24th January 2021 
Third Sunday After the Epiphany Title: God’s Love & The Kingdom of God (Jonah 3:1-10; Mark 1:14-20) By Heeyoung Lim Today is the third Sunday after the Epiphany. I hope the light of Epiphany will shine upon all of us. Jonah’s story includes several reversals and contrasts between human actions and the divine will. Jonah volunteers to be tossed into the stormy sea to save the lives of the Gentile crew after trying to save his own life by running away to Tarshish disobeying God’s mission for him to Nineveh. Today’s text starts “The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time”, and the command is “Get up, go to Nineveh, and proclaim my message.” (Jonah 3:1) God did not leave him in the opposite direction of the divine will, He gave Jonah an opportunity to repent and turn away from his sin. As we know a big fish is used for Jonah’s repentance and God’s salvation. God brought new ways to fulfill His will and He was at work for the salvation of the Ninevites. (10) Jonas’ story portrays God as persistent, and we can see God’s persistence through Jonah’s journey. Jonah cried out, “Forty days more, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” (4) The people of Nineveh believed God, and they turned from their evil ways. (5-9) There was an urgency from God to love and save Nineveh, but Jonah in disobedience, was not aware of this and instead spent God’s time running away. We do not know what exactly this urgency is, but God leads us to the right path for His love and salvation. God wants to cure our prejudice against Nineveh and take off the greed to our own Tarshish, He accepts repentance and obedience from sinners. The Ninevites’ immediate response in repentance also stands in contrast to Jonah’s initial refusal to follow God’s command. It was the conversion of an entire population from their social sins, and their sincere prayer, immediate repentance, and sudden changes of actions influenced God. God saw what they did, and He changed the promise of punishment to Nineveh. In this context, God responds individuals differently, He can turn back from his decision to destroy peoples or nations when they repent and obey him. We are in God’s sight, and we are witnesses of the merciful response of God. God’s love and salvation are for everyone, and His love is much bigger than his anger. I believe God extends forgiveness to the repentant people with love, and He gives us his mission and expects his people to carry it out. Where is our Nineveh? What is our life-saving fish? God is listening to our prayer and He responds to us. It is time for us to repent and get up to somewhere in accordance with the word of the LORD just like Jonah and the Ninevites. God is persevering, responsive, and merciful to all who repent, as His redemption is further revealed and continued in Mark. I trust that we will rejoice with its mission in immediate repentance and delightful obedience. Today’s passage of Mark starts “now after John was arrested, so Mark’s audience knew the risks involved with giving themselves to repent, to begin a new life, and to be led by the Holy Spirit, and they realised courage is needed in their faith. Last Sunday I shared Jesus called Philip and Nathanael. In today’s story he calls four fishermen at the Sea of Galilee – Simon, Andrew, James, and John. The four in today’s story were fishermen. As far as we know, every one of the disciples was chosen and called individually by Jesus. First disciples were from the northern side of Galilee; not from the capital of Israel. Jesus did not do background checks to determine their intelligent levels, financial status, professional skills, talents and or excellences. The disciples also followed Jesus before he has performed any miracles. They immediately respond as Jesus recruits his first disciples, and they will be “fishers of people” according to his words. They are called to a totally uncertain future, but they immediately followed Jesus. How do we answer Christ’s call to become “fishers of people?” Some people love fishing because it gives relaxation and fun, and they may have their own folding chair and fishing spot. But in Jesus’ day, fishing was not relaxing, it was a job that was physically and mentally challenging, requiring an individual to go beyond their limits to make a living. What is fishing in our faith and life? A fish dies when taken out of the water, which can be interpreted as a death to the world. The fishing of people can have the meaning of rescuing them from the snares of sins. The purpose of Jesus’ call to discipleship is not to take people out of a tough world, promising them a better life in God’s heavenly kingdom. Fishing is a special mission that need catching in a net and dragging into the kingdom of God by the grace of the Lord. It sometimes requires patience and knowledge of who we are trying to catch, but the most important thing is that loving God embrace all people. Believers can trust in God’s Word, and He is faithful to do what he has promised. Jesus begins his ministry by proclaiming the “good news” of the gospel, which is that “the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near” Jesus repeats the message of John the Baptist, “Repent and believe in the good news.” (15) The message was that God’s kingdom was near which may include of fast approaching, so people had to prepare for it by repenting and believing in the good news. We do not know when Jesus will come again in the future or our last day on the earth, but we know that we need to seek first God’s kingdom and his righteousness, and all things will be given to you as well.

