Joseph the Forgotten Man - December 23, 2007

When we listen to the Christmas story, Joseph often plays a rather minor role in the background. Most of the time, people focus on Baby Jesus, Virgin Mary the mother, angels, shepherds and the three wise men. However, especially in Matthew’s narrative, Joseph did play an important part, leading up to the birth. Today, we have just heard it from Matthew 1:18-25.

Matthew begins his narrative with “an account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”(1:1) The word he uses for genealogy literally means “Genesis”! This is a new book of Genesis, just like the first book of the Scriptures. Matthew intentionally uses this word to indicate a new beginning and a new creation with the birth of Jesus. The same God who created human beings at the very beginning is now also creating humanity anew with a miraculous birth.

After tracing the genealogy, Matthew explains the story by saying, “Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.”

Many commentators observe on this text that it is as much a miracle to talk about the virginal conception as the way how Joseph changed his mind on the matter. Some call it “Joseph’s conversion”. In the first century Palestine, marriages were obviously still arranged. Joseph and Mary may have been arranged to be married by their parents when they were still young. Such arrangement was more than an engagement as we understand it; it was legally binding as in a marriage, even before the wedding took place. Therefore, when Mary was found to be pregnant, Joseph had every right to divorce her. That was exactly what the law and the custom of the land expected him to do.

Even though Joseph seemed to have concluded that Mary must have committed adultery, yet he was unwilling to shame her publicly by dragging her through the courts. Perhaps it was out of compassion that he would quietly dismiss her instead. He was a “righteous man” in two different ways: he followed what was required by the law and he had compassion for Mary.

It was also suggested by other commentators that by divorcing Mary, Joseph also offered the real father the opportunity to raise his child by marrying Mary instead.

Like the Joseph of the old Genesis story (ch.37), this Joseph also found out God’s purpose for him in a dream. An angel or messenger of God came to him, not only this time but a few more times later, to instruct him what to do and explain to him about this child Mary was carrying, and the significance of his birth.

For Joseph to change his mind, it could have been a very difficult decision. What if he were one of those stubborn people who believe that they are always right? What if he were one of the self-righteous ones who cannot possibly accept anything that is not right according to the letter of the law? Was he reluctant to change his decision before the angel’s appearance?

Furthermore, the angel told him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife. Why should he be afraid? In the earlier description that “Mary was found to be with child”, is it possible that others had found out about this pregnancy too? Who else knew about her condition? Was she beginning to show? Was he afraid of what the neighbors might say about his betrothed wife? Had the rumors already started in the neighborhood and appeared in the headlines of the community gossip columns?

How often is our action governed by our sense of self-righteousness? Do we look down on those who are obviously worse sinners than us: pregnant teenagers, prostitutes, drug addicts and their suppliers, drunk drivers, homosexuals and others whose lifestyle we don’t approve? How often are we influenced by the fear of what would others may say or think? Does that control us and our behavior more than what God wants us to do? How often do we follow a dream, and dare to believe in it? Or, is it easier just to awake from a dream and dismiss it as something simply unreal and not believable?

God broke through the barriers of fear and insecurity to reach Joseph, and a conversion took place! He took a real step of faith to believe in the message of the angel that the child was from the Holy Spirit, and not from another man. Not too many “real men” would end up doing what he had done. In the end, he took Mary as his wife, in spite of his fears and claimed the son as his own by naming him Jesus. In fact, by naming the child, Joseph acknowledged Jesus to be his own; therefore he became the legal father of the child. According to Raymond Brown in the Birth of a Messiah, Jewish custom was clear on that: “If a man says, ‘this is my son’, he is to be believed”. Since they did not have modern technology to determine paternity in those days, a man’s acknowledgment was accepted as good enough ground; for normally a man would not acknowledge and support a child unless it’s his own. That’s why in Matthew’s genealogy, although Joseph did not beget Jesus; Jesus is still a descendant of David through Joseph, because of legal paternity rather than a biological one.

Different parts of the Christmas story all invite us to have faith. It conveys to us how God has come to change the world and to change each one of us. The story does not invite us to simply believe in the historical accuracy of the virgin birth or a tiny baby born in a manger. But the story proclaims the truth of Emmanuel – God with us!

There is a legend about the Cherokee Indian youth’s rite of passage. According to this ritual, his father would take him into the forest, blindfold him and leave him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it. He cannot cry out for help to anyone. Once he survives the night, the boy is a MAN. He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own. The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!

Finally, after a horrifying night, the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold. It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him a few yards away. He had been there watching him the whole night, protecting his son from harm. That’s the secret! To every boy’s surprise, his father never left him.

In the same way, we are invited to believe in a messiah whose name is Emmanuel, God with us! Perhaps spiritual maturity comes from sitting seemingly alone in the dark night of the soul only to discover the presence of God when light finally shines through. We are asked to trust in God, who stays by our side all through our life journey. The secret is that we are never alone! Even when we are not aware of it, even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, God is always with us! Therefore, we do not have to be afraid! Indeed, God is with us today, removing the barriers of our self-righteous attitudes and moving us beyond our fears and insecurity to faith! Yes, even a deeper and more mature faith!

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Fr. Victor +

Church of St John the Divine (www.stjd.ca)

A Spiritual Check-Up: December 9, 2007

I went to the doctor for my annual check-up this week. It interrupted my daily routine, since I could not eat for 12 hours before the appointment, and made me consciously think about my health. From day to day, week to week, we usually just go on auto-pilot and seldom think about our health, unless something wrong makes us aware of the lack of health and the danger of illnesses to our body. Threats of disease and symptoms of something may be wrong with our health are truly wake-up calls that rudely remind us of our mortality. Julia (my wife) has gone through a similar scare, when she went through a biopsy few weeks ago. As it turns out, we are thankful that there is nothing wrong with the cells in question. Regular check-ups and preventative measures are very important to our health.

Similarly, twice a year, more like our dental check-ups, we are reminded to have a spiritual check-up. The seasons of Advent and Lent call us to take a reality check on the spiritual condition of our well being. Spiritually, are we healthy enough to go on, or should we do something to restore our health and wholeness? Is our heart at the right place? Or, are we preoccupied and obsessed with the wrong things and priorities in life? Should we do a “gut check” before we face the challenges of another new year?

The familiar story of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:1-12) focuses on his message of repentance and the practice of the water baptism. You have probably heard many, many sermons on repentance and forgiveness of sins. Perhaps I will try a somewhat different approach today. First of all, when we talk about repentance, we need a GPS! For those who have not heard of what is a GPS, it is called Global Positioning System, a navigational device that provides signal of your precise location on earth, with the help of satellites. It is probably one of the more popular adult gifts this Christmas, judging from the advertisements of the different electronic stores and departments. Some of my friends need a device like GPS, because they lack a good sense of direction and they are not good at reading maps. We need a GPS to tell us exactly where we are, and which direction are we going. Then, we can find out whether we are heading the right way or not. Repentance, simply put, involves a turning around, when we find ourselves going the wrong way. When you go down a one-way street against the direction of the arrow, unless you do a U-turn, you won’t be able to avoid the risk of a head-on collision and travel at the right direction again.

Prophets like John the Baptist are similar to GPS, telling us where we are located spiritually, that we are facing the wrong direction and need to turn around to face the right way. In repentance, we move from point A to point B, out of error into truth, out of sin into righteousness, out of darkness into light; out of death into new life. Our Christian mission and calling is to bring people from afar closer to God, spiritually dead or dormant to the state of being spiritually alive and awake. We invite people to this process of transformation. Like the prophets, we prepare the way by pointing to Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life!

Any process of transformation always involves an ending, a transitional stage, before a new beginning is possible. To repent is the first step of making an ending to the old before the new is made possible. Many people long for new life and new beginning! You can ask anyone who has an addiction problem, and they will tell you that they desperately want a new life. They want to change their ways very badly! But the problem for them is not so simple, especially they find it so difficult to end their old way of life, and free themselves from whatever bondage which enslaves them. Putting an end to the old life, old habits and addictions is not as simple as it sounds. New life is not possible until they can break free from the old.

However, on the other hand, a proper ending paves the way for a new beginning. The fulfillment of a promise is also the end of the old and the beginning of the new. Today’s Old Testament passage from Isaiah 11:1-10 talks about a king from the line of David who will represent the fulfillment of the hope for a messiah. He will be shaped by the Spirit of the Lord. That divine Spirit will equip the king with the gifts necessary for just rule. His administration will be marked by justice – that he will make sure the poor and the vulnerable, i.e. those least able to protect themselves, have full rights before the Law.

