Reflections...

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 23rd November 2008 by Ms Phyllis Wong. The scripture readings that day were Deuteronomy 8:7-18, Psalm 65 and Luke 17:11-19.


Prayer
Trine God, may your Words inspire us to understand your love and truth through the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Because of globalization, the world has moved very fast towards inter-dependence. The global financial crisis inevitably affects our society in Hong Kong too. News about the closing down of banks and businesses world-wide and in Hong Kong has created much fears and uncertainties.

Today is thanksgiving Sunday. Being drowned by such a pessimistic atmosphere in HK due to a gloomy forecast of a deteriorating economy in the coming year, what can we give thanks for? What does the celebration of thanksgiving mean to us?

If you are asked to whom and what will you give thanks for at this particular moment of time, what is in your mind? What do you usually remember and what do you easily forget?

I have an interesting observation, whenever there were disasters that resulted in immense sufferings, people would ask where was God? This is a legitimate question. However, this kind of question usually entails a connotation of complaint and accusation of God’s cruelty. On the other hand, when an individual and/or a society experience good time of prosperity, they seldom ask where is God and give thanks to God for his grace. Do you share my observation? Is my observation commonly found in your own life and society where you come from?

As human beings we have our limitations and it is too easy for many of us to complain and identify ourselves as victims. (怨天尤人). On the other hand, for many people when they are successful and yield a lot of profits, they may think that it is due to their own efforts to make things happen and fall into a trap of being arrogant and complacent. Such a phenomenon was fore warned in the Deuteronomy 8 that we read this morning.

From this perspective, it doesn’t matter if people are in good time or bad time. Whether people are rich or poor, prosper or perish, they would or would not give thanks to God for whatever have happened to them. It is because the key is many people will easily forget about God and neglect the essence of thanksgiving. Therefore, at the end of the day, thanksgiving is an altitude in life and a practice of our faith.

To be fair, there are many believers who do give thanks to God when their prayers are answered and they are led to a good life. God is good and he blesses each one of us. However, we have to be careful not to fall into a trap of ‘success of faith or the theology of success’. This kind of faith and theology emphasizes the blessing of God to an individual due to his/her faith. There is nothing wrong for blessing to fall upon a person. However, we as Christians and church should always move beyond this individualistic level and self-centred mentality. As God is not only our personal God, our Lord is also God of community who cares for the whole creation, that means God cares for you and me as a person, but God also cares and loves all humanity, known or unknown to us.

During the economic meltdown, those who can keep their jobs should be grateful to God. However, we should also keep a heart to those who are laid off and having paid cut. We have to share with people who are under much worries and anxieties, and think of different ways that we as individuals and as Church, the servant of God may able to help with our resources which are from God and given by God ultimately. I heard a story of a medical professional who is willing to share with his less well off clients by reducing medical fees at this time. In time of crisis such as the financial meltdown, it is high time that we do not hold or accumulate our own resources for our own sake but to share with others in particular those who are in desperate need.

For those who live under pressures and difficulties, how do we encounter and keep the altitude of thanksgiving. How does our Christian faith of thanksgiving help?

In Psalm 65, it is a thanksgiving hymn after a good year with plentiful rain, the people thank the Creator. It reminds us that in good years of harvest, we should remember God’s provision and grace, and sing praise and thanks to our Lord. The truth of Psalm still speaks to us today for God is the ultimate provider. God is our creator and he will provide. We have to keep this faith because of God’s promise. It is our almighty and provident God that gives us hope.

