St Timothy Presbyterian Church in Toronto: Sermons

1 Samuel 3:1-20

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 God and not your own? How do you distinguish between God's voice and the many other voices that have infiltrated the heart?

When God speaks, God doesn't merely confirm what you already know. It's not just another good piece of information.

When God speaks, it's not just a nice word that makes you feel good and you go on your way. No, my friends.

When God speaks – when God actually speaks to you in your heart – what God says can be utterly surprising, shocking and disturbing.

When Samuel heard God's words, he was shocked. He was afraid. He was afraid to tell Eli about his fate.

Eli had taken in Samuel as a young boy and taught him everything. He was appreciative of Eli and didn't want bad things to happen to him. God's words were deeply disturbing to Samuel.

When God speaks, it uncovers something hidden in the heart. What God said to Samuel was not something random out of left field.

What God said disclosed something that had been deep in Samuel's heart.

Samuel was born after great difficulty. His mother, Hannah, had been barren for a long time and couldn't conceive.

She prayed and prayed and finally bore Samuel. She was so thankful that she dedicated Samuel to grow up in the temple.

His life was dedicated to God. But what he saw growing up in the temple was the opposite of that.

Eli's sons were the priests of the temple.

They were so corrupt. They became rich by taking from the sacrifices offered to God. They slept with the women who served the temple.

Eli was powerless to stop his sons. They paid no heed to him. He gave in to the corruption of his sons.

Samuel loved Eli, but must have been bothered by the conduct of his sons. There was probably a lot of confusion.

But he was a boy and didn't know what to make of it. So his unease and confusion became hidden in his heart.

When God speaks, God discloses what is hidden in your heart. But he does so with new insight.

Something New For Us

God brings a new revelation to what's in your heart. God uncovers what has always been there, but now you see it clearly and understand it in a new way.

This new revelation can be utterly surprising, unexpected and disturbing.

Your instinct might be to resist what God reveals. The implications of this new insight and revelation are too heavy.

That's why Jonah tried to run away when he heard God's call to go to Nineveh. He went on a boat and went the opposite direction.

It's why I avoided answering God's call to ministry for 20 years.

When God speaks, it can be shocking, surprising and disturbing. But when God speaks, God is opening the door to something new, something profound, something unexpected.

When God spoke to Samuel, he was preparing him to become the leader of Israel through a time of great change. Samuel became the leader who anointed the first kings of Israel.

When God speaks and we listen, we know that we are not alone. We know that God is with us, and that changes everything.

Samuel became a man of authority after this experience of connecting with God.

As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. (1 Samuel 3:19)

When God speaks, God is preparing to do something you have never imagined. Something good. Something to bless you and others.

When you feel a tugging or nagging in your heart, don't ignore it. Don't go running immediately to logic.

Pay attention to it. Pray about it. Ask God to speak. This may be a sign that God is about to do something new in your life.

Listen for God's voice. Seek the counsel of others in the faith community.

Samuel was blessed to have Eli who supported him, even when what Samuel heard foretold his doom.

When the angel told Mary the news that she would bear a Son who would become the Saviour of the world, she was deeply disturbed. It was shocking news.

But ultimately, she responded with the same faith as Samuel:

Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word. (Luke 1:38)

Because of her faith, we have the blessing of her Son, Jesus Christ. Because this young girl and the young boy Samuel listened to God, God did amazing things through them.

When God speaks to you, don't be too scared. Trust God and respond with the openness they had: Here I am.

The post

Acts 1:8

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 friends, you are a witness of Jesus Christ.

Christ has done so much for you. God has blessed you in so many ways.

Don't keep your precious experiences to yourself.

Share them with others. Be a witness to what Jesus has done for you.

YOUR CALLING IS NOT TO GO OUT AND CHANGE THE WORLD.

Your calling is simply to be a witness. It is God who will change the world, not you.

But God will use your life to change the world.

Being a witness is not always talking about it. Being a witness is not a verbal exercise. You are a witness of Jesus Christ through your life.

Be authentic. Be honest. Be who you are. Be real. That is the first thing you have to do.

Then be a warm presence in this very cold, calculating, competitive, and cruel world.

St. Paul said you are a fragrance of God. Yes, you are a fragrance of God. Be a good, sweet fragrance.

Your presence matters. Your presence can help so many people. You have to ask yourself what kind of presence you will be.

A Spiritual Presence for Others

The world we live in is very hostile.