17th January 2021 
Second Sunday After the Epiphany Title: Glorify God as Disciples (1 Corinthians 6:12-20; John 1:43-51) By Heeyoung Lim Today’s text is about learning to use the human body for the right intention and purpose. What is the body for? For the Lord! The Corinthians believed that they were free of all rules governing their behaviour and Corinth was stained with sin and soaked in a corrupt culture. Their dualistic notion that God would destroy the body but save the spirit led them to believe that sexual behaviour could not count as sin. AII things are lawful for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. (1 Corinthians 6:12) Paul tried to teach them about the freedom to follow God and love others as Christians in this situation, and he insisted the freedom came from belonging to Christ like the mention of “you are not your own.” Belonging to Christ means we should orient our behaviour towards glorifying God, and everything we do needs to be beneficial in the Christian communities according to Paul. It is not principally to individuals, but to the fellow believers and faith communities of which we are part. God’s law is far much bigger and greater than that of humans, and God does not depend on satisfying the law. We are not attached to live only for life matters such as personal career, wealth, power, reputation, etc. These things are influential in our lives, but everything needs to be extended into a broader context such as community, social justice, and the kingdom of God. I think human life is well fitted when it is opened toward the larger reality of God and God’s glory, because life itself is within God’s plan. Today’s text contains my life confessions, one is “not all things are beneficial”, and the other is “I will not be dominated or enslaved by anything”. (12) In fact, our bodies are members of Christ that will not be destroyed but will experience resurrection as Christ was. (15) God raised Jesus and will raise us too. Anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him, and His body becomes “a temple of the Holy Spirit”. (17,19) Christian’s relationship with the Lord Jesus is not just spiritual, but also physical. There could be lots of temptations regarding our body in our society. God allows us Christian freedom, but we are put into the right relationship with God by grace in Christ anywhere and anytime. The whole church is also God’s new temple, and the gift of the Holy Spirit, which makes people into believers and helps them to live as such Christians and Christian communities. For you were bought with a price; therefore, glorify God in your body. (20) We are not our own, conversely, we are God’s. This is the reason why we live and die for him. Our lives are given by God and we are called to worship and glorify God. I hope we can commit to God so that His wisdom will lead and rule all our words and actions, and I believe we can live out the Gospel to glorify God in our existence. All the parts of our life belong to God, and we are “to present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice”. (Rom. 12:1) One of the ways for glorifying God is to be responsible to God, we are the ones who love and worship God. We are in the house of God when we are with Jesus, and we can glorify God in our body. I hope we can all discover how to live the human life which brings glory to God. The story of the Gospel of John is not just about John, Peter, Andrew, Philip, and Nathanael, it is about Jesus. Jesus here is deciding not just where to go next but whom to take with him. He is selecting followers.   Jesus invited Andrew and Peter to go to Galilee with him and Jesus “found” Philip and more. Philip followed Jesus straightaway, then told Nathanael Jesus finds Philip, and Philip finds Nathanael, and Philip makes the best possible invitation for spreading the Gospel, and he takes Nathanael (also called Bartholomew) directly to Jesus and says to Nathanael, “Come and see.” Gospel is basically passed person to person, and now we have more ways to spread Gospel in this media environment. Jesus calls many not just one, He calls our church and faith communities. In the middle of today’s text, there was Nathanael’s question: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”. (46) Nathanael is honest enough to express his amazement that God’s Messiah could come from an insignificant village. When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, “Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!” (47) Nathanael asked him, “Where did you get to know me?” Jesus answered, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.” (48) Jesus knows everything and we are witnessing that Jesus calls us. He sees and knows us, and He can read our hearts as Jesus saw him under the fig tree, and He knew who he was and noticed him. Nathanael declared Jesus the Son of God and added, “You are the King of Israel.” (49) Jesus seems surprised since he responds and said, “Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree?” What is our declaration? We do not know what exactly and suddenly transformed Nathaniel’s view of Jesus from doubting to great confession, but we know the epiphanies of Christ come to different people in such different ways. Epiphanies can be a transformation period through meetings and conversations with Jesus. May we be able to please our Lord through the transformation of faith and life. Jesus said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19) Most of us are

10th January 2021 
