiven and accepted if we come to Christ and trust and abide in him. Not only that, we are called. The same calling that Moses received – being a bridge between God and his people.

What does it look like being a bridge person? The other day my family and I watched a movie about one man’s journey – life of Charles Mully. He was born in the slums in Keyna. He was abandoned by his family at age six. He became a street child since then. One day he was invited to church. As he was listening to the preacher, new hope began to grow in his heart. The next day he walked 43 miles to Nairobi to get a job. Finally, he was hired. He worked hard. Later, he became a manager, then CEO of bus, tire, insurance, real estate, and oil companies. He became a millionaire. At the age of 40, Mr. Mully had one troubling incident. He encountered a group of street young men. They asked for money in return for protecting his car. He refused. Later his car was stolen. After this, he couldn’t work as before, because he saw himself in the street boys’ angry faces. He got out of his office early next day and drove and drove. He pulled over to the shoulder. He asked God, “Now I have a good family – a loving wife and eight children. Things are going so well. Why now? Why me?” For hours he wrestled with God. He knew God was calling him to help the poor. Finally, he surrendered, saying, “Yes” to God’s call. At that moment joy flooded into his heart.

That year, in 1989, Mully sold all his property and businesses. He and his wife were fully dedicated to helping street children. They rescued them, fed them, taught them, raised them as their own children. They became the biggest family in the world. Since 1989, for 34 years Charles and Esther Mully have rescued and taken in more than 23,000 abandoned children.[2] They are still doing it. They are bridge builders – between the fatherless and the Father of all.

 

Called

We are called to be a bridge person. Our Christian calling is to help someone come to Christ through our heart as a pathway, as a bridge. Our calling is to connect someone to God through our prayers, through our presence, through our service, through our gifts, and through our witness.

In Psalm 90, Moses prays this way:

The days of our life are seventy years

or perhaps eighty if we are strong;

even then their span is only toil and trouble;

they are soon gone, and we fly away…

So teach us to count our days

that we may gain a wise heart.

Moses’ life was like wine – the older the better. The last third part of his life (80-120) was best. Moses lived a glorious life – life with God. The Bible says that God would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend (33:11). He was a friend of God. As God’s friend, as God’s body, and as God’s mediator, he stood between God and his people, faithfully bringing them to God, through his heart as a bridge. What a blessing to discover and live out the calling! Have you discovered God’s call on your life? We may be born as nobody. Our beginning may be small. But my prayer is that we may say “Yes” to God’s call and lead many to Christ, and that our end may be glorious and shining like stars in Christ.

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[1] Philip Graham Ryken, Exodus (ESV Edition) (p. 979). Crossway. Kindle Edition.

[2] Charles Mulli, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Mulli#cite_note-Boge-3