The coming of this messianic king also brings about a transformation in the natural and cosmic sphere. Natural enemies in the animal kingdom will live together in peace and harmony. There will be no more violence, and no more fear! There are echoes of a return to a world without violence among creatures, such as that of a paradise as described in the first chapter of the Book of Genesis. This is a truly magnificent vision of cosmic peace. If you do not have a particular vision of what heaven may look like, try this one: the peaceable kingdom where human beings and animals do not have to live in fear!

In fact, we are told that a defenseless little child shall lead them in that kingdom. That little child, and the nursing child and the weaned child all represent human beings at the most vulnerable stages of life. Perhaps we can learn from such kind of leadership and the child-like quality involved.

Jesus said, “Unless one turns and becomes like children, one will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” What kind of quality does a child bring? We are not asked to be childish and immature in our ways. To be child-like is to be marked by innocence, trust, simplicity and frankness. An infant is totally vulnerable and dependent, open to the possibility of being wounded, and open to attack or damages. Such a child is powerless, or at the mercy of other adults. Yet, the child is also very powerful, as he or she is connected to a very fundamental life force. We, adults, have very often lost touch with that kind of life forces. Adults who abuse children do so by taking advantage of their vulnerability. They exploit their innocence and trusting nature. In that sense, all forms of abuse exploit the vulnerable of the world: the weak and the poor, the sick and the powerless, the elderly and the young who are dependent on others. The abusers, the ones who rely on macho power, strike out in fear, anger and aggression. That’s why we are taught not to be vulnerable, not to leave any opening for others to attack us, and not to leave our security to chance.

In a world that believes in the survival of the fittest, the victims of violence and injustice do not really count! There is no place for orphans and starving children in many parts of the world -- people want them to disappear! However, can you imagine a world without children? Then, we simply do not have a future! We simply do not have hope!

Perhaps repentance has to do with getting in touch with the child within all of us, accepting our vulnerable child and finding healing for that child! It may have to do with recovering that pristine and uncontaminated quality of the child that would lead us to the kingdom of God – to recapture the lost awe and wonder of our childhood, to reclaim the trusting nature, the playful creativity and the magical imagination that have been long buried by our cold, logical adult world. Far too quickly, young people are taught to be crafty and cunning: on what they can get away with in life, as long as they don’t get caught!

Being born anew is likened to returning to the womb, being re-connected with the source of life, totally trusting in the mother of all goodness, being truthful with God, with ourselves and with others. Repentance requires that honesty and truthfulness.

John the Baptist preached a water baptism of repentance, but the One for whom he prepared the way would be baptizing with the Holy Spirit and fire. There is a very strong hint of judgment in that second kind of baptism. However, with the coming of Jesus, the baptism of the Holy Spirit also brings about power, and empowerment for his followers: power to live the Christian life, power to repent, power to end injustice in the world, and power to make peace possible!

There is a voice in the wilderness crying for us to repent, to prepare our hearts and minds for the coming King. Are you willing to make room in your heart for Christ amidst the busy preparation for Christmas? Are you willing to prepare our world for the Prince of Peace, to usher in his peaceable kingdom, and so transform our world? Are we willing to be part of that transformation by first repenting ourselves?

A few more questions for you to ponder:
What would inspire you to be a better Christian? What would draw you closer to God? How can we encourage you to live a life worthy of God’s unique calling for you?

May this Eucharistic meal strengthen and empower us with the courage of Jesus, to take on the first step of transformation! Thanks be to God. Amen.

Fr Victor
Church of St John the Divine (http://www.stjd.ca/)

An Advent People - December 2, 2007

“You know what time is it?” (Romans 13:11-14) Let’s say:
It is ten minutes before midnight. The lineup has been there since mid-afternoon. Some has brought lawn chairs, some are warming themselves with fresh coffee; others are entertaining themselves with books, i-pods, portable games and connecting with others talking on the cell phones. They know that for ten more minutes and the wait will be over. What anticipation! What excitement! What are they lining up for? The answers in multiple choices are:
a) To be first in line for tickets to a Rolling Stones concert?
b) To be first in line to buy the latest offering from Microsoft, Sony or Apple?
c) To be the first ones to get into the stores for Black Friday sales after the American Thanksgiving?
d) To be the first to get into the Church for mid-night mass on Christmas Eve?

Well, how likely is the answer d)? People in our consumer culture anticipate in excitement for the latest thrills and toys, based on what is new and exciting. The happiness and thrill do not last long, usually until the promotion of the next in-thing comes along. Marketing and advertising determine fashion and wants. We, with the rest of the ordinary people, live our lives according to the whims and devices of the marketing genius and their latest gimmicks. Spiritual hunger, however, needs something more profound than what material satisfaction can supply.

In the middle of the commercial shopping season called Christmas, we in the Church try very hard to observe a forgotten and ignored season called Advent! We swim against the current and oddly wish one another a Happy New Year today! “On the second day of December?” you ask. Yes, indeed, it is odd and out of step with the rest of the world. Is it important to be different? Or, should we try blending in all the time? Today’s scriptural readings provide a few clues about who we are and to whom we truly belong.

In Isaiah 2:1-5, we get a vision similar to the scene I described at the beginning of this sermon. Throngs of peoples are going up the hills to Jerusalem to worship God. As in high festivals, people are in fact lining up and they start singing hymns. These are psalms of ascent, like Psalm 122 we read earlier, that pilgrims and worshippers sing on the way up the hills into the holy city. They pray for peace and prosperity. Similar to the prophet’s vision in Isaiah that: “they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” -- Those are the famous words often quoted by pacifists who preach peace and peacemaking instead of making war! Instruments of war and violence are being converted into peace-time utility tools. Such is the longing of the people of the world, that peace and prosperity will be possible among the nations. Yet, for centuries, especially in the place they call the Holy Land, peaceful co-existence is still a dream not yet realized. They are not anywhere closer to peace today than a century ago.

If Christians are Easter people as we labeled ourselves, can we be also an Advent people? To re-discover our lost identity in a world that has no room for the Advent season, perhaps, the first thing we know about an Advent people is that we are a peace-making people! After all, we wait for the coming of the Prince of Peace – another Isaiah vision fulfilled at Christmas. The conversion from making war to making peace is a different kind of conversion than the one we usually associate ourselves with, but nonetheless, a practical and important one for us to consider.

Secondly, what time is it? St Paul said that “it is now the moment for us to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers; the night is far gone, the day is near.” As Advent people, we are called to be children of the Light, to walk in the light of the Lord! We are to wake up to a new day, a new sense of time, another era or period in God’s history. We are called to be prepared for this new age of Christ, not because we know when, but because we know what it means. For us, it is the fulfillment and culmination of our salvation!

We are called to a transformation from Darkness to Light, just as we change from our pajamas or night cloths into what we wear going out during the day. We are asked to cast away the works of darkness and to put on the armor of light. I remember as a child, we had to wear school uniforms in Hong Kong. As we moved from warm season into cold weather, we went through a change of uniforms for the different season. We put away what we don’t wear and store them until the next year. Similarly, we go from green to the color purple in our liturgical decoration today, reflecting the symbolic change in seasons, themes and emphases. St Paul asks us to put on the Lord Jesus Christ, just like putting on our winter coats in the last few days, in order to keep warm and be protected from the elements. This symbolic “putting on Christ” means a change in our behavior, our values and outlook on life. We are part of the new creation in Christ, as Paul said elsewhere: any one in Christ is a new creation! We repent and turn our lives around to reflect the new reality in which we live!

The message of today’s Gospel (Matthew 24:36-44) is simply: “Be Prepared!” Jesus uses 3 dramatic images to describe the suddenness of the coming of the Son of Man: a flood, a kidnapper, and a thief. These sharp and disturbing analogies are meant to call us to be alert and watchful. He clearly states that no one knows when the second coming may occur, only God knows! But repeatedly, people in the world, doomsday prophets and other cult leaders always immerse themselves in the game of predicting and calculating dates and time, waiting for the world to end. Many American Christians subscribe to the Rapture theory of the end of the world, using the image of one taken and one left behind, similar to Jesus’ parable employed here. Unfortunately, they preach dangerously a gospel of fear and hatred.

Former U.S. President, Jimmy Carter in his book Our Endangered Values has this to say about the so-called “Left behind” literature and theology:

“Almost everyone in America has heard of the Left Behind series, by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins, twelve books that have set all-time records in sales. Their religious premise is based on a careful selection of Bible verses, mostly from the book of Revelation, and describes the scenario for the end of the world. When the Messiah returns, true believers will be lifted in heaven, where, with God, they will observe the torture of most other humans who are left behind. This transcendent event will be instantaneous, and the timing unpredictable. There are literally millions of my fellow Baptists and others who believe every word of this vision, based on self-exaltation of the chosen few along with the condemnation and abandonment, during a period of ‘tribulation’, of family members, friends, and neighbors who have not been chosen for salvation.” (pp. 113- 114)

The frightening aspect of this type of literature and theology rests in the fact that many fundamentalist Christians have come to believe it as sacred truth, one and the same as Scriptures, not as novels and fictions the way they were written. They try to fit these fictional plots into their reality of life. Secondly, this type of thinking have gravely influenced certain American politicians who shape their foreign policy, especially in the Middle East, dangerously promoting wars and confrontations in order to hasten the fulfillment of their articulated prophecies and the coming of this Rapture!

