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,

6th March 2022 (Lent1) Title: Relying on Scripture & Experiencing Jesus (Scripture Readings: Romans 10:8-13 & Luke 4:1-13) By Heeyoung Lim Romans 10:8 tells us, “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart.” Verses 9-11 deal with the word of faith. The word of faith is a message which is a compressed summary of the gospel. It is the message that a person must receive to become a Christian. What the heart believes, the mouth confesses. If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. We often think of the heart as the seat of emotions, but it refers to the “seat physical, spiritual, and mental life” (Danker); in short, the whole, integrated self. Verse 12 claims there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, but there are many people who put exclusive clauses into their faith and life. Verse 13 tells us that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Anyone who believes and confesses Christ can be saved. The gospel must be sent and proclaimed for people to be saved. “All” are included; “no one” is excluded. No one is hopeless. If one confesses, believes, and trusts, one can be transformed by a spiritual renewal. Paul announces that the transforming word of salvation is near us, even in us (8). Verses 12 -13 declare that if we call upon the Lord, we will be saved from our sin. If, with our entire beings, we confess and believe, we will no longer be shamed by the residue of our sin, but rather will be enlivened, forgiven, renewed, and enriched. Furthermore, the whole world is invited to join in being raised from the ashes of sin into the radiant presence of God. God’s grace is more persistent than obstinacy and disobedience. To experience God’s saving presence, we must believe in our hearts and confess with our lips. A bounty of spiritual giftsaccompanies God’s presence. All this is of God as an act of grace. In Luke 4:1–13, when we meet Jesus in the wilderness, we find ourselves in the desert and learn from Jesus’ experience whom to trust. In such wilderness places we can choose whom to serve and equip with God’s word. May we choose wisely in Christ and equip with His word. After Jesus was baptized, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness. There Satan tempted Him to reject the Father’s plan for his ministry. Jesus passed earthly testing by the devil triumphing over Satan’s 1 temptations. His first stop was the desert, a place of isolation and desolation. Jesus followed the Spirit in faith. The stay proved long and arduous, forty days without family, friends, fellowship, or food. Only a devil ventured into the desert with Jesus. Jesus faced the tempting adversary for 40 days with no physical resources. He had to depend on spiritual strength. Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit, but he was hungry for food. The first test was about serving ourselves, the second test was about serving the devil, and the third test was about making God serve us. The devil’s challenges to Jesus are not to do bad things. The first, to turn a stone into a loaf of bread, would relieve his hunger after the long fast. Bread is good, but not sufficient to do Jesus’ mission. Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.” All Jesus’ answers start “It is written or said.” He said to the devil’s second test, “Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.” However, the devil used God’s word at the third test, and it starts “It is written.” Satan just twisted God’s word, omitted some part of Psalm 91, and used it differently. Jesus answered to the devil’s twisted word, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Jesus showed that worship belongs to God and overcame that crisis with the Word of God and the fullness of the Holy Spirit. Before the temptations, Jesus fasted to devote to God’s work and His presence rather than devote time to satisfying His personal needs. Ministry and devotion took top priority over physical hunger and self- satisfaction. Jesus’ time in the wilderness is a time of testing. Facing the devil is certainly the time to face God as intensely as possible at the same time. Israel wandered forty years in the wilderness and disobeyed God, but Jesus stayed forty days in the wilderness in complete obedience to God. Verse 13 tells us, “When the devil had finished all this temptation, he left him until an opportune time.” When it comes to demon timing, Satan is not constantly on the job with us. He comes and goes. He strikes when we are most vulnerable. Then he goes on to other pursuits. However, the devil’s continued temptation is fruitless against a person who has been strengthened by previous rejections of temptation. The devil tempts all of God’s people, but Scripture is the best weapon against temptation. God wants to give them experience in relying on Scripture and experiencing Him rather than on human qualifications, methods, and abilities. 2 Jesus’ responses show His faithfulness to God and set the stage for His ministry and sacrifice. His obedience accompanies persecution, misunderstanding, and the cross. Many followers of Jesus wanted Him to free Israel, to restore an earthly kingdom marked by honour and glory. It would have required Him to say no to the salvation and love for people that are the marks of his death and resurrection. To say yes to God, the cross and suffering were required to Jesus. However, Jesus is not separated from God’s love, and the Holy Spirit fills Him, even in the moment of encounter with the devil. The Holy Spirit was with Jesus all the way from the trial period in the wilderness to

