15th April 2022 (Good Friday Service) Title: Jesus Dying on the Cross (Scripture Readings: John 19:17-30)                                                                                   By Heeyoung Lim Many of us have experienced a dying family, friend or relative. Many in our congregation are acquainted with grief. Today’s text brings our congregation together as we stand at the foot of the cross, suffer with our Saviour and friend Jesus, and see him draw his last breath. It is an opportunity to share the experience and to get strength from one another.  None of us would have done what Judas did. Betrayed Jesus? We can say “No”. Have we ever pushed someone in a similar way because of our own impatience and greed? Is there anything of Judas in us? None of us would have done what Peter did. He promised to follow Jesus to the grave and then denied him because a servant girl asked a question. Who knows what we would really do under the circumstances? Have you ever imagined Peter who sat in that chilly courtyard denying Jesus? Is there anything of Peter in us? None of us would have done what Caiaphas did. Have we never weighed a difficult situation and then chosen the lesser of two evils?  None of us would have done what Pilate did. He shuttled back and forth between Jesus and his accusers, hoping for an easy answer, and escaping responsibilities. How many times have we listened to the wrong voice when we knew what to do, just because the right thing was neither the easy thing nor the popular thing? None of us would have done what the chief priests did. They shouted out, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Then again, have we never been part of an angry crowd?  None of us would have done what the soldiers did. They mocked Jesus, dressed him in purple, and put a crown of thorns on his head. None of us would have nailed him to a cross, or gambled for his clothes, or pierced his side. Then again, good soldiers do what they are told to do. They are commended for it. Sometimes innocent people die because of that kind of wrongdoing.  None of us would have done what Mary did, would we? Stood there at the foot of the cross and watched a son’s life drain away? Or risked our lives like the disciple Jesus loved, by standing there with her? Some of us have watched as loved ones drew their last breath, painful as it was. Some of us have stayed by the bedside in that last hour. It is not hard to imagine the one who is dying saying to other family members, “Take good care of Mom.” Eventually we can say our good-byes. Jesus also needed to say goodbye to his mother on the cross. The real meaning of this story is that Jesus was caring for his mother and thus fulfilling the Old Testament commandment to “honour your father and your mother”. (Exod. 20:12) Though this is the first of the “seven last words” recorded by John, it is in fact a third in the recognized seven words. 1. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34) 2. “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43) 3. “Dear woman, here is your son” . . . “Here is your mother” (John 19:26-27) 4. “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34) 5. “I am thirsty” (John 19:28) 6. “It is finished” (John 19:30) 7. “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46) “Dear woman, here is your son” & “Here is your mother” (26-27) Looking down Jesus said, “Woman, here is your son.” It means, “I am no longer your son. But then he said to the beloved disciple, “Here is your mother.” “Mother, I’m giving you a new son. Son, I’m giving you a new mother.” Jesus was forming a new family on the cross. Jesus said to His disciples before He completed His mission on earth. “A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another as I have loved you,”  Jesus tells us on the cross at His moment of deepest grief, Jesus is calling us to live as if strangers are our brothers and sisters. Church is where we are gathered with first time strangers in Jesus’ name and called to look after brothers and sisters in Christ. Jesus was telling His disciples about a new family on the cross and He wanted us to love and look after each other as a whole new church family.  Our families are a wonderful source of love and grace for us, but sometimes tragic stuff happens in our families. Mary suffered from the most painful moment watching her son of the cross. We may also see our suffering family members in our lives. May our suffering family and neighbours be recovered in the love of God. I hope we can remember that we have a new family in Christ looking after each other. Today is Good Friday. Are we standing at the foot of the cross? Maybe this is where we need to stand. We are not betraying Jesus, not denying him, not judging him, not condemning him, not rejecting him, not mocking him, not cursing him, and not killing him, but we are standing at the foot of the cross with others who love Jesus. May we put our arms around each other for comfort and strength. There are three last words of Jesus in John’s Gospel: “Woman, here is your son.” “[Son], here is your mother” (26); “I am thirsty” (28); and “It is finished” (30). John’s is the only Gospel that has