As Advent people, we do not stray away from the whole of Scriptural teaching to narrowly focus on the doctrine of the End Time, especially one that is distorted and misleading when held up against other teachings of Jesus. In my younger days, I have heard many preachers going on endlessly about the Rapture, which is at best misguided and speculative. However, to those who are fascinated by it, they are addicted to the details to the exclusion of everything else. In the season of Advent and the rest of the year, we are called to be prepared, but not to be totally obsessed or preoccupied with the wait. I used to live in a rectory down the road from the Church in Whitby. I tried not to leave the place in a mess, at least not the living room and the study, just in case we had people dropping in. That is being prepared. However, I did not stop doing everything else and waited at the door for the unexpected visitors. I did have a life; I was not constantly worried about intrusion. I carried on living a normal life, doing what I needed to do. We should have the same attitude as an Advent people. We live as children of light, bearing witness to the light of Christ coming into the world. As we gather for worship, we invite God into our daily lives, so that we live a holy, responsible and grounded life, ready to welcome our Lord and King, whenever his kingdom or reign will begin anew.

So, Happy New Year! What is new? We start off another new Christian year, preparing for new life in Christ. Advent is a season pregnant with hope, the same way Mary was carrying the Christ child within her. The blessings of new beginning, albeit small and insignificant ones, will be able to lift us up and allow us to rise above the ordinary, mundane parts of life. In worship, we join millions of other Christians in the world longing for and expecting the salvation of Jesus Christ to be fulfilled, not only in the second coming of Christ, but in the reality of grace established since His first coming. It is in this “here and now” reality that we live joyfully and celebrate God’s presence in our midst!

Thanks be to God. Amen.
Fr Victor +
Church of St John the Divine (www.stjd.ca)

The Reign of Christ - November 25, 2007

Today, we are celebrating the Reign of Christ – the last Sunday of the liturgical season of Pentecost, also the end of our Church year. The Pentecostal season begins with the Day of Pentecost; the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and the power of God upon the disciples of Jesus. The subsequent Sundays after Pentecost emphasize the growth and nurture of the faith community. Now, it ends with the Reign of Christ or otherwise known as the feast of Christ the King, again reaffirming the Lordship of Christ and the empowering of his followers for ministry. As in the end of sports season with the excitement of playoffs and championship series, the end of our church season also calls for joyful celebration and victory dance.

From today’s Epistle reading (Colossians 1:11-20), we have an ancient and magnificent hymn praising the identity and status of Christ Jesus: He is the image of the invisible God, a reflection of eternal light, making God visible to us. For no one has seen God, but Christ reveals God to us that God indeed is love. The pre-existent Christ is at the head of the created order, and the incarnate Christ is also the first-born from the dead, he also stands at the head of the “new creation”. Christ is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. He becomes the full embodiment of God’s own presence: God’s complete being and identity came to dwell in the person of Christ Jesus – that is the mystery of the incarnation we will celebrate once more in the season of Christmas.

Given this description from Colossians 1, the question still remains, “How can we speak of the kingship or the reign of Christ?” Human language has its limitation; it is inadequate to express the idea of the power, sovereignty, supremacy, lordship and majesty of Christ. All those big, fancy words mean one thing in simple, everyday term: that Christ is Number One!

Being Number One in Biblical times was understood to be like a king with absolute power to rule over the people. God was seen at best to be a benevolent dictator. However, in our modern Western world, we do not have the same kind of absolute power of the monarchy. The authority and power of presidents and prime ministers are controlled by varying degrees of checks and balances in modern democracy. On the other hand, we may relate more readily to being “Number One” in the world of sports: being in first place, the world champion of whatever competitions, the Gold Medal winner, and simply the best of the best in the world.

These days, in Canada and other parts of the world, Christians are careful not to sound too triumphant in our expression of faith. We are encouraged to engage in inter-faith dialogues and appreciate the other faiths and religions, working toward common ground and mutual understanding. It is harder to even reclaim Christmas among the non-specific “happy holiday” greetings. We should certainly not offend others, but how do we hold on to what is unique to our faith and treasure it? Is Jesus one of the many ways to knowing and understanding God or is He the only way? If we allow the possibility of “other ways”, how do we make sense of the Colossians passage before us?

To make matter worse, the revised lectionary throws in an unlikely passage from Luke 23:33-43 as today’s Gospel reading. At first sight, one may wonder why this was chosen. We are brought back to the middle of the Good Friday story of the crucifixion! It is like singing a Christmas song "It's a wonderful time of the year" in the middle of August for the back-to-school sale. This is far removed from the triumphant hymn of Colossians 1. The one connection you may spot is the mocking of the soldiers, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” For there was an inscription on the cross over him that was written, “This is the King of the Jews.” Others, including one of the criminals who was crucified with Jesus, also derided him and said, “Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!” If you have not noticed how familiar it sounds – that essentially is the same temptation of Jesus earlier by the devil – to avoid the pain and suffering of the cross.

What kind of a King would be found on the cross dying with other condemned criminals? What kind of a Messiah who came to save others but could not save himself? Perhaps that provides us with the key to understanding the mystery and the true meaning of the Reign of Christ. This King is different from all the others; this Messiah is not the same as the one people had expected.

Luke provides us with a completely different perspective through the confession of the other criminal. He admitted his guilt and confessed that crucifixion was a just punishment for him. But he pointed out the innocence of Jesus. In a great act of faith, he asked: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom/power/reign.” At that moment, Jesus was dying on the cross. To everyone there, this king and his kingdom were coming to a tragic end. The execution was meant to destroy this king. Jesus was dying, yet the criminal had the faith to see beyond that and believe that Jesus could remember him. He had the faith to believe that Jesus is the one who will somehow rule as King. This criminal’s request unfolds the mystery of God’s power to rule the universe through Jesus dying on a cross. There was no resurrection yet. From this last-minute convert’s point of view, he was able to see through the eyes of faith that this dying Jesus will rule as King one day! Will we have the same faith, in the midst of death and despair before the dawn of new life, to see beyond and above all that, the coming kingdom and reign of Christ?

It is in the scandal of the cross and the innocent suffering that we discover the true meaning of the reign of Christ. Being Number One does not mean Jesus went out to conquer and destroy all his competitors and enemies. The Prince of Peace shows us a different kind of power – the power to love, the power to nurture, the power to make peace, the power to build up and unite, the power to empower others, the power to serve, the power to give life, the power to set free, the power to heal and reconcile!

Being Number One has to do with the willingness of this Good Shepherd who came and lay down his life for his sheep so that they may have life, and have it abundantly! Being Number One has to do with the divine love of self sacrifice and servanthood. That is the uniqueness of the Gospel of Christ. Other religions do not have a God of Love who is willing to die for a sinful and broken world in order to save it and redeem it. Find me another saviour who would offer forgiveness to those who killed him: “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing.” Forgiveness, not revenge or vengeance, is the final word! Pardon and absolution, not just dessert and punishment, are the final offer from a merciful God. That offer of forgiveness was scandalous enough for the early church that it was actually left out in some of the manuscripts. Yet, deep in the heart of God, we find such grace, mercy and forgiveness for all sinners, including you and me. Without this sacrificial love of God shown in Christ Jesus, we have no hope of salvation at all.

Some of us are lucky to have loving and forgiving parents and other significant adults of influence in our upbringing. Their love and forgiveness hopefully have not spoiled us but given us life and vitality. Others are not as fortunate to have such loving and forgiving parental figures. Our understanding and concepts of God may or may not have anything to do with those parental figures. There is a story:

Two boys were walking home from Sunday school after hearing a strong preaching on the devil. One said to the other, “What do you think about all this Satan stuff?” The other boy replied,
"Well, don’t worry; you know how Santa Claus turned out. It’s probably just your Dad anyway."

Perhaps it is up to us Christians to model our concepts and beliefs of God to the rest of the world. What kind of God, what kind of king or messiah we truly believe in will affect the way we show the world in the way we live our lives. Yet, we are still learning. We are the followers of Jesus the messiah who comes to show us how much God loves us. We do not know how to love in the first place, unless we are able to experience and receive that love ourselves. That is the challenge of our faith community! That is also the reality in which we joyfully live out the reign of Christ in our midst!

