Sermons

11th September 2022 (Pentecost 14) Sermon Title: The Grace and Joy of Our Lord ( 1 Timothy 1:12-17 & Luke 15:1-10)                                                                                   By Heeyoung Lim  In Luke 15, sinners followed Jesus eagerly, but self-righteous religious leaders constantly mocked Jesus for associating with such sinners. Pharisees never realize that they are lost! They always count themselves among the saved, even though they have never repented for their sins. Religious leaders are too self-righteous to associate with sinners, but Jesus associated with sinners because he knew they recognized their need of salvation and would respond, bringing joy to heaven. In today’s text, Jesus told two stories to show what it means to be lost and how a loving Father awaits the sinner to come home and be saved. If we find one missing from one hundred sheep, what are we going to do as a shepherd? Do we leave the ninety-nine to the open field and immediately begin a rescue mission for the lost sheep? Do we have the willingness and passion to search for the sheep late at night with risks? Do we have heavenly parties, celebrations, and joys in our daily lives and ministries? May we find the lost, care for the Lord’s sheep, celebrate and rejoice in the Lord.   In verses 8-9, a woman had ten silver coins but had lost one of them. She began to thoroughly look through the house, looking into every corner. As she discovers the missing coin, she immediately calls her friends to rejoice together. The parables of the lost sheep and the lost coin both end by calling together friends and neighbours to join in the celebration. Indeed, the movement of joy vibrates from the one to the many, from the earth to the heavens. Salvation by faith and grace consists of the rescue from sins and the eternal celebration.  In 15:10, Jesus repeated the message of verse 7. A repentant sinner brings celebration and joy to heaven, but self-righteous religious people bring no joy to heaven. Heaven is populated with the lost who were found and the sinners who repented. Do our services and ministries God entrusted us bring the same joy and celebration to us? May we follow Jesus’ example and serve everyone, find the lost through being disciples instead of spending our whole life with the righteous or as the self-righteous leaders.  Are we showing God’s patient love and welcoming grace when people leave and return? May we search for the lost and bring them back to Jesus and share God’s joy whenever repentance or returning is happening. I hope we won’t give up on people when they turn away from God and faith communities. God waits patiently for us in love for the lost to return to Him. May our church rejoice over the lost as they are found and join the heavenly banquet. God is like the shepherd who values each sheep in the flock, like the woman who accounts for every silver coin in the purse. God treasures every child of the family. When one goes missing, God goes into searching. God is love, and love looks like one who goes out tirelessly searching. When one in our faith community goes missing or is in pain, we are all affected or suffered. When one is restored or returned, we are all better off for it. In Christ, we are the extended family of God. Until the lost returns, the community is incomplete. The parables are about a hospitality that seeks to restore. These parables call the community to open its doors and rejoice. When the lost has returned home and sits in the presence of God, may we rejoice in the Lord and be glad in Christ! We rejoice in the Lord with a spirit of love, hope, faith, and peace that leads us to deeper discipleship communities and spirituality. May the joyful celebration of finding those who were lost and have returned to Jesus continue in our lives and ministries abundantly. God has shown mercy to all of us, and Christ came to save sinners. As in Rome 5:8, “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Paul opposed the work of God, was disrespectful of Christ, and harassed the people of God. He imprisoned people for their faith in Christ, witnessed persecution at the stoning of Stephen, and tried to destroy the church.  Even so, he was shown mercy. In a dramatic encounter with the living Christ, Paul was rescued from his unbelief and saved from his rebellion. (Acts 9)  Reminding of how he lived before his encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, his rescue from sin can be attributed to the overflowing grace of God. The grace of our Lord was poured out on him abundantly. In Acts 9:15, God clearly called him: “This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel”. He was appointed by God. Paul and Timothy had to deal with the false teachers in those days. In today’s text, Paul began his testimony by turning attention to Christ and expressed his thankfulness: I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength. Whatever Paul was able to become an exemplary Christian life was because of Christ Jesus. Paul had an amazing life of powerful ministry for God. He knew that God was the giver of power and strength, and it was because of God from start to finish. Paul continued to express his gratitude: God considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Paul had demonstrated faithfulness throughout his ministry, and in God’s economy and providence this resulted in greater ministry

4th September 2022 (Pentecost 13) Father’s Day / the Season of Creation / Child Safe Sunday Sermon Title: The Cost of Discipleship  (Philemon 1:16 – 20 & Luke 14:25 – 33)                                                                                   By Heeyoung Lim  The more Jesus isolated the Jewish leaders, the larger the crowds who followed. Jesus taught the crowds as well as his disciples. The crowds sought and accompanied Jesus, but they did not follow Him. The main differences between the crowds and disciples are the cost and sacrifice. Following Jesus sometimes isolates and separates us from those closest or things familiar to us. Dedication to Jesus means rejection of self-interest and personal preference. Discipleship is not a hasty decision or temporary commitment; it is a full-time commitment. Being a father, a mother, a family, and disciples are life-long commitments. Dedication to God has no limits and accompanies cost and sacrifice. Following Jesus is a lifelong commitment and determination and the road that leads to the cross or sacrifice. Cross bearing means total sacrifice of everything. Discipleship is never cheap or easy, but may we prioritize Jesus more than anything. Have you ever paused and counted the cost of discipleship? In today’s text, becoming a disciple is like starting a building project. We must budget for it and see that we can finish it. No one wants a half-finished building. Christians should not turn back when they are halfway in their discipleship journey. Rather, we need to count the cost, be ready to pay the cost, and take up our cross. May we accomplish the race of discipleship journey together instead of returning to a place where we start or walking into where worldly values lead. We might meet those who rejected and made fun of us. In verses 31 and 32, Jesus explains discipleship through fighting and battle. Jesus taught us how to prepare, build, and fight as disciples. Christian faith requires an enduring obedience from beginning to end. May we be ready to fight and win against something else that interrupts a disciple’s journey. In today’s text, Jesus uses strong language to make clear the high cost of discipleship. It must be total dedication that moves from wish to careful deliberation and decision making. It cannot be done on impulse, because Jesus knows that the cross emerges before His followers.  