Sermons

13th November 2022 (Pentecost 23 & Remembrance Day)  Title: God is creating with His infinite possibilities (Scripture Readings: Isaiah 65:17–25 & Luke 21:5–9)                                                                                      By Heeyoung Lim  Today’s text invites us toward the Reign of Christ and Advent when we prepare to welcome the Messiah who came to us to embody God’s creating work and saving love and the infinite possibilities of “new heavens and new earth”. As we move toward the end of the church year, we long a renewed world healed by God’s love and justice for all people and all Creation. Most scholars believe Isaiah 65:17–25 was written after the people of Judah returned from exile in Babylon. Their return was not as triumphant as they had hoped. Their homeland was destroyed and had to be rebuilt with so many risks. The prophet speaks to those facing the task of rebuilding Jerusalem. He speaks God’s word of hope that God will not remember Israel’s disobedience. The word remember in scripture means bringing a past event into the present with all costs. Just as God will not bring past transgressions into the present, the people are called to leave behind the fear and anguish of exile and embrace God’s infinite possibilities of “new heavens and a new earth” (v. 17).  As in verse 18, God is creating “new heavens and a new earth.” May we be glad and rejoice forever in what God is creating. The new creation would differ greatly from the old one, being dominated by joy instead of sadness. The joy would be shared by God and by people. In God’s new creation, sadness will vanish, and weeping will be replaced by joy and peace. God’s people are participants in this new Creation. This new Creation is described as a place where God’s people will live and enjoy meaningful lives in a close relationship with God. These messages reverse situations of human distress and difficulties and speak a word of God’s ultimate Justice and infinite love to all who have suffered. God’s living words influence our daily lives, and His people participate in this new Creation. The work of creation involves human participation now and in the future. Each of God’s faithful people would enjoy the works of their hands. Even though Isaiah 11:18 declares that on God’s “holy mountain” the serpent and humankind will live in harmony, here the prophet suggests that God is limiting His creature from the beginning of this new Creation. In Genesis 3:14, the serpent is “cursed” for its part in the disobedience of Adam and Eve, but in this region of the Middle East, serpents were symbols of wisdom and fertility. What signs do we observe of “new heavens and new earth” in our lives?  What does it mean to live into this vision and help shape it?  In today’s text, labour would be rewarded, every newborn would escape the sudden disaster, and curses would disappear. Every generation would be blessed by God. God’s people find joy in signs of God’s new creation. May we find joy as a new creation in Christ.  In the time of Jesus, the Jews praised the beauty and wonder of their temple. They depended on fortresses for protection, or they were interested in beautiful architecture. Herod had built and decorated the temple with a huge amount of white marble stones and silver and gold gates and doors. However, Jesus said, “The time is coming when not one of them will be left in place. He repeated his warning that the temple would be completely destroyed, and Jesus’ followers asked when this would happen. They wanted to know what signs would warn them.  Jesus was not the only one who promised signs for the future. In those times, many teachers insisted on having more knowledge than Jesus did, and false messiahs wanted people to follow them as God’s Messiah. Deceivers will always try to gain glory and power by pointing to false signs of the last times. Jesus who called people to “follow me” but now says, “Do not follow them.” The one we should follow is Jesus. In the following words, there are many signs Jesus mentioned, and they take place before Christ returns. Every generation has its wars or signs, but those are not the end, and they take place before the end comes. Christ has given us the signs so that we can pray and get ready for His second coming and the kingdom of God. In verse 18 and 19, Jesus promised that we will be saved by faith, and we will win life if we stand firm. May we lean on Jesus in all circumstances rather than depending on worldly values for protection from the sinful world. Christ will return in glory, and he expects His people to be ready for His return. May we pray that God will give us strength and protection in the fears, uncertainty, and chaos we are experiencing. We do not know when Christ will come again, but signs of the times will help us realize the end is near so we can prepare for Jesus’ return. May we be alert to what is happening and be prepared to stand firm as a faithful and true follower. I believe that God gives us strength and protection for our daily lives and the last days.  Luke 21:5–19 offers a vision, with enough trouble, loss, and sadness to make the strongest person shake with fear. When the gospel of Luke was written, the temple and Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Romans. God, loving and mighty creator, speaks His word into our weary world and makes all things new. May we live in the harmony God makes and leads. We are called to live