The world we live in is not a friendly place. Power controls the world. Not love. Selfishness and greed control the world. Not sacrifice and goodness.

Be a friend in this hostile world.

Practice love in the power hungry world. Care for others in this selfish and greedy world.

That is being a witness.

There are so many people who suffer in the world.

Your presence matters. Be a spiritual presence in the world.

The other day, I visited a person at North York General with the Rev. Chung. She just found out that she had a pancreatic cancer.

I didn't do much. I was just there. She thanked us so much. My presence was spiritual presence for her.

A few weeks ago, a young man died. And many of our church members helped the funeral through organizing and through music.

Your presence was spiritual presence for the family. You were witnesses.

Be with those who are sad. Be with those who feel lost. Be a warm and sweet presence. People need to experience that.

What kind of presence are you? Are you cold and rude? Be kind. If people greet you, greet them. In the elevator, I try to tell them, have a good day.

Be always positive no matter what circumstances you may be in.

Don't be selfish; be generous.

Don't be self-centred; be concerned with others. Don't live out your fear; be courageous.

Don't hang out with the powerful and the popular; reach out to those who are invisible. Be in solidarity with the weak and the vulnerable.

Live your life as a witness. You will experience the power of life.

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)

The post Be a Witness appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.

2 Corinthians 5:17

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 is divine presence.

You are empowered by this divine presence. Your thinking is enriched by this divine presence.

The darkness and the sinfulness used to dwell within us. This negative sinful power used to sabotage you and control you. It has made your will weak and useless. It has paralyzed you.

But Jesus Christ came and took away this dark power within us and created divine presence instead.

When we are connected with this divine presence, we become new.

So in today's passage Paul 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)

That was a wonderful discovery for Paul. You can really change when you have this divine power.

You cannot change yourself. That is just wishful thinking. A good theory, a good idea.

But you need power to change. You cannot be both the object of change and the agent of change.

If there is gonna be change with us, the power has to come from outside.

The Crux to Change

What we cannot do, God can do.

Once a young man came to Jesus and asked, How can I have the eternal life? Jesus said, Keep all the commandments. He said proudly, I did.

Then Jesus said to him, Go sell all your possessions and give to the poor. Young man could not do it and went away sad.

The disciples asked Jesus, then who can be saved?

Jesus said,

What is impossible for mortals is possible for God. (Luke 18:27)

Death is the change that comes upon you. You cannot do anything about it. You just have to accept the change that is imposed on you. You are totally helpless there.

But the resurrection is the change that only God can bring to you.

You cannot be the agent that brings about that change. What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.

A lot of changes happen to you all the time.

Many of them, you can do nothing about. You just have to accept them.

But when you are connected with God, everything will work out for good. God will use these changes that happen to you to make you a new person.

These changes will not make you a helpless victim but God will use them as catalysts to make you a new person, a stronger person, a more compassionate person, a wiser person, and a happier person.

In 2024, experience good changes. Have courage to change! Happy New Year!

The post Courage to Change appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.

Luke 2:1-12, Luke 2:13-20, Luke 2:25-38

Merry Christmas!

The birth of Jesus represents the fulfillment of God's promise. Christmas is the climax and result of hopeful waiting. But somehow, the birth of Jesus was anticlimactic. He did not arrive with great fanfare. There were no loud trumpets proclaiming his arrival. He was not even born in a regular home or inn. He was born quietly in a manger. God's promise was not fulfilled in a way we would expect.

Our experience is like that. We have great expectations and hopes. We wait patiently and eagerly for our hopes to be fulfilled. But often, the results are not what we expect. In fact, the results are often a letdown or disappointment. They seem so ordinary or even worse than ordinary. Jesus' birth was like that.

But somehow, there were people who saw something in his birth. Some people saw something extraordinary in this very ordinary birth. The shepherds received a revelation from an angel.

Do not be afraid; for see – I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. (Luke 2:10)

Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the Temple, just like any other Jewish baby. But somehow, Simeon saw something extraordinary in this ordinary baby. This was his response to holding Jesus in his arms:

Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel. (Luke 2:29-32)

Anna, who had spent her whole adult life in the temple, saw many many babies there. But somehow, when Jesus came, she began to praise God and speak about the child to everyone.

How did these people see something so extraordinary in what appeared so ordinary? What did these people have that others didn't? That is a great mystery. I believe that is a spiritual gift and blessing.  One thing we can see clearly: these people were not the elite of society. God chose to reveal his extraordinary work to shepherds, an old man and an old widow. Seeing God's work in something ordinary does not require great education. It is a spiritual gift and blessing.