Being disciples accompanies the cost and determination. This term for “cost” appears only once in the New Testament here. Cost is what we give up to acquire, accomplish, maintain, or produce something. It involves a measure of sacrifice and perhaps loss or penalty in gaining something. Cost requires effort and resources. As disciples, when accepting and spreading the good news of Jesus Christ, we can see the power of Jesus’ call and the commitment as hearers and doers of the word. Discipleship is a process and takes time and involves both failures and successes. May we grow in our faith journeys and live the holiness that resides in each of us. As disciples, may we learn to face life’s challenges and joys with a spirit of love, hope, faith, and peace that leads us to a deeper spirituality.  Today’s text invites us to engage in that deep process of reflection that discipleship demands of us, to explore whether we are being followers or if we are measuring our lives by human yardsticks. At the heart of discipleship is transformation, and the cost is engaging in a radical shift and faith growth. The cost of discipleship also includes salvation and entering an intimate relationship with God in Christ that teaches us that obedience to God is not blind. The cost will lead to changes in relationships and faith development.  That change is well illustrated in Philemon. Paul offered something for Philemon to think about. Paul did not intend to minimize Onesimus’s past wrongs and acknowledged the debt Onesimus owed Philemon. Paul expressed his appreciation and love for Onesimus. “Onesimus is no longer as a slave, but as beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both in the flesh and in the Lord.” Paul told Philemon to welcome him as you would welcome me.  In today’s text, Paul went on to say, “If he has done you any wrong or owes you anything, charge it to me.” Paul did not neglect obligations and relationships. Instead, he worked to resolve problems. He was ready to assume the debt and said, “I will pay it back”. The treachery of Onesimus was refashioned by God’s hand and shaped into a blessing for Onesimus, Philemon, Paul, and the countless numbers who benefited from their ministries. Onesimus may have run away, but God’s grace ran with him. Philemon may have lost a possession, but God’s grace further enriched him and proved that God works for the good of those who love and serve him. God’s sovereign authority converts bad situations into good situations. Onesimus was changed, and Philemon would find him valuable as a person, as a worker, as a friend, but also as a spiritual brother, a man with whom he found the deeper communion before the Lord. In these changed relationships, nothing would ever be the same. I believe that we will be transformed in Christ as a spiritual family and be reshaped by God as a renewed community. The lawless acts of Onesimus were used by God to bring about his salvation and the maturity of Philemon. God’s grace works through all human affairs. We all belong to Christ. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these people of mine, you did for me” (Matt. 25:40). The Father accepts us as he accepts the Son, because we are followers and co-workers of Christ through faith.  Here

28th August 2022 (Pentecost 12) Sermon Title: God’s Hospitality (Psalm 81:1, 10–16 & Luke 14:1, 7–14                                                                                       By Heeyoung Lim  After Jesus challenges the rules about healing on the Sabbath, he challenges the way people exalt themselves and then gives instructions about who to invite to a banquet. (v. 7-11) In Jesus’ time, dinners were not just meals but social events that bonded people of similar status together. People could find out who had been invited before accepting an invitation and expected to eat with their social equals. In people’s perspectives, if the “wrong” people would be invited, many potential guests made excuses and declined the invitation. Some people declined the invitation if they felt that they could not give back the hospitality. The seating arrangement was crucial to them and offering less was shameful to the host in those times.  In this Bible story, the original hosts are the upper-class Jews who were so tied to their social status and ignored God. God rejected them and turned to the ones they looked down to find adequate guests for the heavenly banquet. We cannot say that their places have been reserved in the heavenly feast. Their attitude can cause them to miss God’s final heavenly banquet, or they would never participate in His banquet due to their worldly values. May we care more for others’ needs than for our own desires and reputation. Jesus wants us to participate in a glorious banquet through faith, hope, and loving hospitality.  In accordance with Jesus’ parable based on what was happening in the banquet, if we try to gain honour for ourselves, we will be humiliated. But if we are humble, then we will receive great honour. May we act with humility, not pride, in every situation, looking at Jesus. Jesus wants us to invite those who are unable to pay us back and to find the names of the poor, the injured, and the needy. Everyone deserves an invitation to a loving table. However, no one ever honours them with a dinner in those days. May we reverse the world’s way and invite those who are in need to our banquet. In verse 14, Jesus continued. “Instead, you are doing this for God. When you do things his way, He repays you.” I believe that eternal glory will be given to us if we believe in Jesus and share God’s hospitality here. God will give you His heavenly blessings, and you will be rewarded by God. May we not limit God’s hospitality in our lives. God asks us to live in the culture of the kingdom of God through our everyday acts toward each other and in and through our relationship with God and creation. In the relationship with God’s creation, we are responsible for climate change