Thanks be to God. Amen.
Fr Victor Li
www.stjd.ca Church of St John the Divine

November 18, 2007

Visions of God’s New Creation

There is an eternal story of love, betrayal and restoration with which we are very familiar. Once upon a time, there were a people whom God loved very much. They were chosen to be God’s special people in the world. They were delivered from slavery in Egypt and were given a Promised Land as their new homeland. The people from time to time rebelled against their God and worshipped other gods in the land. Every now and then they forgot how God had delivered them before and helped them to be successful. They asked for kings just like their neighbors in the land and God gave them kings. The dynasty of David continued for a while, until the kings became weak and foolish. Then foreigners came along and invaded their land, sacked their holy city of Jerusalem. They were taken away as exiles into Babylon. Whoever left behind was considered worthless. In exile, they longed for a return to their homeland. They longed to worship in their holy city once again and rebuild the temple which lay in ruins at the moment. Then prophets came to proclaim words of good news of restoration and redemption.

Today’s first reading from Isaiah (65: 17-25) declares such good news to the people returning from exile to their homeland. It comes from the third section of the Book of Isaiah, written sometime between 515 and 450 BC.

This was a difficult time for Israel. The Israelites had been allowed to return from exile in Babylon after the Persian King Cyrus took over control of the Babylonian Empire, and reversed their policy of holding people captives. In 538, he allowed the Israelites to return to their homeland.

Those who returned found themselves in desperate condition, not only socially and economically, but had to deal with a theological crisis as well. The promise of restoration had not yet happened, the city of Jerusalem was still in ruins and the temple not yet repaired. The prophets Haggai and Zechariah appeared on the scene around 520 BC and encouraged the people to begin the rebuilding of the Temple.

When the project was completed in 5 years, the Davidic kingdom was still not restored. The people began to doubt in despair, old Baal worship and other idolatry of the land crept back into the community again. Almost 100 years after the first exile returned, the Prophet of the Isaiah tradition now challenged the people to a national repentance, and today’s text is part of the renewal of God’s promises to the people.

It begins with God’s proclamation to create new heavens and a new earth. Of course, only God can create. This new creation belongs to God just as the old one was also God’s doing. This is one of the only two references to a new heaven and a new earth in the Old Testament. Later apocalyptic literature tends to describe the new creation in terms of the radical destruction and violent end of the present world. Here, there is no such sense of the end of the world. It will happen within history, with Jerusalem as its central focus.

It speaks of the joy and delight involved in this new creation. God will do this for the joy of it. It is more than simply saying that what he has created is good. God takes delight and rejoices in this new creation. Therefore, it also brings forth joy and delight to the people. There will be no more weeping and suffering, infant death and shortened life; or invasion of foreign enemies. Long life, peace and security are assured. They will be able to enjoy the benefit of building homes and planting vineyards without threats of invaders as they had previously endured in history. This emphasis on stability for the people is compared to a tree. Why a tree? In the hot and dry climate of the Middle East, a tree was a sign of long life and stability. The tree that thrives and flourishes by a stream of water, in spite of the hostile climate, becomes a symbol of life and endurance. The tree of life is part of the newness of God’s activity, contrary to the death and destruction as witnessed before.

The declaration also points to a close relationship with God that would be a major part of this new creation. God has always heard the cry of the people for deliverance, from the time of oppression under Pharaoh to other enemies ever since. During the exile, the people had complained that God had not heard their cry and felt that God had abandoned them. Here, a newness is being promised that they had not known before. Not only would God be present among them, but they would no longer have to call to him in the same way as before. God would hear and answer them even before they cried out. This closeness of communion is a powerful affirmation of God’s renewed presence with the people. No amount of betrayal will interrupt this promise. Healing, forgiveness and reconciliation will be the marks of this new creation. Such a vision of peace and harmony is also expressed poetically in the animal kingdom, with the famous imagery of the wolf and the lamb feeding together in peace.

It is a powerful message of hope and faith! Whatever darkness and despair we face as individuals, community or congregation, we are asked to turn to God in faith and trust. Whatever “down in the dumps experience” - be it grief and losses, death and dying, coping with illness and depression, conflicts and division, financial difficulty and business failure - God will have the last word on all that, not us. Precisely it is not about us, but it is about God! The living God is in charge. Out of death, God will bring new life. Out of despair, hope! Out of darkness, light!

In our despair, we may pray for a radical and violent end to all that is wrong with the world, its evil and injustices, so that God can start anew from scratch. Such is the perspective of the doomsday prophets and apocalyptic preachers. Ironically, we have one such passage in today’s Gospel (Luke 21:5-19). It speaks of the signs of the times and the coming of God’s kingdom in rather depressing terms. We are reminded of all that is to be suffered before the final deliverance of God’s people. Those words are meant to strengthen and comfort the faithful as they deal with the horrors and pains of the world, suffering persecution and tribulations.
Putting the two readings together, I believe they balance each other. The Isaiah passage reassures us that neither the nightly news nor our daily struggles is the measure of all things. Darkness and despair may seem to have power over us at times. But in God’s overall scheme of things, joy, delight, and life will prevail. Suffering, distress and death are real. However, joy and delight are real, too. Ultimately, Jesus also reassures his followers that not a hair of their heads will perish. They will be saved by their endurance and faith.

In our own story of faithfulness and rebellion, betrayal and restoration, death and new life, we are called to live out our own story of endurance, faith and hope. The plots and story lines may be different, since our lives and challenges are unique, but we follow the same pattern of hopefulness, as we are reminded to take joy and delight as our companions along the way.

Some of you have probably watched the movie “Evan Almighty” – a modern day Noah story. A newly elected congressman who wants to change the world is given the opportunity from God to do just that. God explains to the characters in the movie that God does not give things; he gives the opportunity to get things. For example, God doesn't give a family togetherness; he gives the opportunity for families to be together. We have to make good use of the opportunities given. In its charming but lame Hollywood way, the story ends with God’s teaching that the way to change the world is by doing one Act of Random Kindness (“ARK”) at a time.

God does not have to destroy the world again in a flood to cleanse it from evil and sins. God is capable of bringing in a new creation in a less violent and catastrophic way. We may be called to be instruments and agents in this process of transformation! In fact, we are called to do what we are capable of doing, using our unique gifts and talents. When God’s way and our ways intersect in God’s time, we may well be part of God’s new creation of joy and delight!

Thanks be to God. Amen.
Fr. Victor +
To return to the church's website, please click http://www.stjd.ca/

Do You Believe in the God of the Living? - November 11, 2007

Luke 20: 27-38

In today's Gospel, we have a story of a group of Jewish religious people who did not believe in the resurrection or life after death. The Sadducees posed a trick question to Jesus to ridicule such a belief. They had already made up their mind that there was no resurrection of the dead. Therefore, the impossible and absurd “what if” question about the seven brothers and one wife was just a game they played here with Jesus. It is similar to an atheist philosopher posing a classical question, "If God were almighty, could he create a stone so large and heavy that he was not able to carry?"

The first part of Jesus’ answer simply points to the inappropriateness of the question, that there is a fundamental difference between life in this age and life in the age to come. Marriage is appropriate for this age since the fact of mortality necessitates a means for procreation and perpetuating life. Reproduction ensures the survival of the species for this life. However, those who attain to the resurrection of the dead are children of God and they are like angels. In the next life, there will be no need for marriage. It will be irrelevant, since life after death is a completely different form of life and existence in the fullest presence of God.

The second part of Jesus’ answer is a response in kind, using Scriptures to reply to the trick question posed. The Sadducees based their question on Deuteronomy 25:5-10, the law of marriage which spells out the duty of a man toward a dead brother to provide a legal heir for succession. Jesus appeals to the same body of Scriptures, Exodus 3:6, to affirm God as a God of the living and not of the dead. The inference is that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have or will have continuous life with God. The Book of Moses may not have talked about the state of the dead, but it implies a belief in eternal life, so that the Sadducees are wrong even on their own assumptions and authority.

Jesus’ argument runs like this: inanimate things may have a Creator, but only the living can have a God. When God says to Moses, “I am the God of Abraham…” this implies that Abraham is still alive, even though according to the world, he is already long dead. Jesus wants to affirm that all life, here and hereafter, consists of friendship with God, and nothing less is worthy of the name of life. Abraham was the friend of God, and it is incredible that such friendship should be severed by death. Death may put an end to physical existence, but not to a relationship that is by nature eternal. Human beings may lose their friends by death, but not God.

Therefore, Jesus draws the conclusion that God is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. Do you truly believe in the God of the living, or a living God, active and alive in our midst?

