SERMONS

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Christ Our King
Colossians 1:11-20

A man died and went to heaven. As he stood in front of St. Peter at the Pearly Gates, he saw a huge wall of clocks behind him.
He asked, “What are all those clocks?” St. Peter answered, “Those are Lie-Clocks. Everyone on Earth has a Lie-Clock. Every time you lie the hands on your clock will move.”
“Oh,” said the man, “whose clock is that?”
“That’s Mother Teresa’s. The hands have never moved, indicating that she never told a lie.”
“Incredible,” said the man. “And whose clock is that one?”
St. Peter responded, “That’s Abraham Lincoln’s clock. The hands have moved twice, telling us that Abraham told only two lies in his entire life.”
“Ok! And where’s my clock?” asked the man.
“Your clock is in Jesus’ office. He’s using it as a ceiling fan.”
He is definitely doomed. Right?

On the last Sunday before Advent, we celebrate Christ the King or Reign of Christ Sunday. The earliest Christians identified Jesus with the predicted Messiah of the Jews. The Jewish word “messiah,” and the Greek word “Christ,” both mean “anointed one,” and came to refer to the expected king who would deliver Israel from the hands of the Romans. Christians believe that Jesus is this expected Messiah. However, unlike their expectation, Jesus came to free all people, Jew and Gentile not from the Romans, but from sin and death which are the two greatest enemies in our lives.

Christians have long celebrated Jesus as Christ, and his reign as King is celebrated every Sunday and especially, in Advent, Christmas, Holy Week, Easter, and the Ascension. However, Pope Pius XI asked the church to specifically commemorate Christ as king, and instituted the feast in the Western calendar in 1925.
In the 21st century many Western Christians, Catholic and Protestant, celebrate Christ the King Sunday. Today, I would like to invite you all to think of this expression, Christ the King.

We believe that Jesus came to accomplish redemption and forgiveness of sin for the world. Through his life, he loved and served people. Based on his life, we honor him as the head of the church and his resurrection provides hope for the people in the world. Also, we believe that in Jesus all the fullness of God is please to dwell. Through Jesus, God is pleased to reconcile all things to himself.

Now I am going to ask you two questions. First of all, “What kind of king is Jesus?” He holds no scepter for recognition but a towel for service. Rather than demanding that people bow before him, Jesus stoops before people in order to wash their feet, cool their fevered brows, touch their sores, and ease their pains. Instead of commanding a well-armed militia to advance his message by might, Jesus commissions a straggly group of common people intoxicated by his love to spread the gospel of peace. Jesus prefers giving away everything that he has to the poor. And the only throne on which he reigns is a cross.

Then, here is the second question, “How does Jesus rule as king?” The rule of Jesus occurs within the hearts and minds of all who follow Jesus. The kingdom is within. Repeatedly Jesus described a kingdom dramatically different from a kingdom controlled by the powers of this world. He spoke of people’s inability to define the location of the kingdom of his rule, explaining that the kingdom of God’s rule is within a person. Again, the kingdom is within us.

On this last Sunday of the Christian year, let us happily affirm the kingdom of Christ. As we renew our commitment to the reign of Christ in our lives, let us plead for a renewed submission to the rule of Christ within the lives of all. With the submission, we affirm the altered values, changed thinking, new visions, and priorities of redemption that prevail where Jesus rules. Then together we can declare with impassioned conviction, “The kingdom of God’s rules is among us. Jesus Christ reigns forever!”

Let us pray.
Christ our King, we give thanks to you for the lesson this morning. And we give thanks to you for Jesus who reigns over our lives. Give us wisdom and faith to follow Jesus and bless us to experience your kingdom throughout our lives. In your name, we pray. Amen.

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Holy Communion, the Sign of God’s Grace

Luke 24: 13-34

Today, I would like to deal with one of the most important symbols and rituals in the church. It is Holy Communion. Before starting this sermon, I warn you that this sermon is very biblical and theological and thus greatly boring. But I think it is very important for us who do a monthly Holy Communion. Please don’t fall asleep. I beg your deep attention to this sermon.

Our church has a monthly Holy Communion and we believe that the church’s faith is nurtured and strengthened at the Lord’s Table. At the table, we continue to experience, believe, and celebrate God’s love and grace through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. Through the practice, we experience the defining stories as disciples of Jesus Christ.

First of all, at the Table, recognition and renewal happen. Here is the story from Luke 24. When Jesus was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to his disciples. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road…” That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed.”

The focus of this story about Jesus walking to Emmaus with two disciples is in the last verse of the story. The disciples walked with Jesus but they did not recognize who he was. However, when Jesus sat at the table and broke the bread, their eyes were opened and they realized that it was Jesus. So the disciples returned to Jerusalem and told the others “what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread. (v.35).”

 As the bread is broken, something important happens. Recognition. The breaking of bread in a faith community comes as an eye-opening experience. The breaking of bread strongly reminds faith communities of the life and teaching of Jesus who loved people. This is the symbol and sign of the greatest love toward all of us. We are graced by the sign we did not recognize a few minutes before. That is what we are thankful to God for. And there is something more in the story than recognition. 
 

When Jesus’ disciples arrived at Emmaus, Jesus appeared to be going on. But the disciples encouraged him to stop, eat, and spend the night with them because it was almost evening and the day was nearly over. Before they experienced the presence of the resurrected Christ, it was late and getting dark. But we need to know what happens after the recognition at the table. “That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem (v.33).” After they realized he was Jesus Christ, darkness did not matter. Their spirits were filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and they couldn’t stay home. So they returned to Jerusalem and took action to spread what they had experienced. That is, they became the witnesses of God’s good news. Not only is Holy Communion an eye-opening experience, but also it gives an energizing effect to faith communities, so they can take action as God’s witness for the world. Sometimes we may feel that our day is nearly over, but at the table we find the renewal we need to get back on the road of our spiritual journey and again we might be filled with faith and courage to tell everyone the news: “We have seen the Lord.” (Joseph R, Jeter, Jr. Re/Membering: Meditations and Sermons, 1996, p. 49-50).