action in our lives, I believe that we are striving to do climate action in our daily lives, doing our best to protect and take good care of God’s creation. May we receive more heavenly blessing that invites us to grow into a deeper relationship with God and others. Jesus wants us to understand that our all-human drive to seek the best seat in a place is not genuine participation in God’s mercy or love. Many Christians want to be a blessing to others, but being a blessing is not easy. Instead, sharing blessings with others or displaying the blessings we have received is relatively easier than being a blessing. Jesus is highlighting the ways in which the realm of God establishes its own social and spiritual order. Jesus uses this occasion to describe the reign of God. There are reversals in the gospel of Luke. God’s reign is not about measuring up but about being invited by God. Jesus tells the host to invite people of low social status who cannot reciprocate the invitation. He also teaches the host to invite those who could not possibly return the favour. The reign of God is marked by true generosity, like the generosity God pours out on all. Although we cannot even begin to repay God’s hospitality, may we respond to God’s compassion and mercy in our daily living. In Psalm 81, Asaph calls God’s people to rejoice in God who has blessed them, to remember their past deliverance by the Lord, and to repent as to they do not appreciate His blessings. (1) Asaph urged the people, “Sing for joy to God our strength”. Just as God had provided for them earlier in their wilderness wanderings. He said and promised, “Open wide your mouth and I will fill it”. God’s hospitality is unlimited, and He wants to fill us with his blessings and tells us to open our mouth wide. In contrast to the gracious works of God, Israel was stubborn and would not listen to him. Verses 10–16 contrasts God’s gracious hospitality with the people’s rebelliousness and unwillingness to listen. In verse 16, God’s hospitality needs to be read through the lens of the Exodus. The people grumbled in the wilderness, demanding proof of God’s presence. God generously fed them manna, and water flowed from the rock when they wanted water. (Exodus 16 &17) In Psalm 81, God the host goes beyond the people’s request or demands, and they are promised by God the finest wheat and honey from the rock. God’s covenant is the foundation of the blessing that frames righteous living, and our salvation through Jesus is based on God’s hospitality.  In Luke’s gospel, Christ calls us to set such an open table, to invite all people to experience life shaped by God’s inclusive and compassionate love. What does it mean to be invited to live in God’s reign? We are invited not because of what we have or what

21st August 2022 (Pentecost 11) Sermon Title: Jesus’ Boundary-Breaking Love (Luke 13:10–17)                                                                                       By Heeyoung Lim  Jesus taught people in a synagogue on this Sabbath, He sees a woman there who has been unable to stand up straight for 18 years. The crippled woman does not ask for healing. Instead, Jesus calls to her and sets her free from her serious illness by laying hands on her. Her response is to stand up straight and begin praising God.  In John 9, Jesus said that the sickness has nothing to do with sins when his disciples asked him, rather, this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. In this woman’s case from Luke 13, her back had been bent for eighteen years because an evil spirit controlled her. When Jesus sees and calls the woman, she responds by coming forward. When He declares she is “set free” from her sickness, she stands up straight, praising God. Jesus’ loving, caring eye picked her out of the crowd. Jesus identifies her as a recipient of God’s blessing and a person of faith. Jesus healed by placing his hands on the sufferer, and healing came immediately. The woman recognized the source of her healing and praised God. However, the synagogue leader is angry and criticizes those in the crowd who have come for healing on the Sabbath. Filled with righteous indignation, the religious leader pointed out that Jesus broke the law and people cannot work on the Sabbath. When Jesus taught or healed, the reaction was mixed. Many people were thrilled and praised God, but some became angry and indignant. In this leader’s eyes, Jesus has broken the Law. He insisted that this day is for God’s work but missed the whole point of what God’s work is. He was caught in the trap of placing form before substance. The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites!”.  He asked him, “Is she less important than your animals?” Our Lord does not want us to be content for religious hypocrisy. Jesus untied her from the suffering she has faced by his love and mercy. If the Sabbath is to honour God, what greater honour is there than to restore someone to wholeness. The religious leaders were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things Jesus was doing. The entire crowd rejoiced in response. Especially the least people who had no other defender against the religious system and the political oppression. They saw someone break the system or tradition which gives more attention to religious rules rather than human needs. They were delighted to see someone who cared for and helped those who are in need. They recognized that God’s work through Jesus’ boundary-breaking love was glorious, which seems to indicate they knew these were divine acts. Jesus lived within the Law but came to help people understand the spirit of the Law in a new way. His action to set the woman free to worship on the Sabbath shows that healing and liberation take precedence over human rules. Dedication to God leads to meeting human need, while dedication to religion protects the tradition even at the cost of human life. May we have confidence that God is at work growing his kingdom even when we cannot see much evidence of it. Entering and experiencing the kingdom of God can be done by faith, listening to God’s Word, and practicing it, not by maintaining religious tradition. May we remember the Sabbath Day or the Lord’s Day to keep it holy.  Jesus welcomes, loves, and restores all in the ways of God’s healing reign. We are invited to celebrate and praise God for His boundary-breaking love. We also are called to be agents of such healing freedom. Someone is probably living in the shadows in some way. May we reach out and invite people to the centre of our community’s life together. Can we celebrate the worth found in all people in worship, learning and serving? How might we recognize every single person within Christian community? To be in the synagogue on the Sabbath in Jesus’ time was to be at the very centre of the Jewish faith. This is where life, faith, and community merged in a wonderful celebration of God’s presence and promise. It would have been a joyous, awesome, and holy place.  