BAPTISM OF THE LORD (FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY) Title: The Baptism of Jesus in The Blessed Trinity (Genesis 1:1-5; Mark 1:4-11) By Heeyoung Lim Today’s scripture is the very first chapter of the Bible, as God is the Creator of this world. (Genesis 1:1) God said, “let there be light, and there was light”. (3) Light and water from Genesis 1 reminds us of the eternity in which God dwells within. God’s creation brought order from chaos, emptiness, and darkness, and it has continued to fertility and fullness in the great plan of God. (2) As sufferings and struggles are all around us, the lights come up instead of going down, because we live in the light of God’s word. We can practice the great lightness of being that separates night and day. God also brings the healing of the waters in our lives. (5) Things came to life whenever God spoke, God’s words are enough to make things come to life in a way that God is pleased. (3) God said, “very Good!” after the creation. God may not always do what we want, but He always does his work for us on time just like His creation. Jesus has a connection back to the waters of creation when he is later baptized in heaven-opening event. He does what God did in the beginning and reopens the world and recreates us in our present lives. (5) I believe Today and 2021 will be a renewal day and year in heaven-opening event by the power of God’s recreation. In Mark 1, Jesus trusts the power of God to keep on creating order out of chaos when he steps down into the waters of the Jordan descending from above with the Holy Spirit. Mark is the earliest and shortest of the Gospels, and it is written for Gentile readers, especially Romans. Mark opened his Gospel by confessing that Jesus was the Son of God. (1) Mark presents Jesus as the ultimate servant, and he emphasizes what Jesus was doing rather than what he was saying. It clearly shows Christ as a servant of action, and more than half of miracles of all thirty-five written miracles have been introduced in the Gospel of Mark. One of key messages of Mark is 10:45. “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” In the background of today’s passage, John’s preaching of a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins was highly unusual for a Jew, because Jews thought that only Gentile need to be baptised when they convert to Judaism. John criticized the people for guessing to be righteous just because they were children of Abraham. We know people would be rejected if they do not bear fruits of repentance. (4, Matthew 3:7-12) The baptism by John was a baptism of repentance, and it is about repentance and forgiveness. Israel was being asked to turn away from its disobedience and to start anew by turning toward the coming Messiah, Jesus. They would be forgiven from their sins and would experience God’s grace through Jesus. (4) John was getting people ready as a messenger. Today’s Scripture invites us to bear fruit of repentance by turning away from something bad and turning in a new direction that God is pleased. It is time to acknowledge our disobedience and rebellion toward God first if we have, and need to confess our sins The location of the baptism was the Jordan River, which was several miles outside Jerusalem. (5) Do we walk our own several miles for faith? The road to God is not that far, but there would be a time to walk in a long distance for a long time. Where is our Jordan River? It can be the time and space of baptism. John made it clear that he was the servant of the coming Servant, and his task was to prepare the way and then got out of the way. (7) “I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1:8).  There are big differences between the John’s baptism of sinners and the baptism of the sinless Jesus, and a sharp contrast between the ministry of John and of Jesus. What happened to Jesus at his baptism? There was the affirmation of the Spirit of God and God’s voice. Jesus saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. Mark seems to suggest that only Jesus saw the heavens open and the Spirit descend. (10) The word “torn open” is used again in Mark 15:38 indicating a connection between the baptism and crucifixion. Jesus’s baptism is connected to all his ministry. John’s “wilderness” is where the voice cries for Jesus, but Jesus’ wilderness is where he is thrown by the spirit to be tempted, goes to pray (12, 35) and where he feeds the hungry. (Mark 6:31) As Jesus arises from the waters of the Jordan, he sees “the heavens torn apart.” The Spirit and a voice descend in the moment of the baptism of the Lord. (10–11) “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:10) God speaks to Jesus and expresses His love and joy, and Jesus looks to the heavens and the voice calls out in love. (11) There was a divine voice that calls Jesus “Son” and “Beloved” and Mark describes the Spirit “descending like a dove” on Jesus. This is the same voice that speaks over each of us in our baptisms and continuous faith journey. What a wonderful and beautiful scene! What a remarkable beginning regarding Jesus’ ministry! In Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit has the central role. Here is the blessed Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We are also in the blessed Trinity, and we can hear the voice “My son and daughter” and “Beloved” from God, and the