Worship at LEIGHMOOR UCA Sunday 13th November 2022 – 9.30 a.m. PENTECOST 23  WELCOME TO WORSHIP PLEASE STAND FOR ENTRY OF THE BIBLE  SERVICE OF APPROACH CALL TO WORSHIP WELCOME ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY PRAYER TIS 156                         Morning Has Broken                    SERVICE OF THE WORD READINGS             Isaiah 65:17-25; Luke 21:5-9       TIS 217 (i)                             Love Divine               CHILDREN TIME  SERMON: God Is Creating with His Infinite Possibilities                            [Sermon on Web / Hardcopies at the Door after worship]            TIS 123                               Be Still My Soul            SERVICE OF RESPONSE JOYS AND CONCERNS PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION  NOTICES – OFFERTORY  TIS 569                                   Guide me      BENEDICTION          God Be with You (v. 1)   NOTICES: Sunday School @Fellowship Hall Morning Tea @Fellowship Hall  Potted Palms Concert: 20th November 2PM @Leighmoor Entry is by donation & Funds raised will go towards roof repairs Music & Afternoon tea preparation Sausage Sizzle & A Book/Plant Stall: On Election Day, Saturday 26th November Friday Fellowship: 9th December 11AM @Fellowship Hall Christmas Lunch – Bringing Dishes Christmas Journey: Saturday, 24th December 4PM  For Children and their families Chilling + Interactive Christmas Christmas Bible Fashion Show with Christmas Carols Carols and Dancing + Treasure Hunt + Christmas Photo Zone  Christmas Carol & Candle Service: Saturday, 24th December 8PM For All Generations Candle Service + Christmas Music + Words + Carols Christmas Gifts Talk Christmas Service: Sunday, 25th December 9.30AM                      CHURCH CONTACTS Minister: Rev Heeyoung Lim  M: 0432 054 369 E: hyfilm12@gmail.com  Website: www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org  Zoom Service: Henry Wan (0403 150 404) Closing time for Notices is 5 p.m. on Wednesdays.

Leighmoor, Murrumbeena, Coatsville combined service Sunday 6 November 2022 All Saints Readings: Psalm 98, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17, Luke 20: 27-38 Title: God’s truth Rev Anneke Oppewal Psalm 98 is a beautiful song of praise filled with joy and bubbling with imagery that is uplifting and heart warming. Rivers clapping their hands, mountains that jump for joy, the sea bubbling with excitement while trumpets and other musical instruments play jubilant tunes. It sings of a God that conquers the world with justice and faithful love, that comes to save and shows the world what righteousness, a life according to God’s hopes for the world look like.  In the Church of my youth in Holland there was a hymn that caught that mood perfectly. And to this day it is still one of my all time favourites. Even hearing the first notes lifts my mood and my heart and I’ll keep humming it for hours after I have heard or sung it. I’m sure there is an equivalent in English, but, up till now, I’ve never encountered an English rendition of Psalm 98 that does the same as the Dutch one does for me.  I hope you have hymns or songs or music like that. That lift you wherever you are or whatever you are doing or feeling at the time and will take you to another level of being. If only for a little while.  That Jesus would have known and sung this psalm makes it even more precious I think. It was the spiritual food he would have been raised on. Words that accompanied him on his journey and shaped his way of worshipping and prayer every day. Singing God’s praises with words that went back to the time of Kin David and some of them even to before that, singing and reciting words that have stayed with his followers for centuries after.  Old, old songs and words that have renewed, revived and revitalised people for thousands of years now. And we are still singing them. How good is that?  What happens in the gospel reading is in stark contrast to the joy and boundless energy with which the Psalm speaks to us. The mood is cold and dark, the words are clipped and angry, the imagery conjured up is one of confusion, conflict and angst. Jesus has entered Jerusalem, he has entered the temple, he is in the place where that joy for God should have been more abundant than anywhere else and the tension and simmering passive aggression is palpable.  