27th February 2022 (Transfiguration of Jesus) Title: Listen to Him (Scripture Readings: Exodus 34:29–35 & Luke 9:28–36)                                                                                   By Heeyoung Lim Moses obeyed God’s command to climb the mountain, where he would receive further directions from God. Once there, the Lord came down in the cloud, passed by Moses, and proclaimed His name, the LORD. God is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. While God wrote the Ten Commandments on the tablets, Moses kept his place. Moses did not eat bread or drink water for a long time to receive God’s word, but God filled his body and mind with His word. As he descended from the mountain, his face glowed. No doubt Moses gained encouragement just speaking with God face-to-face. But Moses was much more encouraged when he confirmed that God is personal rather than impersonal like false deities of surrounding nations. Moses’ new discovery about God he served has been updated through God’s words and encounter with Him. Equipped with this new discovery of the knowledge of God, Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshiped. Moses wanted to go forth with the presence of the covenant God, who demonstrated His love by forgiving their sins and chose them as his inheritance. Moses felt God’s presence. Moses’ face shines with the reflected glory of God after receiving the Ten Commandments. He wears a veil when he delivers the commandments to the people of Israel because this radiance frightens them. Moses’ direct encounter with Yahweh caused his face to become radiant, and the people withdrew from him in fear. But Moses calmed them and did put on a veil when he spoke with them after being in God’s presence.  But when he entered God’s presence, he did not have a veil. He experienced God’s glory without a veil, and the beholding of God’s glory became a glorious privilege that new believers would enjoy. May we be blessed people who spend time with God, seek God’s presence, and see and enjoy God’s glory. As a theologian Karl Barth reminds us, “the one who makes us radiant. We ourselves cannot put on bright faces. But neither can we prevent them from shining. Looking up to him, our faces shine.” The glow comes from time alone with God. Moses and the people were able to change from fear and misunderstanding to acceptance and cooperation through God’s word.  In Christ, may we reform our spiritual life through communication and willingness to change. I believe that it will encourage trust and enable ways of being accountable to the Holy One and to one another. Just as God was at work in leading Israel through the wilderness after the exodus, God is present in and working through Jesus. Jesus took his three closest followers with him up a mountain. Peter, John, and James witness Jesus’ transfiguration on a mountaintop. Jesus turned aside to pray and taught prayer by example. As Jesus is praying, Moses and the prophet Elijah appear with him. While he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. (29) As Jesus was transformed, he was joined by Moses and Elijah, also in great splendour. This is a vibrant revelation of God’s power in Christ. God’s glory and light shine in Jesus’ transfiguration. The disciples almost missed the greatest moment of revelation in Jesus’ earthly ministry prior to the cross. While Moses and Elijah appear at the mountaintop, Peter, John, and James find themselves overwhelmed with sleep. Eventually, they awoke and saw clearly that Jesus belonged in the company of the two. Peter suggests that they build three booths, one each for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Luke notes that Peter suggested but really did not understand its full point. Commitment to Jesus is not to build a sacred place. It is related to a mission that never lets a follower remain in one place. It is not about building tabernacles; it is about following Jesus to the cross. As Peter is speaking, a fog covers them. The transfiguration ends as the disciples hear the divine voice from the cloud. A cloud led the disciples away from the Mount of Transfiguration and to Mount Calvary. The cloud enclosed the disciples so they could no longer see the glory but could be assured that God was present among them. They are terrified when a voice from the cloud announces that Jesus is the chosen one and commands the disciples to listen to Him. (35) When the fog lifts, Jesus is alone again with the disciples.  How are we hearing God’s powerful and comforting message into foggy and confusing times? How can we “listen to Him” and invite others to do the same? What do we hear in these foggy times? They saw His glory, and Jesus had said he would return in glory. Later he would enter his glory after his suffering on the cross. This is glory that belongs to the heavenly realm.  Thus, the three disciples got a preview of the reigning King before He fully entered his glory. Jesus completes God’s plan of redemption and salvation by being the suffering servant. To do this, Jesus had to face the cross rather than seek the throne his followers expected. God’s presence offers us a glimpse of the resurrection promise. What was spoken to Jesus at the river of baptism is now proclaimed on the mountaintop of transfiguration, “This is my Son, the Chosen; listen to Him. What voices do we need to block out if we are to listen to the Son? To what voices should we listen instead? What about the voices of those in trouble or distress, voices that