3rd January 2021 Second Sunday After Christmas New Journey in God’s Plan and Action (Psalm 147:12-20; Ephesians 1:3–14) By Heeyoung Lim Happy New Year! I pray we can continue to worship and gather in a COVID-less environment in 2021. As we begin a new year together, may the light of Christ fill our life this whole year. Many of us think of New Year’s Resolutions looking back the past, and plan something good for new year. We can have some questions to ourselves regarding our faith too. For instance, how much time will I spend in prayer, praise, and God’s Word? How my spiritual life will be? Do we expect God will do a new thing for individuals and communities? What is our priority? How it is possible for a person to begin again? The ”new thing” would be better, bigger, greater, and mightier than what we expect in us and our church. New Year’s celebrations provide a bit of excitement trusting God’s plan. Psalm 147 starts and concludes “Praise the Lord!” I hope “Praise the Lord” will be our beginning and the end in 2021. “The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love” (11) The Lord strengthens and protects His people, and He bless their children generation to generation and guards them against the surrounding nations who have endangered them. (12) The people are at peace with one another because God makes peace in our borders. This is God’s grace, and this harmony is from God. (14) All the world is at God’s command, and God’s spoken Word and written Word are all important and powerful. (15) God’s Word is the greatest blessing to us, and obeying it is our greatest response to God. (19) Praise the LORD is the last verse of this Psalm, and God’s people are rightly grateful. Psalm 147 is classified as a Community Hymn, and it is a call to worship as well as a reminder of why we should praise to God. This text also invites to glorify God. There was praise for God’s protection in the text, and it can be called a new exodus or new healing and settling by God’s shalom. We also have our own reason to praise God, and all worship is centred in God who he is and what he has done. (19) Many people would pay for sports, music, and dancing lessons regarding their hobbies if they are affordable. Those lessons would make more vivid life possible for us and for our children. It takes time and can be extended to our work life, but instruction is always necessary. There are many frustrations of installing and using new media and apps in a changeable society. We had to adjust or learn many things such as isolation, wearing masks, and using Zoom. How grateful we are when someone explains clearly and shows us by example how to use the media or apps as we do not know how to do something. God provides us with instruction and directions through His living words for salvation in God’s Plan, and Jesus explains clearly and shows by example how to live out faithfully until the very end before God. How thankful we are when Jesus died on the cross for all of us, and how delightful we are as we have chosen and adopted by God as God’s family. Ephesians is a letter about living together in human differences. Many of Paul’s letters open with thanksgiving for the faith or spiritual gifts of the recipient community. Ephesians includes both a thanksgiving for the community and for God’s action (1:3-23). We have received the blessing of being chosen by God and adopted by him as his spiritual children. We have been chosen for relationship with God in the love, power, and initiative of God. (14) “God chose and adopted us to be saved as God’s children, but He does not choose those who will not be saved
Nobody has been excluded for salvation in God’s love. “God desire all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” (1Thimothy 2:4) In Today’s Scripture, diverse communities and people are more highlighted than individual believers regarding God’s relationship. God has gifted the community with his blessings in the heavenly places where God is with us and God’s work is shown through Christ. We are weak and shaken, but God wants us to be holy and blameless before God in love together. Our sins are forgiven in him as we believe in Jesus as our Saviour. This does not mean that true Christians never sin, it means our sin is paid for by the death of Christ on the cross. We can be holy and blameless in God’s sight as we are in Jesus. (4) I hope we will all be standing before God holy and blameless when the Lord’s day will come. God gave us blessings to be freed and redeemed from our sins, and He led us into His spiritual family. That is to bring praise to God for grace-filled blessing and his salvation, and it needs to be continued until Christ’s return or the last moment of our life on earth. (12, 14) God is praised in the Today’s scripture for having chosen us as God’s children and adopted the church as God’s own people. The adoption of churches and communities by God is also a blessing and it is an action plan by God. (10,11) In Ephesians 1:5-6, both the goals and the means of God’s planed actions are graciously presented through Jesus. This was accomplished according to God’s delightful will, and the dual goals of God’s plan were adopting us and praising God. (5,6) God made us his children, and it pleased him. God graciously presents his blessing on us so that we would praise God’s grace-filled glory. I hope and pray our appreciation and praise toward God will be soared in our lives in 2021. We