We see that God's promise is not necessary fulfilled through great and extraordinary results. Rather: The fulfillment of God's promise is hidden in the ordinary or even undesired results of our expectations. It is hidden to most people, but to those who see it, they have great joy.

Christmas represents the fulfillment of God's promise. It is hidden in the humble birth of Jesus in the manger. But for those who can see it, there is hope. That hope brings peace and joy. Finding the hidden fulfillment of God's promise is the true meaning of Christmas.

Pray that God will reveal the fulfillment of his promise to you in the ordinary events of your life. Cherish your family and your friends. Don't despair at your difficulties. God's work might be hidden in them. May God bless you with hope, peace and joy this Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

The post Hope Fulfilled in Unexpected Places appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.

Luke 1:26-38

God's Wonders

Merry Christmas!

How wonderful it is to gather together like this the day before Christmas. May wonders of Christmas be on your family. May the gifts of Christmas be abundant on you and your family.

On Christmas, we are reflecting on God's wonders. Christmas story is all about God's wonders.

You can read Christmas stories in Luke and Matthew. In both stories, you see full of wonders and miracles. Christmas is time to celebrate God's wonders.

Think about the idea itself. God becoming flesh – that is the greatest wonder. How can you express such a great wonder in a plain ordinary language? That's why stories in Luke and Matthew are filled with wonders.

If you take out all the wonders, all the miracles, and all the surprises from life, what is left in life?

Sometimes you are sad because of your situation and you hope that somehow you will come out of your sadness.

And you do come out of your sadness even though nothing is changed in your situation. That is wonder of life. That is what I experience often.

I believe that life is full of wonders and surprises.

That was what Mary experienced.

Unpredictable Surprises

One day, all of a sudden, an angel appeared to Mary and said this.

And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. (Luke 1:31)

What she heard was a total surprise. She was not yet married. She never had a relationship with a man. It was hard for Mary to take what the angel said to her.

So she responded,

How can this be, since I am a virgin? (Luke 1:34)

She was shocked and didn't know what to make of it. That is what wonder is.

If you can make of it, if you understand it, then it is not a wonder. Wonders of life sometimes plunge you into a chaos.

When I say, life is full of wonder, I am not saying that it will be pleasant and comfortable for you. And it will be easy to accept it.

Definitely Mary didn't like it. She was scared. This incident totally threw her off.

Who likes this kind of surprise? As a matter of fact, we don't like surprises, period. We like our life to be predictable.

Predictability of life gives us stability. The sun rises every morning. It is predictable and I am thankful for that.

After staff lunch, we usually go to Starbucks. I usually order the same thing. Cold Brew from Starbucks. Why? Because it tastes always the same. Predictable.

I like to go to a restaurant where I can safely order a certain food and expect the same quality. Predictability gives you safety, a sense of control, and efficiency.

But my friends, life is not predictable. Life is messy.

Yes, sun may rise every morning as always. But you may not wake up to see it.

Last week, I visited a KSM member. He was healthy. He played golf until November. But all of a sudden, he could not breathe well and he lost his appetite. He went to the hospital and the doctor suspected a lung cancer.

Listening to God

Yes, life can change without your permission. Change doesn't gently knock at your door and come in. Often change bursts through your door.

There is only one thing that doesn't change.

That is

EVERYTHING CHANGES.

That is the only thing that doesn't change.

What happened to Mary was not good news to her. A virgin could not have a baby. It was a big problem to Mary. She would have been judged and condemned. They could even stone her to death.

As soon as she heard what the angel said, she could say no. She could have closed her ears. No, No, No. I would not listen to you.

But Mary didn't do that. She was scared but she listened. Mary let the angel speak. It was painful but she listened to the end.

When bad things happen, we close our ears. We don't listen. We don't want to hear.

Instead of listening carefully, we are filled with worries about the consequences. We come up with every strategy possible not to listen. For example, watch TV, play games, surf through social medias, get drunk, and so on.

But Mary listened. These are words she listened to.

The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God. (Luke 1:35-37)

When she listened attentively, God's precious word was powerfully carved into her heart.

Nothing will be impossible with God. (Luke 1:37)

That was what she listened to. When she listened to that, she was able to accept what was unacceptable.