But Jesus calls and places the woman in the centre of the community and transform the crowd. May this service enable our congregation to praise God more and more, and all be more valued and passionately called by the Spirit of Christ into a loving community. God calls us toward the places where grace and healing hope and justice exist. He opens us to new dimensions of faith and gives us courage to break the rules that bind and burden, to bring joy in abundance where joy has been depleted. Jesus reaches out to the woman burdened and living in the shadows and proclaims she is “set free,” and we rejoice in our liberation as well. God, our rock, and refuge, affirms, calls, and sets us free to participate fully in God’s healing, reconciling reign. God breaks into our world and shakes things up. As we approach the healing ministry, we realize God’s unlimited power and our limits and pray for the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual liberation. To ask for healing helps us step into Jesus’ invitation for healing and restoration. Even when the pathway seems to be unclear, in Jesus’ healing power, may we stand up straight to look up Jesus and praise God just like the healed woman.  The theology of the Sabbath in Jesus’ practice and teaching implies for us our memory of God’s healing and freeing power in Christ

14th August 2022 (Pentecost 10) Sermon Title: Run the Race in Faith (Hebrews 11:29-12:2 & Luke 12:49-56)                                                                                   By Heeyoung Lim  The beginning of Luke’s Gospel proclaims that Jesus will “guide our feet into the way of peace” (1:79). Near the end of the Gospel, the resurrected Jesus appears among his followers and offers a benediction of peace (24:36). He taught His followers to bring greetings of peace as they shared the good news. (10:5–6) How might we understand Jesus’ statement that he brings fire to the earth instead of peace? (12:49) In the light of his own example and his preaching, what can Jesus’ words of division possibly mean? (v.56) Unity is always important and valuable, but Jesus doesn’t want us to have hypocritical peace or be pacifists. The fire he has come to cast on earth is the divided and hostile responses that the Spirit-inspired proclamation of Jesus’ death and resurrection will engender. Jesus was fully compelled to accomplish the mission for which he has been sent, so that its results spread to the ends of the earth.   Even during worship, some worshippers carry with them an unforgettable lifetime experience, emotional complexity, and sometimes very painful memories from other communities or relationships. That includes shameful things that have been done in the name of Christ’s church in many places. However, even when division begins between godly ways and worldly ways, the gospel continues to break in among us if we are at the opportune time and under the impulse of God. The way of faith breaks well-worn moulds of expectations in our lives as we grow into the people God calls us to be. Life is tough and unsettling. We want easy and simple answers, but they are usually complicated. May we let go of the things that weigh us down, looking at the example of Jesus, who did not give up in proclaiming the message of God’s justice. How can we set things aside and move forward?  Jesus’ disciples and crowd saw Him as king of peace, perhaps the king who would win or end all wars and create the kingdom of peace. However, dedication and faithfulness to Jesus set a person apart from others or the world. The coming of Jesus the Messiah left no room for neutrality. May we choose to be for the Lord, not against him. Our choice sometimes brings strong opposition and separation from those closest to us who make the other choice. There are both joys and trials when we take up the role of disciples. What keeps us going when the going gets tough in the life of faith? Today’s text explores sources of strength, example, and encouragement, and reminds us that God restores and guides. Beyond Jesus’ unexpected speaking to the crowd, there awaits an equally strong word of forgiveness and God’s tender embrace. Jesus has provided his people an example to follow in facing life’s trials. By faith, the people passed through the Red Sea as on dry land, the walls of Jericho fell after 7 days of marching, and Rahab welcomed the spies with risks and was not killed. Rahab is a foreigner, yet by her faith she risked her own life to save the lives of others. The inclusion of Rahab shows that people who live by faith are not always who we think they may be. It reminds us that “by faith” God’s people did some amazing things. Faith led believers to experience God’s better blessings. It begins with a confidence in the existence of God and provides a confidence that God rewards those who seek him with the whole heart. What God requires of God’s person is producing a fruitful vineyard and running a fruitful race as in Hebrew 11 and 12. In those times, the faith community is seen to have faced severe persecution. Concerned that people would turn away from the Christian faith, the writer encourages the people of God to hold faith even in suffering and become faith-filled people who persevered to the very end. The use of “we” and “us” in the text (12:1) means the faithful journeys of the community with togetherness rather than just a solo run. May we run the race together not in competition but in a spirit of collaboration and encouragement. The examples of those who persevere in faith against the difficulties encourage a struggling community. May we seek justice, act kindly, endure hardship by faith, and influence others in faithfulness. Choosing faithfulness is not easy nor passive. It can be demanding and often requires change and growth.  Hebrews 11:29 – 12:2 reminds us that God rescued Israel from Egypt, but their path has not been easy. It asks us to think about our forebears in faith, those who are faithful to God, whether things went smoothly for them or not. Luke 12:49–53 can seem particularly harsh and unsettling. May we run a fruitful race in God’s hope for a harvest of justice and righteousness. Believers find encouragement in being surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses as the saints mentioned in Hebrews 11. Their triumph gives evidence of a life of faith, and the cloud implies a massive host of these exemplary servants. We receive much encouragement from knowing that others have faced obstacles in the Christian life and have gloriously triumphed. Our faith and such encouragement led us to cast aside our hindrance and sin in the Christian life. Rejecting sin’s entanglement helps us run our race with perseverance. May we avoid all actions that produce bitter fruit and contaminate the lives of others. The race is that path God has marked out for us. May we faithfully follow the route God himself has marked. Christian athletes must keep their eyes