Secondly, I believe that at the Lord’s Table, faith community finds their life’s center in the living presence of Jesus Christ (Foundation Document, Vital Congregations Faithful Disciples: Vision for the Church, p.134). As we faithfully seek our Lord by sharing the bread and wine at the Table, we are made “one with Christ, one with each other, and one in ministry to all the world.”

At the table we come to commune intimately to become part of the body of Christ combined with faith and love. One of my most powerful experiences at the table is intimacy with Christ and the congregation as well. I believe that the Table is a place to break all of the classes and stereotypes. One of my challenges in this community is that my family alone are ethnically Asians and culturally different from the congregation. Sometimes, I come to feel isolated from the congregation. 

However, at the table, I experience the breaking of the walls I have in relationship with the congregation. As a pastor, it is very important to feel oneness with the congregation. We, despite of our differences, have been transformed as one body by our intimacy with Christ and each other. In this respect, I believe that the center of our community is the table where we come together to be embraced by Christ and to embrace each other (Edited by Dorothy D. France, At Christs’ Table: Meditations and Prayers for Communion, 1997, p. 7). In repeating the sign at the Table, faith communities are united with Christ anew.  

 Also, the bread and cup are the gifts to the people from Christ. They remind us of the manna in the wilderness. The manna could be received and shared as a gift to sustain the Israelites for their journey. Likewise, at the Table, we receive the bread of heaven and this bread feeds and sustains us in the journey of faith in God.

Moreover, Christ invites to his table all not only those “who love him but also who earnestly repent of their sin and seek to live in peace with one another at the table of redemption (Word and Table: Service I, The United Methodist Hymnal, p. 7).” In eating this food, all become “partakers in the divine nature” and rise to “newness of life” in Jesus Christ (A Service of Word and Table IV, The United Methodist Hymnal, p. 29-30). By this meal the people of God are transformed into part of Christ’s body alive and active in/for the world.

Finally, there is one more important meaning of Holy Communion in the CCC. I believe that the Lord’s table is not only a sharing of food but also a sharing of our lives. That is, the table is a miracle of sharing, a miracle as God fed the Israelites with manna in the wilderness and Jesus fed five thousands with five loaves and two fish. The bread and wine are the gifts given to the world. These gifts feed and sustain our faith community to grow in relationship with God and neighbors. At the table, we are given a new life by the love of Christ and then, Jesus commands us to go forth to the world to share the new life. That is, this table is the center of a sharing ministry and we are empowered to share a new life given to us at the table with our neighbors. 

 Our congregation is a little old and one of our missions is to invite young people and to educate and to nurture them to be disciples of Christ. However, it is honestly not an easy mission for elderly people to invite young people these days. Many of them have their own children and they do sports or another program for their children at every Sunday. This is not only our challenge but all the other churches in America.

The CCC needs to figure out strategies for this mission to invite the people. And I believe that Holy Communion could be the center for this mission. The CCC should be a church to share with the people not only food but also the new life we have been given in Christ. As I mentioned above, the Lord’s table is a miracle of sharing. At the table, Jesus’ disciples were filled with faith and courage to tell everyone the news: “We have seen the Lord.”

Likewise, we will be filled with faith and courage to be witnesses for God’s good news to the world. Then, Jesus Christ will work for us as he did for 5 thousand people with five loaves and two fish. In this respect, I believe that Holy Communion is the place “where the body and spirituality of Chilmark Community Church are nurtured, and where our vision to share a new life with our neighbors is formed.
Let us pray
Gracious God, we believe that you gave us a great means of grace, Holy Communion. We give thanks to you for that grace. From now on, help us to participate in the Communion with our whole hearts. And fill us with courage and faith when we willingly join the table. We pray in your name. Amen.

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Near to the Heart of God

2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18;  Luke 18: 9-14

A pastor went out one Saturday to visit his church members. At one house, it was obvious that someone was home, but nobody came to the door even though the preacher knocked several times. Finally, the preacher took out his card, wrote out “Revelation 3:20″ on the back of it, and stuck it in the door.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with me. – Revelation 3:20
The next day, the card turned up in the collection plate. Below the preacher’s message was written the following notation:
Genesis 3:10- I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.

I began today’s sermon with a funny story about pastoral visitation. This week, I started pastoral visitation wanting to meet every member of our church and our neighbors face to face and so far no one has hidden themselves from me. I must say that I have had a meaningful and enjoyable moment with each one of you. And I pray to God for us to build a great bond as one family of Christ combined with faith and love. 

I believe that we are the people who daily struggle to come to the heart of God. We call that a faith journey. However, we know that coming to the heart of God is not easy. Life is often filled with unexpected problems or crises. Unrest and despair will darken the way of even the strongest saints. Yet many Christians should strive to maintain composure and stability in spite of stress and difficulties in the course of their lives. We cannot escape the pressures and dark shadows in our lives. This is why the writer of Psalm says “O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me. Many are saying to me, ‘there is no help for you.’” Sometimes, we feel depressed and hopeless.

However, we, as Christians, still believe that those pressures and dark shadows can be faced with a spiritual strength that our Lord provides. We believe that as we are held securely near to the heart of God, we find the rest, the comfort, the joy and the peace that Jesus promised. Because of this, we can live every day with an inner calm and courage. This is why we strive to get to the heart of God.