There was a story in the Edmonton Sun:

In a conservative Alberta town, a strip club was going to be opened. The local church didn't like the idea, and started anti-club petitions and public prayers. The club proceeded to be built, in spite of the opposition. However, just days before the opening, a lightning strike burned it to the ground in a fierce storm.

The church folks were smug, and they were celebrating openly, until the club owner decided to sue them. He claimed that the church was responsible for the demise of his building, through direct or indirect actions or means. The church, of course, denied all responsibility or any connection.

At the trial, the presiding judge shook his head and said, “We have a strip club owner who believes in the power of prayer, and an entire church congregation who deny it. How ironic can it be?"

It is funny how things work in this world. God has been used in all kinds of arguments, for justifying going to war, and various kinds of actions and policies. On the one hand, the world conveniently wants to keep God out of our daily lives, our schools and governments. On the other, they also conveniently blame God for all the major disasters and “acts of God” in nature. When things go wrong, they mournfully ask, “Where is God, when tragedies strike and people going through suffering?” We treat God the same way some of our bosses treat us: they would claim all the credit for success and accomplishments, but we would have to take the blame for any failures and disappointment.

Can we have it both ways with God? When the chips are down, do we truly believe in the power and presence of God in our own lives? Or, do we live like a practical atheist most of the time?

Most of you knew that Julia and I had to go to Hong Kong for two weeks to deal with some of my family matters. I did not tell you what we had to do. Before the trip, my oldest brother, Michael in Cobourg, basically thought that we had an impossible task ahead of us. We had to find a solution to a family situation that had worsened over the years. We had thought of various options, but none seemed workable or practical. Simply put, we went on a wing and a prayer! Now, mind you, the wings are from a brand new Jumbo jet on a direct flight which made such a long trip merciful to bear. Plus, there were many people praying for us and supporting us in the background.

I am happy to report that our seemingly impossible mission has been completed within those two weeks. We found my mom in relatively good health, after a series of medical tests. Her problem seems minor and requires no further actions at this point. She is getting more fragile and frail, compared to a year ago. She expressed her need to “retire” from the present living arrangement with my other brother, sister and nephew. She could no longer look after them, at the age of 82, as she has been doing all this time.

After a fairly calm family conference, we made some decisions for the future of those four people. My brother (61) has mental problems before, but seems to be coping much better than a decade ago. My sister (56) is not doing as well as he, she requires medication for her depression. As a single mother, she and her son have created a very unhealthy co-dependency. The young man has not finished high school and has not yet held a job in his life, and he will be turning 30 next February. It is important to separate him from my sister at this point, so at least he will have to try to gain independence and make a living for himself. We also recognize how my sister is incapable of looking after herself at this point.

What happened from that point was nothing short of a miracle. We found a private senior home for my mom, brother and sister, so that they could stay together in the same home in the same neighborhood as they are living. This way, it could minimize the stressful impact of the major transition they have to go through. It was the first place we looked at; they liked it and accepted it. We did not even have to look at another facility. This place also happened to have 3 independent rooms available right now. When my mom asked in amazement, “How come there are 3 rooms available for us? Isn’t that strange?” Without hesitation, I said, “I believe that God has kindly arranged that for us!”

If they did not like this home, or if there were only one or two vacancies, we would still be looking for other places. Given the limited time we had in Hong Kong, things could not have gone any smoother.

The next step was to put my mom’s apartment on sale. The housing market in Hong Kong happens to be at its peak right now, but we never expected to sell the place within a day. My lawyer friend Benny recommended his real agent and we met with her Saturday a week ago. On Sunday, she set up an appointment for a couple to come see the place at 3:30 pm. However, she showed up 15 minutes early with another client, who happened to run into her on the way. This gentleman came in, liked the place, and phoned his daughter right away to ask her to come check it out. In the meantime, the other couple showed up at 3:30, but did not express any interest. When the first man’s daughter showed up, she happens to be a lawyer as well, they put in an offer and there it went!

Is it simply good luck or just all coincidences? Somehow, I don’t think so. Is it the power of prayer? You bet! Something like we say often: "Glory to God, whose power working in us, can do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine!" It is a true story and my testimony of God’s working through different key people who helped us along the way. The remaining challenge is to help my nephew start a new life on his own. We have agreed to give a portion of the proceeds as a gift to set him up for housing and training needs. Hopefully, he will do what we have agreed on. The rest of the money will be used to provide for the other 3.

I have witnessed the hands of God at work before, but have not previously experienced things happening together in such a miraculous manner. In fact, I have experienced the opposite, when things had gone from bad to worse, spinning out of control with the bottom fell out and I had a free falling. Yet, from today’s vintage point, I can see the mistakes I made then and the failed first marriage actually made way for what happened now in 2007. My wife, Julia, has played such a pivotal part in all the negotiations and innovative thinking that it would not have been possible otherwise.

It seems strange that we claim to believe in God through life’s ups and downs. It is much easier to trust and have faith when things go right for us, and we are truly thankful for those wonderful moments of grace. It may not be as easy, when things are not going smoothly and the dominoes go down with no end in sight. I have heard stories of how St John the Divine has spiraled downward in the past couple of years, with different things happened that ended up with this big debt. With faith, hope and trust, we will face the future together as a parish. I may or may not play a part in this process of turning things around, but it is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of the living, in our midst, who will guide us through. It is the same God who helped us started the parish 50 years ago, who will be in charge of our future. Do you believe in that? (People in the congregation in fact responded with a 'yes' at the 10:30 service!) When we realize that we are in the presence of the Holy One and witness his hands working, we are indeed humbled and overwhelmed in wonder, awe and praise.

Thanks be to God. Amen.
Fr. Victor +

Sunday, September 30, 2007 Sermon

"What if each person were given two lives to live?"

Sermon titles are usually meant to be one-liners that either capture the listeners’ attention or summarize the entire sermon in one sentence. Today, I pose the question, in light of the Gospel reading (Luke 16:19-31), “What if each person were given two lives to live?” “You only live twice, or so it seems, one for yourself, and one for your dreams.” Unless you are James Bond, 007, we ordinary people only have one life, and that’s it! Or, unless you were a cat, then you may have nine lives to spare. Some of us indeed have been given second chances in life, after close calls, accidents and brushes with death. We are grateful for those second chances in life. It certainly gives us a whole new perspective on and appreciation for life.

On the other hand, we all live with regrets, if we live long enough. How often have you thought about the regrets that you have? If only we were given a chance to do things differently and get everything right again, wouldn’t it be nice? If we could work our lives with the pause and rewind buttons, or using the undo function of the computer, wouldn’t it be nice? However, perhaps mistakes are really the necessary means for us to learn and grow, trying to make the best of what is left of our lives?

Today’s story of the rich man and Lazarus speaks of two lives, two people in the extreme ends of the spectrum of wealth and poverty. It issues a warning to Jesus’ listeners, but the question remains dangling in the air, awaiting a response from each listener, including you and me!

This is the second story in a row that Jesus starts off the parable with the saying, “There was a certain rich man…” This man lived in extreme luxury. He was clothed in purple and fine linen, which was the description of the robes of the High Priests and cost a lot of money. He feasted in luxury every day! The word used here for feasting is the word that is used for a glutton and a gourmet meal feeding on exotic and costly dishes. Notice that he did this every day! It not only speaks of excesses, but in so doing, he definitely broke the fourth commandment on the Sabbath. Different commentators have mentioned that in Jesus’ time, neither knives nor forks nor napkins were used. Food was eaten with hands, and in very wealthy homes, rich people would cleanse their hands by wiping them on hunks of bread, and then the bread would simply be thrown away. It was that piece of bread for which Lazarus was waiting, as it was being tossed from the table.

In this story, the rich man is not given a name, even though he is often called Dives, which is the Latin word for the adjective “rich”. Ironically, the poor man has a name, which is the only character given a name in all of Jesus’ parables. (Not even the Prodigal Son and the Good Samaritan were given any names.) The name Lazarus literally means “helped by God” or “God is my help”! By contrast, he lived in utter poverty and degradation. This beggar is indeed the symbol of helplessness and humiliation. So helpless was he that he could not even ward off the street dogs that pestered him. The unclean animals licked his sores, thereby making him unclean, as if he had not been unclean already. But at least, the dogs showed him more mercy and attention than the rich man who never noticed him at the gates of his mansion.

The dramatic reversal of fortunes after the death of these two persons underscores the question I pose: what if each one had been given two lives to live? After this life, the fate of the poor and the rich becomes completely reversed. Can we be so sure that what we sow in this life will not affect what we reap in the next life?