She was able to come out of her comfort zone. She was willing to enter into the uncharted land.

God Gives Us A New Life

My friends, the Spirit breaks open our old way of thinking. The Spirit pulls us out of our old life. That's what Christ does to us.

St. Paul knew this very well.

That's why he said,

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)

He clearly realized what it meant to be in Christ.

The Spirit wants to bring us a new life. He wants to mold a new self out of us.

When we are able to listen, nothing will be impossible with God, then we can accept the new life. Only through faith, we can accept the new life.

What is predictable – you respond to it with a plan. But what is unpredictable – you respond to it with faith.

Jesus' birth started a new era, a new world, a new life. The Spirit started this whole process through a humble woman.

A new era could be open only through a person who was willing to go through the birth pain. Mary did that.

She went through the fear of the unknown future and that was her birth pain. But within her, she was impregnated with the person who would bring the new world.

No matter how uncomfortable and uneasy it might have been to her, she was willing to take the risk.

God had to find a person who was willing to risk everything to start this new world. Being impregnated with the new world is painful. It is scary.

The new world will not just come easily. Only through pain, fear, and agony, the new world will be given birth.

And Mary did it.

She listened and had this conviction that nothing would be impossible with God.

So she said,

Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word. (Luke 1:38)

Embrace Discomfort, Embrace Change

My friends, don't just go for the comfortable life. I preached two weeks ago about Comfort found in Discomfort.

Listen to what God says to you in your life. Many things are happening in your life. Don't be scared of listening. Listen to what's going on in your life.

If you have to accept the change, accept it. If you need to change your lifestyle, change it. If you have to embrace your discomfort right now, do it.

When you listen carefully, you will be able to listen to your heart. When you listen to your heart, you will have the courage to live out what your heart tells you. God speaks to your heart.

Don't listen to what people have to say. Don't listen to what the world tells you.

If you have spiritual ears, you will be able to hear wonderful mystery of life.

And you will have this conviction that nothing will be impossible with God.

In this Christmas season, may your life be filled with wonder and awe.

The post Mary Listened appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.

Psalm 126

The Worship Video & Audio is unavailable this week due to technical difficulties. We are sorry for the inconvenience!

Recalling Happy Memories

The psalmist begins the psalm by recalling happy times.

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. (Psalm 126:1)

He remembers a time of great joy and happiness. Yes, when we think back on happy times, they are like a dream.

I remember when Nolan was born, I still recall Josh's Facebook post. (That's when people still posted on Facebook.) He posted a picture of newborn Nolan with the caption: You took my breath away !

I remember the early days after my son, Joonie, was born. I remember a conversation with Aram where he recalled the adrenaline he felt after his son Miles was born.

I felt the same way. I had extra energy in my step. I was motivated to come home from work to see my son.

Thinking back on those days, it brings back happy memories.

It is nice to have good memories. They put a smile on our faces. They cheer us up when we need a lift.

In Our Pain

But sometimes, memories of a happy past brings pain. They hurt when the present is not so happy. They are a reminder of what is missing or no longer there.

The psalmist is looking back because the present is very difficult.

Many churches hold a special service on the evening of December 20. They call it the Longest Night service, or Blue Christmas.

The service recognizes that not everyone is happy at Christmas. It recognizes that in the midst of all the excitement and cheer of the holiday season, there are people who are hurting inside.

In this service, people remember loved ones who have departed. It is a time to grieve, mourn and lament for what is lost.

When present times are difficult, memories of a happy past brings tears.

One night when I was in university, I went to my mother's room. She was watching one of those videotapes of Korean singers singing old Korean songs they heard while they were growing up.

When I looked at her, tears were streaming down her face. Things were very difficult at that time. They were struggling financially. They were under so much stress. Songs from her childhood brought her comfort but also sadness.

When things are so difficult now and you remember the good times of the past, it brings about tears.

Those tears reflect the pain of the heart. A heart that aches. A heart that feels helpless.

The Difficulties in Life

After recounting those happy times, the psalmist cries out:

Restore our fortunes, O LORD, like the watercourses in the Negeb. (Psalm 126:4)

Bring back those good times, oh God! Like how they used to be.

The Negeb is a semi-arid desert in southern Israel. For most of the year, the area has no rain. The land dries up and becomes hard. No life flourishes.

But then once a year the rains come. Water collects in little cracks. They merge to form watercourses. Those watercourses come together to form a large river.