In human history, there have been hundreds and thousands of crises encountered by human beings in different era. A lot of natural disasters like floods and storms, earthquake and tsunamis have occurred in every decade. Besides, human beings have suffered from the disastrous impacts brought by the two world wars, the great economic depression in the 1930s and so on. In our community of HK, we have experienced the economic turmoil in 1997 and in 2003 when the whole city was threatened by SARS. You will see, after all these challenges, people in HK and around the world can still survive and stand. As inspired by the scripture that God had initiated the covenant and kept it for his people of Israel. We are of course God’s people and children whom he will take care of and God will never forsake us. Our Lord is our God of liberation. God will save us from inadequacy and poverty. Many people survive and overcome all ordeals at hard time. During the SARS period, many people in HK had joined hands to help one another to build up the mutual support spirit. There are always blessing in disguise in disasters and depressive moments in human history. In the history of the United States, black people have gone through a tough struggle for racial equality. In the 60s, Martin Luther King delivered the famous ‘I have a dream’ speech, his dream is to build up a loving and just society where people of different colors can live together in equality and harmony. After years of struggles against racial tension and inequality in the United States and different parts of the world, this year 2008, Barrack Obama, was elected as the first black president in a predominately white society. The dream of Martin Luther King and many others who have strived for racial equality has come true! Change is possible. Do you believe that in God, nothing is impossible. If we work hard and take our responsibility according to God’s will, God will complete his plan of goodness to human kind. It is a matter of time. True, during the time of laboring, like a mother is giving birth to her baby, it is painful. However, after all those pains, there is hope and joy that life brings forth. The worst of the time can be the best of the time. If we are able to hold a heart of gratitude and keep our patience in difficult times, we may have a chance to find alternatives and possibilities, that could transform negative to positive, a curse to a blessing with the grace and the help of God. Remember that God is living with us in our history. Our Lord is God of the past, present and future. God will lead our way ahead.

In the story from Luke, only the Samaritan leper went back and gave thanks to Jesus for his recovery. Jesus asked why the other nine people who were cured did not return. But Jesus did not condemn them at all. On the contrary, Jesus gave further blessings to the Samaritan who did not forget God’s grace but took action to praise God. The key for this thanksgiving act was not only about this man remembering the good deeds of Jesus Christ. The deeper meaning for such thanksgiving act was this man’s transformation to accept himself as a man, a human being who was valued and embraced by God. This man did not first of all to go to the priest for confirming his purity. According to the Jews’ religious and traditional rules, lepers were required to be purified by the priest at the temple. (Leviticus 14:1-31) By then they would be accepted by the community. The man did not complete this religious requirement, but had taken a very courageous act to go straightly to Jesus. He was by then transformed from a man of unclean to pure, from socially isolated and excluded to be embraced by God.

The lepers who suffered from a kind of skin disease were socially isolated and excluded in their time. The lepers in the ancient Israelite community were nobody, they were discriminated and isolated. (Number 5:2-3) The worth and dignity of this man who was not named, was recognized by God through Jesus. This man was cured by the power and love of God, but not the religious leaders through social and cultural systems. In today’s society, there are people like the asylum seekers, the sex workers, the HIV carriers and the homosexuals etc, experiencing different kinds of discrimination, rejection and isolation. From the story of the lepers, we would be ensured once again that God has accepted the socially marginalized and excluded who are taken as human being with great value. They are somebody in the eyes of God.

For human beings are social animals, every person life is greatly affected by the environment. Therefore, while we enjoy different kinds of equality and rights in society, let us also think of how we can support those who suffer from isolation by promoting an inclusive social environment to enhance loving relationship that these friends can experience love of acceptance, tolerance and kindness. Remember, when we love one another, God is with us.

Reflection and action/ Conclusion
The celebration of thanksgiving helps us to remember that God is our source of everything. God loves, provides and nurture us. God is our prime creator.

The celebration of thanksgiving helps us to remember that our Lord Jesus Christ is our savior, he heals and cures us, and to give humanity new life of hope.

Thanksgiving is a faith, an attitude of life, an action to begin with. I wish you would do something to show your appreciation to someone who care and love you, and demonstrate friendly gesture whom you may not like but he/she has helped you to grow and learn somewhere somehow. The even bigger challenge is to demonstrate solidarity with our nature and people whom we may not know but have desperate needs for other people’s support and care.

The essence of thanksgiving is to focus our life once again in God. We are able to celebrate thanksgiving when we take the gifts of God with gratitude, and in return we have a commitment to love and share our gifts from God with others. When we are ready and commit ourselves to love and serve one another with a spirit of mutual help and support in Christ, then today really is the day to give thanks for. The celebration of thanksgiving also poses a challenge to us today, for in time of current distress and difficulties in our society, we continue to keep our faith and hope in God. May the name of God be glorified, amen.

Closing prayer
Dear God, thank you for your unfailing love to human kind and the whole universe. Grant us compassionate love to take care of your creation and help one and another. God, give us the courage to stand and be your light to witness your hope and joy in our society at this particular time of economic turmoil. In Jesus name we pray amen.