  10th April 2022 (Palm/Passion Sunday) Title: Jesus Rules by Serving (Scripture Readings: Luke 19:28–40 & Philippians 2:5–11) By Heeyoung Lim Lent has been a long journey. Now the long shadow of the cross and the footsteps of Jesus find us waiting at the gates of Jerusalem. Today is Palm Sunday, and the Passion Week will begin. Our journey is still not complete, and there is a deeper journey still to make. The greatest story is still to be told. Come let us gather at the gates of the triumphal entry praising Jesus. Today’s gospel reading recalls a triumphal entry into Jerusalem followed by suffering and death. But Jesus is not a passive victim. He acts with trust and obedience. Jesus speaks truth to those who wield violence and death and extends grace to sinners. He reveals self-sacrificial love even on the cross. Jesus has told them, “His identity and salvation will be revealed as the form of betrayal, death, and resurrection.” (Luke 9). He enters Jerusalem riding on the back of a donkey as in Zechariah 9:9; “Your king comes to you…humble and riding on a donkey” It was the messianic promise from the Old Testament. In Luke 19, the king sent two of his disciples on a mission: “Find a donkey that has never been ridden before and bring it to me. If you face questions, just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’” So, the disciples brought the donkey to Jesus, threw their robes on it as a saddle, and set Jesus on it. In Korea, a Christian musician has described the donkey that carried Jesus on Palm Sunday in one of his songs. The lyrics go as follows; “Lord, I want to be that happy donkey. Untie me, O Lord, who is bound to worldly greed, to many sins and to my own self. Untie me, O Lord, and let me serve You. Let me live carrying You on my back, so that the world sees You rather than me. Lord, I want to be that happy donkey.” Do you want to be a happy donkey serving the Lord? The gospel tells us that people spread their cloaks on the road and crowds of disciples shout triumphantly because of the deeds of power they have witnessed along their journey with Jesus. The disciples also spread their robes on the street, signifying a royal procession. The crowd of disciples, indicating a group beyond the Twelve, joined the procession, praising God for all the miraculous signs Jesus had given. Those who followed Jesus into Jerusalem were living under the destructive power of the Roman empire. They praised Jesus with joy despite of all its risks and uncertainty because their hope is not in the temporary power of Rome, but rather in the endless, eternal power of God revealed in the life of Jesus. They praised Jesus as king, citing Psalm 118:26. Finally, Jesus’ glory was openly recognized. He came as God’s chosen king and showed that the hopes of Israel are being fulfilled. However, the crowds and the disciples were not ready for Jesus’ cross. Luke 19:38 saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!” Jesus is the eternal king, the promised Messiah, who comes in the name of the Lord. They praised Jesus, but the religious leaders came to crucify Jesus, not to praise Him. They asked Jesus to silence the disciples. Jesus quoted Habakkuk 2:11 and replied, “If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” If human voices were silent, nature would shout its praise. This is the moment for Jesus to receive praise. The king has come to save us. May we praise the Lord together in our daily life rather than just Sundays. In accordance with today’s text, Jesus is the expected messianic king who came to bring peace. God has sent the messianic king to bring peace that only heaven can establish and that cannot be denied on earth. The multitude’s praise and joy suddenly turn to great sorrow when Jesus weeps over Jerusalem, because even though the multitude sings of peace and glory in heaven, it fails to recognize the price of true peace. Jesus is their peace and the peace of the world, not any peace, but the peace that only He can give, and that peace cannot be found apart from the journey of cross. May we confess Jesus as king of our life and of the universe. God’s holiness and justice made the cross an absolute necessity. Events at the crucifixion happened as they did so “the scripture might be fulfilled” (v. 24). No fewer than twenty Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled within twenty-four hours at the time of our Lord’s death. Jesus fulfills what the prophets have said, and His acts and the events in his life fulfill what he has said. Kings serve by ruling, but Jesus rules by serving, even to the point of suffering and death. In Mark 10:45, speaking of Christ, declares: “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The example of Jesus’ humility and service is well expressed in Philippians 2. Jesus is the supreme example of humility, love, and selflessness. When believers are united with Christ, they can have the same attitude of humility as Christ. Paul expresses the same thought in Ephesians 4:2: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Today’s text invites us to share this humble, selfless mindset of Christ in our lives. Jesus was willing to leave his high position in heaven temporarily and to give himself over to serving our needs. Although he set aside the rights and privileges of being God to save people, he remained God. (6) Jesus made himself nothing or emptied himself. (7) Jesus chose not to use some of his divine attributes during the