7th August 2022 (Pentecost 9) Sermon Title: Service and Readiness in Daily Life (Luke 12:32–40)                                                                                   By Heeyoung Lim  Many people live in fear because of war, the economy, global warming, unemployment, hunger, poverty, homelessness, disease, and death. It looks impossible to escape. Even in our daily life, people are bullied and neglected physically and emotionally, and sometimes they are abused mentally and spiritually.  Jesus offers a word of comfort in a threatening world: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (v. 32). It opens us to the blessings that God is prepared to give. Do we want to live lives of giving? Jesus says, “Sell your possessions and give to the poor”, calling on his followers to place their confidence in the imperishable things of heaven. In accordance with Jesus’ word, where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. In some points of view, “giving” seems to lead to deprivation and desperation, but the gospel promises that giving from what we have will make us mindful of the God of blessing, and ready to receive the gifts that God offers. Do we live our lives as the master’s servants, God’s children, and Jesus’ disciples?  The delight of his life is to find ways to give not just daily needs but his whole kingdom to you. May we be freed from worry and material things. Dedication to Jesus is more than becoming worry-free. Christian dedication is to kingdom service, not worldly goods. We are part of God’s kingdom and do the work He gives us to do. May we not let anxiety rule our life. God will give us His kingdom. I hope and pray that we can concentrate on being God’s instruments to establish His kingdom here on earth.  But how do we do all this? Today’s text invites us to tuck the bottom of our robes into our belt and trim and light our lamps, so we are ready to serve God. A servant of the kingdom is always on call and has no time for delay. No time to go out to buy oil. No time to light the lamps so they will keep on burning. No time to adjust our clothing so we can run to the duty the Master entrusts.  It means that the Master calls us His servants. Jesus wants us to be ready to open the door and to carry out the tasks He has planned for us. This is especially true in the light of the second coming. We must be ready to move when Christ returns. It’s time to hear God’s words, serve others, and set out to complete the task. Are we worrying about material goods? Are we serving the Lord and His kingdom? When Christ comes, may we be ready to move with him. I believe that we can be serving the Lord and others in the present and preparing for the future at the same time. As in verses 37 – 38, God wants us to be alert until Christ comes again. No spare time allowed. He may come when we least expect him, in the middle of the night. May we be alert and be blessed. Heavenly treasures give no cause for worry, but earthly treasures will be caused for worry constantly. Our heart, the center of emotions and mental activities, will concentrate on where we have our treasures. Our identity is determined by where our heart is. Many people Ignore God and spend their physical and emotional energy on the world’s goods and earthly success while many Christians trust God and spend their efforts on the matters of the kingdom of God. The priority toward God and His kingdom should not be replaced by our earthly desire. May we not let possessions become the focus of life. May we not worry about daily needs but focus on Christ’s kingdom and trust God to provide daily needs. Waiting in difficulties is not easy in an impatient world. Our busy life or uncertainty is rooted in anxiety and fear about the future. What would happen if we really entrusted the future up to God? God will care for you.  In today’s text, the eschatology or consummation focuses not so much on the end times as on the end ways. The consistent message throughout the passage is not, “Be ready so that you will avoid punishment,” but, rather, “Be ready so that you will receive blessing.” After all, those who are ready when the master returns will be the recipients of a heavenly feast (vv. 37–38). Living, loving, and serving are our happiness and blessings in Christ. Today’s text claims that our ultimate concern is God’s kingdom, because it was God’s pleasure to include us in God’s reign. What we need, accumulate, and possess in life is transitory as just time itself. God’s blessings for us empower us to use our talents, possessions, and time to live and serve for the kingdom of God in the present as we hope and expect Christ’s second coming in the future. The prepared ones are those who strive to live and serve faithfully in the present, hoping for the future and expecting Christ’s return. Jesus’ followers prepare for Christ’s return, not personal pleasure in the master’s absence. Jesus calls us to lives of faithfulness, being ever ready to participate in the reign of God. In our daily life, there are many distractions that pull away from God’s word, and many plans and works that divert attention from the things of God. God wants to give us His kingdom and blessings. The things of God are to be given the most urgent priority in every Christian’s life. God’s tender and

GOD’S FAITHFULNESS Luke 12: 13-21 by Geoff Serpell; 31 July 2022 Today’s lectionary gospel reading is about a man who is already wealthy and who, because of a bumper crop, found himself with more wealth than he could point a stick at. The harvest was coming out of his ears. He said to himself, “I will store it all away, take early retirement and eat, drink and be merry. “He assumed he was covered for the years to come, only that he didn’t have years. That very night he died. He assumed that his future was secure, but he had no future to secure. The truth is that no amount of planning and no amount of wealth can ensure a secure future. In recent times we have heard about ambulances waiting to discharge their patients into overfull hospital wards. Years of running our health system like a business has come back to bite us. A certain cancer doctor resigned his position after 23 years working in Victoria’s public health system. This doctor was the sort of doctor the system needs. He cares for his patients, which means sitting at the side of a dying patient for 20 minutes, not talking, not doing, just being a presence.  