The major point of this story has to do with the character of the rich man and his failure to use the two kinds of opportunity granted him: one by his wealth, the other by his religion. First, he used his wealth irresponsibly in self-indulgence and for selfish ends. He was too callous to care for and have compassion for the poor beggar by his gates. His sin was one of indifference. He did nothing for the misfortunes of others. All that time, he had ignored the Scriptural teachings of Moses and the prophets. The opportunities were open to him through his religion, but he chose to turn a blind eye to those warnings.

It is very likely that this parable may be a criticism against the popular belief that wealth was a sign of God’s blessings and approval, while poverty was a sign of punishment from God. Some even took this belief another step further to conclude that they had better not interfere with God’s punishment of such evil people -- even though the Hebrew Scriptures are clear about helping the needy. The rich man’s attitude of indifference could be explained by such thinking. The same attitude can be found today in the opposition to HIV/AIDS care and research, or indifference to other social ministry to the poor and the disadvantaged. They try to justify the misfortune of these people as God’s punishment for their sins and refuse to do anything about their suffering. Since they must have deserved their fate, they cannot possibly be innocent. The innocent suffering of Jesus on the cross puts a huge question mark on this thinking, too.

The warning contained in the ending reminds me of the story of Scrooge in The Christmas Carol: a story that touches so many generations, simply because it speaks the same truth. Are we haunted by the Ghosts of Christmas past, present and future? If so, we still have hope, because the warning is still being heeded. Are we like the rich man’s five brothers, who have the opportunity, prior to dying, to hear Moses and the prophets and repent? Are we willing to listen to the warning and take actions now? We may have the advantage that someone has been raised from the dead to warn us, but the resurrection by itself does not necessarily lead to faith and repentance. It is in remembering the word, not just from Moses and the prophets, but most of all from Jesus himself that counts!

Speaking of remembering, in the 1992 Toronto Diocesan Synod, we had the privilege of hearing the Rt. Rev. Barbara Harris, the first woman bishop in the modern Anglican Communion. She spoke powerfully and passionately about the differences between charity and justice. Charity is giving from surplus, from what is left, we give away what we do not need or want. It is painless and selective giving; it is passive and involves no risk. It is usually band-aid solution to the larger problem of poverty. However, justice is “compassion and love distributed”. It is sacrificial: it involves pain in the giving, proactive and risky. It requires actions in the struggle for systemic change, challenging the political, economic, social or other structures which cause poverty or injustice in the first place.

Churches are good at charity, because it is pretty safe and harmless, it does not seem too political or controversial. No one would put down the work of charity – it is simply nice! But to do justice is a lot more difficult, it involves giving away more than money and extra things we do not need anyway. It requires us to give away power and privilege, in order to empower someone else. It knocks us off our pews, whether they are comfortable or not.

“When I feed the poor, they call me a saint. When I start asking why they are poor, they call me a Communist!” – Archbishop Romero in Central America

“If any of you happens to witness an injustice, you are no longer a spectator, you become a participant, whether you choose to act or not. You now have the obligation to do something” – June Callwood

Christians are given two lives, in this world and the next. The two are not separate, but definitely connected. Don’t just take the warning of the story of the rich man and Lazarus as a call to do charity and to satisfy our guilty consciences, but as a call to a real change of attitudes and values, to think and do justice, empowerment, and taking God’s love to another level, to a more concrete and practical way of showing God’s love and mercy. Then, love is indeed good news, relevant both to this life and the next.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Fr. Victor +
Church of St John the Divine, Scarborough ON
www.stjd.ca

Sunday, September 23, 2007 Sermon

Investment in the Kingdom of God

Luke 16: 1-13 is the intriguing and puzzling parable of the dishonest manager, which is found in a chapter devoted to Jesus’ teachings on possessions. It is among one of the most difficult to interpret of all the stories told by Jesus. Many people cannot understand why the hero of the story turns out to be a scoundrel, and how can cheating be a model for us to follow? It is like holding up O.J. Simpson as an example to emulate for getting away with murder.

However, the main point conveyed is that this man was shrewd enough to use the means at his disposal to plan for his future well-being. He was commended by the master for being shrewd or prudent in other translations. It has to do with wise and thoughtful planning to guarantee his own future. The word shrewd means sharp-witted or clever in practical matters, being crafty or astute. Whether he was honest or dishonest is not the primary concern in the application of this parable to our lives and situations. Consequently, this parable, like all other parables, always has one main point, and it has to do with the right use of our resources. Jesus told this story to pose the question, “Are you handling possessions so as to gain and not lose your eternal habitation?” We are asked to reflect on our prudent use of material wealth and resources. It is a question of stewardship! It has to do with investments of another kind, that is, investments in the Kingdom of God.

We all think about investment of one kind or another, whether it is simply putting money in the bank, or buying bonds or stocks, GICs, mutual funds or RRSPs, or getting involved in real estate, or jewelry and art collections, we do so in manners of long-term thinking and planning for the future. We invest in what we believe to be good and sound, hoping its value will increase over time and yield us something in return. With every investment, there is always risk involved; so for the sake of the profit or dividend, we need to determine whether it is really worth the risk.

Today, we are asked to plan for our own future! Not just freedom 55, but the eternal future! We are not asking you to buy eternal life insurance, like buying a stairway to heaven. We are not teaching a course on “How to win friends and influence people, while building up the kingdom of God”. It sounds so self-serving, doing something for the sake of earning a reward in return! We may lose sight of the meaning and purpose of our actions, if everything were done scheming for rewards in heaven. We don’t need to be reminded that God knows our hearts and minds. Our thoughts cannot escape God’s scrutiny; it would be useless to try to hide our intentions from God.

However, we are asked to say yes to God and to say yes to God’s future now! Saying yes means accepting God’s gift of grace and salvation! Accepting what God has given us requires us to make the best use of them. Saying yes is also a continuous process and a life-long commitment to God through life’s ups and downs.

Investment means what you do now is important, for it will affect the outcome in the future -- in what you will get in return. We cannot abdicate our present responsibility and still hope that something positive will somehow happen for us later. If we want this church to grow again, we have to invest in children and youth ministry, and in inviting and welcoming new people. Otherwise, after we are gone, no one will come after us.

Ultimately, everything we have is God’s gift to us; we are only in charge of them and make use of them on God’s behalf. That is why it is called stewardship, just as the servant in the parable is called a steward for his master. Our time, energy, talent, resources, money and possessions, even our children and grandchildren, in fact, our very life, are all God-given assets for our use. We manage and look after them in trust! If I did not have a master for whom I am accountable, I could treat everything I possess as mine, and mine alone. I would not have to be accountable to anyone else for my actions and how I live my life and make use of what belongs to me. However, as stewards or managers of God’s gifts, we live from a very different perspective. We realize ultimately that we are not the owners of what seems to belong to us. How we live our lives, how we spend our time and money, are all investments for the future, God’s future! There is a saying: “WHAT WE ARE IS GOD’S GIFT TO US. WHAT WE BECOME IS OUR GIFT TO GOD.” That is truly a powerful summary of the teaching of Christian stewardship.

Our offering and our gifts to God and God’s works is always our way of thanking God for having blessed us with what we already have. Let me give you another one-liner: “Give God what is right, not what is left!” As a little child in church, I once questioned why people put in what seemed to be spare change into the offering bags? I cannot remember what kind of answers did I get, but it was something along the line of being told to "mind my own business"…

What Jesus teaches is responsible and careful use of our wealth and possession, most of all, not to be possessed by our own possessions. Stewardship is about faithfulness and being trustworthy in what is entrusted to us by our master. And faithfulness is determined not by the amount given, but by the character of the person who uses it. To be faithful means being responsible and accountable in all circumstances! No matter how much capital we are entrusted to begin with, what matters is how we make use of it, whether wisely or not!

As Kingdom People, we need to be wise and diligent in managing God’s affairs, setting priorities, making choices and investing ourselves judiciously, trusting in God’s grace to help us live our lives according to God’s will. If we put our trust in God by faith, our eternal well being is already assured. How we live the rest of our lives, fulfilling the unique calling and purpose for which we are called to live, will be our gifts to God in return.

Fr. Victor +

Church of St John the Divine, Scarborough ON http://www.stjd.ca/

Sunday, September 16, 2007 Sermon

Lost and Found (Luke 15: 1-10)

We all have experiences of trying to find a lost object, or being lost ourselves.

The heart of the Christian Gospel has to do with lost and found! It is indeed good news when Jesus tells us that he came to seek and save the lost! There is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Or, in the words of Amazing Grace: “I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see!” Grace is always amazing. Grace that can be calculated and "expected” is no longer grace.

