St Timothy Presbyterian Church in Toronto: Sermons

Scripture Passage John 12:20-33 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script A Time for Everything Jesus' life was very different from our life. We do not really know what time it is. Jesus knew exactly what time it was. Ecclesiastes teaches us this wisdom. For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:a time to be born, and a time to die;a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;a time to break down, and a time to build up;a time to weep, and a time to laugh;a time to mourn, and a time to dance;a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones togethera time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-5) We do not know what time it is. And we don't care actually what time it is. We do not know whether it is the time to tear or the time to sew, the time to keep silence or the time to speak. Up to this point, Jesus kept saying to people: My hour has not yet come. But in the passage we read today, finally, Jesus said: The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. (John 12:23) In other words, Jesus knew exactly what time it was. Up to this point, Jesus performed 7 miracles in John. That's why chapters 1-12 are called the Book of Signs. And the last miracle was to raise Lazarus from the dead. But after today's story, Jesus didn't perform any miracles. He knew that it was not the time for him to do miracles. It was the time to quietly accept what was about to happen. He knew it was not the time for him to hold onto his life but the time to let go. Why did he stop doing miracles and just accept what was about to happen to him? Because he knew what was happening was beyond his control. He knew that time came. Jesus Knew the Time When he decided to raise the dead Lazarus, which was his last miracle, he knew that this wouldn't be good. It wasn't good politically for him. Already, the religious leaders did not like that so many people followed Jesus. And raising Lazarus from the dead would make more people follow him. That did not sit well with the religious leaders. Jesus knew that. He saw it right. Right after raising Lazarus, this was what the religious leaders said. So the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the council, and said, What are we to do? This man is performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and destroy both our holy place and our nation.' So from that day on they planned to put him to death. (John 11:47, 48, 53) Not only they tried to kill Jesus but also even Lazarus. When the great crowd of the Jews learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many of the Jews were deserting and were believing in Jesus. (John 12:9-11) Today's passage comes right after this. So Jesus knew that by raising Lazarus, he would get into trouble and his situation would be out of his control. So he chose to let go. In his mind, he had this determination like Esther. If I perish, I perish. Choosing to Let Go Letting go is accepting what is happening right now and leaving it in God's hands, instead of worrying about it. To let go, you have to have trust. You have to have faith. Letting go is not easy. Even for Jesus, it was not easy. This was what Jesus said. Now my soul is troubled. And what should I say Father, save me from this hour ? No, it is for this reason that I have come to this hour. Father, glorify your name. (John 12:27, 28) Jesus wanted to raise Lazarus even though this would brought him a lot of troubles. It would create a situation where he had no control. But he did it because it was the right thing to do. So Jesus did it and left the situation in God's hands. That is letting go. Do your best to live out God's calling and after that, leave your life in God's hands. Do what is right and after that, leave your future in God's hands. That is what it is to let go. My friends, you have to learn to let go. Letting go is the secret of living a happy life. People suffer so much agony because they cannot let go. They cannot let go of those who hurt them. They cannot let go of their painful past. They cannot let go of fear they have. They cannot let go of worries and anxieties. They hold onto all these things within them. These things torment them. This was what St. Paul taught us to to. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6) Don't worry about anything but let your requests be made known to God. That is letting go. Then what happens? And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7) Why do you hold unto garbages within you. You have to let go. Don't try to control what you cannot control. Don't carry all

Scripture Passage Isaiah 40:21-31 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Living With Power Last week, we talked about the authority of life. The authority of life is the empowerment of life. This week, I am going to talk about a similar theme. I think the Spirit is guiding us into that theme. This year's theme is Be A Witness. To make us a witness, God gives us the message about the power and the authority. To be a witness, you will have to have power. Only with power, you can be a bold witness. That's why Luke said in his book, Acts. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8) Before he told them to be a witness, Jesus told them to receive power first. Living as a witness is living with power. That was how the early Christians lived. They were bold. They lived with power and authority. That power and authority did not come from them. They didn't have anything. No position in their society, no money, and no powerful connection. They were in the marginalized minority. Their power and authority came from the Spirit. It was not the power that belonged to them. It was the power that was given to them. Even though they were weak in every way, they had the power. St. Paul became a witness after he experienced this kind of power. but he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.' So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:9-10) You can be confident ALWAYS in any circumstance when you have the power that comes from outside, not from you. The power that comes from you can help you only when you are strong. When you are weak, that power disappears. But the power that comes from God is always with you regardless of the condition you may be in. Paul knew the secret of this power. But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. (2 Corinthians 4:7-10) The extraordinary power belongs to God not to you. That kind of power gives us confidence in all kinds of situations. In Our Waiting We have to have this kind of power. We have to wait for this kind of power. Isaiah cried out. but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,they shall mount up with wings like eagles,they shall run and not be weary,they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31) Isaiah was talking about the power that comes from God. Those who wait for the Lord will have new strength. They shall mount up like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. There are times when we feel tired. There are times when we feel like giving up. There are times when our circumstances are unbearable. There are times when we feel so small. That was what the Israelites experienced in captivity. As they were taken in captivity, they lost all their dreams. They were losing hope in God. They started thinking that God could not do anything for them. Isaiah saw that in people. Isaiah saw that they were losing passion for God. They started becoming inward looking. They ran away into their own small world. They were not captivated only by their enemies. They became captives in their own small world. When Job lost everything, his friends came to him. They came to comfort him but they didn't really comfort him. Rather they took away Job's last hope. Job's last hope was God's recognition of his own righteousness. His friends took that away from Job. They tried to prove to Job that he must have done something wrong. When Job saw no hope left for him, he caved into his small miserable world. What did God do in the end? This was what God said to Job. Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?Gird up your loins like a man,I will question you, and you shall declare to me. Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?Tell me, if you have understanding.Who determined its measurements surely you know!Or who stretched the line upon it?On what were its bases sunk,or who laid its cornerstone? (Job 38:1-6) What is God doing here? He is bringing Job out of his small world and letting him see the bigger world. Living with Renewed Strength When we have problems, we often cave into our own small world. That small world is filled with problems, self-pity, anger, disappointment, and fear. In that small world, you lose yourself. Israelites were

Scripture Passage Mark 1:21-28 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Restorative Authority Mark wanted to show right from the beginning that Jesus had the authority. That was important to Mark. He wanted to get across this message. This Jesus of Nazareth was not merely a village preacher. He was the man with the authority. After baptism, temptation, and calling of disciples, the first thing Mark recorded was what we read today. Mark wanted to show that Jesus had the power over darkness. He had power over the evil spirit. That was Mark's witness. He saw that kind of power in Jesus. That is who Jesus is. Jesus has the power to defeat the evil of this world. This poor man was tortured by the evil spirit. He could not be what he was supposed to be. He could not live his full potential. Something more powerful than him controlled him. That was not what he wanted but the evil spirit controlled him. We are not exactly like him. We won't necessarily identify with this man. But, in fact, we are very much like him. We are not as free as we think. We are tortured by the negative spirit often. We don't want to feel that way but we do. Darkness hovers over us and this darkness leads us into despair and anxiety. We cannot be what we are supposed to be. We cannot live our full potential. We are not living the best version of ourselves. Something else controls us. It's not that we are hungry. It's not that we don't have a place to live. It's not that we don't have clothes to wear. And yet, we feel empty even though we are not hungry. We feel naked even though we have lots of clothes. We have many worries even though we have everything. We constantly live in fear. I don't think doing well in our career will help us. I don't think having more money will help us. I don't think having more time will help us. It is our internal problem. Since it is our internal problem, we cannot solve it externally by doing something. Our biggest problem is that we don't have the AUTHORITY over our life. We don't feel the empowerment to live as we wish. Jesus took out the evil spirit out of him. Jesus freed him from the power that enslaved him. People saw the authority of Jesus Christ. They said, What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him. (Mark 1:27) They saw the authority working through Jesus. With that authority, Jesus restored the authority in that man. That is what Jesus does to us. Jesus restores authority within us. Living in God’s Image You are beautiful. You are wonderfully made. Last week, we reflected on that through Rev. Simon Park's sermon. For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb.I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works;that I know very well. My frame was not hidden from you,when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. (Psalm 139:13-15) We are created in God's image. But we lost the image of God. You heard about unmarked graves they found in old residential schools. We were all shocked when they found so many unmarked graves at the residential schools. They found 215 unmarked graves at Kamloops residential school. Many of them were taken away from their parents against their wishes and their parents' wishes. That was not what they wanted. That was not what their parents wanted. But they took them away anyway. Some of them never returned home but no explanation. Now they know. They were buried. In the name of assimilation and Christianization, they destroyed their language, their culture, and their identity. They destroyed the image of God in them. That is what the evil power does. Destroying the image of God within us. Jesus came to restore the image of God. Jesus came to give back to us the authority that makes us who we are supposed to be. Jesus had the power to do that. His teaching was filled with authority. They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. (Mark 1:21, 22) Jesus had the authority and with that authority, he healed the man totally bounded by the evil spirit. By healing him, Jesus gave him back the authority he deserved. Authority to live with the image of God. Authority to live as a child of God. True Authority But interestingly, this is not the end of the message of Mark. Mark's story is developed in a strange way. Mark had a secret in his story. Mark wanted to reveal the mystery of the gospel. The secret of the gospel. In the beginning, Mark showed that Jesus had the authority to defeat the power of darkness. But only in the beginning, Mark described Jesus' power. As the story progressed, Jesus didn't do this kind of miracles any more. Even when he performed a miracle, he told people to be quiet. Don't tell people about it. Jesus was quiet. Often he talked about his own death. Peter even rebu

Scripture Passage Mark 1:14-20 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script What He Sees When Jesus met his first disciples, it was an ordinary day. This is how Mark describes it: As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea – for they were fishermen As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. (Mark 1:16, 19) It was an ordinary day for Simon, Andrew, James and John. They were just doing what folks had done for generations. Their parents had fished. Their parents had fished. They were fishing. They were simply doing their jobs and feeding their families. They probably did not see much beyond what they were doing now. But Jesus saw something very different. He did not see just fishermen. He saw who they would become. What Jesus saw in them, they would never have imagined for themselves. Jesus sees you. But he doesn't only see who you are today. He sees who you can become. He sees what you can do. He sees the potential and possibility in you. He sees things in you that you cannot see for yourself. Isn't that amazing? Jesus called his disciples: Follow me and I will make you fish for people. (Mark 1:17) The disciples thought the extent of their role in life was to catch fish and feed their families. But Jesus was calling them to more. He was calling them to fish for people. To be a blessing to more people. Jesus was calling them. Calling is not about finding your passion. It is not about pursuing what you want to do. Calling is being pulled beyond who you are today to become someone bigger. Calling is being transformed into a bigger person so that you can bless others. Jesus did not see uneducated, unsophisticated fishermen. He saw people who would lead others to God with great power. Jesus sees the potential and possibility in you. He sees gifts that you have not discovered that can be used to bless others. Learning to Grow Beyond Yourself The problem is how we see ourselves. We only see who we are today. We see our limits. I'm not rich. I'm not powerful. I'm not capable. Who I am, and what I have, is not much. The best I can do is to take care of myself and my family. We see our limitations so clearly. Everywhere we go, we are reminded of our limitations and shortcomings. There is always someone smarter than me. More attractive than me. More capable than me. When we compare ourselves to others, we always feel so small. What could I possibly contribute when there are people who are so much better than me? Our limitations define us. They stop us from doing more. From being more. And we settle to live life within those limitations. Within those limitations, we stay in our own small world. We don't grow beyond that. We get very comfortable in it. Being comfortable is nice. I can't wait to go on our vacation down south – the first time since Covid. I can't wait to lie down on a beach chair with my drink and be comfortable. But only being comfortable doesn't lead to growth. If you are not growing, you stagnate. Stagnation is the recipe for death. Whether physical death or existential death. We need to grow. The best way to grow is by serving others. When you serve others, you are forced to grow. Human relations are the most difficult. You confront someone totally different from yourself. You have to learn how to understand them. Communicate with them. Connect with them. You have to grow to learn how to do that. The other day I had lunch with a young adult. She's struggling with her work right now because of her boss. The work itself is not that inspiring, but she can live with it. But it's the people aspect that makes it difficult. The boss was probably good at this job, or good at getting noticed. But he's not good with people. He doesn't know how to relate or communicate. Or make people feel valued and heard. And that makes life so difficult for those who work with him. We have to grow so that we can be a blessing to those around us, not a source of burden. A Journey of Transformation Let me suggest two concrete ways you can be a blessing to others. First: learn how to see people and notice them. Especially those who are less popular or influential. Train your eyes to see them. Notice how they're doing. Secondly: learn to see beyond what you see on the surface. Don't just see their flaws and limitations. Learn to recognize gifts they might not recognize in themselves. Learn to see their potential. Learn how to share this with them. You will see what kind of effect that has on them. Notice them and see what's special about them. You will be a blessing to those people. To do that, you need to grow. When you follow Jesus, you begin a journey of transformation so that you can bless others. Jesus gives you the power to change. We've all heard that Jesus died for my sins. That our sins are forgiven. What does this mean? It means that Jesus no longer sees your limitations. He doesn't defin

Scripture Passage 1 Samuel 3:1-20 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Our Voices of Logic Today's story is about what happens when God speaks. These are the first words God said to Samuel: See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make both ears of anyone who hears of it tingle. (1 Samuel 3:11) When God speaks, God is about to do something. When God speaks, everything is about to change. Hearing God speak is something that sounds very foreign to modern ears. We don't know what that is, or what it looks like. The voices we do hear are the voices of logic and reason. With logic, we have learned how to survive in this world. Logic helps us understand the world, analyze it and adapt to it. The other day, I was speaking to someone who works at the head office of McDonald's. To us, they're simply selling Big Macs. But behind the scenes, the best and brightest minds use all of their logic to analyze mountains of data, see patterns, and come up with ways to sell even more Big Macs. They know us better than we know ourselves! I was so fascinated by what goes into the business of selling Big Macs. Logic has done wonders for our lives. There is an important place for it. But logic alone is not everything. Logic can help us survive, but logic cannot bring fulfillment to our lives. It comes up with solutions based on the facts and data available to it. It is dependent on those facts and data. Logic cannot understand mysteries of life that go beyond facts and data. It cannot anticipate a future different from what already exists. It cannot imagine a future independent of the facts and data that exist now. Speaking to Our Hearts When God speaks, he speaks of things that logic cannot understand. What God is about to do does not depend on what exists now. God creates something new out of nothing. Most of us know that there is more to life than logic. We know that only living logically does not bring happiness. No matter how logical our choices and decisions have been, we still feel something is missing. We feel that in our hearts. The funny thing is, instead of listening to the heart to see what's missing, we use logic to try and figure out how to fill the empty space in our heart! God does not speak to us through our logic. God speaks to the place that can imagine something new and different from what exists now. That place is the heart. God speaks to the heart. The heart is what notices that something is missing. Even when logic has covered all the bases, it is the heart that says maybe everything is not right. Logic tries to snuff out the heart. It says the heart is not rational. It says the heart is silly. It says Trust in me, because I have all the answers. But my friends, when you hear a little voice from the heart trying to say something, stop. Stop and listen. God may be trying to speak to you! It is a mystery how and why God chooses to speak to us. Many people believe in some sort of higher being, but not many people believe that this higher being chooses to speak to us in a personal way. Somehow, starting with Abraham, a small group of people experienced God speaking to them in a real and personal way. The psalmist expresses his wonder this way: When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars that you have established; what are humans that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them? (Psalm 8:3-4) This is the God who continues to speak to us today. Simply Have Openness There is no criteria for whom God chooses to speak to. You don't need to already be in a relationship with God. Samuel did not know God when God spoke to him. Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. (1 Samuel 3:7) Samuel served in the temple since he was a little boy. He learned a lot about God from Eli, but he did not know God. Many of you have come to church for a long time. You've learned a lot about God, but you may not have met God yet. And that's okay. Samuel did not yet know God, but when I look at him, I see a heart that is open and receptive. Five times in this passage, his response was Here I am ! Here I am. This is a very special term in the Bible. The term indicates a posture of openness. A posture of trust and surrender. Samuel had this spirit of openness. At first, he didn't know who was calling him, but each time he responded with the openness of here I am! He trusted Eli's direction to ask God to speak: Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening! . With that openness he heard God speak, and he listened. When we hear a voice in our heart calling out to us, how many of us actually take the time to stop and listen! God chooses when to speak. But when he does, you will hear him only if your heart is attentive and you listen with the spirit of Here I am . When we pray, we pray with a heart of openness. We listen with our hearts to what God may say to us. What is Hidden in Our Hearts How do you know you're hearing the voice of