In today’s lesson, we meet Paul whose life was totally filled with crises and problems but always held securely near to the heart of God. Let us look at the text. Paul says in 2 Timothy 4, “As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
Paul said that his life was poured out like a libation. What does it mean? Libation in
this context means a life poured out in the form of costly sacrifice like wine spilt on the altar. Therefore, this text emphasizes Romans 12 where Paul admonishes the faithful to present their very “bodies as a living sacrifice to God (12:1).” His life was in the center of the heart of God. Now that he faces the final moment of his life and the fulfilled missions given to him, he boldly confesses that he did his best.

Martin Buber once said, “The good is the enemy of the best.” In a world that will put up with “that’s pretty good,” Paul challenges us to do our best, to pay up personally even to the point of pouring out our lives as a living sacrifice. Paul lived as a living sacrifice to God to get to the heart of God. For us to get to the heart of God, we also need, like Paul, to do our best.
As a living sacrifice to God, he tells us of his accomplishments; “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” What a wonderful confession, especially at the last moment of one’s life! “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” And now he awaits the crown from God. 

Consider the ending of Second Timothy, which refers to payback in connection to God’s final reckoning. I summarized the ending part of Second Timothy in the following three points.
• First of all, Paul’s life nears its end. As that life is being poured out like a sacrificial drink offering to God, and as he dies as one who has “kept the faith,” Paul awaits “the crown of righteousness.” (2 Timothy 4:6-8)
• Secondly, others, too, await this crown, others “who have longed for Jesus’ appearing,” not the first appearance in Galilee and Judea but the coming one. (4:8)
• Thirdly, even the Lord can expect some payback, in a sense. The One who has brought Paul safe thus far deserves the praise, “the glory forever and ever.” (4:18)

Let us think of the four points. The Lord will give Paul and other believers the crown of righteousness. This reward is not Paul’s to seize. The Lord is the one who has accompanied, strengthened, and preserved Paul along the way. Paul didn’t earn it, necessarily; but his faithful service buttresses his confidence that the Lord will prove faithful in providing it to all who faithfully await his appearance. A confidence about future rewards — this is one more virtue commended to Timothy and others by Paul’s example.

Throughout the letter, Paul has been the example to imitate. But it has been the Lord who makes such faithfulness possible. The Lord makes perseverance a reality and not only a need.
While studying this lesson, I have looked at myself. I asked myself this question, “Am I doing my best for this church?”

Last Monday, I had an interview to recertify my local pastor license. There were about 10 interviewers and I was very nervous. They could reject my request for recertification if they think that I am not qualified. If that happens, then there would be a serious problem. However, they read the documents I sent in advance of the meeting, and they collected various data from my mentor, from D.S, Seok Hwan Hong, and from others. They were impressed by your support of the church ministry. I really thank you for that. Also, they were sure that I, as a pastor, was doing my best.

Somehow, I can do better. Since I have only been here 10 months, and am still learning, I plan to do my best. Now we are running the race to get to the heart of God. During this race, we face pressures and dark shadows. However, we should keep our faith in God. God will accompany, strengthen and preserve us along the way to the heart of God.

I am now doing pastoral visitation. It is not just a social meeting. It is for supporting and encouraging you who are on the race to the heart of God, so that you can do your best to keep your faith in God on the journey of faith. God be with you all in this journey. 

Let us pray.
Dear Lord, we give thanks to you for the lesson given to us this morning. Now we ask you to give us courage and faith to keep our race. Sometimes, dark shadows blind us in the race and make us depressed and distracted. However, we believe that they can be removed with a spiritual strength that you provide. We believe that as we are held securely near to the heart of God, we find the rest, the comfort, the joy and the peace that only you can give. Be with us and guide us. We pray in your name. Amen.

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The Bible, Useful for Teaching
2 Timothy 3:14-4:5
Luke 18:1-8

A boy was sitting on a park bench with one hand resting on an open Bible. He was loudly exclaiming his praise to God. “Hallelujah! Hallelujah! God is great!” he yelled without worrying whether anyone heard him or not.
Shortly after, along came a man who had recently completed some studies at a local university. Feeling himself very enlightened in the ways of truth and very eager to show this enlightenment, he asked the boy about the source of his joy.
“Hey” asked the boy in return with a bright laugh, “Don’t you have any idea what God is able to do? I just read that God opened up the waves of the Red Sea and led the whole nation of Israel right through the middle.”
The enlightened man laughed lightly, sat down next to the boy and began to try to open his eyes to the “realities” of the miracles of the Bible. “That can all be very easily explained. Modern scholarship has shown that the Red Sea in that area was only 10-inches deep at that time. It was no problem for the Israelites to wade across.”
The boy was stumped. His eyes wandered from the man back to the Bible laying open in his lap. The man, content that he had enlightened a poor, naive young person to the finer points of scientific insight, turned to go. Scarcely had he taken two steps when the boy began to rejoice and praise louder than before. The man turned to ask the reason for this resumed jubilation.
“Wow!” exclaimed the boy happily, “God is greater than I thought! Not only did He lead the whole nation of Israel through the Red Sea, He topped it off by drowning the whole Egyptian army in 10 inches of water!”

How much do you know about the Bible? And how do you understand the message of the Bible? I was not telling you the sotry for fun.  Through the story, I presented two ways to understand the Bible. Christians have argued forever with each other about the Bible. Some people are convinced that the Bible is totally inspired by God and one should never tamper with any of those inspired words. On the other hand, some people are not sure that the words in the Bible are all inspired by God. What do you believe?
Last year, Nick Page, who is a writer of many Christian books, published a book titled “God’s dangerous book.” It is a book about how the Bible was put together, where it came from and who decided what went in there in the first place. Also, the book presents how the Bible has always been a dangerous text. His main point is that the Bible is more than just a piece of literature. However, these days, many people treat the Bible as if it is nothing more than a piece of literature.