In Philip Yancey’s book What’s So Amazing About Grace, he talks about “the New Math of Grace”:

In Luke’s story, Jesus tells of a shepherd who left his flock of 99 and plunged into the darkness to search for the one lost sheep. It is indeed a noble deed, but let’s think for a moment on the underlying arithmetic. Jesus says the shepherd left the 99 sheep in the wilderness, which presumably means they were vulnerable to wolves and other predators, or their own natural desire to wander off. How would the shepherd feel, if he returned with the one lost lamb slung across his shoulders only to find 23 others now gone missing?

It may seem absurd for a shepherd to do such a thing. Anyone with business sense would never do that! Let’s say that a sheep costs $100, would you leave behind $9,900 worth of your inventory to try to find that one lost sheep? It just does not make good sense. But the shepherd is willing to risk losing everything for the sake of the one, the same way that God would do for us, even in what seems to be unreasonable ways. This parable also makes a further point about throwing a party to celebrate with neighbors and friends about the recovery of this lost sheep. Same with the woman who lost her silver coin, how much does it worth? Roughly 10 days of wages, which is not very much? But the recovery party she threw for her friends and neighbors probably cost her more than that. The point is that God’s grace is not based on that kind of business calculation. Thank God, it is not; otherwise, there is no room for salvation for ordinary people like you and me!

Unless someone or something is lost, then there is no one or nothing to be found. However, there are different kinds of lostness -- emotional (grief), existential and spiritual… how we feel lost at various times of our lives. Many people are spiritually lost or homeless; they do not know where they truly belong. Money, wealth, fame and power do not buy them any happiness. They cannot be at home with themselves. Deep down they simply lack peace!

There are two groups of people: the finders of the lost and those who were lost but now have been found. In the end, both groups are invited to the kingdom feast of celebration where our heavenly Father rejoices with all the angels in heaven, even when one lost soul is found and saved! When have we done anything that would trigger such a joyful celebration not only here on earth wit friends and neighbors, but with all the heavenly hosts above?

Indeed, Celebration belongs to the Kingdom of God! Our worship as the kingdom people should always reflect that. Culpepper (Luke, New Interpreter's Bible) writes in his commentary on this text:

In both parables, rejoicing calls for celebration, and the note of celebration may be exaggerated to emphasize the point. Neither sheep nor coins can repent, but the parable aims not at calling the “sinners” to repentance but at calling the “righteous” to join the celebration. Whether one will join the celebration is all-important, because it reveals whether one's relationships are based on merit or mercy. Those who find God’s mercy offensive cannot celebrate with the angels when a sinner repents. Thus they exclude themselves from God's grace. [p. 298]

Would you find it offensive to have a Party Sunday in our church? For us good Anglicans, the celebration of the Holy Eucharist is always Party Sunday! “Join me at my table,” the God of Jesus says. “Let us eat and celebrate. This is still the place on earth that I welcome sinners and dine with them!”

God still asks us today: “Will you rejoice with me?” the same way the father asked the older, resentful brother at the end of the parable of the Prodigal Son. “Will you join in the celebration?” What is your answer, my friends?

Fr. Victor +
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Sunday, September 9, 2007 Sermon

The Cost of Discipleship:

In Luke 14:25-33, Jesus stresses the difficult and demanding conditions for discipleship. The harsh saying and the twin parables are not meant to discourage anyone from following him, they serve as a warning of the cost involved in a discipleship that leads to the Cross.

We who live in the West find Jesus’ saying to hate our dearest and nearest very disturbing and hard to accept. But that should not be taken literally, for the Semitic way of stating a preference employs the extremes of a love and hate contrast: as in “I love this and I hate that”! It is set in almost absolute terms: you can’t have both; you have to choose one over the other. To hate is a Jewish way of expressing detachment, and turning away from, or letting go. A literal interpretation of hate would go against a lot of Biblical teachings on caring for one’s family and one’s self.

But there are people with unhealthy attitudes who would use these sayings to denounce their family in the name of Christ, not because they are unwilling to forsake their family, but that they are too willing to get away from unhappy and painful situations and relationships. Many others with low self-esteem would be attracted by Jesus’ words to hate one’s own life as a sanction to self-hate. It would feed right into such mentality of a martyr complex. Hating one’s own life is not a call to self-loathing, to throw one’s body across the doorway and beg the world to trample on it as if it were a doormat. Rather, what Jesus is calling for is that those who follow him understand that loyalty to him can and will create tensions within the self and between oneself and those one loves. In such a conflict of loyalties, Jesus requires our primary allegiance.

If you find this demand for total commitment frightening, you are not the only one. If Jesus had asked, “Who wants to be a millionaire?” I am sure, no one would ever hesitate to put up their hands and yell: “Me!” Who in their right mind would want to a cross-bearing follower of Christ? Yet, we were told last week that the poor and the undesirable “street people” are all invited to the banquet with great ease. There is no demand other than to come and dine in the Kingdom Feast. Perhaps we always live in the tension between free grace and costly discipleship.

I once wrote a comparison between fans and disciples, when the Toronto Blue Jays were winning championships. Sports fans and fans of celebrity or performing artists are usually enthusiastic devotee or ardent supporters and admirers of their idols. They would spend time and money to follow their stars, whether it is going to all the ball games, film festivals or concerts, buying all their CDs, (these days downloading them from the net) and DVDs, collectible items or memorabilia. Some die hard fans will even travel many miles to see their stars performing in other cities, or in their away games. They belong to Fan Clubs; they call themselves groupies! They would know everything there is about their favorite stars, read every detail in the newspaper and websites; even memorize the statistics, and batting averages etc. We use very religious words to describe fans: devotion, dedication, and even commitment. The enthusiasm involved is quite remarkable.

Do you know that the word “fan” is really a proverbial short form for the word “fanatic”? Does that make a lot of sense? In the religious circle, mind you, that word fanatic is a dirty word. We don’t want to be called a fanatic by any means, but it is perfectly okay to be a sports fan!

However, fans are usually spectators. They may get involved in very physical ways to cheer, clap, yell and to do the wave, even singing along; but they are more than anything else spectators first. The cost of being a loyal fan could be fairly high. But other than the price of admission and other collectibles, they seldom put their lives on the line for their stars and idols. They may go to the stadiums or temple of worship: the Rogers Centre and Air Canada Centre so many times a year, but once the season is over, they still have other things to do, and their lives do not end there. There is no such thing as a serious calling, even though their behavior is fairly religious, to say the least. Their mood may swing wildly as their team win or lose, but there is usually a limit to their devotion.

Now, Christians do have a calling from Christ, we are more than just spectators coming to church once a week to cheer God on, nor are the choir cheer-leaders dressed up to cheer the crowd on. Discipleship goes deeper than all that. It goes beyond winning and losing, all the numbers game and performance. In following Jesus, the commitment required goes beyond fickle mood and feelings. It takes an active choice of the will and conviction on our part. Jesus also calls us to be more than spectators, we are to act on his behalf, as his servants, his ambassadors, his agents of love and instruments of peace in the world. It is not just callings for famous people and powerful leaders; it is also for ordinary people like you and me. Such calling is far from being boring; it is more exciting and fulfilling than anything else in the world.

The decision to be a Blue Jays fan, a Leafs fan or even an Argos fan is a much easier choice than to be a disciple of Christ. We can always opt out, especially when they are losing and no longer contenders, failing to compete in the playoffs. However, to be a real fan of Christ, a fanatic in the best sense of the word, it requires a lot more! May every time we come together to worship, we stop to count the cost, renew our commitment, go out into the world strengthened and empowered, to love and serve the Lord. Amen.

Guess who’s coming to the Banquet? Sunday, September 2, 2007

(Luke 14:1, 7-14)
Imagine if you were to throw a lavish banquet -- be it a wedding or other important happy occasions -- who would be included on your guest list? Most would start with immediate family members and relatives, those you cannot afford NOT to invite… even a few trouble makers and Uncle John the token drunk (for they’re family!). Then close friends and neighbors you like, other friends you may not like as much, but they have to be included, because they had invited you to their daughter’s wedding 3 years ago. As the circle widens, you will have to include your boss at work, co-workers, business associates, and a lot of people to whom you would like to stay in good favor. If it is a wedding, then there will be a whole group of strangers from the other side of the new in-laws. Perhaps a few other uninvited wedding crashers may even show up. But you definitely want no enemies; no one you don’t like should ever be invited!

You get the point, how do we go about deciding this guest list? It is defined by family ties, love and friendship, plus whoever we find “desirable” to be included in our company. It would not make any sense to include undesirable elements in such a close and private circle for an exclusive celebration. However, Jesus teaches something different today: he says that the ones we normally exclude should be invited instead!