3rd April 2022 (Lent 5) Title: Gracious Ministries for the Lord (Scripture Readings: John 12:1–8 & Philippians 3:4–14)                                                                                   By Heeyoung Lim All four gospels tell a story of a woman anointing Jesus, but only John names this woman. Along with Mark and Matthew, John sets the scene in Bethany. The place is the site of the conspiracy of Jesus’ death, the place where Mary prepared for the Lord’s death through expensive perfume and devotion, and the place where the Lord was later ascended into heaven. When Jesus arrived at Bethany, a banquet was held for Jesus. It was a feast prepared by Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Lazarus died a while ago and was in a state of rotting, but now he is alive and having a lively feast. This scene shows that there is no need to despair over death. On the other hand, Jesus does not away from such a feast as He is approaching His Passion. His power to overcome death and be resurrected makes us not despair. John began with the story of Mary anointing Jesus’ feet with expensive perfume. He tells us we have come to the last week of the Lord’s life before the cross. John has spent nearly half of his Gospel narrative on events of that crisis-filled week. Through the John’s gospel we will see our Lord facing several crises such as crises of values, confrontation, timing, and faith.  In Luke 10:38–42, Jesus contrasts Mary’s doing of the “needful thing” with Martha’s distraction over her tasks. Along with Luke, John associates the woman’s action with an extravagant act of hospitality. However, Mary anointed Jesus while Martha served. The Greek verb translated as “served” means ministering. Service and ministry for the Lord have been done by both Mary and Martha here. Jesus is graciously ministered to by the actions of both women.  Mary was pointed out by Martha in Luke’s gospel and by Judas in John’s gospel. Pouring that expensive perfume on Jesus would have been difficult for others to empathize with. Judas immediately criticized sharply, but Jesus recognized Mary’s heart.  In John, as Mary generously anoints him, Jesus tells her critics, “Leave her alone.” & “You will not always have me.” Here is Jesus’ clear defence of this woman, and she was no longer attacked by others. Deuteronomy 15:11 commands care for the poor. Justice is a critical tradition Jesus inherits from his Jewish culture. John 12:8 does not reject that tradition, rather a central theme in John’s gospel is what “time” it is. It can be expressed as an approaching hour. Verse 8 contains Jesus’ assertion that Mary’s action was timely since His time draws short. The inevitable hour had come. John makes clear the market value of the nard of 300 denarii, and it is roughly equivalent to the yearly wage for a day labourer. But there are other values than the market. The opportune moment to minister to Jesus leads Mary to move outside of still-valued traditions and censure. It aims to engage in this highly relational and devotional act. What Mary does in ministering to Jesus is a gracious act and ministry beyond all else services and a path to prepare for Jesus’ cross. Mary who sat at the Lord’s feet did needful things for herself listening to the word of the Lord, but now, Mary, at the feet of Jesus, anoints for the Lord. And at the feet of Jesus, and at the table where He eats, Mary and Martha both minister to Jesus. God has had grace and given his Son Jesus on the cross for our sin, raised Jesus, declared us righteous and justified, adopted us as His children, and promised us resurrection and eternal life. The human part in all this, in faith, is to accept what God has done. There is abundance wherever He is present. Who are the recipients and providers of gracious ministries? We expect God’s new and gracious actions in our lives. We continue to hope and pray for God’s restorative grace. Paul personalizes the priority given to a relationship with Christ that empowers ministry. As for Paul, the things of the world are viewed as rubbish in comparison to gaining Christ. His eyes were on Christ. All that matters is his relationship with Christ. What had formerly been Paul’s sources of pride gives way to Paul’s source of hope. Everything now hinges on an ever-deepening relationship with the risen Christ. The Damascus Road experience transformed him. This changed Paul’s aim in life. He wanted to know Christ and the power of His resurrection. To know Christ meant much more relational and depth than just knowing about Him in his mind. To know Christ in this way meant he was ready to share in Christ’s sufferings, even if that meant sharing his death. His goal is to win the prize for which God had called him in Christ Jesus. This is the driving force that moves him forward through his gracious ministries in Christ. Paul’s longing to share with Christ comes through strongly in Galatians 2:20: “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” We have not attained completion as a Christian but press on toward maturity in Christ. He had not “arrived.” Not yet mature, he was still very much in the race of the Christian life. He had to deal with his sinful body and was aware of the need for further spiritual growth. He is willing to press on as he had not attained the intense knowledge of Christ that he desired and had not become all that Christ wanted him to be. A fact of the Christian life is that the more we mature the more we realize