Once, Gandhi read the Bible and said, “You Christians look after a document containing enough dynamite to blow all civilization to pieces, turn the world upside down and bring peace to a battle-torn planet. But you treat it as though it is nothing more than a piece of literature.”

What do you think? Do you think the Bible is a piece of literature or an extraordinary text? If you think it is extraordinary, do you treat the Bible as it is extraordinary in your life? I am not telling you that the Bible is extraordinary because it is inspired by God. I am telling you that it is extraordinary because it is “useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” This means that the Bible has the power to change one’s life and even the world. And that is extraordinary.

Let’s get back to the text. 2 Timothy 3: 16 tells us “All scripture is inspired by God.” The word “All” used in this context has been a troublesome word for the church. The ongoing debate regarding the divine inspiration of scripture has often greatly misused this text. Some believe and teach that every word in the Bible is inspired, as if to say God guided the pen in the hand of the writer and sort of breathed onto the page. Then we are admonished to neither add to nor take from the text.

Here is a question. Why did Paul use the word “all” in this letter? There is a valid reason for speaking of the divine inspiration of the scripture. At the time the text was written, the norm of the society was pluralism. All kinds of religious experiences and options were available. There was something of a religious smorgasbord to choose from. Focus was needed. Paul might believe that the people had wandering minds and had moved away from sound doctrine. In Paul’s time, it would be a reasonable excuse.

However, today, the word “all” in this way can get Christians into real trouble. For instance, what of the ending of Psalm 137:9, “Happy shall they be who take your little ones and dash them against the rock!” How terrible is this! Somehow that slip of the pen by an obviously angry psalmist seemed less than inspired by God. In this respect, Raymond Brown, who is recognized as a leading scholar of the New Testament, reminds us that the emphasis in verse 16 should be placed not on the inspiration of each word, but on the utility of the text. That is, all scripture is “useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.”

As Brown claims, we tend to focus too much on the nature of Scripture–as if “inspired” means it has some holy property. However, we should focus on the nature of the Bible as a useful tool for teaching. God reaches down and uses the Bible to be profitable for teaching. I believe that the message of the Bible always focuses on our life. Life! The messages of the Bible focus on teaching us how to live well in relationship with God and our neighbors.

Here is the challenge we face today. The Bible focuses on teaching us how to live well. The process of being taught is tough. This teaching includes reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. We face a lot of reproofs and get through continual corrections and lifelong training in righteousness. It is tough. And this is why many people give up following the teaching of the Bible.
Unhappy experiences tempt us to give up on the messages of the Bible. This morning, Jesus encourages us not to give up by telling a story from Luke 18. This parable has the most unlikely heroin, a widow. It would have been difficult to find a more powerless person in those days. However, she is held up as a model of persistence, prayer, and patience for never giving up or losing heart.
In those days, she had every reason to give up. Everything was against her. Even the name “widow” in Greek is “chera,” which means “empty.” She was a nobody to everybody. But she had a sense of dignity and self-worth. She never gave up on herself.

Also, she would not even give up on the judge, as unfeeling and corrupt as he was. She was not going to stop pestering him until he did the right thing by her. Her persistence and prayer made the corrupt judge do the right thing. She never gave up.

Moreover, neither did this widow give up on God. I believe that this is why she could not give up on herself or even this judge. Maybe she could have given up on God, because she was a miserable widow. In those days, to lose one’s husband might be seen as punishment from God for sins. But she did not see it this way. She had faith that God cared for her and would somehow help her.
Some people reach the point where they think about giving up on God because it is very hard to follow the teaching of the Bible and the reproof is so uncomfortable. Even we don’t want to be corrected. Moreover, the training in righteousness seems not necessary in these days.

But Jesus teaches us this morning through the story of a widow. Jesus would say to us, “Do not give up on yourself, your neighbors, or God. Have faith in God who cares for and helps each one of you. Use the Bible to teach yourselves for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness so that you may be complete and equipped for every good work to build the kingdom of God in the world.”

Let us pray. 
Almighty and gracious God, we thank you for the gifts–the Bible, Scriptures–and ask that you use it to teach us, to reprove us, to train us in righteousness so that we may be complete, know you, and serve you.  In Jesus’ name, we pray.  Amen.

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The Thankful Leper

Luke 17:11-19

11On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, 13they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. 15Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16He prostrated himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? 18Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

There was a young mother who was preparing a thanksgiving party at her home. She had spent all day in preparations for the big event. She was nervous and wanted everything to be just right for her guests. She had cleaned the house from top to bottom, polished the silver, arranged the flowers, and even made little name cards for each guest. Finally, the guests arrived and were eventually seated at the dinner table. The young mother turned to her daughter and asked her to offer the prayer. The daughter said that she did not know what to pray. Her mother said, “Just pray what Mommy would pray.” The little girl thought for a moment and then prayed, “Dear Lord, why did I invite all these people to dinner?”
I am sure that you have had this kind of experience. Right?, losing the meaning of Thanksgiving.

In today’s text, Luke tells the story of ten lepers who beseech Jesus for mercy, while keeping their distance, as required by law.  They are objects of fear and loathing.  Not just their health, but their homes, their lives, friends, work, family, are gone because of this sickness that has grasped them. Their lives are miserable.

Jesus, who is full of compassion and love, says to them, “Go and show yourselves to a priest,” who has the power to pronounce them clean. They walk on.  As they walk, they realize they are healed. One turns back to give praise and say thanks.  The others keep on going.