Tell us Jesus….. The sadducees, priests that were in charge of the temple grounds, wealthy, powerful and considered authorities on matters of religion, come and put an absurd question to Jesus. Not because they want to learn something. Not because they are interested in debate. But because they want to cut Jesus down to size, diminish him in the eyes of the people, embarrass him if they can.  The question is in the same category as the question that kept theologians in the middle ages occupied for a while about how many angels would fit on the top of a needle.  And the answer is very simple: We don’t know.  So, if the law in Jesus day, designed to protect widowed women and make sure males had a maximum chance of continuing into the future through their offspring, even if they died, could result in an absurd scenario. Should brothers continue to die and a widow continue to be handed down the line of a group of brothers, what would happen if they all turned up in heaven after the resurrection is a question we cannot know the answer to and that the scriptures don’t, anywhere, even attempt to solve.  What Jesus does, when that absurd and unanswerable question is put to him, is show up the people that ask it as people that lack faith and imagination in even coming up with the question.  They take a law that was designed to keep women, who at that time lost everything when they got married, safe by ordering that their new family would continue to look after them. And that a man who died without children might still have his name continue into the future through a child his brother might have with his wife. So the brother, through this child, could be present when the end of times would come to bring praises to God.  The sadducees, with their question, turn a law that was designed to protect and secure life into an absurd questioning of what might happen after we all die in a place that none of us can know exactly what will happen about.  Look, says Jesus, as he shows them up quoting from their own sacred scriptures. All I know is that God is a God of the living, even after they have died. Moses, Abraham, Isaak, Jacob: God has never stopped loving them and they are, still, alive, for God as well as for us in who they were and how they lived. For God that difference, that may be such a big thing in our minds and hearts, the boundary between life and death, is simply non existent and of no importance. God is here. And in God all who have lived are still alive. And all who have lived we may know are still loved, known and cared for by God. As we are loved, known and cared for.  That’s all we need to know. And how that works out? Well, perhaps all we need to do there is trust that in God’s way, in God’s time, in God’s world that will be worked out in a way that we may simply not be able to imagine.  What the sadducees at the time of the question didn’t know, but what Luke, at the time of writing did know, is that the temple where this debate takes place, the home ground of the sadducees where they feel confident enough

30th October 2022 (Pentecost 21 & Reformation Sunday)  Title: Transformed Witnesses (Scripture Readings: 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12 & Luke 19:1-10)                                                                               By Heeyoung Lim  In 2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12, a community has been praised for its steadfastness in the face of persecution. Paul expressed his gratitude for the connection between the faith growth and the community’s growing love. God’s love is made visible in many ways, through a transformed life, the love of an individual, and the change of perceptions and growing intimacy of a community. We find an inner strength and shared feeling when we recognize and give thanks for how individual and collective beings witness God’s abundant grace every day. May we consider the many ways God’s love is made visible in our days, in our communities and the world. In verses 1-4, Paul greets the congregation at Thessalonica with love and gratitude. He notes that their increasing faith and love and spiritual maturity are growing stronger and steadier. Their maturity and growth are considered as an example of Christian stability for other communities. In verses 11–12, Paul assures that he, Silvanus, and Timothy will continue to pray for them. He believes that God may continue to empower them, help to fulfill their calling, lead to the glory of their Lord Jesus. We need growth and maturity to be strong as a witness of Christ in the midst of changing times and a challenging world. Paul boasts of the faith of the Thessalonians and highlights their growth. He focuses on their improvements and commends not only their performance but their effort. Paul’s applause for the Thessalonians should today be understood as affirming their love for God and love for people and churches that seek to be a community of faith. The writer notes with gratitude that “the love of every one of you for one another is increasing” (v. 3). The faith community has been bound together by faith and love, even in its suffering. Their mutual love and their regard for one another has been increased even under the pain of persecution. God will not forget such steadfastness.  