Scripture Passage Acts 1:8 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Sharing Our Experiences Early Christians had wonderful experiences. They never had this kind of experience before in their lives. Jesus had a profound impact on them. First time, they felt they were so full of life. They realized how beautiful life was. They felt so positive about their lives. God became so real to them. The important thing is – They didn't keep their experiences to themselves. They shared. They shared their experiences with others. That is what BEING A WITNESS is all about. Sharing what you experienced with others. When good things happen, you want to share with others, don't you? They were all witnesses to good things that happened to them. They saw clearly what God was doing in their lives and for the world. They saw that the new world had come and they proclaimed boldly the arrival of this new world. You have to understand how difficult it was for Christianity to survive. Christianity was not a big religion. A very small number of people. And they were not necessarily elites; they were ordinary people. Around them, there were a lot of sophisticated ideas, systems, and religions. Like Greek philosophy. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Stoics, and so on. A very solid religious establishment like Judaism. A powerful and sophisticated political system like Romans. Christianity – A very new movement. It didn't have political power, financial power, cultural power or religious power. How did the Christianity survive? How did it break through the thick walls of opposition and persecutions? How did it overpower the big ideas that were present and became a dominant idea next several hundred years? It completely depended on WITNESSES – WITNESSES of those who experienced the power of God through Jesus Christ. Through their witnesses, Christianity was able to break through all kinds of barriers and walls and persecutions not only to survive but also to sweep through the whole world. That itself is the greatest miracle to me and that was what happened historically. The history is its proof. It wasn't what they experienced that changed the world. It was their witnesses that changed the world. Being A Witness Early Christians boldly witnessed to what they experienced. That was the power of the Spirit. St. Paul was one good example. On the road to Damascus, Paul had a wonderful experience of meeting Christ. His eyes were open. His worldview changed. His understanding of God changed. His attitude towards the law changed. His understanding of righteousness changed. His whole outlook of life changed. After that experience, he didn't keep it to himself. He shared what he experienced with people. The whole story of the Acts of Apostles is about Paul's life of being a witness. We are going to study that in February. Being a witness was not always easy to Paul. He was persecuted. He was hated. He was imprisoned. People tried to kill him. But he didn't stop being a witness. That is the power of the Spirit. He received a wonderful life message and he wanted to let others know. Church was established and Christianity was firmly rooted by his witnesses. His life was a witness to God's grace he experienced. He said, I am who I am by God's grace. His life was a witness to freedom he enjoyed. In Christ, he said we are free. Sometimes I hear this kind of statement. Oh, I should behave myself because they know that I am a Christian. That is not being a witness. That is putting up a false image. Be yourself. Be authentic. Be real. Being a witness is not to show how great you are. Being a witness is not to show how good you are. Being a witness means to show how God has been so good to you in spite of your shortcomings. It means to show how confident you can be in God's power even though you don't have your own personal power. You can share how you can be free from your obsession about your own survival. You can share how you can overcome your own difficult circumstances with grace. By being with those who are lonely, alienated, and abandoned, you are witnessing to Jesus' teaching. By rejoicing with those who rejoice and crying with those who cry, you become a witness to God's presence. Being a witness means to be humble and yet confident, to be gentle and yet firm, to be loving and yet courageous to be able to say what should be said. This is what St. Paul said. But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that it may be made clear that this extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be made visible in our bodies. (2 Corinthians 4:7-10) That is being a witness. You have this treasure in clay jars. The extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from you. You witness that to others. Your Humble Calling My

Scripture Passage 2 Corinthians 5:17 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script With a Faith-Driven Attitude Today is the last day of 2023. In a few hours, we will welcome 2024. How meaningful it is to come on the last day and worship together, thanking God for everything he did for us this year. This year was special. Christmas Eve was on Sunday. And the last day of this year is on Sunday. So it was very meaningful. On this last day, let us think about change. It is quite appropriate to think about change before we take the new year. People make new resolutions for the new year. That is a commitment to change. I talked about change last week already by reflecting on Mary. Jesus brought a new era, a new beginning. And Mary was impregnated with the new beginning in her body. That wasn't easy for Mary. It was a scary experience. But Mary listened. She didn't close her ears. She listened to her heart because God speaks to our heart. In her listening, she heard very clearly and loudly that nothing was impossible with God. Yes, nothing is impossible with God. Take the new year with that attitude. That is to prepare yourself mentally and spiritually. Plan it. Make resolutions. Dream dreams. BUT BELIEVE THAT NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD. Change is always hard. Never easy. Change always makes you uncomfortable. That's why you have to have this attitude that nothing is impossible with God. This attitude comes from your faith. So having faith is good. It gives you a positive attitude towards life. Inevitable Change Changes happen to you in three ways. First, change just happens. It just happens every day, every moment. It is nothing to do with you or nothing to do what you do. You have no choice but to take it. Like aging. Some people say aging sucks. I don't but some people say that. Whether aging sucks or not, you have no choice but to take it. Whether you like it or not, it just comes to you. Seasonal change – it just comes. No matter how much you like summer, winter will come. Relationships change. They don't stay the same. People change. Your children will not stay the same. They will grow, leave you, and find their own life. Sometimes it's sad but that's the way it is. These changes happen regardless of what you do. So be prepared to ACCOMMODATE these changes. If winter comes, be prepared with warm clothes. Learn to accept these changes. Don't resist. You don't need to be sad. Don't be depressed about it. Just think wisely how you are going to welcome these changes and deal with them. These changes will not necessarily bring harm to you. But often your unwise reaction to these changes can bring harm to you. Change by Choice Secondly, there are changes that you make. Around this time, people often make resolutions. From tomorrow, a new year begins. So we want to make some changes. I already bought at least three notebooks. One – 2024 calendar book. One – My personal journal. One – 5 Year journal. We need to constantly make intentional changes. Being able to make changes shows your empowerment. You don't want to take whatever is given to you. You want to make the best of it. So you make changes. If your health is not good, then make changes to improve your health. If you don't like certain things about yourself, then make changes so that you feel better about yourself and also become a better person. If you are in a toxic relationship, do something about it. You don't have to live with the abuse. If your habits make you unhappy, then make concrete plans to change your habits. You are not just victims of your old habits. No matter how long you have lived in a certain way, you can always change. That's what I believe. Nothing is impossible. That is the empowerment. The more you are empowered, the more courage you will have to make changes. Don't be scared of changes. Make a good friend with change. Routinely unroutined. (I don't know whether it is the word.) Discomfort forces you to make changes. In that way, discomfort is good. Problems are not a road block but a pathway to a better life because you see the need of change. Change with Divine Presence Thirdly, this is what I am interested in the most. There is change that happens with you when you are connected with the divine. It is not just natural change that happens to everyone. It is not the change you can intentionally make. It is the change that comes as a result of your connection with the divine. It is the kind of change St. Paul experienced. It was not a natural change. It was not a change he made. It was change as a result of being connected with the divine. It was so powerful that Paul said this. It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. (Galatians 2:20) When you are deeply connected with God, you realize that you are not alone. You are not alone in making all the important decisions. You are not alone in carrying all the burdens. You realize that you are deeply connected with the divine. You are not God but deep within you, there i

Scripture Passage Mark 13:14-27 Worship Video Due to technical difficulties, the Worship Video is unavailable for this week. Sorry for the inconvenience! Worship Audio Sermon Script Good Things to Come Today is the first Sunday of Advent. Advent means coming or arrival . It is also the first Sunday of the church calendar year. So we begin the new year by waiting for the coming of Christ. But it is not just ordinary waiting. It is waiting with great expectation. Jesus uses this example in today's passage: It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his slaves in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. (Mark 13:34) He then goes on to say: Therefore, keep awake – for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or at dawn, or else he may find you asleep when he comes suddenly. (Mark 13:35) Be alert. Be awake with expectation. Today, I want to meditate on expectation. Expectation is the feeling that good things are about to come. My daughter gets so excited for December because starting December 1, they begin the Advent calendar that contains a chocolate each day. She looks forward to Christmas, when Santa brings presents. There is great expectation. Expectation brings excitement. It gives you something to look forward to. It gives you motivation and energy. Going The Way We Expect I've officiated a number of weddings now and it's been a great privilege. During the ceremony, you can really tell when a couple is in love. People cry when they recite sincere vows to one another. There is great expectation of a happy life ahead for the couple. Everyone shares in the joy of that expectation. Living with expectation is a great gift to human beings. But many times, our expectations go unfulfilled. They get chipped away. Somehow, the marriage is not as smooth and happy as I expected. The job is not as fulfilling as I expected. Achieving all that I wanted has not given me the satisfaction I expected. My life has not gone the way I expected. Underneath expectations is hope. A belief that something desired will come to be. When things don't turn out as we hoped, it affects our expectations. At first there is an effort to keep our expectations alive. You try and put in great effort. You wait patiently. But somehow, if things don't change, you get frustrated. Disappointment starts creeping in. Your heart gets tired of waiting. I wonder if that happened in the master's house. At first, they were attentive and waiting expectantly for the master to return. But after weeks, months and years, maybe they grew tired of waiting. When this happens, you lose belief that what you hope for will happen. Instead of giving you energy, the expectation becomes tiring. It becomes a reminder of the disappointment in your heart. When your heart is tired, expectation turns into resignation. Living with Indifference Resignation is having no expectations. It is seeing your undesired situation as inevitable. I don't want to be in this situation, but it's inevitable and unchangeable. And so you give up on having any expectations. Resignation then becomes indifference: the absence of any feeling about the situation you're in. You don't care any more. Indifference is the end result of unmet expectations. From expectation to resignation to indifference. A life of indifference is a life of no expectations. It's a dull life. It is a tiring life. Everything just drains you. All you can pursue are pleasures to escape the indifferent life you're living. But beyond that, there is no joy, no motivation, no sense of direction. The problem with indifference is that you fail to notice the possibilities of change. Jesus said this: From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. (Mark 13:28-29) Indifference prevents you from seeing new things that are about to happen. Instead of being ready for new things, you remain asleep in your indifference. I've seen this happen many times. As children, you see the expectation in their eyes. But when you meet them much later, that sparkle is gone. They don't live with any expectation. They just get by from one day to the next. A Mask For Our Hope I don't believe that indifference is our natural way to live. That is not how God created us. God created us to live with great expectations. Life is more than just getting by and enjoying the pleasures of life. Life is about living with the excitement and flavour that expectation brings! The difficulty of overcoming indifference is that it forces you to come face to face with your despair. The loss of hope you felt when your efforts failed. The disappointment you felt. The fear of failure and more disappointment. It feels easier to remain in your indifference. At least that way I won't feel any

Scripture Passages Isaiah 11:6-9, Ephesians 2:14-20, John 17:22-23 Worship Video Sermon Video Sermon Audio Sermon Script It is wonderful to gather together like this. This gathering itself is inspiring. It would be nice to have worship service like this every Sunday. One of the planning team members asked, can we do that every Sunday? How nice! God wants us to gather together and worship God in one spirit regardless of who you are. People from East and West and North and South come and worship God. Having this ONE SPIRIT is important to have a meaningful worship. So Jesus said, first be reconciled to your sister or brother and then come and offer your gifts. So we have gathered together this afternoon with A REPENTANT HEART to confess our sins that hurt our sisters and brothers PERSONALLY or/and SYSTEMATICALLY. We recognize that we have treated our sisters and brothers with less than FULL RESPECT. We recognize that we have been blinded by our own ENSLAVEMENT of PRIVILEGE AND POWER. We recognize that our SELF-CENTREDNESS had created prejudice, hurt, and division. We recognize that our laziness, complacency, indifference, and wilful blindness had ignored SYSTEMIC RACISM and injustice that had been going on for many years. Now we have come to recognize all these things and ask God to heal us and restore the one spirit within us. We come before God to ask God's forgiveness and God's help. Without God's help and our conviction, this event will become another SHOW we put on. By God's grace, not only are we forgiven but we are EMPOWERED to be able to live as a NEW CREATION. By God's grace, we are not anymore victims of division, separation, animosity, and domination. We are free by God's RADICAL GRACE. As St. Paul confessed, I am who I am by God's grace. He is saying that I am not anymore a victim of my dark history, my power-hungry environment, and my prejudiced self. I am free in Christ. In this freedom, I can be deeply connected to God and to others. So deeply connected that we have become one. So he confessed, There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:28) In that freedom, the wall that divides us is broken. The letter to the Ephesians captured this idea very well. Even though it may not be Paul's authentic letter, it captures Paul's idea very well. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. (Ephesians 2:14) In Christ, we are one. We are not just black, white, or yellow. We are not just Canadians, Koreans, Chinese, Hungarian, and Arabic. We are a new creation by God's radical grace. We are given a new humanity. The fact that we are different does not divide us. Rather, it should be a way to ENRICH us. Unity can exist ONLY IN DIVERSITY. Without diversity, there is no unity, only UNIFORMITY. To create uniformity, you have to kill diversity. But to have the unity, diversity is necessary. Our differences should not be the reason that DIVIDE us. They should be the reason for us to CELEBRATE. So there is no reason to IGNORE these differences, FEAR these differences, and attempt to NEGATE and NULLIFY these differences. But that is not the reality that we see around us or we face every day in the world we live in. Instead of celebrating their differences, they have often become THREATENED by these differences. Their differences became not only their REASON but also their WEAPON to conquer and submit those who are not like them. Instead of finding a beautiful voice of harmony, they have SUPPRESSED different voices with the POWER and the PRIVILEGE they have. They cannot sing in HARMONY any more. Now they are all forced to sing in UNISON. By nullifying differences, we nullify our unique identity. By nullifying differences, we destroy the beautiful vision of being one. By ACCEPTING others, by RESPECTING others, and by EMBRACING others, we can be one. Without you, I can never be complete. That should be the attitude we should have. You and I together COMPLETE THE PICTURE. My congregation members know this phrase very well because I have quoted many times. As a matter of fact, our minister, the Rev. Simon Park just quoted last Sunday. It was originally an African saying: I am because you are. I can never define who I am without you. I am deeply connected with you. I am because you are. I can never be whole without you. Adam saw that when he saw Eve. This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh. (Genesis 2:23) When God created human beings, he didn't create just two human beings: Adam, Eve. He created And that connects Adam and Eve. Now Adam, And, Eve. He created the RELATIONSHIP. He created the CONNECTEDNESS. The Unity. They did not have to pretend that they were NOT DIFFERENT. They were who they were. But by God's grace, they were connected. Jews and Gentiles were one in Christ, Paul said. Gentiles did not

Scripture Passage Matthew 25:31-46 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Invited to His Kingdom Today is Christ the King Sunday. It is the last Sunday of the church calendar. Next week is the start of Advent, which begins the new church calendar year. Advent means waiting. So the year starts with waiting. The year ends with Christ reigning as the king. What we waited for has come. Today's passage talks about what it will be like when Christ reigns as the king. It's a story about this kingdom and who gets invited: Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. (Matthew 25:34) Those invited into this kingdom are those who have lived with compassion. Those who fed the hungry; clothed the naked; welcomed the stranger; took care of the sick. What's interesting is, these people didn’t even realize they lived compassionate lives. They all asked: when was it? Being compassionate was just who they were. The kingdom that we rejoice in is a compassionate kingdom. It is where compassion is the way of life. No one gets left behind. No one is left alone. It is a beautiful image. We all want to live in this kind of world. We all agree that compassion is good. But the everyday life we live and experience often seems so different. Forgetting Those in Need To get home, I often have to make a left turn from Eglinton Avenue onto Martin Grove Road. It is a very busy intersection. At all hours, there are so many cars in that left turn lane. There are cars coming from the 401. From the 427. From Eglinton Avenue. All of them trying to squeeze onto that left turn lane. Sometimes you can't even get into it because there are so many cars. The whole time, my mission is to get in that lane and make that left turn. There's an advanced left turn green light. When it comes on, the race is on to make that left turn. When I'm there in the evening, there's often someone on the island by that left turn lane asking for money. The thing is, I don't carry around any cash. I either give an apologetic look, or I just look away because I feel bad. That lasts just a moment, because once that advanced light turns green, the race is on to make that left turn. Once the intersection is in the rear view mirror, I forget about that person. This experience at the intersection depicts much of our life today. We are too busy going to our next destination. Fighting to get into our lane. So busy that we don't see the person in need. I don't remember what the person looks like. I do not know that person's name. I do not know that person's story. I do not know what sort of struggles they're going through. In reality, it is as though that person doesn't exist. I saw that person, but I didn't really see that person. In the story of the Good Samaritan, a man was beaten and robbed and left half dead. A priest came across him and passed him by. A Levite then came across him and passed him by. They knew the Jewish laws very well. They knew they should help a stranger in need. There are many theories as to why they passed him by. I wonder if it was because they were just too busy. Too busy going to the synagogue or to attend to their important religious duties. To get to our destination, we can't see everything. We need to NOT see many things. Especially those who are in need. They just get in the way. They only slow us down. The only way to block them out is to become indifferent. To feel nothing toward them. We Lack Our Humanity The playwright, George Bernard Shaw, said this: The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them: that's the essence of inhumanity. (George Bernard Shaw) Our indifference tells them that they don't exist. The worst sin is to essentially erase their existence. It says that their existence doesn't matter. Indifference not only affects those who are ignored. It affects the ones ignoring. Indifference robs us of our humanity. To be human is to be a connected creature. As the African proverb says: I am because you are . Connection with others is what gives joy to life. Indifference takes away that possibility of connection. Indifference robs us of the joy that comes from connecting with others. In our modern life, we are busy going from one place to another, but we don't see each other. The needs and suffering of others remain invisible from our indifference. That indifference dehumanizes us. Without realizing it, we float through a dehumanized existence. How can we retain our humanity in this dehumanizing world? Mother Teresa's Faithfulness Today's passage is most famously associated with Mother Teresa. She lived out this passage. She fed the hungry. Clothed the naked. Cared for the sick. She lived among the poorest of the poor. She served those whom everyone else had abandoned and discarded. She inspired millions of people around the world. After she died, her private letters were published. They revealed a person who had many doubts.