Jesus asks the question:  why do nine rush away without giving thanks, and why is this foreigner the only one who does?  Think of the nine lepers. They are finally healed. It is the most wonderful day they have longed for. What are they going to do right after they become cleaned. Obviously, they would go home to see their family, parents, wife or husband, and children. This would be the most important thing they want to do right after the healing. However, there is one more thing they should have done. Thanksgiving to Jesus. They just rush away without giving thanks to Jesus who healed them. Only one comes to Jesus and says thanks.  
Jesus says to that one who came back, “Your faith has made you Well.”

This is a very important point for today’s sermon. Jesus makes a distinction between being healed and being well.  And between being healed and having faith.
Being healed should not be the end of our story in the course of our spiritual life. Jesus came to the world for us to be well in relationship with God and others, not just for healing. 

The curse of leprosy has made the ten a community in which they are joined in suffering and misfortune. They need one another. And because of their misfortune they have no others. They have been separated from their family and friends and other communities. Their prayer is a single voice with many echoes. “Mercy! I Am Unclean.” How miserable. Have you had this kind of experience in your life, crying out to God. “ Mercy, God, I am insecure. Mercy God, I am in huge trouble. Mercy God, I am in pain now.” The mercy they long for is not just the restoration of their flesh, but restoration of their whole lives in relation with others. They long to go home.

The ten lepers were not unacceptable and their lives were miserable without being accepted by others. However, Jesus came to them and healed their disease. Moreover, Jesus made it possible that they could not just be healed but also be well in relationship with others. Jesus came for that.

Thank you is the beginning, because thanks is an act of accepting yourself as “the be-gifted and the be-loved.” We have a very polite culture. We send thank you cards to people who have favored us. This culture is not familiar with Koreans. I, as a Korean, say “thank you,” but usually do not send a thank you card to others. So, I didn’t get used to it. I am pretty sure that for the last 7 years in America, I have missed a lot of chances to send a Thank you card. I am now feeling bad.   

Anyway, thank you cards or notes are such perfunctory cultural acts, nice to get, even nice to write. They warm people’s minds and make them feel connected with each other.
We are a community to say “thank you” to God and to one another. In the last two weeks, we have received four families as professing members. To them, the one thing that I have kept saying was “thank you.” I kept saying to them “Thank you for being professing members.” “Thank you for being part of our community.” I kept saying to God, “Thank you for blessing us to have them into our community.” Saying “thank you” to God and to others is one of the most important and spiritual practices needed to sustain a faith community. We build our relationship by saying thank you. 

There is an old movie, Places in the Heart, a tale of depression era life in the American south.  Did you watch the movie? Murders, lynchings, and betrayals occur in it, and the bond between a white woman and a black man save a family.  But they are eventually torn apart by racial bigots. The final scene takes place in a small country church, where communion is being passed among the pews. The dead are there, sharing pews and bread and wine with the living, shooter and shot, betrayer and betrayed, husband and cockold, bigot and black man. It is a sacrament of surpassing joy.  It is a sacrament full of thanks-giving to God and to others. It is the place to change one’s thought, mind, and even life. It is the place to accept others and to be accepted by them. Chilmark Church is the place to accept people and to be accepted by people by sincerely saying thank you to each other. Now why don’t you say thank you to the person next to you.   

Let me wrap up today’s sermon with the beautiful prayer. Saint Francis of Assisi understood himself as one who had received mercy and who had given thanks to God through his whole life. This is a prayer of Francis, a prayer which has been on the lips of millions.

“Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is error, truth; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.”

These are not only the words of faith, but also the words of thanksgiving.  They make the world well. We are the people who live our lives with the faith in God. We are the people who give thanks to God and to others. Our lives make the world not only healed but also well. Remember! Jesus did not come just for healing. He came to make us well. From now on, let us pray together both for healing and being well. Jesus says to us, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

Let us pray
Loving God, you come to our lives not only for healing but also for making us well. Give us the faith that our lives can be well not just healed. And give us hearts full of thanksgiving to God and others. In your name we pray. Amen.

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Faith, the Hope of the World
A pastor was preaching one of his first sermons in the new church to which he had been called. He did not know too many people yet. He was still in the process of learning names and who was related to whom like in Chilmark. He was in the early stages of accessing the congregation and its needs.
As he was preaching he announced both a biblical truth and a certainty of reality. The pastor said, “Everyone in this congregation is going to die.” After he said this, he noticed that a man in the front row was laughing very robustly. The pastor couldn’t believe his eyes. He stopped the sermon at this point and said to the man, “Sir, I just told the people in this congregation that they are going to die, and you are laughing. Why are you laughing?” The man in the front row composed himself a little and responded by saying, “I am not a member of this congregation.”

Let us be honest about our faith. We are not sure if we have faith enough to believe in Jesus’ teachings in the Bible. So, very often, we, like the disciples before us, cry out, “Lord, increase our faith!”

We believe, as did the disciples, that Jesus is the one to ask for increasing our faith. They came to Jesus with the request. Jesus replied to them, as he probably would have replied to us. “If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, ‘Be rooted up, and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” “If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could tell that sycamore tree to move over, and it would do so. If you had even a little faith you could move mountains.” In Jesus’ eyes, the disciples apparently had no faith at all. Jesus said that they had not as much as a grain of mustard seed.

Can anyone take this teaching seriously? Does any believer truly think that if he or she had faith as a grain of mustard seed, mountains could be persuaded into leaping around like lambs or trees taken for a stroll? I put it to you that even the most spiritual, deeply committed Christian is doomed to despair if we take the words of Jesus literally.