That river floods the land. Vegetation and life spring forth from that water. For a while, life flourishes until the land dries up again.

Our life is like that. We have happy moments where life is flourishing. There is great joy and happiness.

But then the rain stops. The desert comes and life gets so difficult.

When difficulties first strike, there are tears. The pain of those difficulties is fresh. You are connected to that pain.

But after a long period of no rain, the heart becomes hardened like the dry ground around you. The tears stop flowing.

I recently watched a movie called Riceboy Sleeps. It is about a Korean single mother who raises her son in Vancouver. He's a little boy when they first arrive in Canada.

Life is hard. Kids make fun of him and pick on him. He lashes out but he's the one who gets in trouble.

In the car ride home, he starts crying. The mother stops the car, turns around and says: Look at me straight. I'm going to tell you this once. There are 3 times in life when a man can cry: when he's born, when his father dies, and when his mother dies. That's it. Don't let others see weakness by your crying.

I myself didn't heed that advice – I was crying throughout the whole movie. But the son did: you see him in the next scene as a hardened teenager.

Sow with Perseverance

Sowing seed on dry land is hard. It is physically hard. You have to dig the hard ground. You get blisters on your hands from digging. Your fingers get bloodied and mangled.

But more than that, it is emotionally hard. Sowing on barren and empty land that was once flourishing and alive makes you sad.

I felt this when a group of us visited Niagara Korean Presbyterian Church. All of its members had left the church, and only the building remained.

We went to determine its viability. In the empty church, I saw photos of the past. So much life, so much activity, so many people who encountered God.

But all of that was now a distant dream. We really wanted to do something to keep it alive. But in the end we decided there was nothing we could do.

There were too few of us to sow, and too few seeds to plant. We had to close down that church and sell it. It was very sad.

When there seems to be no more life; When there's no fruit from your labour; it is hard to keep sowing. It is much easier to accept defeat and give up.

But my friends, giving up is not always the answer. If you stop sowing, there will be nothing to reap when the rains come.

The psalmist says this:

May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy. (Psalm 126:5-6)

Joy comes from sowing seeds of love, even in tears. Somehow, joy comes through the tears of our aching hearts.

My friends, don't stop sowing. Sowing is trying.

Keep trying, even when the present situation seems hopeless. Keep trying, even when all your efforts amount to nothing. Keep trying, even if it only brings about tears.

There will be a harvest of joy for your efforts.

Sowing Through Prayer

When there's nothing more you can do, sow the seeds through prayer.

I believe that is how the first generation survived their harsh immigrant life. Through prayer.

Many of them went to church every day for early morning prayer. Before going to work, they were on their knees, praying. Praying for their children. Praying for their families.

They shed many tears through their prayers. They prayed on their knees with tears, because they didn't know what else to do.

Prayer gave them the strength to get up and keep trying.

St. Paul experienced this. He experienced the presence of God in prayer.

This is how he articulated his experience and discovery:

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with groanings too deep for words. And God, who searches hearts, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. (Romans 8:26-27)

Through prayer, he experienced the presence of God and received the strength to keep trying in impossible situations.

In prayer, God connects with the pain in your heart. Even when you don't have the words to express what's there.

When you are connected with the aching in your heart, tears flow. But don't run away from those tears. Don't try to hide them.

Those tears are water that soften the ground so seeds can be planted until the rains come.

God will one day wipe away our tears. But until then, let your tears plant the seeds of hope.

Sow, even in tears. The harvest will be joy.

Be Restored

There was a Christian singer and songwriter, Keith Green. He was so talented. He could have become a mainstream pop singer.

But he dedicated his life to making Christian music. He died tragically while he was young in an airplane accident.

He wrote a beautiful song:

My eyes are dry

But what can be done

When you are experiencing the dry desert, make this your prayer. God will soften your heart with his Spirit.

When life is good, when there is great joy in your life, rejoice. Be thankful. Be merry.

But when the challenges of life take away your joy, keep sowing through prayer.

God will come and restore your fortunes.

The post Sow, Even in Tears appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.

Isaiah 40:1-11

Comfort for Comfortable People

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God. (Isaiah 40:1)

Isaiah cried out loudly. He spoke this message while he and the Israelites were in Babylon. You know Babylon. They were all in exile.

Isaiah's voice was penetrating through the dark cloud of their gloomy existence.

This was very well captured by Handel. If you listen to Handel's Messiah, after a beautiful string overture, there is a piercing opening line of Tenor.