This was a doctor who still wanted to listen to patients and understand their needs rather than just shove them through. Budgets are now framed on throughput, squeezing more and more patients through for less and less funding which erodes the quality of care. The system has no place for a doctor who sits at a beside for 20 minutes without doing anything you could bulk bill for. So, he quit like many others. No place for a person who values people over profits. The context is entirely different, but the same values are under examination in today’s gospel reading. Someone in the crowd comes to Jesus and says, “Rabbi, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me”.  Family disputes today over breaking up an estate are never pretty where usually the lawyers are the only big winners.  In Israel at the time of our story, the selling up option was not on. The family inheritance was mostly the family farm. The Hebrew’s sense of connection to their land was like our Aboriginal people, you can’t just sell it off. Even today how would you divide land where one half has a creek running through it and the other half is near desert. Jan and I in the market for a buyer of our land, in the family since 1958. We want to stay in Highett hence we have signed with Ryman who are building a Retirement Village at Graham Road Highett. We want to stay in our home till the unit is available maybe until October next year. Meanwhile we are decluttering!! Fortunately, the family is very much on side, and we keep them posted with a ball by ball description of events. I may end up writing another book. Back in Israel, the procedure to get a ruling on such matters was to find a friendly Rabbi to agree on your proposition. This of course allowed some Rabbis to make a quick quid and help pay off the mortgage on the beach house down at Joppa. Jesus came at this problem from a different angle not wanting to arbitrate because there would be no reconciliation with the brother arising from an adverse ruling. A no win situation. It would have been a bit like a woman and her son where, after putting in $20 a week each to buy lottery tickets and actually won $4.2 million dollars. But the son immediately claimed that he’d bought that ticket with his own money. The mother who said that their relationship had previously been “loving and close” sued him for her half. You can just hear the mother asking the lawyer: “tell my son to divide the family winnings with me.” Once you bring in the lawyers to resolve a family dispute, you might win the dispute but you’re unlikely to still have a family.  Now the bloke in Jesus’ story has about eight times the harvest he expected, and it will not all fit in the barns, so he must decide what to do. What most jews would have done in the circumstances were to give thanks to God for this great blessing and then celebrate with friends by throwing a party. The usual thing done in those days also was to walk down to the town gates and discuss it with the elders who were good at solving problems of the universe.  Our man does not do anything he should have. He gives thanks to no one, and he celebrates on his own. When he wants advice, he talks to himself. That’s what it says. His answer to himself is to tear down the barns and build bigger ones. You can imagine why this bloke has no one else to talk to. He’s the sort of character who would sell his own grandmother if there was a buck in it. The sort that no one wants as a friend. Jesus prefaced his story by saying that your life does not consist in the abundance of your possessions and now he has set up this pathetic creature who’s lived as though life was just a case of “He who dies with the most toys wins”. Jesus was saying to this man “How much is it worth to win this one? Will your life really be better if you destroy your family to get your hands on the inheritance?” We are bombarded with images that tell us over and over that our life consists in driving that car, having such a piece of furniture, a certain fragrance, or the upmarket glass of wine. Not only can we have it but, the inference is, we deserve to have it all. Buy up and the economy will be better off, with or without Afterpay. 

24th July 2022 (Pentecost 7) Sermon Title: Faithful Prayer and Response (Psalm 85: 1-13 & Luke 11:1–13)                                                                                   By Heeyoung Lim  Looking back to the past, the psalmist reflected upon God’s mercies displayed in previous years. Remembering God’s mighty working in the past brings confidence in the present. The psalm 85 recalls God’s past blessings to his people, and the psalmist calls for God to restore and revive his people, remembering God’s favour in the past. Their restoration was not only a physical relocation to their land but a spiritual one which includes their relationship with God that had been greatly affected. God forgave the sins of His people, set aside all his wrath, and turned from his fierce anger. It was a remarkable display of divine mercy and grace toward his disobedient people. The psalmist asks God to grant salvation, bringing about their revival and restoration and wants that the same divine mercy be granted to their present troubles. (vv. 4-7) The word “restore us again, O God our Saviour” is a desperate request that God’s favour be once more extended in this present hour. The phrase “put away your displeasure toward us” indicated that their present crisis was because of their own sin. (v.4) This was a plea for the spiritual awakening of God’s people, a petition that God would restore their hearts with renewed devotion toward Him. If God would revive them, they would rejoice again. But reversely, there can be no true rejoicing without spiritual revival. The psalmist requested, “Show us your unfailing love and grant us your salvation out of our present problems and spiritual apathy.” (v.7) The psalmist confessed, “I will listen to what God the LORD will say” and believed that His salvation is near. Such salvation is reserved for those who fear Him and His name. Such a God-sent revival would cause his glory to dwell in our land. The deepest longing of the psalmist’s heart is God’s presence. The restoration of His people would make known His greatness and majesty to all. (v.9) God promises peace and salvation to those who fear Him.  In today’s text, love and faithfulness meet together, and his unconditional, steadfast, loyal love will work together with his faithfulness. Also, righteousness and peace will work together in perfect harmony. All four of these spiritual qualities are expressions of God’s abundant favour toward his people. God’s blessing surrounds his people. The LORD will indeed give what is good, namely, love, faithfulness, righteousness, and peace. (vv. 11-12) In addition, wherever God’s presence is in the restoration of his people, righteousness will be clearly seen in the lives of God’s people. (13) Psalm 85 asks God to “revive us again,” to “speak peace to God’s people” (vv. 6, 8). The psalm reflects speaking and listening, a conversation rather than a monologue, just as the last lines of Luke 11:1–13 show. You won’t give your child a snake instead of a fish. As Jesus taught the disciples to pray, we ask for our daily bread; it is important for deep-down listening to know what nourishment we need for that day. May we listen as well as speak when we pray. Seeing Jesus at prayer made the disciples want to imitate him. Jesus’ disciples saw that Jesus’ actions each day came out of his prayer life with God and wanted to learn to pray from Jesus. In Luke 11, Jesus taught them a model prayer, and this prayer contains the essence of all prayer. The Lord’s Prayer praises God, seeks daily needs, asks for deliverance from temptation, and promises to forgive others in seeking forgiveness for oneself. Prayer is an essential part of the life of one who follows Jesus.  