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Scripture Passage Matthew 25:14-30 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Everyone Has A Talent Today's story tells us many things about our life. The first thing that caught my attention was that we are all equipped with talents. Every single one of you has talents. Some of you sing well. Some of you do sports well. Some of you have good intelligence. Some of you have a great personality. Some of you have wisdom. Some of you have good health. Every single one of you has talents if you look at yourself carefully. Don't say that I have no talent. God gave each and every one of you talents. Some are hidden and others may be dormant yet. But you have talents. Another thing that caught my attention was that not everyone has the same amount of talents. Some have 5 talents. Others have 2 talents and still others have one talent. That's a fact. What can you do? Some are smarter than you. Some are stronger than you. No matter how much you try, if you were not born with a great voice, you will never be able to sing like Pavarotti or Celine Dion or Elvis. What can you do? No matter how much you try, there will be people who are better than you. You may not live up to the level of Tiger Woods or Michael Jordan even though you may have some athletic talents. Not only are our talents different, the amount of talents you have is different. This is where the problem comes. We don't like that. If our talents are all different, then it's ok. We can accept that. We can at least say that even if I don't sing well, I can dance well. But when the amount is different, when other people are better than you, it's hard to accept that. Because it makes you feel small and insignificant. You question why you are not as good as others. Why is she prettier than me? Why is he taller than me? Does God love me less? We translate the amount of talents into the amount of God's love. We measure the amount of God's love with the amount of talents we have. Appreciating Your Talents Once you start thinking like that, you are entering into a very slippery slope. This kind of thinking may lead you into self-pity and into a dark gloomy place. You lose confidence. You cannot even use the talent you have well. Maybe, that was what Jesus meant when he said this. For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. (Matthew 25:29) I think that is what the person with one talent did. He felt that what he had was nothing compared to those who had 2 talents and 5 talents. He thought they had talents twice as much, five times as much as he had. All of a sudden what he had seemed so small and so insignificant. He didn't appreciate what he had. That is the problem a lot of us have. We don't appreciate what we have. But do you know how much is one talent? It is a big amount. It is the amount a day labourer can save for 20 years without spending it at all. The story is telling us that we all have enough. Even the person who had one talent had enough to be able to do something worthwhile. But he didn't think of doing anything with it. He just hid it in the ground. Even though what he had was enough, he fell into this trap of comparing himself with others. This reminds me of the movie Amadeus. Salieri was a good musician and yet he felt that he had nothing compared to what Mozart had. He didn't appreciate what he had. He felt that God did not love him. God did not bless him. He hated God who bestowed such a great talent to a person who was immature, silly, and obscene. He renounced God and vowed to take revenge on God by destroying Mozart. God gave all of you wonderful talents. Don't measure the worth of your talents by comparing with others. How much talents you have is not as important as how you enjoy your talents and do something worthwhile with what you have. When you enjoy what you have and start using it creatively, you can be content. Being content and being complacent are two different things. Being content is to appreciate what you have no matter how big or how small it may be. Content in Little and Plenty Yesterday, my grandkids came to our house. It is a small condo. 11 people were there and we could barely sit around. But the kids were different. They went into the bedroom and created their own game. They didn't let the environment limit them. They knew how to use their environment creatively to have fun. It is because their thinking is not tainted yet. It doesn't matter the environment. They know how to have fun, how to be happy. That was Paul's attitude. Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. (Philippians 4:11-12) He knew what it was to have little, and what it was to have plenty. Whether

Scripture Passage Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script A Leader of His Generation Joshua is a well known person in the Bible. But he's not as well known as Moses. Moses is the towering figure in biblical history. He was a giant. Moses led his people out of slavery in Egypt. He freed them from a mighty empire against all odds. These are the leaders who are revered and remembered. When such a towering figure leaves, they often leave a void. It is hard for others to follow those giant footsteps. Not anyone can do this. It takes someone very strong and capable. Joshua was that person. He filled the void left behind by Moses. Moses could not get to go into the Promised Land. He died in the wilderness. Joshua finished what Moses began. Joshua was the last surviving person of his generation. He was 110 years old when he gave the speech in today's passage. He lived through everything the Israelites had experienced, from bondage in Egypt to freedom, and from the wilderness to the Promised Land. Throughout his life, he saw all that God had done. All the wonderful and mighty things God did for them. And now, as he was getting ready to depart the earth, he wondered whether the next generation would experience God the way he had. Now that they were settled, would they continue to look to God as he had? Faith in God For Joshua and his generation, they had nowhere to turn to. God heard them cry out in Egypt. God sent Moses to rescue them. God parted the Red Sea when they were trapped between the sea and pursuing Egyptians. God provided manna when they had no food in the desert. Everytime they were in need, God provided for them. Human nature is such that we only turn to God when we have nowhere else to go. When we are in control of things, then we don't need God. Joshua was concerned whether this would be the case with the next generation, now that they were settled and living in the Promised Land. But even when things are hard or not going well, that doesn't necessarily mean that we have faith. All throughout their journey in the wilderness, most of the Israelites grumbled and complained. Even after all that God had done for them, they did not trust God. They still complained and grumbled. They still had so much fear. While they were in the wilderness, Moses sent 12 spies into Canaan to scout the land and its people. When they came back, 10 of them had very negative reports. The land was indeed good, but the people were scary and unbeatable. They were like giants, and the Israelites looked like grasshoppers in comparison. Everyone believed them and fell into despair. They even began to mobilize to go back to Egypt! Back into slavery where at least they would have work and food. Only Joshua and Caleb had faith. They saw the exact same thing as the other 10, but they interpreted it very differently. This was Joshua's response: Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes and said to all the congregation of the Israelites, The land that we went through as spies is an exceedingly good land. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. Only, do not rebel against the Lord, and do not fear the people of the land, for they are no more than bread for us; their protection is removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them. (Numbers 14:6-9) Joshua had faith. If God was with them, they would succeed. He trusted God wholeheartedly when everyone else was struck with fear. How did he have this faith when no one else did? The Gift of Faith That is a great mystery. Faith is a mystery. Faith is a gift. Somehow, Joshua was blessed with the gift of faith. He had unshakeable trust in God no matter what the circumstances. He did not waver or succumb to fear. That's what made him a great and courageous leader. Because of his faith, he was able to see and experience the power of the living God. That is what faith does. It's not that God is not working. It's that without faith, you cannot see God at work. Faith gives you eyes to see God at work. Faith gives you trust that God is working even when you cannot see it. Faith gives you hope in times where the situation is dark, unclear and uncertain. And faith opens up your heart to experience the wonderful peace and presence of God. That is the testimony of people who have faith. It is a powerful and wonderful gift. Because of his faith, Joshua experienced so many wonderful works of God. His wish was for future generations to experience God the way he did. He knew their challenges would be different from his. But he still wanted them to experience the power and presence of God in a real way. He worried that they would forget about God and look to other gods. An Original Experience with God It was not tradition that Joshua wanted to pass down. Tradition is a set of beliefs and practices that is passed down from one ge

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Scripture Passage Psalm 67 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script God’s Dream by Rev. Young Ohm. The sermon script is unavailable until further notice. The post God’s Dream appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.

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Scripture Passage Matthew 22:15-22 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Freedom to Give Yourself What is freedom? This question is at the root of their question to Jesus about paying taxes. Do you, Jesus, as a leader of the people, accept our submission to a foreign power? Or should we stand up and fight for our independence? Many people believe that freedom is independence and autonomy. Being in control of your situation. Being able to do what you want without being restricted by others or circumstances. That is what many Jews desired while they were under Roman occupation. But Jesus provides an interesting response to that question: Give therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's. (Matthew 22:21) He's pretty much saying accept the situation as it is. Pay the taxes. Accept Roman rule. In this sense, Jesus was clear eyed. He knew what the consequence was of revolting against them. It would have been near suicide. But it's not a passive resignation to the situation either. He says to give to God what is God's. What does he mean by that? What is God's? Jesus says this: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the greatest and first commandment. (Matthew 22:37-38) Your heart, soul and mind belong to God. Always give that to God. You have the freedom to do that, and in doing that, you have real freedom. Whatever the situation is, no matter how little control we have, we can always give our hearts to God. This is what Jesus did and how he lived. In the end, Jesus had no control over his body and life. The Romans put a stop to what he did. They put an end to his very life. They hung him on the cross. But even in his death, he had freedom. This is what he said on the cross: Then Jesus, crying out with a loud voice, said, Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands! Having said this, he breathed his last. (Luke 23:46) To his final breath, Jesus trusted God. That was his freedom. Peace In Any Circumstance My friends, it is not your circumstances that make you free. True freedom comes from letting go of control in total trust to God. It is your faith – your total trust in God that makes you free. Faith changes you and allows you to handle any situation. Whether you have control or not, faith allows you to handle it. When we lose control of our lives, it is natural to feel fear, anger, frustration, and worries. These are all things we feel as human beings. But they are very strong emotions. If we are not careful, they have the power to take control of our thoughts and actions. When you give your heart to God in trust, they are still there, but they don't have control over you. This is what Jesus said to his disciples during his last speech: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. (John 14:27) Peace reigns in your heart when you give your heart to God in trust. It's a peace that God gives to us. A peace that the world cannot give. A peace that surpasses all understanding. Peace allows you to live with the other emotions. Peace regulates them and keeps them in check. You are free from their control. This is the struggle that African American slaves must have had. For over 200 years, they had no control over their lives. Many endured brutal suffering. They had no control over where they lived or their families. They were property that could be bought and sold. They were treated as property. But many of them found freedom in faith. Through faith, they came to know who they were, and whose they were. Their bodies belonged to their earthly masters, but their hearts, souls and minds belonged to God. Despite the circumstances, they believed there was a God who cared for them. Their faith enabled them to endure and persevere. Their faith gave them hope. Their faith gave them new visions for society and the world. From this faith tradition came leaders like Martin Luther King Jr who helped change the world. The spiritual I've got peace like a river came from their experience of faith. When you are controlled by negative emotions, they will cloud and affect your thinking. You cannot think clearly when they control you. Your thinking and actions will be driven by those emotions. With a peaceful heart, you can think clearly. This is what St. Paul said: Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind, so that you may discern what is the will of God what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:2) When you give your heart to God in trust, you no longer follow what everyone is doing or saying. You're able to think clearly. You are able to discern the will of God. With peace in your heart and clear thinking, your desires become oriented to the will of God. What is good and acceptable and perfect. That is a life of freedom! Reclaim Our Hearts Today, our bodies are more f

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Scripture Passage Philippians 4:1-9 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Do You Live with Joy? The words we heard in today’s choir anthem are the words of a joyful spirit. They spring from a heart filled with joy. That is what we do when we gather to worship each week. Together, we make a joyful noise to our God. But can we say that we live our lives joyfully? We should ask ourselves this question. Do I live with joy in my heart? When I wake up in the morning, do I see a bright and hopeful day? Or do I see a dark and gloomy day ahead? It can be hard to live with joy. When we look around us, we don't see much to be joyful about. We are surrounded by our worries and problems. We can't seem to find a moment's rest in our daily life. Even with what's happening in the world as we speak, there's so much darkness, violence, destruction, and suffering. So we say, If only IF ONLY everything was okay in my life IF ONLY all these problems disappeared IF ONLY all was alright in the world Then maybe I'll be joyful. Yet St. Paul tells us today, Rejoice in the Lord always He doesn't stop there. Right away, he says Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. (Philippians 4:4) Rejoice, and rejoice. Rejoice always. These words may not be easy for us to accept so quickly. We want to reason why we shouldn't or cannot rejoice. The irony here is that circumstantially, Paul wasn't in a good place when he wrote these words. Far from it. He was in prison when he said, Rejoice! He had no idea whether he'd live to see another day. He lived not knowing what tomorrow held in store. While in prison, he also heard about a conflict that happened between two women (Euodia and Syntyche) in the Philippian church. Yet in his letter to the Philippians he says, Rejoice always. Philippians is known as Paul's joyful epistle. The words rejoice or joy appear about 11 times! Paul had a very different understanding of joy. Rejoice with Recognition For him, joy was not an emotional response to our circumstances. That's how we tend to understand joy. An emotional high. It is dependent on our circumstances. If that was the case, then Paul had nothing to rejoice about. Paul rejoiced not because everything was going well, but because behind the immediate circumstances of his life, he was able to SEE clearly God's hand at work. Not just in his life, but also in the life of the community he loved. When he encountered the living Christ, Paul saw the old age pass away and the NEW one beginning. It completely transformed his perspective on life. He says earlier in Philippians I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6) In any and all circumstances, Paul saw the power of living Christ at work. And so he rejoiced regardless of his circumstances. Let Go and Trust God In our journey, sometimes it's difficult to see this. Sounds nice on paper, but hard to experience in reality. Last week, Rev. Kim said how easily we forget God's grace. He called it, spiritual amnesia . Just as we don't remember too well, we don't see all that well either. We are spiritually near-sighted. We suffer from spiritual blindness. Spiritual blindness is an obstacle to a life of rejoicing always. We can't force ourselves to see what we cannot see. It is God who opens our eyes. But in order to see what we ought to see, we can do one thing. LET GO. LET GO of our fears and worries. LET GO of our prejudice and stubborn ways of thinking. LET GO of our desire to be in control of our life. Through PRAYER, we can LET GO. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (Philippians 4:6) As long as we let these things have hold over us, we will only see what's in front of our eyes. Our eyes will be fixed on the darkness we see. We ourselves will become dark, negative and cynical. When we learn to let go of these things and entrust them in God's hands, we will be free to see what we could not see before. Scales will fall from our eyes. We will find a little bit of sunshine in the darkest day. We will see our foggy horizon clearing up. We will experience a deep sense of calm in the midst of a storm. Isn't that what Paul said? And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7) Rejoicing comes from hearts and minds that are surrounded by the peace of God. We rejoice because we trust that God who began the good work in Christ is still at work in our midst. Rejoice Always In that sense, joy is not just some feeling . It is not a mere display of excitement. Rather, it is our attitude towards life. Our way of being. It is more like a quiet confidence, assurance, and inner gladness. That way, we can rejoice always . Our attitude will not easily change according to our circumstances. Don't mistake what I'm saying as being invincibl

Listen to the recording here! The post Christ Through the Eyes of Paul – Session 2 appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.