And he sang this line.

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.

But to me, it is a strange message. If you knew the historical context of what the Israelites experienced in Babylon, you would also find what Isaiah said – very strange.

Their life in exile was not necessarily bad. Yes, they were captives. It wasn't their own homeland.

But they were COMFORTABLE. They had economic prosperity, personal freedom, and their day to day living was good. Even though they were in exile, they were very comfortable.

So comfortable that they didn't want to come home when Cyrus, the king of Persia, told them to go home. Cyrus even gave them money to go back to their homeland but many of them chose to stay there because their personal life was good.

So Isaiah preached the message of comfort to already very comfortable people. That is what is strange.

Maybe that's what I am doing right now. I am preaching the message of comfort to already very comfortable people.

More Than Convenience

Being comfortable is very important to us. We want to be financially comfortable. Physically comfortable. We want no stress.

Being comfortable can be easily translated as well-being of our life. We try to create an environment where there is no discomfort and inconvenience.

Have you heard the term, Domotics ? I don't even know how to pronounce the word.

Domotics is the use of electronic systems to control and automate your home. Make your home a smart home.

You use technologies to open and close the door, turn on and off the lights. Internets and cameras.

When we raised a child, there was no such thing as baby monitors. Our ears had to be very good so that we were able to hear baby crying.

But now they just look at the screen. It's like you are right there even though you are away from them. A smart home. A smart TV. A smart phone.

Even cars are so smart that you don't need a key. I don't have to do anything. Just have your remote in your pocket.

Once I went to Hamilton to play golf. After the golf, I pressed my remote but my car door would not open. I tried several times but it wouldn't open the door. I think the battery was weak.

I didn't know what to do. I didn't even know that there was a physical key within the remote. I was in panic. Luckily, it opened after several trials. Maybe there was a little battery left. It's a smart car but the user is not that smart.

Everything is about being comfortable. Convenient. Effective.

But do we really have the comfort just because we are comfortable? Having comfort is more than just being comfortable. Comfort is more than convenience.

Having comfort is a deeper sense of peace. It is not just about having convenience.

When you are comforted, your sadness is lifted off from you. Your guilt is removed. You feel a deep sense of being accepted.

Removing Our Discomfort

Yesterday, one of our ESM members called me. She didn't know what to do. Just last Wednesday, her friends' son all of a sudden passed away. He was only 25 years old.

He went to his friend's house and after the dinner, he just collapsed and doctors could not do anything. His mother could not even lie down because she could not breathe. I prayed for them.

They live in a comfortable environment but they still need comfort.

That was what Isaiah meant when he said,

Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.

You are comfortable living in a comfortable environment, but you still need comfort.

Our understanding of comfort is the absence of discomfort. So we try our best to remove discomfort to live a comfortable life.

This is problematic to me.

I heard this story about making frog soup. I don't know whether it is true or not. Haha. But a good story.

You put a frog into a pot of water. And the frog swims comfortably. And you raise the temperature slowly and the frog adapts to the change of the water temperature until it is comfortably cooked.

If the comfort is only the absence of whatever gives you discomfort, like stress, anxiety, and frustration, then death is the most comfortable.

If you go to Palliative care, they don't do anything. They just help you very comfortably and painlessly die.

The comfort is not the absence of discomfort. To give you comfort, God does not remove your discomfort.

Embrace Your Discomfort

Paul had the experience of having a thorn in his body. This thorn made his life very painful and uncomfortable. He wanted to get rid of this thorn because it was so uncomfortable.

God showed him a great wisdom. Basically God said this to him.

Living a happy life does not mean getting rid of all the thorns in your life. The purpose of your life is not to get rid of whatever that brings you discomfort.

Embrace your thorn, God told St. Paul. Live with it. My grace is sufficient onto you. You can handle your thorns.

If you get rid of everybody who makes you feel uncomfortable, does that make you happier? If you get rid of everything that gives you stress and frustration, does that make you happier? If you get rid of every thorn that you have, does that make you happier?

I wonder.

But I have a strong suspicion that getting rid of these things will not make me any happier.

I think there is a secret of happiness hidden in discomfort. Learn to embrace the discomfort of your life.

Welcome the discomfort in your life. Discomfort can teach you many good lessons of life.

St. Paul said, suffering produces character.

we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us. (Romans 5:3, 4)

He said he boasts in his sufferings. He did not avoid or push away discomfort. He embraced his own discomfort. He embraced his own sufferings.