In verses 11 & 12, God is the one who through His own power and grace makes people worthy of God’s call so that the name of Jesus is glorified in the world, and they are glorified in Jesus. These are the points of their prayers. After praying that the Thessalonians would experience God’s grace and peace, Paul offered thanksgiving for those believers because they continued to develop in faith and love. Although experiencing hardship, this church was an example to other churches because of their community life and love. This requires change and growth, and the story of a changed witness is found in the Gospel of Luke 19.  In Luke 19:1-4, Jesus continued his journey up the dangerous hills toward Jerusalem. A tax collector was determined to see Jesus. As an administrator for the Roman government’s tax office, Zacchaeus had great wealth. He may overcharge the Jewish people and take a cut from the taxes gathered by other tax collectors whose work he administered. However, his wealth could not provide the one thing he wanted more than anything else. He was not able to see over or get through the massive crowd swarming around Jesus, Zacchaeus ran ahead, found a tree, and climbed up into its branches. In 19:5, the clever tax collector did get a view of Jesus, and Jesus spotted him up in the tree. Jesus even invited himself to dinner at his house. Jesus said it was necessary for him to visit Zacchaeus. A necessity initiated by God to show one more time Jesus’ mission on earth. In 19:6-7, he overjoyed at this unexpected privilege, the short man rushed down the tree.  The big crowd or his short height does not prevent Jesus from coming to Zacchaeus’s tree, making eye contact with him, calling him down, and inviting himself into the tax collector’s home and life. Jesus is going to eat with a sinful man, and the crowd must have complained. In going to dinner with Zacchaeus, Jesus showed his love and dedication to seeking and saving the lost rather than catering to the proud. Jesus came to seek and save the lost, not to fulfill religious demands. We are sometimes hindered from seeing and experiencing the grace of God. Our sinful condition or worldly wind eclipses the light of God from shining into our lives from time to time. However, when God gives light into our hearts, He leads us to the glory of God in Jesus Christ. As in verse 8, after meeting Jesus, the tax collector was no longer the same person. He would enter the kingdom of God, but not as a wealthy man. God’s house is a place of prayer, not of business. He would take half of what he owned and give it to the poor. He would find the people he had overcharged on their tax bill and refund four times as much as he had cheated them.  Jesus is on the way to Jerusalem to face his death when he encounters this man whom we might rightly expect him to rebuke. However, Jesus stops and gives Zacchaeus the honour of staying at his house that night. He responds to this with great joy. When the crowd grumble that Jesus is staying with a sinner, Zacchaeus stands up on his little feet, stretches up as tall as he can, and declares that he will give half his possessions to the poor and repay any deception fourfold. This goes far beyond what Jewish law demands. Jesus declares that “salvation has come to this house” (v. 9). Zacchaeus seems to have accepted the penalty of the law and applied it to

25th September 2022 (Pentecost 16) Sermon Title: Act Now & Fight the Good Fight of Faith (1 Timothy 6:11-19 & Luke 16:19-31)                                                                                    By Heeyoung Lim  26 Korean words were added to the Oxford English Dictionary last year. With these additions, “we are all riding the crest of the Korean wave” the OED says in a statement. Many words come from Korean origin, but several words are new formations or new senses of existing English words. For Instance, the interjection “fighting!” is used to express encouragement, incitement, or support, another way to say, ‘go on!’ or ‘go for it!’ (BBC News, 5 October 2021) It is not about real fights. When a Korean says, “fighting!”, it means, do not give up, you can do it, I believe in you, I will be rooting for you, cheer up, I know you are going to get through it, and so on. The word “Fighting!” is simple, but the meaning is complicated and positive. Today’s text invites us to fight the good fight of faith.  