Scripture Passage Deuteronomy 8:7-18 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script By God's Grace Thanksgiving is simply not forgetting. St. Paul said, everything is God's grace. He said, I am who I am by God's grace. Yes. Everything is by God's grace. I am who I am by God's grace. The fact that I can breathe is God's grace. The fact that I can have a good and peaceful sleep at night is God's grace. Living with joy and peace is by God's grace. Grace is such a beautiful gift of God and yet so many people don't feel it and that's sad. They live with this tremendous burden that everything depends on them. They don't feel the giftedness of life every day. People who experience grace don't live like that. It's not that they don't work hard. They work hard too. But in the end, they know that everything in life does not depend only on them and their abilities. They know that life is more than what they can make with their own hands. They know that life is bigger than them. So even when they become weak, they don't give up. Even when the future is gloomy, they don't lose hope. Even when they get old, their spirit is always young. That was the life of St. Paul. That's why he said this. So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16) What's going on outside is only a fraction of your existence. What's going on inside is a greater portion of your life. When you know that you are who you are by God's grace, you can live a SOLID life. You will not be easily defeated. A Lesson for All Moses wanted to teach his people this beautiful lesson. He wanted his people to live a solid life. If you can teach your children that life is a gift of God and there is a power of God's grace that will carry their life, you are giving them the best lesson of life. You are not just giving them fish. You teach them how to fish. You teach them the secret of life. They will not be defeated in life. They will enjoy every moment of their life. That is the best lesson that you can give to your children. We don't know what they will experience in life. They may experience challenges bigger than what they can handle with their own strength. They may lose themselves, their confidence, and their hope. They may experience failures. They may lose their health. But if you teach them that there is power of God's grace, they can overcome their challenges. Moses wanted to teach them this lesson. Wilderness was the best place the Israelites could learn this lesson. It was God's grace to let the Israelites go through the experience of wilderness. God wanted to teach them that they were not alone. We human beings never learn with our brain. We learn only when we feel through the skin. In the wilderness, they learned the lesson not with their brain but through their skin. When there was nothing to eat, they experienced hunger in their stomach. When there was nothing to drink, they experienced the thirst in their mouth. When they were bitten by poisonous snakes, they felt the pain through the skin. But through those experiences, they learned that it was God who provided. We can see that in today's passage. (It is God) who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, an arid waste-land with poisonous snakes and scorpions. He made water flow for you from flint rock, and fed you in the wilderness with manna that your ancestors did not know, to humble you and to test you, and in the end to do you good. (Deuteronomy 8:15, 16) God put them in a condition where they could not do anything. Then he wanted to teach them this: even in a condition where you cannot do anything, you will survive because of my grace. Their wilderness experience was God's grace for them. It was God's blessing. Learn Through Your Suffering Sometimes our suffering is God's hidden blessing. There are things you can never learn without suffering. You cannot learn humility without suffering. You cannot learn your limitations without suffering. You cannot learn that life is about helping each other without suffering. You cannot learn to feel others' suffering without suffering. You cannot learn that you can be stronger with suffering. More than anything else, you cannot learn that our life is by God's grace without suffering. Suffering will never disappear from us. We have suffering in our broken relationships. We have the pain of sending away loved ones first. There are also people who hurt us. We go through our own personal darkness. Suffering will always be there. I hope that these sufferings may not make you weak. Rather, I hope that they teach you about God's grace. Do Not Forget The biggest problem is that we live forgetting God's grace. That was what Moses was concerned about. We can see that clearly in Moses' words. When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is

The first session of Fall Fridays was great! People of all ages, from children to adults, gathered for dinner and a time of growing in faith as a community. What a wonderful start it was! The adults engaged in the first of an 8-week session on “Christ through the Eyes of Paul”. Listen to the recording here! The post Christ Through the Eyes of Paul – Session 1 appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.

Scripture Passage Matthew 21:23-32 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script A Life I Want to Live I want to live my life with authority. Whenever my final breath is, I want to know that I've done my part to the fullest. I want to know that I lived out my unique calling. I want to know that I've done everything I can to make a positive contribution to this world. That's the kind of life I want to live. I don't want to live looking over my shoulder. I don't want to cower in fear of what others will think. This is easier said than done. I know I still have my insecurities. I still desire the approval of others. But in my heart, I want to live a life true to my deepest convictions. I want to live with courage. I want to live free to love others. I want to live a life that is uniquely my own. I want to live with the power of God in my life. I want to be transformed to live according to God's will. I don't want to just settle for a comfortable and safe life. I pray that I may have the faith and courage to endure difficulties for the sake of my deepest beliefs and convictions. Different Kinds of Authority The chief priests and elders had great authority. They had great power. They were in charge of the Temple. The Temple was the center of Jewish life. The Romans gave them the power to tax every Jew in the Empire, no matter where they lived. This authority came with many benefits. The Temple economy generated enormous wealth, and these leaders grew very rich. They lived in the best houses; enjoyed the best food; and had the greatest status among all of the Jews. But this power and privilege came with a price. Their authority came from the approval of others. They became concerned with protecting their power. They were busy looking over their shoulder at what people would think. We know nothing of what they really believed. They were not driven by their deepest convictions. We can only see fear beneath their awesome power. This was their response to Jesus' question about John the Baptist: And they argued with one another, If we say, From heaven,' he will say to us, Why, then, did you not believe him?' But if we say, Of human origin,' we are afraid of the crowd, for all regard John as a prophet. So they answered Jesus, We do not know. (Matthew 21:25-27) What a copout! No courage of conviction. No courage to say what they truly believed. Simply looking over their shoulder. That is a weak and flimsy authority. John the Baptist was so different from these chief priests and elders. His authority came from no person. He was a wild man who lived alone in the desert. He ate locusts. He wore camel's hair. Many thought he was crazy or insane. But he had a power of conviction. He knew what he believed in. And people were drawn to his message. His authority came from the response to his words. People believed him and were changed. What kind of authority are we seeking? What kind of authority have we been living with? Fitting In Last week I was invited to preach at TKPC. That is the church I grew up in. It's the church that shaped who I am. It's the place I met God. It's the place I learned how to be a leader. It's the place I first felt my calling to ministry. Being there brought back many memories. It made me think back to where we came from, where we're at now, and where we're heading. The church was an important place for us. It was a place we felt safe. Growing up in Canada as a visible minority took a great toll on many of us. It inflicted many little cuts and slices to our souls. We felt unwanted. We felt like outsiders.. The racism we experienced seared into our self-confidence. The church absorbed some of this pain. We found some comfort. But it could not shield us fully. It did not help us reflect critically on our experiences. It did not help us deal with the pain to find new meaning from it. We had to find our own way in the world. To survive, we had to fit in. Fit in our workplaces. Fit in our neighbourhoods. Fit in the circles that our children needed to belong to. Fitting in became the key to survival. Many second generation became like the chief priests and elders. Looking over their shoulder became second nature. They worked so hard to find acceptance in their jobs and careers. They enjoyed the lifestyle that came from this acceptance. Maintaining that position and privilege became the main concern. In their quest to fit in, I wonder if we lost ourselves. I wonder if at the bottom of it, we are still driven by fear. Fear of losing everything we've worked so hard to build. Fear of losing enjoyment of what we have. I wonder if somewhere along the way, we lost belief in ourselves. Belief that we have something unique and special to contribute to this world. I wonder if we've convinced ourselves that this is as good as it gets. Just be thankful and appreciative for what we have and enjoy it. Just fit in and enjoy it. Do Not Hide Your Fear and Pain In church, we hear every week about how God loves us. We say amen. W

Scripture Passage Romans 14:1-12 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Judgmental Attitudes In today's passage, St. Paul talks about judgmental attitudes. That is what I want to reflect on today. Judgmental attitudes destroy relationships and communities. This was the underlying issue in the community in Rome. Judgmental attitudes were threatening the community. Judgmental attitudes create divisions among people: within families, among friends, and in communities. To live in peace and harmony with one another, we have to overcome judgmental attitudes. Judgmental attitudes make you see only the flaws in other people. You start defining other people solely based on their flaws. It gives you an excuse to see them as less than human; treat them as less than human. You look down on them because of their flaws. Judgmental attitudes are corrosive. They erode the sense of community and togetherness. They kill the spirit of those around you. Not only those around you, but they also kill your spirit too. When you have a judgmental attitude, you can't enjoy life. It takes over you. It darkens your outlook and clouds the way you see people. The only energy you get is from judging other people. It's toxic. From Our Hearts Judgmental attitude comes from a toxic heart. A heart that is not at peace. There is some great unease and disturbance in the judgmental heart. When that disturbed heart gets triggered, it lashes out. It releases itself in judgment toward others. So the root of a judgmental attitude lies in our hearts. For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander. (Matthew 5:19) Add to this verse the words judgmental attitudes . The judgmental heart is very uneasy. It is insecure. It is volatile. Its sense of well-being fluctuates wildly. The judgmental heart often feels threatened. It fears losing its standing. At its very core, the judgmental person is afraid that my life doesn't mean anything. That my life is insignificant. That I don't matter. That I am not loved or loveable. In order to feel like they matter, the judgmental person needs to justify themselves. Justify their life. Justify their existence. Justify who they are. With Self Righteousness, Without Peace To survive, the judgmental person becomes very self-righteous. To be righteous means to live rightly. To have right standing. The self-righteous person tries to feel better about themselves by convincing themselves that they are living rightly. The problem with self-righteousness is that you are righteous only in relation to others. You feel better about yourself only in comparison to others. You do the right thing compared with those who are doing the wrong thing. Self-righteousness elevates yourself by putting others down. Self-righteousness does not give you peace in your heart. You are always verifying that you are more right than others. You are always measuring yourself. Luke describes this story: Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: I thank you, God, that I am not like other people cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I'm certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.' (Luke 18:9-12) Most of us may not explicitly say or pray these things, but somewhere deep in our hearts and subconscious, we think in this way. My friends, when you have a judgmental heart, you can only feel better about yourself by putting other people down. You can only be righteous by having people who are inferior to you. Self-righteousness always separates you from others. It does not make you happier. It is futile and will never bring you peace. Find Peace in God’s Righteousness You can only find peace in your heart when it's not dependent on the approval or acceptance of others. People's reactions, their approvals, what they say – it will fluctuate and vary wildly depending on the circumstances. Our peace has to be consistent and reliable no matter what the circumstances are. This peace is what St. Paul discovered. He found this peace not in his own righteousness, but in the righteousness of God. The righteousness of God is very different from self-righteousness. God does not establish his righteousness by putting us down. He does not do so by pointing out our flaws or condemning us. Rather, God overlooks our wrongdoings and shortcomings. God absorbs and takes on our weaknesses and failures. That is what Christ did on the cross. St. Paul says: God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8) God's righteousness comes from love. God acts rightly out of love for us. God loves us in order to restore our relationship. Self-righteousness separates and divides, but God's righteousness reconciles and brings together. God's righteousness creates the possibility of a new beginning together in harmony. The

Scripture Passage Romans 13:8-14 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Owed Love St. Paul begins the passage by saying this: Owe no one anything, except to love one another. (Romans 13:8) We owe something to those who love us and take care of us. The amount of love and help we've received, we owe that back. You owe them gratitude. You owe them your care and resources when they need it. But what about people you owe nothing to? They are people outside of your circle. People who have not been a part of your life. St. Paul is talking about a different kind of love. Not loving just those we owe that love to. But loving those we owe nothing else to. This is very different from the love we're used to. It's love that crosses my boundaries. Love for those I don't feel any connection with. Loving others sounds nice. But why should we owe love to others who have nothing to do with us? Can't I just live my own life? Isn't causing no harm good enough? Neighbour The commandments are about not doing harm to others. Do not murder; do not steal; do not covet. But Paul summarizes all the commandments in a more proactive way. To love your neighbour. Jesus expanded the meaning of neighbour. The Samaritan did not know the man he encountered on the road. No one would expect a Samaritan to help a Jew. Samaritans and Jews were enemies. He expanded the meaning of neighbour to not just someone you know, but anyone who needs help, especially those you don't know. I don't think it was only for the sake of those who need help. It is also for the sake of the one giving the help. The kind of love that Jesus and St. Paul are talking about is meant to bless us. To expand our life. That is what mission is all about. It is about going beyond people I know. Connecting with those who I have no relation with. We don't owe them anything. But we go to love them nonetheless. But in the process of loving them, we become more blessed. That is what the team that went to Sioux Valley experienced. Apart from the Songs, none of us had any relationship with the people there. They had nothing to do with us. But we went with a call to love them nonetheless. I think more than them, it was those of us who went who were more blessed. We were filled. We were healed. Our lives were expanded. You can live your life owing nothing to anyone. You can live comfortably and safely with just the people you like. But you will miss out on so much in life: No new or deeper connections with others. No new experiences. Stay stuck where you are. Stay small. Loving those we owe nothing to expands who we are. Enriches life. Brings joy, satisfaction, fullness. Love the Stranger If you can love those whom you owe nothing to, then you are a spiritual person. Loving those who have nothing to do with us is the highest level of spiritual maturity. It reflects who Jesus was. But it is the hardest thing to do. It is the most unnatural thing to do. We cannot just will ourselves to love like this. There has to be a change in my heart. Something that changes how I see others. God gave the Israelites this commandment: You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt. (Deuteronomy 10:19) Love the stranger. This commandment was given to the Israelites after they escaped slavery in Egypt. Right from the beginning, they are commanded to love the stranger. Why did they receive this command? Where did it come from? That commandment arose from the memory of their own suffering. Not just the suffering itself, but how God came and rescued them from their suffering. The Israelites had been through so much. Suffering under slavery. Being lost in the wilderness. Facing an uncertain future. But when they looked back, they remembered God who loved them, was faithful and had been with them. Knowing God's love for them opened their hearts to love the stranger. In God’s Love Life is filled with difficulties and suffering. We cannot escape it. Many of you have faced and still face your own challenges and difficulties. If you feel like you've had to do everything on your own, and that there was no one there to help you, then you feel like you owe nothing to anyone. But if you see that you have been helped when times were difficult, then your heart becomes filled with gratitude. That gratitude is the prerequisite of an open heart. A heart that welcomes and loves others. (KLSA story). Life has been and is challenging. Sometimes we wonder how we made it to today. But you have all made it this far. You are still standing here today. That is reason to rejoice and be thankful. Don't take life for granted. When I was on vacation: African American church services. Prayer of invocation: always thank you for letting me wake up, thank you for another day to worship you Same with Sioux Valley. Through all your difficult times, God was there to help you. There were times we were down and out. But God helped you. God provided people to help you get through those times. God gave you the s

Scripture Passage Matthew 20:1-16 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script The Searching Landowner Jesus is talking about the kingdom of God today. What does the kingdom of God look like? Jesus said the kingdom of God is like a landowner. For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire labourers for his vineyard. (Matthew 20:1) A landowner who went out early in the morning That's what the kingdom of God is like. The kingdom of God is like the landowner who is searching. He was searching from early in the morning. But not just in the morning, he was searching all day. When he went out again about noon and about three o'clock, he did the same. And about five o'clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, Why are you standing here idle all day? (Matthew 20:5, 6) That's what the kingdom of God is like. God who searches for us. A woman who searches for the lost coin. A father who searches for the lost son. That is what our God is like. This is what Christianity is all about. This is the core of our faith. Jesus, God's son, came in human form, to search for those who are lost. We can see this in Jesus' parable of the lost sheep very clearly. This story comes out two chapters before today's story. What do you think? If a shepherd has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. (Matthew 18:12, 13) You will never be left alone abandoned. Because there is God who searches for you. We will not be lost. My friends, we don't always walk on a right path. We don't always walk straight. Sometimes we wander. Sometimes, we get lost. When I was a child, I went to this palace called in Seoul. At that time, there was a zoo in the palace. So many people. So crowded. I went with my mother and I got lost. I followed balloons and after a while, I realized that I was all alone in the crowd. My mother wasn't there. I looked around everywhere and I couldn't see my mom. The feeling of panic I got at that time is still vivid to me. But soon, I saw my mother who was searching everywhere to find me. God Searches for His People Life is not always good. It doesn't matter how hard you try, sometimes things don't work out. Even the most capable people can fall. The prophet Isaiah knew about this very well. So he said, Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted. (Isaiah 40:30) Even youths will faint. The young will fall exhausted. Sometimes we see no solution for our problems. We feel that even God cannot help us. We cannot see any clear path to take. Isaiah knew our troubled heart so well. Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel, My way is hidden from the Lord, and my right is disregarded by my God'? (Isaiah 40:27) But Isaiah did not give up. When there was no hope, when there was no power left in him, and even when he felt that his way was hidden from God, he didn't give up. Because he knew that there was God who would search for him and his people. Even when Israelites abandoned God and went their own separate ways, God did not abandon his people. And Isaiah knew that. This was his confession. Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:28-31) The landowner did not go out to search for the best of the best. He went out at the 11th hour. 11th hour means the one hour before the end of the day. Even at that hour, he went out to look for people. This is what they said when the landowner asked why they were not working. Because no one has hired us. (Matthew 20:7) Nobody wanted them. That is mercy. That is how mercy works in our life. That is what grace is like. That is the kingdom of God. We have to experience this mercy in our lives. God is not with us only when everything goes well. When you experience difficulties, when you feel powerless and helpless, when you don't know what to do, even then, God is searching for you. If you can see that, you can see the kingdom of God. Mend a Broken Society Jesus said, Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners. (Matthew 9:12, 13) The measure of a society is how it treats its weakest members. When we have the vision of the kingdom of God, our society will not collapse. When our society is only filled with competitiv