Simone Weil, one of my favourite authors, said.

It is not the path that is difficult, difficulty is the path.

Comfort and discomfort are not mutually exclusive. God brings comfort through your discomfort. God will embrace you when you are in discomfort.

The prophet Isaiah said,

He will feed his flock like a shepherd;

When you are in discomfort, God will come and embrace you and comfort you. When you are sad, God will come and embrace you and your sadness will be lifted off.

That is when you experience the true comfort.

True Comfort in Discomfort

When you live your life, welcoming and embracing discomfort, your life will be enriched with so many wisdoms.

The discomfort will strengthen your character. It will even produce a deep sense of hope.

You will not be easily broken. You will not be easily shaken. You will not be scared of challenges. You will not live in fear anymore.

More than anything else, you will see the glory of God that surrounds you. The cross reveals the glory of God.

Embrace the discomfort for the sake of others. Don't spit it out.

You will find the true comfort.

Comfort is not making your life comfortable. Comfort is God's embrace. When you feel God's embrace, you will find the true comfort. The comfort is found in discomfort.

Jesus said this.

Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30)

Jesus didn't say, come to me, all you that are comfortable. He said, come to me all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens In other words, those who are in discomfort.

Jesus will give you rest for your souls. That is the true comfort.

The post The Comfort Found in Discomfort appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.

Mark 13:14-27

Due to technical difficulties, the Worship Video is unavailable for this week. Sorry for the inconvenience!

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 more disappointment or failure.

But my friends, indifference is not really the absence of feeling. Indifference is a mask.

It is a mask that covers up hidden hope. Hope that is afraid. Hope that has been buried. Hope that is asleep.

Indifference is the result of disappointed hope.

Albert Einstein said this:

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

I agree with that. But what if you've tried different things but still get the same results? Lowered expectations and indifference come when you get the same results no matter what you've tried.

Sometimes, the situation is not in your control. What can you do? There will be seasons where we struggle with diminished expectations. We will struggle with resignation and indifference.

But we cannot remain indifferent forever. Life is too short to just let it pass by.

We need to take off our masks of indifference and reconnect with the hope inside of us, no matter how fragile or broken it might be.

A Cry for God

One day, a Gentile woman came to Jesus. She begged him to heal her sick daughter. Jesus had a very strange and rude reply:

Let the children be fed first, for it is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs. (Mark 7:28)

He's saying that I came to serve other Jews. The woman could have given up in despair. But she would not be deterred.

Sir, even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs. (Mark 7:28)

She did not allow herself to be defeated by her circumstances. She would accept even the crumbs if that's what it took.

That is faith! Jesus was so moved by her faith that he healed her daughter.

Faith is not a reasonable, logical belief in God. Faith is a desperate cry about the situation that kills our expectations.

It is a cry against indifference. It is a cry against despair in the heart. It is a cry that you have tried everything, but you are at the end of the rope.

My friends, if you can figure things out on your own, then you don't need faith.

Faith is for those who know there are limits to what we can do on our own. It's for those who know they need a higher power to go beyond what they can do. Faith is a cry for God to come and make things right.

The image of the Son of Man coming down from clouds is an apocalyptic image. Apocalyptic faith arose when the situation of Jews became unbearable.

Their situation was awful. Their temple was desecrated by foreign rulers. They were massacred. They were utterly powerless.

But instead of giving into despair, something else happened. From that dark, hopeless situation, they began to have visions of God breaking in from the heavens to make things right.

Apocalyptic faith is not a rational faith. It is a desperate faith that comes from your gut.

It is a declaration of belief in God, but it is even more a desperate plea for God to come and do something.

Await New Things

People of faith face despair and disappointment just like everyone else.

But people of faith do not sit back and give up! They fight! They cry out to God. God come and save me!

Advent starts off the new church year. The year begins when the days are dark and short. When the air gets cold.

In this darkness comes a desperate cry for God to come. That cry awakens our hearts to wait in expectation.

In the darkness of exile, the prophet Isaiah said this:

I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:19)

God is about to do a new thing in your life. Can you perceive it? Awaken the expectation in your heart and wait for God to come.

The post Awake with Expectation appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.

Isaiah 11:6-9, Ephesians 2:14-20, John 17:22-23

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 have to be like Jews by being circumcised to be one in Christ. They are one in Christ by God's RADICAL GRACE, not by their SIMILARITY. Their differences do not separate them. Their differences enrich them.