Paul called Timothy as man of God and told him to flee from all ungodliness. The Christian is to escape from the traps and temptations of money and selfish ambition. We are to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, and gentleness. (v.11) These six qualities mark the life of a Christian, but intention and effort are needed. As Hebrew 12: 1-2, we are to run with perseverance fixing our eyes on Jesus. Paul’s list of Christian characteristics closely matches the fruit of the Spirit described in Galatians 5:22. Timothy was to pursue personal behaviours, attitudes, and habits which would reflect his companionship with Christ. He was also to fight the good fight of the faith. He was to defend truth as a leader. (v.12) Those who follow Christ are to exhibit God in this world. We do this through our words, deeds, and the good fight of faith. In our lives, our public witness and private disciplines are necessary for the good fight of faith. Paul told Timothy to take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. The eternal life which believers enter is not limited to a future hope. It is also a present reality. We take hold of this eternal life when we live in the power of God and values of God’s kingdom. We will not experience the fullness of Christ’s reign until Christ returns, but eternal life is still accessible at the present time on earth as a future hope and present reality at the same time. May we live in harmony with God and His Spirit. Eternal life is not reserved for a certain level of people. It is available to all who believe in Jesus and live out the gospel and fight the good fight of faith. True faith cannot be hidden. Timothy testifies that he trusted in Jesus Christ in public.  Paul said in the sight of God who gives life to everything. God is sovereign over all life. All we exist by God’s mercy and life-giving power. We are cared for by his strength and goodness. The fact that God cares for us brings comfort as well as gratitude. Our lives begin with faith and confession, and they grow in intimate fellowship with Christ. Christ had a calling to reveal God in this world and to provide a way to be saved by holy living, death on the cross, and resurrection. Paul also delivered his command in the sight of Christ Jesus. May we testify Jesus and the love of God in the sight of God and in the sight of Christ.  Paul extended the charge to Timothy: keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is not a temporary determination but a lifelong pursuit and commitment until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ. May we have a high expectancy of the Lord’s return even though we do not know when. Such a glorious prospect helps to overcome the difficulties as well as the temptations of this life in faith. Every good thing comes from God, who is generous to all. Through 1 Timothy 6, God invites us to learn personal contentment in all circumstances. Money is one of Paul’s major concerns in this chapter. It sometimes means temptations, disappointments, and destructiveness. However, God leads us to recognize God’s generosity and show it to the world.  For most people, becoming a Christian does not entail radical changes in occupation, living conditions, salary, or neighbourhood. Christ calls us to extend His kingdom from the place we now live. Contentment, the pursuit of godliness, and living with Christ are foundational to genuine Christian living. Becoming a disciple of Christ does not release a person from obligations or unpleasant conditions. Instead, being a disciple presents us with a higher standard or divine goals in all relationships and circumstances. The Word of God is sufficient to lead us to salvation and faith growth. No matter what God does, some people do not listen to His Word. In Luke 16, with no transition statement, Luke introduced the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. In this parable, a rich man enjoys the most luxurious life possible. His dress and his food set him apart from other people. Lazarus owned nothing, but Jesus honoured him with a name. Lazarus is the only character in Jesus’ parables who is named. What we know about Lazarus is his name and his need. Lazarus’s empty stomach and life are gnawing at him, and his gaze is set on the household of the rich man, where he hopes only for the leftovers or less. There was a