Scripture Passage Romans 12:9-21 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Do Not Avenge These are beautiful words. We should read them daily and keep them in our heart. Paul is teaching us about how to live as a Christian. Or how to live as a good human being. These are marks of Christians. These are visible marks of being a good person. You don't become haughty but associate with the lowly. You extend hospitality to strangers. How beautiful it is to live like that. It doesn't matter whether you are Christians or not. It is what a good human being is supposed to do. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. It sounds simple and easy but people don't do that. Many times people are jealous with those who rejoice. They are indifferent to those who weep. We just don't know how to feel for others. St. Paul said to feel for others. That is a beautiful attitude. But Paul left the most important and the most difficult topic to the end. DO NOT AVENGE! Bless those who persecute you. Do not repay anyone evil for evil. If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. This is what differentiates a good person from an ordinary person. What Paul is telling us to do is very hard. How can you bless your enemies? Those who did evil to you? How can you bless them? Our whole body protests against that. Every cell of my body shouts, NO WAY!!! At best, I can ignore what they did to me. But no way I can bless them. An Eye For An Eye Taylor Swift sang, There's nothing I do better than revenge! Yes, that is what I want to do. We can all identify with that. We don't need to practice to do that. We are already good at it. It is our automatic response when we are hurt. Somebody strikes you, you strike back. We believe that we are entitled to do that. We have the right to do that. Maybe we do. Paul is not saying that you don't. But Paul is saying, Don't do it. Why? BECAUSE IT IS NOT GOOD FOR YOU. Gandhi said, An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Yes, it destroys both. It destroys you. And it destroys those who hurt you. Actually, Moses gave an eye for an eye instruction for the sake of telling them to be fair. When somebody takes your eye, just take his eye, not his nose and his ears. Don't be a savage. Just one eye, not two eyes either. That's fair. That was Moses' ethics. Ethics of being fair. But when it comes to Jesus, he introduced a higher ethics. You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also; and if anyone wants to sue you and take your coat, give your cloak as well; and if anyone forces you to go one mile, go also the second mile. (Matthew 5:38-41) A very different idea and a very different standard. It was the same idea as what St. Paul said. Bless those who hurt you. Bless and do not curse them. That is Jesus' way of living our life. It sounds unreasonable. It doesn't sound rational. But I believe that there is a good reason behind that. A Vengeful Heart When evil is done to you, it hurts. Yes, it hurts. When you are betrayed, When you are back stabbed, When you are wrongfully accused, It hurts. No one is immune from the feeling of that hurt. You don't need to pretend that it doesn't hurt. It hurts. When I went to Ohio for a conference, I heard a minister telling us this story. He went to another town to preach and there he met a couple who used to come to his church. After the service, they came to him and so he greeted them nicely and talked to them. That night, when he came to his hotel room, he was covered with hives. And he was shivering. He didn't know why. He realized that he was still feeling the hurt. When this couple was at his church, they hurt him so much that he still felt it. The evil done to you hurts you. But it doesn't stop there. It often creates a vengeful heart and brings darkness within you. It does not just hurt you but takes you into a very dark place. When you are hurt, you want to avenge yourself. You feel that you have to do it. You feel that you need to release your negative emotions. So that you may not be destroyed by your negative emotions. But it doesn't. It doesn't help you. It makes you feel worse. The research found out that the revenge makes you feel worse. Kevin M. Carlsmith, Timothy D. Wilson, and Daniel T. Gilbert studied several participants about the revenge. In their studies, while participants thought they'd feel better after exacting revenge, the researchers found the very opposite. It wasn't just that punishing the transgressor didn't provide a release but that it in fact made participants focus on and ruminate about both the transgressor and the transgression more. Yes, momentarily, you may feel good because you can release your negative emotions within you. But in the end, it is not good for you. You will feel worse. Not only you feel worse, if the hurt turns into a vengeful

Scripture Passage Revelation 21:1-4 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Sioux Valley The writer of Revelation talks about the new heaven and new earth. He compares it to the old order. The old order consists of death, mourning, crying and pain. In the new order, tears are wiped away, and the things of the old are no longer. Sadly enough, we experienced so much of the old order during our mission trip this past week to Sioux Valley Dakota Nation. Sioux Valley is a beautiful place in southwestern Manitoba. They are a beautiful people with beautiful hearts. But the legacy of colonialism, residential schools, and everything else is visible in the lives of the people of Sioux Valley today. In Sioux Valley, every day seems to be like the old order of things. Everyday is a catastrophe waiting to happen. You never know what tragedy the next day will bring. There is a lot of pain. These days, there is a drug issue on the reserve. One evening we held a worship service at the local church building that's owned by the community. Some kids from the neighbourhood saw cars in the parking lot and were curious so they peeked in. Sarah went to talk to them and asked where their parents were. One girl said that her mom died so she was staying with her auntie, but she wasn't sure where she would be tomorrow. Another said her dad had died and she was staying with a grandma. And another girl with a similar story. They spoke matter of factly, as if it was a everyday occurrence. Prayer at Martha's house? Any one of these things would shake us to the core, and we would need a lot of time to process just one of these. But for so many people there, these are everyday occurrences. How can you function in such a world? We held a memorial service at the community cemetery. I looked around the cemetery. So many young deaths. Our norm these days is for people to live into their 80's at least. If they die during their 70's, there is a feeling that their lives were unfortunately cut short. But there, so many people die at a young age: adults in their thirties, twenties, teens, and even babies. There are so many health issues too. So many people there have diabetes The legacy of residential schools and other colonial policies destroyed families, their cultures, their way of life and even their bodies in the form of poor health. But the most lasting legacy is the legacy of damaged hearts A heart that is damaged cannot receive or give love properly. A damaged heart instead inflicts its damage onto others. It sees no hope or purpose What is needed is healing of damaged hearts. So they can love again. The ingredient that the heart needs to heal is love. Love Is All We Need As we began the trip, we weren't sure how it was going to go. Would people be open to us? Would they welcome us? But then an interesting thing happened: some of the first kids to come were children of those who used to attend the camp at Sarah and Joon's old church. A lot of people who attended these camps as kids came to see them and say hi, and they brought their own kids. After all these years, they still remember the love they received at these camps. It seems like a small thing for us, but the love they received has remained in them. As the days went on, word spread about our presence there and more and more people came. Door to door: you guys are the Koreans from Toronto? Our meals were obviously the most popular thing – at one point we had one hundred people come to eat. Our kitchen crew had their hands full the entire trip, and I'm so thankful for them. Jesus said the kingdom is heaven is like a mustard seed: it is the tiniest of seeds, but it grows into the greatest of shrubs where birds can build nests. Love is like a tiny seed. It is not visible when planted. But if it is nurtured and grown, it has the possibility of becoming a tree that bears fruit Love is what we all need. The kids came like magnets. Over 50, 60, 70 kids and youth. They cleaved to our young leaders, for whom I'm also so grateful. They developed the same bonds with the kids that were formed with their parents and others many years ago. A lot of Sioux Valley people move to the nearby city of Brandon to find jobs and opportunities. It's about half hour away. But they drove to Sioux Valley and back each day bc they treasured this camp. It was hard saying goodbye on the last night – there were many tears shed. Everyone kept asking: will you guys come back again? I had to keep responding: I really hope so There are a group of women who are faithful believers. But there is no congregation in the community. Speaking with these women, their desire is for a pastor who can shepherd a congregation. A place for children and youth to learn the Word of God. To hear the message of Jesus' love. Safe place for love and the Word to flourish – counter to what they see on a daily basis. They lament that there is no such place for them It made me realize the second thing that people need: the Word of God has the

Scripture Passage Romans 8:26-39 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script You Are Not Alone How beautiful these words are! So loving, so assuring, so hopeful. Every single sentence is touched with grace and love. There is not too much to add to this beautiful passage. It shows how much God cares for us. You are not alone. God is right there with you to take care of you. The Holy Spirit helps you in your weakness and prays for you with sighs too deep for words. Jesus Christ intercedes for you at the right hand of God. God the Father loves you with love that nothing in the world can separates you from. The WHOLE TRINITY is right there. They all work together to take care of you. What a wonderful news. You are blessed. You will be all right because behind the scene, there is God working hard for you. There is nothing to worry about. This is what St. Paul said. We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28) All things work together for good – because God is working so hard for you. Verse 31 comes to me as a loud declaration! If God is for us, who is against us? (Romans 8:31) If you believe in God, that absolute God is telling you, he is for you, not against you. That should give you confidence. If God is for me, who or what will be against me? No one can condemn you. No one can bring any charge against you. No angel, no ruler, no power can stop God who HAS DECIDED TO LOVE you. Even death cannot stop God from loving you. BUT THE IRONY IS WE ARE OUR WORST CRITIC. We don't love ourselves. We don't accept ourselves. So we have hard time believing that God loves us that much. No matter how much God loves you, if you don't accept the love, the power of love cannot have any effect on you. The Monster Last two weeks, we have reflected on the flesh and the evil. We saw that the flesh is our shadow self and it is deeply ingrained in us. And the evil is very much entangled with the good. We have been always surrounded by the flesh and the evil. We have been always surrounded by these dark forces. That makes it hard for us to love us. Yes, We were not untouched by these dark influences. We were influenced by these negative thoughts. We made it worse by ruminating and overthinking negative things about ourselves. We all experience failures and we all make mistakes. Instead of shaking them off and move on, we dwell on our failures and mistakes. They create anger, disappointment, fear, regrets, and heartaches within us. We have become our own prisoner. We have become our worst enemy. We have become incapable of loving ourselves. We have become slaves of the flesh within us and the victim of the evil around us. As Mena told me about the song last week, I listened to the song, Monster, by Justin Bieber. I could feel this tremendous pressure. You put me on a pedestal and tell me I’m the best Raise me up into the sky until I’m short of breath, yeah Fill me up with confidence, I say what’s in my chest Spill my words and tear me down until there’s nothin’ left Rearrange the pieces just to fit me with the rest, yeah But what if I, what if I trip? What if I, what if I fall? Then am I the monster? Just let me know And what if I, what if I sin? And what if I, what if I break? Yeah Then am I the monster? Yeah Just let me know, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah We deal with monster within us. And often we don't win. We just let the monster rule us and dictate us. And we become monster. Love Your Neighbour as Yourself Being perfect – it sounds good. But the thing is – It only leaves us with scars. It just makes us more disappointed about ourselves. We either give up or cover up. A French Enlightenment writer and philosopher, Voltaire said: Perfect is the enemy of good. I understand what he is trying to say. Perfectionism only leaves us with disappointment and bitterness. We become very uncomfortable with ourselves. JESUS SAID, LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR AS YOURSELF. It is quite a profound sentence. He didn't say, just love your neighbour. He said love your neighbour as yourself. He was saying that if you don't love yourself, you cannot love your neighbour. That is not possible. Love is like a flow of water. When it flows within us, it flows to others. When there is love overflowing within us, then it overflows to others. If you are judgmental to yourself, you will be judgmental to others. If you are abusive to yourself, then you are abusive to others. If you are gentle and kind to yourself, then you can be gentle and kind to others. Self-love is not selfishness. When you truly love yourself, you can overcome selfishness because you don't need to be so obsessed about yourself. You are so comfortable with yourself that you don't need to think about yourself so much. What you need is not self-esteem. What you need is self-love. Self-esteem is something you get when you do well and when your life is going all right. But self-love is being kind and gentle to yourself in all circumst

Scripture Passage Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script The Problem Outside Last week, we reflected on the flesh that is within us. The flesh is not just our body but it is our dark self, shadow self. We cannot get rid of it or remove it from us. It torments us and paralyzes us. Even though we don't like it, the flesh is us. It is like our self is attacking us. So as far as the flesh is concerned, we are powerless. Knowing that we are powerless about the flesh, Jesus gave us the Spirit and now through the power of the Spirit, the power of the flesh cannot control us any more. It is there within us but it cannot dominate our lives. Now we are in the Spirit, not in the flesh. Today, I want to talk about another big dilemma that we are dealing with in our lives. It is not a problem of the flesh. Now the problem is not just in us but outside of us. It is within our society. It is the problem of the evil. Jesus’ Parable To help us deal with the problem of the evil, Jesus gave us this parable. Let us look at the parable again. Someone sowed the good seed in his field. But when the plants came up and bore grain, the weeds appeared as well. So the servants asked this question. Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from? (Matthew 13:27) The world God created was good. God created EARTH AND SEA and he said it was good. God created PLANT AND FRUIT and he said it was good. God created THE SUN AND THE MOON and he said it was good. God created FISH AND BIRDS and he said it was good. God created ANIMALS and he said it was good. God completed his creation by creating HUMAN BEINGS and he said it was good. And yet, the world we live in is not always good. There is evil. There are suffering, hardships, agony, and sadness. We ask the same question. Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from? (Matthew 13:27) Jesus did not look at the world with utopian eyes. Jesus did not see you and your life with utopian eyes. He was not fooled by what looked good on the surface. He saw everything as it was. The Nature of Evil Jesus saw the evil working in this world. Jesus saw the evil working in what looked like a holy place and holy people. He saw the power of evil. He saw the intrinsic nature of evil. He saw that the evil is intricately connected with the good. The evil is entangled and intertwined with the good. Money is good when it is used for a good purpose, helping out those who are in need. But at the same time, the evil is right there and it uses money to destroy relationships and even humanity. Religion is good when it helps people to live with goodness and generosity. But at the same time, the evil is right there and uses the religion to create discrimination, wars, and bigotry. In everything, the good and the evil are intertwined. That's why Jesus said this. The servant came to the owner with a solution. Then do you want us to go and gather them? (Matthew 13:28) In other words, do you want us to go and pluck them out? The owner said, Oh no. Don't do that. No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. (Matthew 13:29) In other words, the weeds and the wheat are so intertwined and entangled that you may even hurt the wheat by trying to take out the weeds. From the roots, they are entangled. The Ultimate Victory Evil in our lives or in the world is not something you can easily or naively take out. That was what Pharisees did. They defined narrowly what was good life and what was bad. They used the law to define it. Then they separated the righteous people from the sinful people. Unfortunately, they categorized Jesus as a sinner and his work as evil. Their way of dealing with it was to get rid of him. So they crucified him. Plucking out the bad apple. Then what do we do? Do we do nothing? Just helplessly let the evil play its game? Jesus tells us one thing very clear. Ultimately, the evil will not prevail. The evil will not overcome the good. There will be a consequence of the evil. This is what Jesus said. at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn. (Matthew 13:30) He gives the interpretation later. the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Let anyone with ears listen! (Matthew 13:39-43) In the end, the evil will be punished. The good will win. Keep that in mind. We have confidence in this ultimate victory. We persevere our hardships and difficulties because in the end, God will restore the good.

Scripture Passage Romans 8:1-11 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Spiritual and Worldly Life In today's passage, we see a clear contrast between the life according to the Spirit and the life according to the flesh. The spiritual life and the worldly life. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. (Romans 8:5) What does it mean to set the mind on the flesh? Does this mean to live morally sinful life? Does this mean breaking the law? Does this mean violating cultural norms? The most common understanding of the difference between the spiritual life and worldly life is. Spiritual life is living a moral and religious life and the worldly life is living a secular life. We think of it as something that you do or not do. Just a lifestyle on the surface. In today's passage, I think Paul is talking about something deeper than that. What is this flesh? The flesh is yourself. But a particular aspect of yourself. Your dark self. You can call it your shadow self. Do spiritual people not have it? No we all have it. We are all influenced by this flesh. It is not something that you can deal with by doing anything. It is not about doing anything. It is the condition of your heart. It is our dark side. It is a place we don't want to go, we don't want to be. Behind the social mask we wear every day, we all have this hidden side that we don't want to expose. It makes us feel embarrassed and shameful. That is what the flesh is. It is the self that torments us. It is not only unacceptable to others but also unacceptable to ourselves. It creates tremendous inner struggle within us. The flesh is the reason we hate ourselves. It takes away our joy and our confidence. It takes away light from us. We feel dark when we face this shadow. Unbearable guilt torments us. The Shadow We don't feel it most of the time because we hide it very well deep in our secret place. We put it in there and shackle it with a lock, thinking that it is dealt with. But just because we hide it away and lock it away, it doesn't disappear. We may repress it but it's there. It only goes deeper within us. You can never shackle it with a lock. There is no lock in the world that can lock up our flesh. This is what Swiss Psychologist Carl Jung said. Everyone carries a shadow and the less it is embodied in the individual's conscious life, the blacker and denser it is. (Carl Jung) Repressing it, denying it, and hiding it – that is what we do. We think that we can handle it by doing this. But what we are doing is just getting rid of it from our awareness. We are just turning a blind eye. Its effect is still there. The more you hide it, the more powerfully it will affect us. It creates anger, shame, guilt, fear, and a sense of worthlessness. We become cold, detached, indifferent, and self-centered. We become damaged. We cannot feel for others. We cannot feel life. This shadow can manifest itself collectively, then it becomes collective shadow. One good example is the Holocaust. It can affect the whole nation. They don't feel it and so they can do unimaginable things. It is a malady of modern society. They set fire on a person just sitting in the subway. They just shoot a person without reason. No feeling left any more. Jesus saw that very clearly. We reflected on this last week. We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn. (Matthew 11:17) You become emotionally dry. You become incapable of emotionally engaging with others. This dark self does not allow us to live an integrated and authentic life. We sense hypocrisy within us. Our smile is a fake smile. Our kindness is merely a social gesture. We are not real. Nothing matters except me. That is what the flesh looks like. That is what it means to live according to the flesh. Thing is you can never get away from the flesh. It is who you are. Your shadow self is also yourself. Your dark side is also you. Whether you like it or not, it is you. The more you try to hide it, the more it will control you. The more you try to get rid of it, the more it will make you feel helpless. The Flesh The solution is not to hide it. The solution is not to get rid of it. The solution is for the flesh to serve you, not to make it become your master. Don't give power to your flesh but let it serve you. There is a famous Argentinian writer. His name is Jorges Luis Borges. He said, All that happens to us, including our humiliations, our misfortunes, our embarrassment, all is given to us as raw material, as clay, so that we may shape our art. (Jorges Luis Borges) I think it is a good advice. Creativity does not come from only what is good. Creativity comes from both good and bad. Even our flesh, our dark side, when it is in God's hands, it changes its effects. Instead of destroying us, it will help us to be creative. It is possible because God gave us the Spirit. The Sp