Tannehill’s commentary on this section (Luke): A formal dinner was a way in which an elite family (the kind of family who could afford such a dinner) proclaimed and maintained its elite status. The guest list was important, for the invitation indicated that one was accepted as a member of the elite. Family members and important people of the community needed to be honored in this way, and they would be expected to reciprocate. Jesus' instructions in verses 12-14 conflict with this social function of dinners. It might be a source of honor for someone to give charity to the poor, but it is quite another thing to invite them to a social function in place of family and people of wealth, and eat with them. By doing this, the host is dishonoring family and rich neighbors, and in their place is honoring the poor; or, in the eyes of the elite, the host is dishonoring himself by identifying with the poor. Therefore, v. 11 may apply to what follows as well as to what precedes. Those who invite family and people of status are exalting themselves by proclaiming their place in this group. Those who invite the poor and crippled are humbling themselves. [p. 230]

Growing up in Hong Kong, we were taught to follow a simple life commandment: to repay kindness with kindness and respect others and their “face”. We know our place in the social spectrum of things. Our class consciousness was clearly defined by the time we reached the age of reason. Contrast: The Old World Elitism vs. the New World thinking of Equality affect the protocol on how to act! We were taught to look up to the powerful and the wealthy, higher class people, but look down on the poor and others below our social status. Of course, our social ambition is to obtain higher places of honour, to become a Lord Black the social elite, to become the highest ranking officer of the company, to be a “somebody”… Could there be an insatiable desire or an addiction of upward mobility to exalt ourselves?

On Downward Mobility – Henri Nouwen said:
The society in which we live suggests in countless ways that the way to go is up. Making it to the top, entering the limelight, breaking the record - that's what draws attention, gets us on the front page of the newspaper, and offers us the rewards of money and fame. The way of Jesus is radically different. It is the way not of upward mobility but of downward mobility. It is going to the bottom, staying behind the sets, and choosing the last place! Why is the way of Jesus worth choosing? Because it is the way to the Kingdom, the way Jesus took, and the way that brings everlasting life.

Jesus’ teaching is not so much about humility per se. He really talks more about self-seeking behavior, in the first place as guest, in the second case as host. For “humbling ourselves” can be a back-door way of "exalting ourselves" in anticipation of God's exalting us. That could become a different Christian game: Who can be the most humble? Can we out-humble one another in order to win this contest? It is still a game of one-up-man-ship, even though it is in reverse!

Ironically, modesty can be exaggerated and humility can be a form of pride and hypocrisy. Imagine if people who follow this teaching in a new strategy of self-exaltation, it would create a mad dash for the lowest seats at the back of the banquet hall with all the other competitors, all the while glancing toward the head table, waiting to be called up. I don’t believe this teaching has anything to do with the fact that most good Anglicans prefer to sit at the back of the church.

From time to time, we find ourselves involved in an endless cycle of returning favors, almost being taken hostage in some ways. We learn from the principle of self interest that it is unwise to offer ourselves or any favors to people who cannot repay or return the favor. We first ask, "What’s in it for me?" “Is it for our mutual benefit? Is it for our gain or loss?” When we go out as a group of friends fighting to buy dinners, we ask, “Is it my turn or your turn?” We exchange favors --“you owe me one!” or “I owe you one!” as in our political and business model. But Jesus offers us a different model -- one of Grace, Generosity and Hospitality!

Jesus asks, why invite those who can repay you? Just invite all the nobodies! But he also said it as a parable! To be invited to the banquet is to be called to the kingdom of God. There, God is always the host, and we extend God’s invitation to those who cannot repay. After all, who can repay God? Jesus calls us to live out this conviction about the Kingdom, by inviting to the table those who have neither property nor status in society. Notice that in inviting them to table fellowship, it is very different from sending food to these people who are helpless and needy. In the passage that follows, the parable of the banquet, the same group of disadvantaged people is guests at the great banquet, replacing those who fail to attend due to various excuses. Here, Jesus is reminding us that these people from the fringes of society are kingdom people, too.

To quote Henri Nouwen again:
The poor have a treasure to offer precisely because they cannot return our favors. By not paying us for what we have done for them, they call us to inner freedom, selflessness, generosity, and true care. Jesus says: “When you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; then you will be blessed, for they have no means to repay you and so you will be repaid when the upright rise again” The repayment Jesus speaks about is spiritual. It is the joy, peace, and love of God that we so much desire. This is what the poor give us, not only in the afterlife but already in the here and now.

We are also called to bring the needy to the divine banquet and table fellowship where divine encounter is possible. Who else should we invite to share in this banquet?

Who is on the guest list of The Kingdom Feast? Are there surprises? Basically Jesus’ parables again and again say: “Yes, you bet!” Who will respond yes to God’s gracious invitation and be gathered into the kingdom? If admittance is based on work or righteous behavior, then who could qualify? But the good news is that one’s worthiness or one’s unworthiness is not determined by human standard, thankfully, it is by God’s grace. For none can repay God adequately enough to earn our way into the kingdom feast. It is a communal feast of grace, where individuals are there because of God’s doing, not their own. The Holy Communion as we celebrate today is a sign and a foretaste of that gracious reality. We are invited to lift up our hearts and give thanks for that. May this Communion worship service be indeed a moment of grace to all of us!

Fr. Victor (Click back to www.stjd.ca )

August 19, 2007 Sermon Notes

Isaiah 5: 1-7

We start off with a beautiful Hebrew love song in Isaiah’s parable of the vineyard. In its original language, it is a literary masterpiece. Unfortunately, something is lost in translation. It starts off with, “Let me sing for the one I love my love-song concerning his vineyard…” However, it quickly becomes a song of disappointment and unrequited love. All the efforts and investments put into this fertile hill have apparently gone to waste… Instead of good grapes, it yielded wild grapes. The love song, like some of the worst Country & Western songs, speaks of expectation unmet and love not returned. The song then shifts into a courtroom drama, where the audience is asked to provide judgment on the vineyard. Should more energy, time and effort be put into this vineyard? Or, should the owner simply give up on the vineyard? Should he remove the protection and let the vineyard go to waste and harm? Indeed, by the time the listeners get to this point, they must have realized the trap the prophet skillfully has laid for them. Like Nathan who got King David to condemn himself, Isaiah asks his audience to condemn themselves, for they find themselves exposed as the guilty objects of God’s disappointment and judgment.

Theologically, it is interesting to ask the question whether God is capable of being disappointed by human beings. Apparently yes. Even if God is all-knowing and all-powerful, God has expressed disappointment and anger time and time again through the Scriptures.

As for us, we all have experienced different ways of being rejected and disappointed. We all have different stories of how we have been rejected by someone we love, disappointed by our children, betrayed and hurt deeply as a result. Such experience is probably universal in nature, very much part of the human condition, transcending racial, cultural and national boundaries. One way or another, we have played the role of a Judas or that of a victim of betrayal and hurt at different times of our lives.

The Old Testament lesson leaves us hanging, with the Lord condemning the house of Israel and the people of Judah. Not unlike last week’s lesson from the first chapter of Isaiah, it seemingly pronounces bad news. Yet, we know that God did not give up on his people. Though time and time again, they turned and rebelled against God, God has not stopped pursuing them.

In fact, the Scriptures have been depicting God consistently as the One who is in a relentless pursuit, always on the hunt, in the search of those stubborn human beings and reaching out for them. In sending Jesus His Son to us, God again shows the persistence of a loving parent. Ironically, in another parable of a vineyard found in Matthew 21, Jesus explains the ultimate sacrifice he has made in coming to the people who would reject and kill him.

33 ‘Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watch-tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. 34When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. 35But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. 37Finally he sent his son to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” 38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.” 39So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ 41They said to him, ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.’...

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. 46They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

Indeed, Jesus identifies himself as the one who comes to seek and save the lost. He represents God’s unyielding pursuit of his people, even when they failed to respond to God’s love.

The Book of Isaiah is a very long book, and there are lots of proclamations of Good News to be found later on. In Chapter 62, we find:

11The Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth:Say to daughter Zion, ‘See, your salvation comes;his reward is with him, and his recompense before him.’ 12They shall be called, ‘The Holy People, The Redeemed of the Lord’;and you shall be called, ‘Sought Out, A City Not Forsaken.’

Indeed, the people of God will be called “the Sought After One”, a new name given to the ones redeemed by God. Imagine if we were truly the ones God seeks after, pursued to the end without giving up? How would we feel? How should that change our attitude towards God? Even if human parents have long thrown up their hands and said, “That’s it! I have enough of these ungrateful and spoiled children. I will never let myself be disappointed by them again!” God still comes after us, offering us his love and compassion, mercy and forgiveness.

What would your reactions be? How shall we then live? Shall we continue to disappoint God? Shall we give up on those who have disappointed us? Or, shall we pursue as hard as our persistent God, ready to seek and save the lost, offering our love and forgiveness?

Blessings,
Fr. Victor +