Faith in God is what we long for in our spiritual journey. Faith sees a reality that others do not see, which means that faith sees a new reality. It is seeing the reality of God’s kingdom and working with the Holy One to create a new life.

Let us think about the life of Zacchaeus, the despised tax collector, who made his living by cheating everyone. When Jesus came to town, Zacchaeus, being very short of stature, decided to climb a tree for a better look. Jesus noticed him and then what happened? There are a few options for Jesus to take according to worldly wisdom in that society. First of all, Jesus could scold Zacchaeus for being a sinner. Secondly, Jesus could ignore Zacchaeus because to recognize him in any way gives tacit support to his dishonest dealings. Thirdly, Jesus could laugh at Zacchaeus. He is, after all, a ridiculous spectacle up a tree.
But Jesus selected a forgotten option. He asked Zacchaeus to come down from the tree and invites himself to Zacchaeus’ house for dinner and fellowship. The next day this story was spread around town. “Zacchaeus was changed. Now he is a totally different person.  He is not only giving back what he’s stolen, but he is giving it back four times over!” No one could foresee this result. This is exactly the new reality the people observed in that town.

One more example. When Jesus faced the dilemma of 5,000 hungry people, his disciples came to him and asked, “What shall we do?” Their worldly wisdom would suggest the following three options. First, “tell them to go home.” Second, “Tell them to go hungry.” Thirdly, “Tell them to get a bite at Linda Jeans, Sharky, the Galley or something like that and reconvene at eight o’clock.”
However, Jesus said, “There’s another option. We will bless what we have and feed them now.” We will work with what we have and multiply it.” Again, no one could foresee this new reality.

Jesus teaches us to look at problems differently and, thereby, frees us from the claims and definitions of the worldly wisdom. He invites us to have faith and to live with a God who consistently offers other options generated by faith. I must say that to those who think that our life is fixed, the world is a closed system and there is no surprise, the gospel would not come as good news. Faith in Christ brings unexpected alternatives into our lives.

Here is a story to illustrate our sermon. Once a farmer sought to raise a single baby eagle which he had found in the wilderness. He raised it with his chickens and it grew strong. But alas! this king of birds came to think of itself as a chicken rather than an eagle. Each day the farmer would throw it into the air hoping to see it fly, and each time it would return to the earth to eat the chicken feed thrown on the ground. The eagle didn’t have faith that he could fly.

One day, however, something began to stir in the bird’s memory when it was launched aloft; a strange and fearful excitement surged through its breast. As time went by, the eagle came to have faith that she could fly and once the eagle was sure about that, it stretched its wings and soared, lifted by the rising currents of air.

Many Christians think faith is something otherworldly. However, faith has to do with our world and seeing it in a different way. There is mounting evidence in the field of cancer research, for example. The research data suggest that patients who are terminally ill have a statistically significant chance of getting well if they can imagine the white blood cells as a victorious army putting to rout the invading army of cancer cells. Faith in this sense is an imaginative vision that sees what medical science and others are not yet able to see. Faith is so related to our lives that it influences our thinking, our spirituality, and our health. Faith gives us a new hope, a new vision and a new life. I can tell that faith is the hope we have.

Thankfully, Jesus said that it does not take much faith to shape a new world. We can see wonders of the new reality with as much faith as a grain of mustard seed. It can uproot trees and transplant mountains.
Again the faith of a mustard seed can give us a new vision and a new reality. If mainline churches are languishing today perhaps it is because they have no vision that grips the imagination and because they are not able to see the new reality.

Let us be Christians who have faith. That means we are having a new vision and expecting to see a new reality, in which God reigns over our lives and the world. 
Faith, in any amount – even as small as a mustard seed – is the hope of the world. Let us have faith in God to have a new vision and to see the new reality in our lives. Then, we will begin to think in alternative terms and dare to live in the new reality and the new life.

Let us pray.
Dear Lord, we ask you for faith as a grain of mustard seed. Give us the eyes to see your love and grace in our lives. Grant us faith that the future will be full of your love and grace. We believe this faith is our hope. In your name, we pray. Amen.

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“God is Our Refuge”

Psalm 91: 1-6, 14-16

There was a boy who lived in the shadow of God many years ago. Although he was a little boy, God was always with him. So, he had a brave heart and he could beat the strongest guy in his time. He became a hero in his nation and then he became a king. As a king, his achievements for his nation were great, so he was called the greatest king in his nation. During his kingship, a lot of wars were waged continually but he was safe because he was in the shadow of God and God protected him. You might already have guessed who he was. His name is David. God was his refuge, fortress and the One that he could trust in. His life was protected by the shadow of God.

In Today’s scripture, we heard David’s confession to God, saying “My refuge, my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” In V. 1, he says, “You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty…”

In this verse, we can find good news for us. First, God provides a shelter for us. Second, God is in the shelter. We live in the house of God and we are protected by God. God protects us like God did for David.
Vs. 3-4 show us how God protects us. God will deliver us from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. God will cover us with God’s pinions, and under God’s wings we will find refuge. God’s faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

At that time when David lived, the snare of the fowler and the deadly pestilence were the common problems. As you know, the Israelites waged a lot of wars against the other tribes. Every day and night, they lived in fear and couldn’t defuse their tension. War was one of the most threatening circumstances the Israelites had.

Also, back then, medicine and agriculture were not developed enough to treat an epidemic pestilence. Many lost their lives to diseases. Humanity couldn’t control any natural disasters or diseases. When they faced the above problems, they could not escape from them. They needed a shelter so that they could stay comfortable and they believed that in the shelter under the shadow of God, they were safe.