Scripture Passage Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Unresponsive Numbness In just a few days, the City of Toronto will install a new mayor. This election was a milestone. The three leading candidates were immigrants or children of immigrants. Two of them were people of colour. For the first time in Toronto's history, we will have a mayor who is a racialized person of colour and an immigrant. It's a historic moment. It signifies the kind of place Toronto has become – as a city that draws people from all over the world It was also an important election because there are so many issues in the city: Acts of random violence have increased. The problem of homelessness and lack of shelters has grown. Our transportation system is facing issues. Cost of housing is through the roof. But when I think about it, I don't think any of this really mattered much to a lot of people. For most people, this news, if it even registered, was met with a collective shrug. Voter turnout wasn't terrible, but the level of emotional engagement was very low. I wonder if this is how Jesus felt during his lifetime. Jesus was Emmanuel – God with us. The living presence of God in the flesh. He came to usher in a new reign of God. He performed great deeds to signify the beginning of this kingdom. People should have marveled at these great deeds, see them for what they were – the beginning of a new era of God's good works – and changed their lives in response to it. I mean, if you see powerful deeds that mark the beginning of a new thing that God is doing, there is nothing else to do but change! But that's not what happened. Instead of wonder and change, Jesus encountered unresponsive numbness. This is what he says in today's passage: But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.' (Matthew 11:16) Unresponsive numbness: Is this what life is like today? When things happen around us, do we just greet it with blank stares? Our Hearts Are Tired I don't think that people have no feeling. All of us have feeling. We all care about things. I am thankful for the people of our church: warm, kind, accepting. I think the problem is that people are just overwhelmed with all the things they need to care about It is not that people lack feeling, it's that people's hearts are tired. So many things weigh on their hearts. Many worries. Many anxieties Living day to day takes its toll on us. Bumping up against others in our daily encounters. Being in toxic environments. Feeling lack of purpose in what you do. Going through that daily grind without end. These things leave nicks and bruises on our hearts. They take a toll. They weigh on us. Even when we want to care, when we encounter indifferent numbness in others, it makes our hearts more tired. Sometimes we confuse the brain and the heart. Our work and daily requirements consume us. Our brains get tired. We want to shut down our minds. Shut them down and enjoy some pleasures to rest our minds. But our minds are different from the heart. Shutting off our minds does not give rest for our hearts. The heart is our spiritual center. It is what makes us human. It is the seat of empathy. It is the seat of care. It is the place where hope is born and our imagination comes alive. It is also the gateway to God. It is the place we encounter God. Our brains articulate our experience of God and process our understanding of God, but the heart is where we experience God When our hearts are tired, all of these capacities are diminished. When you don't get enough sleep, your physical and cognitive functions diminish. When your heart is tired, your human and spiritual capacities diminish. You lose capacity for empathy. To care. When your heart is tired, you are unable to concern yourself with anything beyond your own surroundings. There is no room in your heart for more. Everything feels burdensome. When your heart is tired, you become numb to things around you. Instead of being inspired, you become jaded, cynical and judgemental. This is how people responded to people like Jesus and John. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He has a demon'; the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' (Matthew 11:17) Jesus and John were sent by God. They were God's messengers and agents. But they could not recognize that. When your heart is tired, you cannot recognize God. You cannot feel life. Life becomes merely a string of activity with no meaning. No joy. Rest Sleep restores, regenerates and heals the body. In the same way, our hearts need rest. Rest that restores, regenerates and heals the heart. Rest that allows our hearts to feel again. Rest that makes room for others in our hearts. Rest that lets us see God at work. Rest that heals our hearts of s

Scripture Passage Romans 6:12-13 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Sin Sin – it is not a popular topic. We don't want to think about it or talk about it. We want to just sweep it under the rug. What is sin? Sin is breaking rules. But it is more than that. SIN IS A DARK FORCE THAT ENSLAVES US TO ITS POWER. That's why St. Paul often uses the language of SLAVERY AND FREEDOM when he talks about sin. Sin makes us feel powerless. This powerlessness is well expressed in Paul's letter to Romans. I am of the flesh, sold into slavery under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. (Romans 7:14-20) The last sentence shows the nature of sin very well. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. (Romans 7:20) Sin is not just breaking the rules. It is not just what we do wrong. It is not just our shortcomings. Sin is the dark power that dwells within you. Sin is the power that brings the worst of yourself. It destroys your self-esteem. It robs you of your confidence. It condemns you. It is not you who is doing this to yourself. It is sin within you that does it. It sounds like blaming sin, not yourself. That is not what Paul is trying to say. Paul is trying to show the powerful reality that exists very within us. You are deeply affected by this dark power. This dark power is so powerful that you feel enslaved. It is almost like cancer within you. It takes away the joy of life. It drives you to fear and darkness. It creates guilt within you and this guilt torments you. There is always a dark cloud hovering over you. We have noble visions, beautiful dreams, ideals and yet this dark power destroys them all. When sin convicts you, you become paralyzed and feel hopeless. The Laws By doing something good here and something good there will not be the way to deal with our sin. Trying to be a nice person will not be able to pluck out the sin that is within you. We all have laws within us. If you have grown up in Christian environment, you have God's commandment and Jesus' teaching. Even if you have not grown up in Christian environment, you have learned a moral code. You have these laws and try to follow them. These laws are good. They tell you what is good and what is bad. But having the law – does it help? Knowing what to do – does it help? When you don't have power to carry out, what good is it to KNOW what to do? It's like saying to a depressed person, Don't be depressed. It's like saying to a very angry person, Don't be angry. These laws are useless. Our conscience is not very helpful either. Do we have no choice then? Do we have to live, dictated by this dark and negative power? Can we ever experience true freedom? Freedom Freedom is not to do whatever you want. Freedom is to be free from this dark and negative power. Having enough money and not having to work – that is not what freedom is. You have time and money so that you can travel wherever you want to go – that is not what freedom is. That is Lotto 649 Freedom, not real freedom. Freedom is freedom from sin. It is freedom from fear. Freedom from worries and anxieties. Freedom from guilt. Freedom from greed. Freedom from hatred. Freedom from anger. Freedom from low self-esteem. Having enough money and not having to work cannot give you that kind of freedom. Travelling wherever you want to go will not give you that kind of freedom. St. Paul said this in today's passage. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:14) Only the power that can destroy the power of sin is grace. When Jesus died on the cross, the power of grace was released. It is like a floodgate being opened. GRACE IS GOD'S DECISION NOT TO CONDEMN YOU BUT TO ACCEPT YOU. St. Paul realized this wonderful truth about God when he met Christ and reflected on him. He discovered the mysterious truth of God's grace. This was what he said. What then are we to say about these things? If God is for us, who is against us? (Romans 8:31) When God decided to love us in spite of our shortcomings, who will accuse us? When God decided to accept us, who will charge us? Who will convict us? Who will bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? ( Romans 8:33, 34) After saying this, St. Paul said this wonderful truth. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separ

Scripture Passage Matthew 9:9-13, 18-26 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script The Beginning Recognizing that I need help is the beginning of everything. It is the beginning of change. It is the beginning of healing. It is the beginning of becoming righteous. It is a very simple statement and simple attitude that we can have. And yet the result is powerful. The woman who had been suffering from haemorrhages for twelve years experienced healing. She had nothing to show for and she did nothing to deserve healing. The only thing she had was this attitude. I need help. The result was phenomenal. She was not just physically healed. She became free from social isolation. During Jesus' time, woman's bleeding was considered dirty. So once a month, women had to go through the humiliation of feeling dirty. It was not a good thing to do to a human being. But this woman with haemorrhages had to live with it not just once a month but every day of her life. Sometimes our culture can be cruel and quite oppressive. If our culture is cruel and oppressive, then we should be bold enough to change that. Now she became free from the social stigma. She experienced a life-changing miracle. It was simple. Her attitude of I need help is all she needed. The same thing happened to the second story. The daughter of a leader of the synagogue. She was dead. But the father did not give up. He came to Jesus. He came with this simple attitude. I need help. His simple plea of I need help saved his daughter. He experienced the wonderful miracle of having back his daughter. The woman who had been suffering from haemorrhages and the leader of the synagogue had this simple attitude. I need help. This Simple Request Your prayer should be simple. Lord, I need help. You don't need to say anything more. You don't need to say a long prayer, using fancy words. When you live your life with this simple attitude, your life will become very simple and amazingly, you will experience the wonderful mystery of God. You don't need to impress anyone. You don't need to prove yourself to others. You don't need to show how great you are. You simply come to God and say I need you. You simply come to others and say I need you. Do you know how European church started? Very simple. It started with this vision. St. Paul's original plan was to go to Asia. But he saw this vision at night. This was the vision. During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, Come over to Macedonia and help us.'(Acts 16:9) Macedonia was Europe. Come and help us. With this simple request, the whole Europe became the Christian country. Lord, help me. That is the attitude of asking for mercy. I have nothing to give you. I have no sacrifice to present to you. I come simply because I need your help. But God likes that. Matthew tells us this. I desire mercy, not sacrifice. (Matthew 9:13) That was how Matthew felt when he was first called. Matthew was a tax collector. Everybody hated tax collectors. They took advantage of people financially. They were like thieves. To make money, to be rich, they threw away their dignity and personal integrity. They lived their whole life with this sense of being dirty and impure. Like the woman who had suffered from haemorrhages. The woman for the wrong reason. But Matthew, maybe, for the understandable reason. When Jesus called Matthew, he was quite surprised. He was so honoured. Jesus' calling was a pure honour. Matthew didn't deserve to be a disciple of Jesus. He did too many bad things to people. And he knew that too. And yet, this great teacher called him to follow him. He experienced the mercy of God. What Jesus said at that moment was so powerful to him. For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners. (Matthew9:13) Matthew remembered this moment so vividly. It was Matthew who wrote this gospel. That phrase cut to the heart of Matthew. Matthew changed forever. He was only a tax collector but he wrote this master piece, called the Gospel According To Matthew. It became the Bible for us. The power of mercy. He learned the power of mercy. True Righteousness Jesus said this. Go and learn what this means, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. (Matthew 9:13) Pharisees did not have the clue of what their own prophet, Hosea said. What I just quoted was quotation from Hosea. They didn't live with the attitude of I need help. They had the attitude of I am righteous. We are righteous not because we are clean and sinless but because of God's mercy, we can stand before God as a righteous person. True righteousness begins with I need help. From that true righteousness, the wonderful and powerful miracles can happen. There is a clear difference between the righteousness that I built with my own power and the righteousness that is given to me as a gift. Jesus explains this contrast with his parable. He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: Two

Scripture Passage Matthew 28:16-20 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Together in Partnership I told you last week that there is a project of translating the Bible in their tribal languages. It has been translated into two languages and they will do two more translation in the future. Each translation project costs U$100,000. One person donated U$100,000 and U$300,000 were raised. The Rev. Ohm said he would donate again. There are a lot of good and generous people in the world. People in Madagascar couldn't do this alone. We need a partnership. This world is deeply connected. It is not that western countries do the mission for the developing countries. The attitude of colonial mission should not be the model we should follow any more. We work together in partnership, using each other's strengths and resources. People in Madagascar are doing much better in terms of mission than those who live in North America. But they need financial resources. So we help them and enable them to do what they do well. We are enablers. We have to look at mission in a new way. It is true that there had been many problems with the idea of mission traditionally. But Jesus' Great Commission is still important to us. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19) Matthew 28:18-20 is often called the Great Commission. It is a term coined by the great missionary to China, Hudson Taylor, who said, The Great Commission is not an option to be considered; it is a command to be obeyed. Just as the sun does not forget a village just because it is small, we do not want to ignore the people of any small language group who have not heard the gospel. That's why we wanted to translate the Bible in their tribal languages. When I was a chair of the Asian Centre at Knox, there was a man who was translating the Bible into Hakka tribe in Taiwan. This Bible is specifically edited to reflect African situation in their commentaries and a little stories. The Rev. Ohm's name is written in the first page. Because this project was done by Leadership International which helps many African projects. The leader of the Leadership International came to Madagascar last year and he had a heart attack. We all prayed for his safety. With God's help, he was Ok. Gifts From God The Great Commission is a precious statement. It is what gives us the purpose of life. Because of this Great Commission, we have come to know Jesus Christ, and believe in him, and have eternal life. There were people who took this Commission seriously enough that they gave their lives to fulfill this Commission. That was how the good news came to us. We owe them. St. Paul lived with this indebted feeling. This was what he said. I am a debtor both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish (Romans 1:14) Of course, he didn't borrow money from them. He is a debtor of God's grace and his way of paying back the debt was to share the gospel with Greeks and barbarians, the wise and the foolish. He lived his life with this indebted feeling. Yes, we are all debtors. God has provided so much for us. All the good things that we enjoy – we have received from God. Material wealth, our children, our health, our good living condition, our security. Not only that. Peace we feel. Love that we experience. Forgiveness that we enjoy. The hope for the eternal life. These are all free gifts from God. We don't need to pay back. But deep in our heart, we have this appreciation. That appreciation is what Paul was talking about. He was so appreciative that he said he was a debtor. I think that is the best way to describe our deep appreciation. Yes, we are debtors. Not because we have to pay back, but we want to pay back out of gratitude. Those who are in difficult situations. We are debtors to them. Those who are experiencing injustice in life. We are debtors to them. The natural environments that was destroyed and exploited because of human greed. We are debtors to them. Those who don't know the good news. We are debtors to them. People in Madagascar live with that attitude. I thanked them personally for taking time out and helping me. They always said, No I thank you. They live with this indebtedness. And they all took this Commission seriously. I could see that. They gave their life to carry out this Commission. My translator was so happy seeing the students learning so much and he told me what students told him with excitement. Indebtedness Entitlement attitude should not be a Christian attitude. I am having what I am entitled to have. I am enjoying things that I am entitled to enjoy. That is not a Christian attitude. The attitude of indebtedness should be a Christian attitude. The disciples carried out the Great Commission with this indebted feeling. We sing this song. O for a thousand tongues to sing My great Redeemer’s praise, The glories of my God and King, The triumphs of His grace. Even if we have a thousand tongues, it is not enough to praise God with them. That is