27th March 2022 (Lent 4) Title: Welcoming Grace & Lost and Found (Scripture Readings: 2 Corinthians 5:16–21 & Luke 15:1–3, 11b–32)                                                                                   By Heeyoung Lim Jesus had described heaven as a banquet for the poor, crippled, blind, and lame. He had told the rich banquet hosts to invite such people to their feasts, not seeking repayment. Such people wanted to hear more and to see what Jesus would do for them. Meanwhile, the religious experts also maintained their watch, hoping to trap Jesus. Chapter 15 begins with a complaint made by the religious leaders regarding Jesus’ willingness to welcome and eat with sinners. Jesus attracts sinners who need salvation, but religious leaders are too self-righteous to associate with sinners. Jesus associated with sinners because he knew they recognized their need of salvation and would respond, bringing joy to heaven. God and His people pay attention to the lost or sinners, seeking to find the lost and bringing them to Jesus. God waits patiently and lovingly for people to return to Him. Sinners followed Jesus eagerly. Self-righteous religious leaders constantly blamed Jesus for having fellowship with such sinners. Finally, Jesus told three stories to show what it means to be lost and how a loving Father waits for the sinner to come home and be saved. God’s love restores sinners to the right relationship with Him. In today’s text, Jesus turned to the family setting for his concluding parable to illustrate why he associated sinners. A younger son demanded his share of the estate and got it. There is no indication of why he wanted it or why the father so quickly gave it to him. The younger brother’s portion was only a third of the estate if the entire estate were divided. By law, the older brother got a double portion (Deut. 21:17).  The younger son wanted to be on his own. He distanced himself as far as possible from the family. He also took up a new lifestyle. Untrained in money matters, he quickly had many expenses and no income. The result came quickly, then a famine hit the land. No one had food or work. He found a job and fed pigs in a pigpen, but he was starving. “And I am about to die from hunger,” he said. “I will go back to Daddy and tell him I have sinned against him and against heaven.” After his mind went to work again, he could quit his riotous living and come home. No longer are we using animals or objects to talk about the lost. People are lost here.  In verse 20, focus shifts from son to father. Son is on the move, and his father is still standing and waiting to see his son. It is certainly not given that a sinner will repent. However, the son had repented and returned. What would fill the father’s heart? The old legs started churning, arms stretched out, and lips reached for a kiss. The family conflict was over and forgotten. Even in the joyful welcome, he repeated the plea he had rehearsed. However, now it is a special party time! The son must be properly dressed for the party. Servants dashed off as they were commissioned to get the best robe, a ring, and sandals. Other servants ran to the kitchen to prepare the menu the father ordered. How could the father act like this? Did he not know what the son had done? He was lost, and the lost sheep is back. Certainly, a lost and found son is worth much more than a coin or a sheep. This is one of the pictures of the Father in heaven. He does celebrate when the lost are found and when sinners repent. We can feel the compassion and love he shows. Why does Jesus associate with sinners? Because heaven loves them and waits patiently for them to return and repent so the celebration can begin. While the younger son is welcomed by the father who had waited for him through anxious days and months, he is discarded by his older brother in a jealous rage. His older brother who had spent his time working and being dutiful says to his father, “this son of yours”, but the father responds, “this brother of yours.” Life and faith are not about just doing the right thing but about being in relationships that are real, good, and capable of bearing hurt and being put back together again. There was reconciliation, love, and restoration between the father and the lost son. It is a call for warm hearts and deep emotions, and an insight into the passion of God. Everything has become new in the love of God.  “Listen a minute, my beloved son,” his father replied. “You are with me forever. I can count on you. Everything I now have will go to you. Your younger brother was dead, but now he is alive right here with us. Come celebrate with heaven.” The father invites him to the joyful party, but the elder brother does not respond.  In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul’s ministry was compelled by the display of Christ’s love on the cross. Paul had been united to Christ in his death and resurrection, and thus had been inwardly renewed and regenerated. The apostle truly was a new creation. In this changed state, he began to look at people differently. He saw believers as new creations in Christ and unbelievers as people in need of Christ. This dramatic change was a work of God in his heart.  He repeated the Greek terms for “reconcile” and “reconciliation” five times throughout today’s text. Reconciliation is the establishment of harmony and peace between enemies. People are reconciled when mutual love binds them together. God