Vs. 5-6 tell us the result of living in the shelter of God. The Israelites didn’t need to fear the terror of the night or the arrow that flies by day. They didn’t need to fear the pestilence and the destruction because they were in the shelter of God and God was a shield and buckler for them. They became stronger enough to face and meet those challenges because of that strong faith.

God’s shelter is given to everyone. That is God’s grace for all of us. What we should do is enter and stay in the shadow of God. This leads us to a simple question. How can we stay in the shelter of God? And the simple answer is in verses 14-16.

In Vs. 14-16, God speaks toward the people who profess the faith in God, who live in the shelter of God. These verses are the promise of God toward all of the people in the world. God says,
“Those who Love me, I will deliver, I will protect those who Know my name. When they Call to me, I will answer them, I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them. With long life I will satisfy them and show them my salvation.”

While reading these verses, did you hear the key points? Those verses say, God will show us God’s salvation, God will satisfy us, God will protect us against our enemies, if we love God, if we know God’s name, and if we call to God. I believe it means “keep God in our heart.” It means, “Every day and night, do not forget that God’s grace is surrounding you.” It means “Every day and night, call to God and believe in God who always answers you.” For me, it means “love God.”

Take a look at the life of David. Do you remember what David said when he faced Goliath? He said, in First King, “This very day the Lord will deliver you into my hand…so that all the earth knows that there is a God in Israel.” When David faced Goliath, he believed in God and called to God. He had a simple but deep faith in God. He believed that God was his fortress.

However, there are two main challenges hindering us from entering the shelter. The first one is fear. We have our homes which are our physical shelters and we feel comfortable at home. Right? However, we know that they provide only a modicum of shelter from the elements and don’t promote a sense that they could withstand a hurricane, earthquake, or preserve us from all harm. They are easily broken into by thieves and enemies, twisted and torn by tornados, blown or washed away by hurricanes and floods, and burned to the ground by electrical wiring problems, fireplace sparks, or natural causes such as lightning.

Also, in our lives, we are threatened by various terrors, accidents, or crimes. We never forget the attacks of terrorists such as 9/11 and even Boston Marathon Bombing. We hear a lot of news about the terrorist attaches in the world. Many children died in the attacks. This kind news makes the world shocked and saddened. What about the people who are dying of cancer or other diseases? And what about their family? What about the people who are dying of poverty around the world? What about natural disasters like the Colorado flooding. Sad news is all around us and we know we can’t make it stop. Obviously, that is why we pray to God.

The second challenge is independence. Our society drives us to live strong with our own ability. So every day and night, we have to sharpen our senses to win various competitions. We teach our children the spirit of independence, so that they can stand alone. We know it is important and we need to foster independence for them to live full lives. However, while our society continually educates people to have the spirit of independence, at the same time we have ended up educating ourselves to be independent from God. And I believe that this is a huge challenge for today’s Christians. That is, the tendency to be independent from God. Because of this challenge, we very often lose the way to God in our faith journey.

Fear and independence get in the way of our faith in God. They force us to do something to protect ourselves. We have to face these challenges with patience and prayer, so that we can stay in the shadow of God.

Of course, we face various challenges which physically, mentally, and emotionally threaten our lives even in the shadow of God. However, we believe that the shadow of God is the place where God promised to meet us. It is the middle element of verse 15, God declares, “I am with them in trouble.” The divine promise assumes the existence of trouble. Think of David’s life, threatened by animals, wars, and various schemes. Nevertheless, he didn’t lose his faith in God in the midst of those moments. We know that it was his faith that made him the greatest king in the Israelites’ history. Likewise, those who fully entrust themselves to God will experience deliverance, salvation, and satisfaction in the midst of trouble.

In the shelter of God, we don’t need to be fearful of anything because God is with us. Moreover, the shelter is where we can become one body in Christ. Rather than being independent, we together lead our church with the power and wisdom from God. Through our worship and communion, we confess that we are one in Christ. We depend on each other, and especially God rather than individualism and independence.

Especially, today is a very blessed day because a family joined our church as professing members, which means they become our family combined with love and faith in God. We really welcome you to this community of faith for we are all one in Christ. I pray that our relationship be full of care and love.

Let me wrap up today’s sermon. Through Psalm 91, God declares, “Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them. With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.

Let us simply have faith in God who continually speaks those words to us. And let us confess, “My God, my refuge in my trouble.”

Let us pray
Merciful God, thank you for the lesson this morning. We pray that you grant us courage to overcome the fears we face in our lives. We pray that you grant us faith that you are our only shelter on which we can depend. And we pray that you give us wisdom to love you, know your name, and call to you when we are in trouble. Then, bless us to feel comfortable at your shelter. In your name we pray. Amen.

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“Be Patient and Rejoice”

 
1 Timothy 1:12-17,   Luke 15:1-10

When I was a high school student, I gave myself a nickname. I was a king of patience. There are many things to share with you to prove that I was very patient and I will share one with you.
One day, my friends and I wondered who could stay longer under water without breathing. I was very confident that I could stay longer than the others because I was very patient. So we decided to have a competition to see who was best at holding our breath. I was the first to jump in the water. I dove under the water and stayed there, thinking that I would beat all of them in this competition. I stayed under the water as much as I could. Then, I came out of the water and checked the time. I stayed under the water exactly 2 and 53 seconds. Almost three minutes. Can you believe it? All of the friends who were waiting for their turn were shocked not only by my record, but also by my face. My face was pale. My lips were totally blue. And I had dark circles under my eyes. Literally, I looked like a person who was about to die. All of my friends thought that they couldn’t beat me and gave up the competition. I was the only one who dove into the water. Now I am thinking that I was not only patient but also stupid. I alone tortured myself.

God gave us many spiritual gifts so that we can share them with others. Among them, patience is very important in taking care of ourselves in the course of our faith journey. This gift dramatically helps us build a graceful relationship with God and others.