Scripture Passage Acts 1:8 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script The Ends of the Earth Acts of Apostles was written by Luke. When Luke wrote this book, there was no such thing as Christians. They were all Jews. But they were different from the majority of other Jews. They believed that Jesus was the Messiah they had been waiting for. So, we call them Messianic Jews. They were a very small group. After Jesus died, only 120 people gathered together to pray. A very small, insignificant group. But Luke had a great vision. He had a vision that there will be God's witnesses not only in Jerusalem but to the ends of the earth. He believed in what Jesus said. This was what Jesus said. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8) What Jesus said came true. There were witnesses who went to the ends of the earth. What started with prayers of 120 people changed the whole world. Starting from Rome, the whole world changed. All Europe, Asia, North and South America, Africa, and Madagascar that I went to. FJKM Church Slide: Church Picture The picture you see is FJKM church in one of the villages where I taught. On the building, it says 1859. But the church officially began in 1968. FJKM means Church of Jesus Christ in Madagascar. It has been a member of WCC since 1969. This church is the biggest denomination as the reformed church in Madagascar. They have 6 million members. The Rev. Njato who organized this whole mission is a minister of 20,000 members. They have 5 separate services. It was 15,000 member church when I went last time and it grew. I don't know how Luke had this big vision. He was like a prophet. That itself was a miracle. He didn't believe in the power of 120 people. He didn't believe in the power of 4 million or 6 million people. He believed in the power of the Holy Spirit. You can see that in today's passage. He said, when the Holy Spirit has come upon you When the Holy Spirit comes upon you, you become a witness. That is what the Holy Spirit does. When you receive the Holy Spirit, you want to be a witness. And you will live a life of being a witness. Being a witness means simply to share what God has done in your life. The Desire to be a Witness I went to two places: Ambatondrazaka and Fianarantsoa. Since we didn't have enough time, we had to take a small plane when we got there. It's only 400 Km but it takes 20 hours by a car. On the way back, we came by a car. Slide: Pilot from Sweden and a young mother from Holland. They are all there because they want to be witnesses. Every year, the church the Rev. Njato serves sends 50 lay missionaries. When they first started this project, they asked for help and so our church financially helped them. You see pictures on the way to the fellowship hall. Now, they are sending 200 people. They are just church members. Some of them are professors, engineers, teachers, and there are also who are not educated. They take vacation and go there to help establish a church. In Madagascar, there are a few big cities but there are also so many small villages. There is no road to get there. So, you have to go there by Helicopter and there is a Heli Mission. Or some places, you go by a boat. These lay people want to be witnesses and that's why they get trained and go to rural areas. I helped them again with the fund you provided for me. Just to take us around, two people took their vacation and drove us. One was a professional soldier and the other was a taxi driver by profession. One person took a week's vacation to do translation for us. They were all church members. For them, serving is their life. Serving for Christ is what they do. They do this with the desire to be witnesses. That is the proof of having the Holy Spirit within them. The proof of having the Spirit is not about having supernatural gifts or speaking in tongues but having the desire to be a witness. Luke believed in this power. And we have seen this power throughout Christian history. Passion I went to train seminary students. FJKM has 4 seminaries. And there is a Faculty of Theology in Antananarivo. You study 3 years in these seminaries but they have to study at the Faculty of Theology for their final year. Then you go out and practice one more year. Then you can become a minister. There are 7,200 churches in the national church but only 1,500 ministers. In Ambatondrazaka, there were 69 students and 77 students in Fianarantsoa. There were more female students in both seminaries. Their studying environment was not very good. They all live there. In a small room, 6-8 people live together. Not many facilities. Slide: Washroom But they all have this desire to be witnesses. They didn't mind their difficult circumstances. They had this passion to be witnesses. Slide: Students They could overcome all their difficult situations with this sole desire to be witnesses. When I taught them,

Scripture Passage 1 Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Fiery Ordeal Our passage today begins with this verse: Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. (1 Peter 4:12) Peter's community is going through something very difficult. To grasp what that is, we need to unpack the context a little bit. Peter is writing to a community of mostly Gentiles. Before they became Christians, they used to be a part of their communities. They lived the same way as them. They were insiders in the culture and community. But everything changed after they met Christ. After meeting Christ, they found their reason for living. The way they thought changed. The way they behaved changed. The people they hung out with changed. When people change, it disturbs those around them. It disrupts the equilibrium. It is unsettling. Their change attracted hostility. It aroused suspicion. They became marginalized in their own communities. The people are going through a very hard time. They are second guessing themselves. But Peter has a message for them: But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ's sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you. (1 Peter 4:13-14) Rejoice. Your are blessed. Love and Suffering Peter is telling them to embrace suffering and hold fast to what they had found in Christ When you love something, you suffer. This is a universal truth. When you truly love something and give of yourself to it, it will bring suffering. Parents' suffering: parents love their children, but that love brings suffering. When your children suffer, you suffer. But suffering borne of love bears the fruit of life. God loved the world so much that he sent his only son, Jesus. Jesus' suffering in love saves us, gives us life. To meet Christ is to experience fullness of God's love – to be enveloped by love. Love is what brings life. Love makes things come alive. To really live, need to be driven by love. If you haven't found something or someone to love, then you haven't found a reason to live. Calling: unique way in which love is manifested. Love is universal, calling is unique. The shape that love is manifested in each person is unique. Calling is your special unique contribution of love to the world that only you can contribute. It's not about your job, but how you live your life and bless others. That is unique to you. I am a minister by job, but my calling is not so much about the duties I perform. It is about who I am. Who I am comes through in how I do my job and relate to others. Ultimately, it is me as a person who is called to love regardless of whether I'm a minister or not, not me as a minister. We are all uniquely created to offer our unique contribution of love to this world. When we are in Christ, we discover who we are. In Christ's love, we find our unique expression of that love. But that love brings about suffering. Peter's community found this love in Christ, but they were suffering from the hostility from others. Hostility When you experience hostility, it does something to you. Weakens your resolve. Makes you doubt yourself. Instead of feeling free to love, it makes you fear, becoming driven by the need to be accepted and blend in. Discrimination and prejudice have corrosive effects. It makes you feel like what you have to offer is not worth much. Not only that, but that it's undesired. When you're made an outsider, it eats away at your sense of self-worth. Many of you experienced that. That is what is pernicious about racism: you are made to feel that you are less valuable and have less to offer simply by who you are in appearance or background. Rejection and prejudice can distort who you are. You become very defensive: try to prove yourself and show how special you are, or hide who you are and try to blend in. Avoid difference and run away from what's unique about yourself. Bury your unique contribution of love. To be driven more by calculation than by love To live life that's true requires courage. You need to be willing to face the fire that can come your way. You need to face the fiery ordeals that Peter is talking about. These fires will test who you are and what you're made of. Peter is trying to forge a new identity for those who are in Christ. It's a new identity sealed in his blood. The blood that came from his suffering. We are those who share the sufferings of Christ. Those sufferings give us life. We too take up the path to the cross that Jesus took. We have faith that we will rise with him and share in his glory Yes, rejection by others takes its toll on us. Even the resurrected Jesus retained the marks on his hands and his sides he received during his crucifixion. We too rise again with Christ, but our marks remain

Scripture Passage John 14:15-21 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script An Anchor Happy Mother's Day. In our church, we celebrate our parents once a year, so I will say, Happy Parents' Day . We celebrate parents because they are anchors for their children. It is not so much what you do for them that matters. It is your presence. Your presence is the anchor for your children as they grow up. Your presence allows them to grow securely into who they are supposed to be. Your presence is the safe space in which they blossom. Your presence is the place from which they venture out into the world. Your presence is their anchor. That is the greatest thing you can do for your children – be an anchor for them through your presence. An anchor keeps a boat securely moored. It keeps the boat safe at harbour when storms hit. It keeps it from drifting out to sea and getting lost. It keeps the boat calm and steady so it can get ready to sail. Just like a parent, Jesus was the anchor for his disciples. They left everything to follow him. He was the one in whom they pinned all their hopes. They sat at his feet as he taught. They were beside him as he healed people. They felt purpose and meaning in his presence. He was their true anchor. But now, Jesus is talking about his departure. It's making them very uneasy. Jesus makes them a promise: I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. (John 14:18) To be orphaned is to lose the anchoring presence that parents provide. Orphans are very vulnerable. The disciples were feeling very vulnerable. What would they do if he was gone? But Jesus is promising that he will not leave them alone. He will come back to them. He will come back, but the manner in which he'll come back is very mysterious. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. (John 20:19) They didn't understand what Jesus meant. What Jesus says is very mysterious. What does it mean that the world will no longer see him, but that they will? Jesus is promising his continuing presence with them, but not in the way they had experienced up to now. Until now, they had been with him physically, and his physical presence had been their anchor. Jesus is talking about a different kind of presence. He's talking about a different reality. A spiritual presence in a spiritual reality. This was difficult for them to understand. It's difficult for us to understand. In our contemporary, scientific, technological age, reality for us has become only what we see with our eyes and what we can touch. Reality is what we experience on the surface. Reality is logical and what we can make sense of. So the anchors we seek are concrete, tangible, and make sense. Health, wealth, job, family and friends. These are anchors we can see and that make sense. But spiritual people have known that reality is not only what we can see or touch. It is not just what our analytical minds can deduce. There is a great reality beyond what we see. We may not see it with our eyes, but it is just as real. Spirituality is being in tune with what is real but not visible to our eyes. Spiritual growth is about cultivating eyes to see this greater reality. Pastor Dave is a very observant guy – maybe that's why he's a pastor. He went to Germany for his sister's wedding. He was at the airport for the first time since the pandemic began. There were so many people – everyone going off to their destination. When we're there, we're just focused on where we're going. We go, check in our luggage, wait, then board the plane. But in order for each person to get where they're going, there are so many things happening behind the scenes. There are so many people involved, so many systems at play, so much coordination that takes place, to get each person where they need to go. We don't really think about any of that. We don't see everything that happens behind the scenes. But all of what happens behind the scenes is real. We couldn't travel without all of that. Spiritual Reality That is what spiritual reality is like. It is all the things happening beyond the sight of our eyes. We may not see or notice it, but they are very real nonetheless. Being spiritual is to see what we don't see. Beneath everyday life, there are many things happening. There are things happening in your heart. Things based on your interactions and experiences. Someone around you might behave in a strange way, but underneath the surface, there's a lot happening. Beneath and beyond the reality we see is a spiritual reality hidden from our eyes but that is real nonetheless. A spiritual person learns to detect and discern these things. While Jesus was with the disciples, they were not very spiritual people. His physical presence was their anchor. They saw the wonderful things he was doing but did not understand the deeper meaning of them. But Jesus was preparing them to be spiritual people. He said this: And I will ask the Father, and he will give you an

Scripture Passage John 14:1-14 Worship Video Worship Audio The worship audio will be available at a later time. Thank you for your patience! Sermon Script Uncertainty Last few weeks, I have encountered many deaths. It is sad to witness the passings of people with whom I have had a close relationship. Not only that, I also have heard from people who are going through illness that makes their future very uncertain. I received a Kakao message from a person I haven't seen some time. He asked for prayer. He was diagnosed with cancer and asked me to pray for him. To all of us, life is very uncertain. More uncertain, especially for those who are going through a difficult time. But my friends, the truth is our life has been always uncertain. We always lived with the uncertainty. We don't know our future. That is what life is. God made it that way. Proverbs said, Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring. (Proverbs 27:1) James said, Come now, you who say, Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a town and spend a year there, doing business and making money.'Yet you do not even know what tomorrow will bring. (James 4:13, 14) We do not know what tomorrow will bring. That is the undeniable truth. Ancient people knew that. It didn't change in our modern time. Unfortunately, this gives us anxiety. It troubles our heart. We Don’t Know About Tomorrow In the last few days of Jesus' life, his disciples felt very uneasy. We see that very clearly in today's passage. Today's passage is called Farewell discourse. This is Jesus' final words to his disciples. He knew he was going to die soon and so he wanted to say goodbye to his disciples but at the same time, he wanted to say a few words to them. The disciples sensed that something bad was coming. Their future was not clear. Jesus kept talking about going to the father. This made them feel very uncomfortable. Finally, Thomas asked this question. Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way? (John 14:5) The disciples were scared. When something bad is coming, we all sense it. They all sensed dark clouds coming over them. They depended on Jesus all this time and now they sensed that he might no longer be with them. They could not think of their lives without Jesus. They all followed Jesus and Jesus showed them what to do. If Jesus were not with them, they wouldn't know what to do. Threats and dangers – they felt them. Sensing their anxiety, Jesus said this. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. (John 14:1) Uncertainties of life will never disappear from us. You will always face uncertainties of life. No one lives with certainty. No one knows what holds tomorrow. We see a movie where people come from the future and know exactly what would happen in a few minutes. When we see that, we say, oh that's nice. But it is only a fantasy. We don't know about tomorrow. Everyone is on the same boat. Live With Faith FACING UNCERTAINTIES OF LIFE, ARE YOU GOING TO LIVE WITH ANXIETY OR ARE YOU GOING TO LIVE WITH FAITH? These are two roads ahead of you. You have to choose. Depending on which road you choose, your life will turn out very differently. Jesus clearly told us to choose to live with faith. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. (John 14:1) Jesus is saying to the disciples to choose to live with faith when your future is uncertain. Don't let your hearts be troubled. Choose to live with faith. That is what Jesus wants us to do. I don't know what holds my tomorrow. But I know who holds my tomorrow. I may not know about tomorrow, but I am going to live today with faith in God who holds my tomorrow. I am going to Madagascar tomorrow. I don't know clearly what is waiting for me. I don't know what God is going to reveal to me. But I will go with faith in God who holds my tomorrow. When you have this faith, worries disappear. There is nothing to worry about tomorrow. Do what you have to do today. That is what our Lord Jesus taught us. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today's trouble is enough for today. (Matthew 6:34) You have the energy only enough to deal with today's trouble. You don't have the energy to worry about tomorrow. When you start worrying about tomorrow, it will start damaging your soul. Confidence In God Don't you have to plan for tomorrow? Of course, you do. You have to plan for tomorrow. Planning for tomorrow is different from worrying about tomorrow. Planning for tomorrow means to take tomorrow positively. Worrying about tomorrow is taking tomorrow negatively. Planning for tomorrow means to invite tomorrow. Worrying about tomorrow is avoiding tomorrow. You can plan for tomorrow because you don't worry about tomorrow. When you have faith, you can use all your energies for planning not for worrying. But when you plan for tomorrow, keep this in mind. You plan it but it is God who makes it happen. The human mind plans

Scripture Passage John 10:1-10 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Abundant Life Life is about giving. It is not about taking. Good life is a life of giving. There is a joy in giving. There is a secret of happiness hidden in the life of giving. This is what Jesus said. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10) He gave us the abundant life. Abundant life is a life of giving. Your life is so filled with God's blessings that it overflows. That overflowing is giving. You don't give from scarcity. You give from the abundance. Abundance is not necessarily the abundance of material. That is not what Jesus is talking about. Those who followed Jesus did not become rich materially. But they had the abundant life. Abundance is the quality of your heart. It is the quality of your existence. This is what St. Paul said. Not that I am referring to being in need; for I have learned to be content with whatever I have. I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11-13) That is what abundant life looks like. It doesn't depend on the material abundance. The Path of Taking A few weeks ago, a person came to me and told me after the service. Rev., if there is anybody in HiC who needs help, let me know. I can help. I am a counsellor. That is the attitude of giving. Your heart is filled with God's blessings and it overflows. When you don't have abundance in your heart, you cannot give. All you can think about is taking. Because you feel you are lacking. You feel empty inside. That empty void within you drives you to want to take more. But the truth is it cannot be filled by having more. If you take the path of taking rather than giving, you will become very unhappy. The more you try to take, the more unhappy you will become. I don't know why this is the case but that is what I see both in me and in others. Someone said this. While reading books or articles, I have a habit of writing down phrases I like. I don't know where I read it but it was good so I wrote it down in my notepad. Gratitude flows from the recognition that who we are and what we have are gifts to be received and shared. The recognition that who we are and what we have are gifts – THAT FILLS OUR EMPTY VOID. When we have that recognition, we experience our deep void being filled and the gratitude follows. We often forget about the givenness of life. We did not make everything possible on our own. We did not achieve everything that we have. Important things in life are given. The air we breathe. Beautiful trees and flowers. Sunshine we enjoy. Rain that blesses the land. These are all given. These are gifts of God. We did not become who we are on our own. It is not all about our achievement. There were a lot of people who have helped you to become who you are. Your parents, your friends, your colleagues, and even strangers. When you recognize that who you are and what you have are gifts to be received and shared, you will thankfully share what you have. That is life of giving. That is what abundant life looks like. You give not because you have to or because you feel guilty. You give because you love to. As you received good gifts from life, you want to share these gifts with others so that they may also experience the goodness of life. When you take the path of taking rather than giving, you become smaller and smaller. Your existence will be shrunk up. You become a needy person. Very focused on yourself. Always think about yourself. You become a prisoner of yourself. That is not who we are. We are more than that. We are created in God's image. Our God is abundant God. All the good gifts overflow from God. God is always giving. For God so loved the world that he GAVE his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. (John 3:16) He even gave his only Son for us. Jesus came to give us life, the abundant life. God is all about giving. We are created in God's image. Overflowing abundance – that is who we are. You are much more than selfish people who always want to take. You are generous people who are filled with God's abundant blessings. Self-Transcendence There was an American psychologist who studied human needs. His name is Abraham Maslow He came up with a pyramid that describes the hierarchy of human needs. And he put self-actualization at the top. At the bottom, there are physiological needs. (Safety, Love and belonging, Esteem ) Physiological needs are predominant in infancy and early childhood. But for the mature adult, the need of self-actualization is strong. Self-actualization is living out your full potential. But near the end of his life, he amended his pyramid, realizing that there is another step to the top after the self-actualization. That is self-transcende