18th September 2022 (Pentecost 15) Sermon Title: God’s Desire for Us (1 Timothy 2:1-7 & Luke 16:1-13)                                                                                   By Heeyoung Lim  Paul had just written of the wonderful grace of God exhibited in Christ who came into the world to save sinners and told Timothy that the first order of the church is to pray for all people. In 1 Timothy 2, Paul urges that requests, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for everyone. Everyone includes kings and all who are in high positions.  This was written during the reign of Nero as emperor of Rome. Knowing that the mission of the church is to spread the truth of Jesus Christ, Paul emphasized the need to pray for those in authority even under his harsh rule. Even under degenerate rule and persecution, the kingdom of God was enlarged in those days. In our own time, we must recognize that corporate prayer is not only a central expression of worship, but a requirement in our daily lives. Regardless of political loyalties or preferences, churches need to pray for national, local, worldwide governmental leaders, and influential people. It is directly or indirectly related to our freedom to live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. Paul wrote to the Philippians, “In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Phil. 4:6). He urged the Colossians and us, “Devote yourselves to prayer” (Col. 4:2). Prayer is a uniting with God. It is to be entered with joy, respect, and a sense of responsibility. We are engaged in the worldwide mission of glorifying God by praying. The glorification of God is manifested in the spread of the gospel, and people are saved through Jesus Christ. As in verse 4, the desire of God is that all people will be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.  Certainly, we desire our nation and the world to be peaceful and quiet. It is for the expression of godliness and holiness; it is for Christian witness. God desires order, peace, and holiness in our lives, in our worship, and in our relationships within the church and our communities. This reflects the order, constancy, and righteous character of God. When we live this way, God is revealed, and people will embrace him as Saviour. May we see the community and world, the spread of the gospel, and the salvation of the lost and live in godliness and holiness.  As we work with Jesus or serve the Lord, the starting point for us is in prayer and full dependence upon God. We are called to pray to God and to depend on God. The full expression of our transformed lives and faith in God pleases God. God is not silent about what pleases Him and glorifies His name. Our faith and transformed lives are used by God who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. As in verse 5, there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Salvation comes through the man Christ Jesus who is fully God and fully man. Jesus is not one among many. He is the One and only and bridges the gap between sinful humanity and the righteous God. He gave himself as a ransom for all men. Christ’s gift to the world was a self-giving sacrifice. Christ is the witness of the Father’s love and God’s desire to bring his creation back to Himself. Paul knew who he was and his calling. He was an apostle and a teacher of the true faith to the Gentiles. (v.7) May we also know who we are and respond to God’s calling that causes great dynamic and motivation in our lives. In Luke 16, the parable of the dishonest steward poses significant theological challenges, one of them is the apparent injunction to imitate the unrighteous behaviour of the steward. Today’s text takes another turn in verses 10–12, where the command to renounce the dishonest practices of the steward cancels out the previous order to imitate him. In verse 13, there is a warning about the danger of money as a rival to God. His goal is to make friends so that when unemployed, someone will take him in. Jesus does not commend the manager’s practices, but rather his insight into the connection between resources and relationships. The problems with the unjust steward are about mammon which is dishonest wealth and the hidden motive of receiving something back from those to whom he gave. His giving was polluted by his greedy desire. Jesus encourages us to imitate the man’s scattering of wealth in order to receive the gift that is beyond return and outside any economy of exchange. This parable is difficult to read and preach. As in this parable, we need to prove ourselves trustworthy in small tasks before we will be considered capable of greater tasks. As in Luke 16, we must prove ourselves trustworthy with worldly resources before we will be entrusted with God’s resources. The lifestyle of God’s kingdom includes managing worldly goods for God’s willingness. God’s people should use the world’s resources in ways that reflect God’s kingdom’s life and help others.  May we check to see if we are using worldly resources in worldly ways or kingdom ways.  Living current life according to God’s purpose today is more important than gathering riches for tomorrow. Many people serve mammon and other masters they are tempted to serve besides Christ. We must choose between being justified in the eyes of people or being justified by God. Do we choose to serve the Lord instead of the worldly value or mammon all the time? God wants us to understand God’s desire

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