20th March 2022 (Lent 3) Title: Open Invitation & One More Chance (Scripture Readings: Isaiah 55:1-9 & Luke 13:1-9)                                                                                   By Heeyoung Lim In Isaiah 55, God calls people to return to Him and find comfort, peace, and compassion in his eternal covenant of blessing. The fruit God’s word produces is the fruit He plans. People cannot put conditions on God’s word and make him act the way they think. They must be willing to be a part of His plan. (6) The goodness of God invites all to its feast, opens hearts to reconciliation, gives healing, and brings second chances. Do we feel its grace, seek healing, and turn to God with deep belonging? Both the book of Isaiah and the Season of Lent are about journeys. Loss of home and temple to a powerful army and being carried into exile had devastated Israel’s faith. Isaiah offers the hope of a journey home to Jerusalem for the exiles in Babylon. Lent recalls the journey made by Jesus and the disciples to Jerusalem and the cross. Both journeys rely on radical trust in God. Both Isaiah and Luke anticipate a new thing that will be done by God and bring deliverance.  The wisdom tradition in Judaism focuses on ways to live that open a person to the goodness of God. God’s grace provides the foundation for that wisdom. Thus, Isaiah 55 depicts such wisdom in the image of a feast that is free to all who seek its goodness. Today’s text testifies key elements of God’s character. God is generous and gracious. The invitation to this table and its gifts is open to all and without cost. God is near and does not hide from us. Verse 6 assures us that the Holy One can be found, but God remains mysterious. God’s love, mercy, and grace far exceed our ability to imagine and control. We are called to the feast of such gracious relationships. The expectation of our response in faith to such an invitation is revealed in the imperative verbs of this text: Listen. Come. See. Seek. Forsake. Return. The free and open invitation to God’s grace beckons us to these responses, which do not earn the grace offered, but rather live out its call. This theme of call and response also links Isaiah once more with Lent. For Christian discipleship also consists of trust: trust that embraces God’s graces and is lived out in the actions of our lives. In Isaiah, as in the gospels, God makes the first move. The invitation to table, to journey, and to trust is offered freely. Today’s readings invite us to listen and seek, to come and see, to forsake and return. God promises a restoration and renewal beyond our previous condition. While we may not be able to see the possibility or understand the way, God’s word will accomplish its purpose. In accordance with today’s gospel reading, dedication to God’s mission begins with repentance from sin for every person. In Luke 13:2-3, In commenting on the death of the Galileans in the temple and the eighteen people at Siloam, Jesus raises the connection between sin and suffering. “Is this punishment for sin? Do persecution and death prove the victim to be a greater sinner than those who do not suffer?” In 13:4-5, “when eighteen people died in an accident on the tower there, were these the worst sinners in Jerusalem, punished for their horrible sin?” Jesus clearly rejects that suffering is a punishment for sin. He tells them, “Of course not!” Jesus firmly refutes any suggestion that the victims were being punished. When their interpretation about two disasters was entirely wrong, Jesus did not want them to create a hierarchy of sin and make others greater sinners than ourselves. Everyone has sinned, and all deserve to die, but Jesus’ invitation for salvation is open to all people. The expressions for sin in verse 2 and 4 differ in their native meaning. One means that we have done something that has been off target, while the other means that we have not done what we all owe. In one sense we are all in debt to life. We came into it at the peril of someone else’ s life, and we would never have survived without the care of those who loved us. Jesus called on his followers for total dedication, and he demonstrated this to them in Jerusalem.  In 13:6-9, the warning concludes with a parable about a fig tree given one last year to be productive. A man went out to his vineyard to get figs to eat. He found a tree but no figs. Three years looking for figs on the tree, but never any figs. “Cut it down. It’s taking up valuable space and soil. Plant something productive there.” Jesus himself could be seen as the vineyard-owner. He has been coming to the Lord’s garden, seeking the fruit through his ministry. Maybe Jesus is the gardener too, the servant who is now trying to dig around and put on manure, to inject life and health into the old plant before everything is over. “One more chance, please,” begged the man who kept the vineyard and had come to love his trees. “Let me try everything possible for this one year. If we have no success, then you can cut it down.” Luke 13:1–9 focuses on Jesus’ call to return to God. That call itself trusts God will be open to such turning and be gracious in response. The patience of the gardener in the passage’s closing parable speaks to the character of God’s goodness. Such goodness is revealed not only in attitude, but also in action.  God’s grace takes form in God’s actions. During the Season of Lent,