Scripture Passage Matthew 28:1-10 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Dawning Matthew chapter 28 describes the scene of the resurrection. Listen to the first verse. After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. (Matthew 28:1) These words catch my eyes. After the sabbath The first day of the week Dawning The first creation ended with the Sabbath. Now there is a new beginning. The first day of the week was dawning. It is the language of a new beginning. The resurrection is the new beginning. That's why Luke started another book, called the Acts of the Apostles. The resurrection of Jesus started a new movement. He recorded what this new movement looked like. All four gospel writers experienced the resurrection and that prompted them to write their gospel. And they all believed that Jesus' resurrection opened a new era, a new beginning, and a new world. So Mark started with this. The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. (Mark 1:1) John started with this. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1) They all experienced the new beginning in Jesus' resurrection. They experienced the resurrection. They saw it, heard it, and felt it. What they used to know maybe theoretically, now they experienced it. Until then, death controlled their lives. Now they realized that death was not the end anymore. They saw that in Jesus' resurrection. This gave them a new hope and their life changed. When we believe that there is resurrection, we can start a new life. We can look at our lives differently. Angel told the women this. He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him. This is my message for you.' (Matthew 28:7) On the way, they met Jesus and Jesus told the women this. Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me. (Matthew 28:10) The angel and Jesus both emphasized Galilee. Go there. I would be there. Why Galiliee? That was where Jesus began his ministry. Jesus wanted the disciples to start again from where he started his ministry. Jesus' ministry did not end at his death. Jesus' ministry started again with his resurrection. But this time, it will be done not by Jesus. But the disciples would carry out the ministry. But Jesus promised that he would be with them. That's why at the end of this chapter which is the end of the book, Matthew ended his gospel with this. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.'(Matthew 28:18-20) Every Sunday We come together on Sunday. Do you know why? To celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Every Sunday, we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. And with that celebration, our week begins. So to us, Sunday is the beginning of our week. St. Paul had a new beginning of his life after he met the risen Lord on the road to Damascus. That's why he said this. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! (2 Corinthians 5:17) When you know that death is not the end, you can start a new life. You will have a new beginning. Jesus had done all he had to do. Then he died. On Sabbath, he rested. And on Sunday, he rose from the dead and brought a new beginning, new creation, and new life. The old has gone and the new has come. Every Sunday, we can begin a new life. That should be our life pattern. We might have failed during the week. We might have ruined our life for that week. We might have gone astray. But on Sunday, we can start a new life. That is what the spirit of resurrection is all about. We fall and we rise again. We fail and we try again. That is what resurrection is. Boast in Your Suffering Death cannot end our new beginning. Death cannot be the period of our life. We won't let death be the period. We always connect the next sentence with the and or but . I have finished the race AND the crown of glory is waiting for me. I have failed BUT I will try again because God gives me another opportunity. The resurrection is not just about the physical death. The resurrection is our life attitude. When you believe in the resurrection, your life attitude will be renewed. You won't be scared of losing everything. Because you know that it will be filled up again. It will be filled up more abundantly. It is so filled up that it will flow over. You cannot but be positive about your life. Even failure will only help you. This is what St. Paul said. we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope (Romans 5:3, 4) Even suffering will not end our life. S

Scripture Passage Matthew 27:11-26 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script He Was Silent When I read today's passage, two words come to my mind. SILENCE and NOISE There is a silence of Jesus and a noise of people The only thing Jesus said was this. You say so. (Matthew 27:11) This was when Pilate asked Jesus whether he was the King of the Jews. That was it. After that, Jesus didn't say anything. Until Pilate handed him over to be crucified, he said nothing. He was completely silent. When he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not say anything. when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer. (Matthew 27:12) He did not defend himself. He was silent. Pilate was frustrated and told Jesus this. Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you? (Matthew 27:13) He wanted to break Jesus' silence and make him say something. Say something to defend himself. But Jesus did not say a word. Total silence! he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed. (Matthew 27:14) Pilate was amazed because Jesus was different from all the people he experienced. They all begged him to save their lives. But Jesus was silent. It was not that Jesus had nothing to say. He had so much to say. He was a teacher. He taught so many great truths. When you read the Gospels, it was mostly Jesus who spoke. But not this time. Jesus knew when it was a time to speak and when it was a time to be silent. The Wisdom of Ecclesiastes That is the wisdom of Ecclesiastes. For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak (Ecclesiastes 3:1, 6-7) Jesus knew that it was a time to be silent Why was he silent? Because he knew that it was no use. Jewish leaders already made up their minds to kill him. No matter what Jesus said, no matter what Pilate tried to do, they would push through their agenda and they would get it. Jesus knew that. They were so determined. They believed that they were doing God's will. When people think what they are doing is God's will, no one can stop them. Hear what they said. Then the people as a whole answered, His blood be on us and on our children!' (Matthew 27:25) Very determined. Their determination could be felt in their voices. Barabbas! Barabbas! Crucify Jesus! Crucify Jesus ! Pilate was not naive. He was a very polished politician. He knew people very well. He clearly knew that Jesus was innocent. For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. (Matthew 27:18) He almost defended Jesus. The more he tried to defend Jesus, the more violently people reacted. But they shouted all the more, Let him be crucified!'(Matthew 27:23) Loud Noise! Unfortunately, Pilate listened to the noise. Instead of hearing the voice deep within him, he gave his ear to the noise. His true desire was to release Jesus because he didn't want to kill an innocent man. Three times, he tried. Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?' (Matthew 27:17) Which of the two do you want me to release for you?' And they said, Barabbas.' (Matthew 27:21) Why, what evil has he done?' (Matthew 27:23) He tried. Also, his wife had a dream and told Pilate not to do anything with this man, Jesus. Pilate knew what was the right thing to do. But he chose to listen to the noise. When you hear the noises, you end up doing what you don't want to do. That's why you can never be fully committed. You can never fully engage in your life if you follow the noises around you. That was exactly what Pilate did. he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves.'(Matthew 27:24) He neglected his responsibility, sitting on the judgment seat. He ran away from his responsibility. In Silence Noises are here. (Pointing to your head) Not here (Pointing to your heart) You hear the noises because you fear. You hear them because they are just there. Following noises, you can never live a life of commitment. Don't listen to the noises around you. Noises will impose themselves upon you, whether you like them or not. They force you to hear them. They are the voices of fear. Jesus was silent. Not only because it was useless to speak. He was listening to the silence. He wanted to hear what was deep within his heart. He wanted to hear God because God speaks in silence. In silence, we hear our true voice, our true desire. In that sense, silence is not absence but a presence, a very strong presence. It's not running away. It is engaging in it. In today's Scripture, Jesus was very much present even though he was silent. In silence, we hear God very clearly. We silence our greed, our fear, our ambition, our worries and we listen to God. In silence, we become very clear about what we want to do w

Scripture Passage John 11:1-45 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Grace and Miracles Life is full of miracles. Miracles are not just supernatural events. Miracles are events where you experience God's grace. Sun rises in the morning. Babies are born. As you lie down, you get a good sleep. People learn to cope with unbearable suffering. People overcome incredible challenges to live happy lives. These are all miracles we see. We all experience God's grace. If you don't believe in miracles, you miss a big part of your life. Why do people choose to serve instead of being served? Why do people choose to love instead of hating? Why do people choose to forgive instead of staying angry? They are all miracles to me. They do that because they see God's grace in their lives. Experiencing miracles and experiencing God's grace: They go together. Last 7 weeks, we did a series of Knowing Christ from the 4 Gospels. It was a long journey for me. At first, I was very uncertain about this series. I was thinking about this series from last year but I didn't have a clear picture until the week before the series began. And just a week before, slowly all my studies started coming into shape one by one. It was all God's grace. Last Tuesday, after the series was over for the KSM, we had a take out lunch from Mandarin. I was drained. I got my food and there was a fortune cookie on my table. I don't know who put it there. I opened it and it said this. Your sparkling eyes shed a healing light on those you meet. I was so glad to hear that. It rejuvenated me. It was almost like God's comforting words. To me, it was a miracle. When you start seeing life as a miracle, you see a lot of good things happening in your life. Life is not all that bad, you realize. You can see the unlimited possibility of your life. You will feel that life is a dynamic experience. You can see life is a full of grace. Look around you. I see a teenager who overcomes insurmountable challenges of emotional changes. I see a single mother who doesn't give up but fights to survive with her children. I see old people who do not give up on living a meaningful life in spite of their frail bodies. Life is full of grace and full of miracles. Characterizing Life Believing in Jesus Christ means believing in miracles. John used 7 miracles to compose his Gospel. Through these miracles, John described who Jesus was. Interestingly, John doesn't use the word, dunamis which means power. From that word, the word dynamite came from. Often, the Gospels used dunamis for miracles. Mark used 10 times. Matthew used 13 times. Luke used 15 times. But John never used it. But John used, instead, Seimeion for miracles. It means sign. Sign points to something. Sign itself is not what is important. What it points to is what is important. These 7 miracles all pointed to Jesus. He fed 5,000 people with five loaves of bread and two fish and this miracle pointed to Jesus being the bread of life. He healed the born blind man which we reflected on last week. This miracle pointed to Jesus being the light of the world. Today, Jesus raised Lazarus who was dead. This miracle pointed to Jesus being the resurrection and the life. So believing in Jesus means believing in miracles. Miracles characterized Jesus' life. I pray that miracles characterize your life. Martha entered into a new world in today's story. She saw that life was a dynamic experience. Until then, Martha's life was pretty predictable. She lived her life, doing same things over again. But on that day, her life changed. She saw miracles. She experienced God's grace. Miracles and God's grace characterized her life from then on. It all began with her faith. Jesus said this to Martha. I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? (John 11:25, 26 This was what Martha said. She said to him, Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world.'(John 11:27) Through her faith, she experienced something she never experienced before. When you have faith, you will see wonderful things in your life. The Greatest Miracle Before Nathanael met Jesus, he was pretty pessimistic about life. Philip first met Jesus and was quite inspired and told Nathanael about Jesus. And this was what Nathanael said to Philip. Can anything good come out of Nazareth? (John 1:46) Can anything good come out of my life? That is the attitude many people live with. What happened to Nathanael after he met Jesus? He changed. He believed that yes, good things could come from Nazareth. Good things could come from his life. This was what Jesus said to Nathanael. Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man. (John 1:51) Today's miracle is the greatest miracle of the seven miracles in John. It is the last miracle of 7 and the ultimate miracle. Yes

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Scripture Passage John 9:1-41 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script But Now I See Salvation is seeing. It is very much being able to see. Through Jesus, our eyes are open. Now we can see hope in despair. Healing in sickness. Life in death. In today's Scripture, the born blind man was healed by Jesus and he was able to see. This was what he said. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see. (John 9:25) We are familiar with this phrase. I was blind but now I see. We heard that in our favourite hymn, Amazing Grace. Amazing grace! How sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; Was blind, but now I see. What happened to the man in today's story was more than a physical healing. At first, he didn't really know who healed him. He simply said, the man called Jesus healed me. The Pharisees kept asking him who healed him. And he said he was a prophet. Then finally after he was kicked out from the community, Jesus came to him. When he met Jesus again, he finally realized that he was a very special person and he got the full picture of Jesus. So, he called him Lord and worshipped him. His physical eyes were open but he could see more than what he could see with his eyes. Seeing is a Process Seeing – Yes, that is salvation. We recognize that we were blind but now we can see. That is what spiritual life is all about. This happens not just once but it happens every day. You were blind but now you see – This happens every day. It is like peeling one shell after another from your eyes. What you can see becomes bigger and bigger, deeper and deeper. You see more pure things and more beautiful things as you peel each shell from your eyes. Life becomes exciting. You get to know God more and more intimately. When I look back, I realize how blind I was. You don't know that when you go through it. Only much later, when you look back, you realize how blinded you were. Seeing is a process. We don't see it all at once. We see it gradually. At first we see only a partial picture and then we get to see a bigger picture. This is what St. Paul said in his famous chapter on love. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:12) Jesus is the light of the world. Jesus came to give us the light. As we get to know Jesus, his light will shine on us. Our darkness will be removed and we will be able to see things more clearly. Your Eyes Can Deceive You Seeing is not what you do with your eyes. Seeing with our eyes is very limited and what we can see with our eyes can be very distorted too. This is what Obi-Wan Kenobi said to Luke Skywalker. Do not trust your eyes because your eyes can deceive you. Stephen Covey who wrote the famous book, The 7 habits of highly effective people , said, We think we see the world as it is when in fact we see the world as we are. We can see that very clearly in the Pharisees in today's story. They refused to see that the blind man was healed. They even brought his parents and heard from them but they could not see that this man was truly healed. So being able to see is not that simple. It is very much a spiritual process. That means it has a lot to do with the condition of your heart. What do you see all the time? Do you see only negative things? When your heart is filled with negativity, you will see negative things. And these negative things that you see will make you a more negative person. It is a very bad cycle. When you are an angry person, you will see easily things that frustrate you. And what you see will make you more angry. I live in downtown. I see all kinds of people. There is this guy I see often. Whenever I see him, I see him walking up and down the street yelling and swearing. He is always angry. His anger consumed him. So seeing has a lot to do with the condition of your heart. When what we see changes, then our life changes. Come and See Don't let your heart be filled with darkness, you will not be able to see what is bright and hopeful. This was what John said in the prologue of his book. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome (understand, see) it. (John 1:5) So, in the Gospel John, Jesus kept saying this phrase. Come and See. When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, What are you looking for?' They said to him, Rabbi' (which translated means Teacher), where are you staying?' He said to them, Come and see.'(John 1:38, 39) When you come to Jesus, what you can see changes. Your perspective in life changes. You see beautiful things around you. You see beautiful flowers and you hear birds chirping. I see trees of green, red roses too. I see them bloom for me and you. I see skies of blue and clouds of white The bright blessed days, the dark sacred nights Life is very much about what you see. Do you see hope in your life? Do you see beauty in people? Do you see grace in this harsh wo

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Scripture Passage Romans 5:1-11 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Rootless The Bible provides an image of the kind of people we should be: They are like trees planted by streams of water, which yield their fruit in its season, and their leaves do not wither. In all that they do, they prosper. (Psalm 1:3) What a beautiful image of life. The word that comes to mind for me is rooted . People who bear fruit and prosper have strong roots and are firmly planted. Life today often seems to be the opposite. It seems rootless. So many things are out of our control. So many changes happen around us. So many things happen to us. We don't know what to root ourselves in. St. Paul Today's passage is written by St. Paul. As a young man, he rooted himself deep in his Jewish identity. This is what he says about his previous life: If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. (Philippians 3:4-6) He rooted himself in the law. Being a righteous person was very important to him. For him, being righteous was to be blameless under the law. This righteousness was based on what he did. It was based on his effort. I realize that ultimately, this is how we live. Righteousness means right living, right standing, having a justified existence. After our basic needs are met, we want to know that we are living a life worth living. We are up at night because we are filled with worries about what we need to do. We feel pressure to be better parents, children and income earners. Even when we are still, we don't feel rest because our minds are active and our hearts are restless. We believe that our existence will be justified based on what we do and the effort we put in. We try to root ourselves in what we believe will give us right standing in life. When Paul met Christ on the road to Damascus, his whole belief system crumbled. Somehow, he realized that everything he had built his life on was wrong. When you realize that everything you've built your life on is wrong, that is not easy to deal with. It takes a long and difficult period of readjustment and reformulation. For three years, Paul went to Arabia. And then he spent 10 years in Tarsus, his hometown. We don't know exactly what he was doing. There is nothing written about these years. For me, he was reformulating his whole belief system. A new belief system that he would live out in his ministry to come. He eventually articulated this belief system in Romans. St. Paul realized that he had rooted himself in the wrong thing. He rooted himself in his own effort. His own righteousness. But that was so small and insignificant to what he discovered – the love of God for him in Christ. He discovered the righteousness of God. Righteousness is God's desire and work to save us. It is what God does. What God did was love him even when he was weak, when he was a sinner, and even when he was an enemy of God. Paul saw God's loving desire and will for him even when he did not deserve it and was even opposed to God's will. God’s promise He turned back to the example of Abraham. God made this promise to Abraham: I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 12:2-3) Somehow, Abraham heard this promise from God. He believed that God had a loving will for him and his future. He believed that God's promise would be fulfilled because of God's faithfulness and love. He trusted the promise and good intention of God. He rooted himself in the promise of God. It was this trust that made him a righteous person. Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become the father of many nations, according to what was said, So shall your descendants be. He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was already as good as dead (for he was about a hundred years old), and the barrenness of Sarah's womb. No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, being fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. Therefore it was reckoned to him as righteousness. (Romans 4:18-22) The very core of Christian belief is that God's loving desire for us saves us. It is to root ourselves not on our own efforts, but in the love that God has for us. It is faith and trust in God's promise and good will for us. This is what St. Paul discovered. Believe in God’s Love When we were in Los Angeles last week, we had a front seat view of my kids. They would play and bicker, play and bicker – the whole week! The way they spoke to each other made me cringe. It was like a mirror reflected o