Christians have come to know this prayer as The Lord’s Prayer, Jesus’ Prayer, or The Prayer Jesus Taught. In the Lord’s prayer, addressing God as holy or hallowed sets God apart from the world. The words of prayer proclaim a great hope: God’s way of being and God’s desire will be present in the world. The next prayers are to ask God to provide three basic needs – sustaining the world by providing food, restoring individuals and communities by forgiveness, and protecting the world.  In our prayer and life, we depend on God to take away our sins. However, we know that forgiveness is not just an activity of God, we are also responsible to forgive those who treat us wrong. It is not a business transaction or give and take issue, rather, it is a process of focusing on godliness and not on worldliness. May we pray that God will transform our nature so that we become more like Jesus. In Jesus and his preaching, the kingdom of God has been seen on earth. We pray that the day will come when the kingdom will be seen in its fullness and its permanence even though we do not know when. May we pray that God’s reign will have come, and His will be fully achieved. Prayer is not just concerned with recognizing God and establishing his kingdom, but it is also individual and personal, asking for the necessities. However, prayer never becomes individualistic and selfish. We pray not just for ourselves but for all God’s people and the world. In all circumstances, may the intimate Father-child relationship be maintained. Prayer is an intimate talk between God and people and invites us to enter an intimate relationship with God. Jesus got to the point of his parable: Ask God. Seek something from God. Knock expectantly at God’s door. The loving Father will open the door and provide what we need if we depend on the Father’s goodness and love. Faithful prayer will find answers even when those prayers are petitions for personal

17th July 2022 (Pentecost 6) Sermon Title: Faithful Listening and Dedication (Colossians 1:24 – 29 & Luke 10:38 – 42)                                                                                   By Heeyoung Lim  Today’s text focuses on Jesus’ teaching about the importance of grounding our lives in faith. Martha and Mary are important to Jesus. Jesus and the disciples come to their village and are welcomed, invited into their home, and provided with food and fellowship. Mary places herself at the feet of Jesus rather than taking the culturally assigned role of providing the physical necessities of hospitality. It was a surprising turn of expectations in those times, because the spot was the traditional place for the male disciples of a teacher at that time. However, Jesus affirms Mary’s choice to learn from him.  To those who perceive God at work in Jesus, there is much more going on than normal observers. Jesus is the promised Messiah who will reign all over the world with God’s never-ending love. Mary’s insight into Jesus’ mission shows one thing that is needful for a disciple of Jesus – hearing and responding to the word of God. We are called to listen to God’s word, and then let it shape our lives each day. In God’s reign, Christ is our centre and holds all together. Which customs and traditions are blocking us from faithfully listening and responding to God’s word? In what ways are our faithful listening and dedication demonstrated and conveyed in our faith journey? May we place Jesus in the centre of our life by reflection on Christ and the way of God’s reign. When Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made, her speech was centred on herself rather than Jesus. Though she refers to Jesus as ‘Lord’, she was concerned to engage his assistance in her plans rather than Jesus’ words or Maria’s needs.  Sometimes people’s needs can be out of focus and misplaced. Even Christians are dedicated to fulfilling the world’s expectations rather than Jesus’. At the crossroads of decision making, Martha had chosen necessary hospitality and social obligation, but Mary made the choice to hear Christ’s Word. Jesus would not take away from Mary the blessing and opportunity. Life has one essential need to hear and obey the Word of God.  Martha needed to change her priorities or at least had to admit that Mary’s choice was a better part to Mary’s faith status and her life. In today’s text, Jesus’ commendation and his approval of Mary who did “the one thing needful” are heard. On the other hand, Jesus called Martha’s name twice and said, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed.” Jesus did not point out that Martha’s service was wrong, because faithful dedication and hospitality are also significant. While Jesus is still honouring the choice she makes, He calls Martha to come closer to His word and reign. Love for God is shown by devotion to his Word in the midst of life’s demands. Christ changes all priorities, cutting through our distracting customs. May we focus our life on God’s Word in any circumstance rather than social obligations.  Jesus referred to Himself as “one who serves”, and Martha’s services were themselves manifestations of discipleship. In this instance, her problem lied in forgetting the fact that Jesus is Lord and guest, and her hospitality was distracted. When anxiety in well-doing becomes the measure of our hospitality, then the church might forget Jesus who needs to be centre in our all gatherings. When Christ is proclaimed as instrumental or decoration to the church’s worships and events, then the community might cease to attend to the Word that first called it into being. Focusing on Jesus and listening to the word of God need to be priority in our precious services and all events. Martha represents the ministry of diakonia, and Mary represents the ministry of the word. Faithful listening from Mary and faithful dedication from Martha help us understand the development of the ministry of diakonia and the ministry of the word. The ministry of service and the ministry of the word require each other. In our busy lives, we can perhaps easily relate to Martha, who seems to be working hard while her sister Mary is “just sitting” and listening to