Don't be intimidated by your differences. When you nullify your differences out of fear, you are destroying the SPIRIT within that person. You are taking the BREATH out of that person. You are SUFFOCATING them.

That is what RACISM does. Racism brings SUFFOCATION to humanity. We human beings have been suffocated not just for 8 MINUTES AND 46 SECONDS but for a long time because of racism.

We need to bring back the breath, the breath of life to humanity. That was what Jesus did to us. He brought back the breath by blowing the air into our mouth.

When he had said this, he breathed on them (John 20:22)

We ask the Spirit to blow his breath upon all of us. The fresh Breath will give us a new life. The living Spirit will empower us to live a new bold life. The mysterious Wind will take us and guide us to where we have never been before. The Spirit, the Breath, and the Wind – as you all know, they all come from the same word, Ruach.

In this new life, our differences will not divide us. In this new life, our differences will be HONOURED and CELEBRATED. Jews and Gentiles, Slaves and free, male and female will all become one while they are all different. Being a COLOUR BLIND does not do anything. Be COLOURFUL and enjoy your colourful life. That is the power of God's radical grace. That was what Jesus did for us.

And this was Jesus' last prayer.

The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one. I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:22, 23)

Isaiah saw the same vision. He saw this wonderful vision that not only human beings were one, but the whole universe was in harmony. The animosity disappears. No more enemies. They have all become friends.

Now we have gathered together this afternoon with COMMITMENT and CONVICTION. We came with HOPE. We ask God to grant his grace so that we may be able to pursue this dream of being one. God's RADICAL GRACE will be able to empower us to do so.

By the request of the planning team, I will quickly summarize my sermon in Korean. I am sorry that I cannot do that in other languages.

.

. .

. . . . .

, .

. , . , . , , . .

. . .

, . .

. . . . . .

.

, ,

Matthew 25:31-46

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. She felt the absence of God. She struggled with faith.

And yet, her work of serving the poor never stopped. She was consistent and faithful in her work right to the end of her life.

What kept her going?

Despite her own doubts and struggles, she saw the face of Jesus in every person she encountered. That was what kept her going.

In each person, she saw the divine image of God. Each person contained a trace of God's wonderful touch.

Changed by the Face of God

Not all of us can give up everything to serve the poor. Not all of us can escape this busy life.

But all of us can learn to see the face of God in others.

That, I believe, is the secret of resisting the indifference and numbness that our busyness inflicts upon us. See the face of God in others.

In church, we worship God. We praise God. We honour God. We express love, gratitude and appreciation. We sing beautiful songs to God.

See the presence of that same God in each person you encounter. It will change how you see people.

Just like we do to God, you will want to show them honour, respect and dignity.

You will begin to see less of their flaws and more of their beauty. It will change your attitude toward them.

You will become more gracious. More forgiving. More compassionate.

See the face of God in others and it will change you. It will make previously invisible people visible to you. Especially the least among us.

You will see people whom the world ignores and considers unimportant. You will see them as important, because you see God in them.

You will be moved to compassion. To suffer with them. Your eyes and your heart will be awakened.

See the face of God in others and it will awaken your spirit to the presence of God. If you see God in the face of others, then God is everywhere.

Every encounter is an opening and possibility for a new revelation from God. Maybe you will be prompted to act. Maybe a new calling will reveal itself to you.

You will be more connected with others. More connected with God. More connected with life.

Seeing the face of God in others is the antidote for this dehumanizing world. It is the way to awaken compassion in our hearts. It is the way to keep our hearts alive in the busy, competitive world we live in.

Everyday, our prayer should be: God, today, help me to see your face in each person I encounter.

That should be our prayer every day. In each encounter. Then you will see God.

The Kingdom of God

In the beginning of the year, the prayer is your kingdom come, your will be done. But on the last Sunday of the year, on Christ the King Sunday, we rejoice that the kingdom has come.

Jesus said this:

The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed, nor will they say, Look, here it is!' or There it is!' For, in fact, the kingdom of God is among you. (Luke 17:20-21)

When compassion is our way of life, the kingdom of God is among us. When we see the face of God in each other, the kingdom of God is among us.

Turn to your neighbour and say this: Brother/sister, in you is the image of God. I see God's face in you. God bless you.

Each and everyday, in every encounter, see the face of God in others. The kingdom of God is among you.

The post See the Face of God in Others appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.