27th December, First Sunday After Christmas Jesus and Blessing in a Faith Community (Isaiah 61:10 – 62:3 & Luke 2:22-40) By Heeyoung Lim Welcome to the first Sunday of the Christmas Day! There are two speakers, the prophet (Isaiah 61:10-11; 62:1-3) and God (61:8-9) in Isaiah 61 and 62, which is related the restoration of Zion. The prophet’s mission is central to Zion’s redemption. The people of Zion will rebuild and repair ruins, not only will the city of Zion be renewed, but it will also once again indicate God’s glory. The God of Isaiah promised a great U-turn of circumstances. The speaker has been changed from God to anointed messenger Isaiah in the form of praise. “I will not be quite until her vindication shines out like the dawn, and her salvation like a burning torch” (Isaiah 62:1) There were differences and gaps between promise toward Zion and reality of Jerusalem, but people and history meet the fulfillment of God’s promises as we encountered Jesus, the long-awaited Saviour of the world. The mission given to Isaiah is still needed today, while Christians look forward to Christ’s Second Advent (coming of the Lord) God uses devoted people to reveal his heavenly purposes to provide salvation and redemption for his people and for all the world. It is also presented in Luke 2. Obediently, Mary and Joseph followed all the Jewish customs based on God’s Old Testament and they dutifully took Jesus to Jerusalem for the purification rituals to dedicate him to God as their firstborn. There was the Presentation of Jesus at the temple. (Luke 2:22) Simeon was righteous and devout waiting for God’s divine consolation. He was God-fearing person and took God’s promises seriously. (25) He was in God’s expectations and lived in a right relationship with God. In his daily walk with God, he was led by the Holy Spirit, and he waited obediently for God to keep his promise. (25) Simeon had seen God’s salvation Named Jesus as Mary and Joseph entered the temple with Jesus, and he gave them a blessing they did not expect. (27) The first blessing was praising God, but second blessing was about “fall and rising of many”. (34) In Simeon’s first blessing, Jesus is God’s salvation and a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to people in Israel.” It was spoken to God reminding the fulfillment of God’s promises. (32) Mary and Joseph were amazed when they heard the blessing, but there was an unexpected blessing regarding the fall and rise too. Simeon spoke only to Mary. Jesus suffered and died, and then was raised to glory like the fall and rise blessing. We may just fall and rise, but it should not be constant falling, there would be the rising stage in Jesus. Simeon waited for God to comfort Israel. Jesus is the comfort and consolation for which Israel waited. God’s promise was that Jesus would come before Simeon died. Simeon has waited all his life for this child, and now he can die in peace calmly and confidently. He was far from making the soul despair and he is in an experience of God’s presence and he was simply a dedicated servant of God. Anna was a prophetess, one with great age and experience, having been married seven years and widowed eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. (38) Her life was uneventful, and her gaze was focused on only God’s salvation. She approached the baby Jesus just as Simeon returned him to his parents and recognized what God was doing in the baby Jesus and gave thanks. (36) Anna then turned to other worshipers and spoke her prophetic words about the child Jesus to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. (36) Simeon and Anna have waited a lifetime for perfect peace and meeting Jesus, and the blessings became a new beginning of faith Journey for Joseph and Mary as first-time parents in reminding all parents of the responsibilities. Joseph and Mary were in some uncomfortable situations during their journey, they struggled to get to Bethlehem for the census while there was no room at the inn. Joseph stood by helpless and poor, watching Mary give birth next to animals, but a stable has been prepared by God. It was not earthly blessings. Joseph and Mary witnessed shepherds and others worship him after the divine child’s arrival in the world and took the roles and walked even in the limitations of parents’ social location. They have also experienced the fall and rise under God’s protection. They are given a divine mission to complete in their human flesh as parents, but God had fulfilled his promise, and the salvation is not a human act, it is God’s salvation. The story of Simeon and his interaction with the holy family reminds us of what we communicate and interact in our church. We can also think Anna was with the wisdom of age, the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and a lifetime spent in the temple, and Anna’s coming forward to Jesus reminds us to come closer to people, and her testimony to the other believers and people gives a challenge to testify and spread Gospel. In addition, there was life-long waiting and prayer from Simeon and Anna, and the emotional and spiritual investment in the child Jesus have been done in a temple. There were praising God and blessings for others from the elderly who also need to be respected and loved by others. Jesus is son of his parents and Son of God. He is good news, Saviour, Messiah, the Lord, and the fulfillment of God’s promised redemption, cause of amazement and wonder. However, the human Jesus grew in the ways that all children do, each step of growth preparing him to fulfill God’s eternal mission. (39) We can bless each other like Simeon and tell everyone the good news that God has shared with