When we think of patience in the Bible, Job may come to mind. The life of Job is the best known story of patience. He was extremely patient. According to the Bible, Job was an exceptionally righteous man. He carefully avoided acts of transgression against God’s laws. He behaved blamelessly. To prove Job’s faithfulness to the Lord, God allowed the devil power to destroy everything Job owned. He lost all of his possessions and his family which was most devastating. However, he did not blame God. He accepted his plight, saying, “The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” In the end God restored to Job twice as much as he had in the beginning (Job 42:10).  Of course, I have various questions about this story but let us focus only on the patience of Job. This is enough for today’s sermon.

The second biblical lesson is from Solomon. In Ecclesiastes 7:8, he says, “The end of a thing is better than its beginning; and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.” It is interesting that Solomon connects impatience to pride. He observes that the impatient seize on something before its conclusion is worked out, while the patient see a thing to its end and are rewarded. This is a great message for us today.
Another biblical example of patience for today’s sermon might be the “utmost patience” of Jesus Christ cited by Paul in the passage from 1 Timothy. Unlike Job who was righteous before God, Paul acknowledges that he was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and a man of violence, obsessively hunting down followers of Jesus in order to cleanse his religion in which he had been a zealous advocate. However, no matter what his life was, Jesus judged him faithful and appointed him to his service. Paul couldn’t grasp the breadth and depth of God’s patience as revealed in Jesus Christ. The grace of the Lord was overflowed for him. And the patience of Christ had totally changed Paul’s life. The patience of Christ is God’s grace given to us. 

Look at the parable of Jesus in Luke 15 we read this morning. If a shepherd has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, the shepherd goes after the one until he finds it. Also, if a woman, who has ten silver coins, loses one of them, then she will light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it.

I understand that Jesus wants to tell us about the patience of the shepherd who tries to find a sheep and the woman who looks continually to find her coin. In this story, the sheep and coin that were lost mean something like the prodigal son which is a story followed by this story. After the prodigal son left his family, the father waited for the son with patience and love. He waits and waits for his son to come back. What is the result of his patience? Finally, the prodigal son came back home and they rejoice together.

The shepherd and the woman say, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” “Rejoice with me, for I have found my coin that was lost.” And then, more importantly, Jesus says, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sheep and one coin. This is the message from the Bible lesson this morning. “Be patient and rejoice.”

However, we well know how hard it is to be patient. The moment to rejoice seems too far away. Think of my situation waiting for a working visa for almost 9 months. Even though I was a king of patience, I couldn’t be patient with this. It was supposed to take about three months to get the visa but I still didn’t get it yet. Every day and night, I pray to God for the visa and I lament why I hasn’t my visa yet. It has been very hard to be patient.

I am sure that all of you have had a lot of tough moments when you couldn’t be patient. It is true. Right? When you face those moments, how do you deal with them? Do you blame God or the people who caused the delays? Or do you pray to for help God? Or do you do both? Even though it is hard, I hope all of you would take care of the difficult moments with patience given from the Holy Spirit.
Patience is a vital gift that enables God to work over a long journey of our faith. In order to be patient, we need to pray to God for it. That is, as the Bible lists patience with the fruit of the Spirit, it is less a virtue achieved than a gift received. It first comes with the gift of the Holy Spirit, and then we faithfully reproduce it.

Paul uses himself to exemplify the great magnitude of Christ’s patience toward us. His aim is to magnify Christ’s patience toward himself and his audience. Considering his own circumstance, he undoubtedly felt that Christ’s patience made salvation possible for him who, as he thought, was not deserving of God’s grace. In response, he passed it on to Timothy and so to us. Paul experienced God’s patience toward him and then he reproduced it by sharing the gift with others. Patience matters in the course of our Christian life.
Let me share with you a story about patience.

An 80 year old man was sitting on a chair with his 45 year old son who had a higher education. All of a sudden, a crow came to the window and sat on the sill. The old man asked, “What is that?” “It is a crow.” His son answered.  A few minutes later, the old man asked again, looking at the crow, “What is that?”  “It is a crow. I told you just before. Dad.” The son responded. 
A little later, the old man asked the same question again. “My son, what is that?” The son got cranky and roughly said, “I told you it is a crow, a crow.”
A little later, the old man asked the same question again, “What is that?” This time, the son couldn’t stand anymore. He yelled to his old father, “Why do you ask me the same question again and again? It is a crow. Don’t you even know that? I am now sick and tired of this question.”
Then, this old man went in his room and brought a note with him out of the room. It was a dairy which the father has written since his son was born. The old man gave it to his son and asked to read some part of it. It says, “Today, I was sitting on a sofa with my 3 year-old-son when a crow sat on a window sill.” My son asked me this question “What is that?” for twenty three times. I responded to all of the questions. “It is a crow.” And whenever he asked me that question, I gave a hug with my love to the fullness. So, it was total 23 times of a hug. I really loved that moment and I felt a deep love toward my son.”

This story reminds us of the importance of the relationship with each family member and God as well. Sometimes, we forget how patient our parents or family members were. They have been patient to us but we responded to them by being impatient. Moreover, very often we forget how patient our God has been toward us. God has always been patient to us but we respond to God by being impatient.

Patience is a vital gift to restore and keep our relationship with God and our family. Practicing patience is a process that enables God to work within ourselves and to produce in us other important aspects of God’s image such as love and peace so that we may be perfect and complete. I pray that we all bear this fruit as you practice patience with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Let us pray. Patient God, thank you for your message this morning. As you are patient toward us, help us be patient to others. Patience being the sign that we are your disciples. In your name we pray. Amen.

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