Jesus. Many people will be coming to worship with a sense of being overwhelmed by busy situations. However, it will be important in worship to find ways to move through all circumstances, to stop sometimes, take a deep breath, and celebrate the presence of Jesus who seeks to enter our hearts and our lives each day. It is not about problem solving, it is about listening and dedication. May we focus on the presence of God rather than earthly busyness and glorify God by listening, praising, praying, and faithful dedication. Colossians 1 puts Christ at the centre of everything. The universe came into being because of the action of God in Christ. The universe is being reconciled to God through Christ. When Paul says he is filling up what is still lacking regarding Christ’s afflictions, he is not saying that Jesus’ suffering on the cross was insufficient. Paul had encountered suffering. Yet Paul was able to rejoice in what he suffered. He was enduring suffering on behalf of Christ. The world hated Jesus Christ; and now they persecute His followers. Paul was willing to suffer on behalf of the church because he saw himself as the church’s servant. God gave him a commission to proclaim the gospel, and suffering was included with the commission. In the dark and confused world, knowing the truth about the power of the gospel and the person of Christ is the believer’s best protection against deception. Jesus Christ lives

10th July 2022 (Pentecost 5) Sermon Title: Go and Do the Same (Colossians 1:1–14 & Luke 10:25–37)                                                                                   By Heeyoung Lim  God’s grace and peace in a person’s life come from knowing the power of the gospel. Paul calls Colossian believers holy, refers to them as faithful, and commends them for their steadfast commitment to the gospel. He says the Colossians are brothers. They are one spiritual family despite differences in background, race, or any other human considerations. Just like a rich cluster of grapes is evidence of life in the seeds from which they sprang, so the seed of the gospel bears fruit that proves there is spiritual life. Paul lists these virtues in verses 4-5. He points out three traits of Christian character that need to be evident in the life of those in whom the gospel seed has taken root: faith, love, and hope. It can be described as a cluster of virtues, and the virtues should be increasingly evident in our lives if the seed is growing. Faith in Jesus Christ produces inclusive love for others. In those times, the false teachers were telling the Colossians that the fruit or evidence of spirituality was keeping rules or having mysterious experiences. However, Paul says that the real fruit of faith is love. The love in Christ is inclusive and nonselective. The love of Christ invites us to love the undeserving the same way God has loved us. Love is not a feeling; it is an attitude and an action. The term love is not just a noun, but also a verb. Love is sincerely wishing for another person’s best outcome and taking whatever action is necessary to see that it is accomplished. The next fruit Paul mentions is hope. Hope is looking forward with eager anticipation and strong confidence to God’s promises. Paul also says that our hope is secure because it is stored up in heaven. Our hope is safe and secure in Christ. This confident expectation is what motivates us to be able to love inclusively. Paul tells us that faith and love spring from hope. Paul then reminds us of the source of fruit in the lives of believers. The source is the word of truth, the gospel. The message of the gospel is truth. The gospel bears fruit not only in the lives of individual believers but all over the world. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a dynamic force that shatters the hard soil of sin and takes root as new life. By complimenting the Colossians on how the gospel had taken root and grown in them, as it has in all the world (v. 6), Paul encouraged them to remain faithful to the message of truth they heard and not be seduced by the lies of the false teachers. The gospel message bears fruit in believers and grows all over the world.  Paul’s letter to the Colossians began with a prayer of thanksgiving. Prayers are needed to all believers who are doing well. God is pleased when believers grow in knowledge and character and when they express gratitude for their salvation. He is pleased when believers are growing in the knowledge of God. Believers can please God with endurance and patience as they are strengthened with all power according to his glorious might. Christians please God when they are joyfully giving thanks to the Father for the blessings of salvation. Pleasing God is possible only when His will is the controlling influence in our lives. We also share the Gospel of Luke, hoping to become disciples of the Lord who please God and to be good neighbours to each other. The gospel of Luke 10 emphasizes and includes people on the edges of the society in which the gospel was written. The outcasts, the lonely, the sick, women, children, and the least are included in God’s reign as God’s people. The kingdom of God and all the opportunities to please God are open to all who know the love of God and respond to it. In God’s reign, love and compassion are the essence of faithful living and action.  In this story, Jesus criticizes religious leaders. People might infer that these leaders were putting purity laws and temple practices above the call of the law to love God and neighbour, but the text doesn’t tell us why these individuals did not stop and help. The prophets from the bible were continually calling leaders and those who maintain and abuse power to turn from religious distortions back to the heart of faithfulness such as justice, love, mercy, and compassion. In today’s text, Jesus gives us the prophetic call through a good Samaritan story. He challenges national stereotypes held by both the Jewish and Samaritan peoples. The Jews centred their faith lives in the temple at Jerusalem and the Samaritans focused theirs at Mount Gerizim. There were deep, historical rifts between these two groups. The Jewish audience of this gospel would have considered the Samaritans to be unclean. Yet in this story, the Samaritan is the one who responds most faithfully.  Thus, the Samaritan saw the man, felt sorry for him, went over to him, and took the dying man.  He treated his wounds with olive and wine and bandaged them. He put him on his own donkey and took him to an inn, where he took care of him. Furthermore, he gave the inner keeper money and asked him to care for the suffering man. The Samaritan was a true neighbour who was showing love. In Luke 10, Jesus answers a question “Who is my neighbour?”, with a story about a man wounded and lying by the side of the road. We do not usually think of our neighbour as someone who