Last year, I read a little story of what would have happened if there had been three wise women instead of three wise men, come searching for Baby Jesus?
They would have asked for directions …
arrived on time … helped deliver the baby …
cleaned the stable … brought practical gifts …
and made a casserole.
But as they left, they would have said something like:
“Did you see what sandals Mary was wearing with her gown? Can you believe how they don’t match?”
“I heard that Joseph is not working right now.”
“Hmm, that baby doesn’t look anything like Joseph!”
Indeed, the Epiphany story is very familiar to us, yet you may be amazed to find how much we are influenced by Christmas carols, pageants and popular renditions of the story. The Biblical version does not mention the number of men involved. The number three comes more from legend and from the fact that 3 gifts were brought and presented to Jesus. We sing, “We three kings of Orient are...” The Bible never says that they are kings. It calls them “magi”. Many English translations render this Greek word, “wise men” (NRSV: “astrologers” in a footnote). That is being far too kind and misleading about these foreign visitors. Perhaps, because these visitors from the East are such good models of faith, we have been afraid to really present them for what they were. Originally, in Persia, Magi were dream-interpreters. By Jesus’ time, the term referred to astronomers, fortune-tellers, or star-gazers. In fact, our word magic or magician comes from this word “magi”. They were experts in horoscope - a practice condemned by Jewish standards. We may compare them to people in fortune-teller booths, or people on the psychic hotline or other “occupations” that fore-tell the future by stars, tea leaves and Tarot cards, etc. In today’s world, Magi and fortune-tellers would enjoy a better reputation, since many people in our world do check their horoscope as they begin a new day. Followers of New Age religions have probably given old superstition a good name.
It is ironic that Gentiles of dubious occupation came looking for a new Jewish king, and became heroes of the Christmas/Epiphany story. To Matthew, it foreshadows the inclusion and salvation of foreigners and outsiders of the Jewish community.
As Christians, what kind of magi are we? Which stars do we consult as we start each new day? (Toronto Star with your morning coffee?) What type of spiritual GPS do we follow and get our direction from? BIBLE? Do we have any kind of spiritual pursuit? Or, do we just go through life aimlessly and without a clear purpose?
There are two current movies which I have not seen, but I am intrigued by their premises:
The first one is “National Treasure: Book of Secrets”, apparently not that good a movie. No matter how absurd the plot happens to be, stories about treasure hunting, from Treasure Island to Relic Hunter, Indiana Jones to Tomb Raider there is something exciting and adventurous that universally attracts both children and adults. However, our sense of adventure has been largely reduced to bargain hunting and shopping for the best deal in town or Buffalo.
The second movie is called “The Bucket List”. The title comes from an incident in the Morgan Freeman character’s youth - when as a freshman college student aspiring to a degree he was never able to complete, he received some fascinating advice from a philosophy professor who suggested that his students compile a list of all the things they wanted to do in life before they kicked the bucket. The story follows two men terminally ill with cancer (Jack Nicholson and Freeman) on a road trip with a wish list of things to do before they die, including sky diving, racing classic cars and going around the world in a private jet. I am not suggesting that we all go home and make up our own bucket list tonight. However, if you were to do it, what would you put down? What would be most important on your wish list? How does that reflect on your values and outlook on life, before death? What would make your life complete and worthwhile before it is over? I don’t think it is morbid, but rather very much life-affirming!
Remember in Luke’s story of the birth of Jesus, there are two elderly persons named Simone and Anna, who recognized Jesus as the coming Messiah, when his parents brought Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem for dedication when he was 40 days old. The Song of Simeon, otherwise known to Anglicans as the canticle Nunc Dimittis, is a favorite of Evensong, beginning with these words: “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation…”
How many of us would include “knowing Jesus Christ as our personal saviour and redeemer” on our Bucket List? Or, if you already have done that, make it your priority in making sure all those whom you love also come to the same knowledge of salvation.
Epiphany is about a Star. Those Magi embarked on a journey of discovery: seeking, searching, finding; guided and led by a Star. These days, every one wants to be a star! - a super star as in American and Canadian idols. When you are the star, life is all about you, according to the world. You want all the attention drawn toward you. But what if life as a star is about pointing to another? What if our life, as significant or insignificant it may be, should be drawing attention to a bigger star than ourselves? Do you want to be Stars for Jesus or do you want to be Stars just for yourselves? Epiphany poses this challenge: How can we become more effective or attractive stars pointing others, especially those outside of the Church, toward Jesus? Can we be the best GPS available leading other seekers to find Christ? Do we possess that Star quality?
Epiphany is a good time to take the journey ourselves. The Magi made the trip searching for something worth their while. Would we dare to be as adventurous? They did follow the star and found a newborn king, although not the obvious one they had expected in a palace, but one out in the marginal little town of Bethlehem. They also took a very different way home afterwards!
Indeed, there is a double meaning in the final sentence of the story. It does mean that these Magi went home by another road and avoided seeing Herod again; but it is also true that they went home with another way. In Acts, the followers of Jesus were called followers of the Way. After being with the infant Jesus, the Magi were changed. They no longer acted or believed the same way they had before. They went home by another way.
Part of the new way is that they discovered the king on God’s terms, not through their own understanding or assumptions. They discovered the new king through God's revelations to them - both through the star and through the Scriptures (as proclaimed by the religious leaders). They chose to follow the child who was the newborn king in Bethlehem, instead of the tyrant king who resided in a palace in Jerusalem. This is a story about two different kings. One rules by fear, control, violence, lies and deceit. Yet, he is also threatened by his own fear: when he is troubled, all of Jerusalem trembled with him. The other king born vulnerable and died vulnerable, who at the end of Matthew’s story ultimately cried out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” on the cross where soldiers mocked him as “the King of the Jews”. The world usually chooses power and influence over powerlessness and vulnerability. Perhaps the Magi followed a more radical way than for which they were given credits.
The Magi went home a transformed people! Epiphany and revelation are not for our intellectual pursuits and private, esoteric enjoyment, its main challenge is how God will change us and our lives. Do we go home by a different way after our worship today? Can you recall any epiphany moments in your lives that allow for you to have a glimpse of the Glory of God? Like windows or skylight that let the light shine through, the little epiphanies show us God in a new and High Definition way. (HD differences: black & white vs. color TV) Can you tell the difference? Do you have better, corrected vision to gauge your spiritual life?
No matter what our experiences are today, the invitation for us is to come, worship the newborn King, where we greet Him again in worship, through songs, words, prayers, bread and wine in this gathering and go home by a different way.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Fr. Victor (www.stjd.ca)
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Sunday, December 23, 2007
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.
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
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.
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)
Sunday, December 9, 2007
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/)
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/)
Sunday, December 2, 2007
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)
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)
Sunday, November 25, 2007
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
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
Sunday, November 18, 2007
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/
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/
Sunday, November 11, 2007
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 +
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 +
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