Reflections...

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 17 July 2011 by the Rev. Phyllis Wong. The scripture readings that day were Genesis 28:10-19a and Roman 8:12-25.


Opening prayer:
God of heaven and earth, you are the creator of all things and you bless all things. May your word create in us a new heart to live and to love with hope.
May the word of my month and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you O Lord, our rock and our redeemer. Amen.

Today, one of the lectionary readings we have heard was taken from the Book of Genesis 28:10-19a. This is a story about Jacob who had to flee from home to Haran seeking refuge from her uncle Laban, his mother Rebekah’s brother. (Gen 27:41) Jacob encountered God in a dream during his journey at Bethel. This is a familiar biblical account of Jacob’s dream on a ladder to reach the heaven.

To give you a bit more the background about this story: Jacob had a twin elder brother called Esau. Jacob’s parents were Rebekah and Isaac. The mother Rebekah loved Jacob while the father Isaac loved Esau. (Gen 25:19-27) One day when Esau was extremely hungry and tired after a day of work in the field, Jacob took advantage from Esau to take his birthright and in return he gave to him a red bin soup to eat. Esau did accordingly because he was so desperate for the food at that moment. The second time Jacob took advantage of Esau was by the help of his mother Rebekah, he cheated and received the blessing from his father Isaac. Both the birthright and the blessing from the father were given to the first born in the ancient Israelite community. Jacob took them from Esau by using trickery in a way. Esau was extremely angry with Jacob and he wanted to kill him. Rebekah advised Jacob to run to her brother’s place to stay away from the threat of Esau.

On his way to Haran, his uncle Laban’s place, Jacob had a sacred encounter with God in a dream. In the biblical world, God used to give message to his people through dreams. In the dream, God promised to give Jacob the land on which he lied. Jacob was also blessed to have multiple offsprings and many families on earth shall be blessed through him and his offsprings. That meant he and his offspring became source of blessings to many people of all nations. God also promised Jacob that He would be with him and never left him alone. The Lord would bring him back to this land, a land that was promised to him.

When Jacob woke up, Jacob was inspired/enlightened by this dream. Jacob fled from his home to seek refuge because his brother Esau threatened to kill him. In times of trial and struggles for survival and looking for a safe place to settle, God promised to bless Jacob. God was the source of blessing to Jacob.
Although Jacob was not a good guy, strictly speaking, God promised to give him land and offsprings. God promised to keep him and never abandon him. When Jacob was aware of God's gracious promise and blessing in the dream, he was enlightened and acknowledged the presence of God.

Jacob said this after the he woke up from the dream : “Surely the Lord is in this place --- and I did not know it!” He also realized that the place with God’s presence was a sacred place. “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” He then named the place Bethel, which meant the ‘House of God’.

The House of God is a place to aware the divine presence of the Lord. The House of God is a place where God promises to give his blessing to his chosen ones. The House of God is a place to acknowledge that the source of blessing is from God.

We can imagine that Jacob was alone, distressed and uncertain of his future on his way to his Uncle. The House of God where Jacob encountered the divine God, is also a place to serve as a source of blessing to others who are distressed, lonely, and uncertain of their future. God provides and blesses them with love and hope.
The House of God assures that all God’s people be blessed no matter who you are and what you have done before.

Let me share with you the House of God at KUC and this place is a blessed place to others in her marriage ministry.

The church has been a blessing to many wedding couples especially to those with special situations and life experience. A man who had divorced became a Christian later. His life has been transformed after his conversion and became Christ’s follower. In his darkest time in life, he did not only encounter with God but also he met a lady who has given him a lot of support and encouragement. When they decided to get married, this man wished to marry in a church because he wanted to witness the love of God openly, to make a solemn vow before God, and receive blessing from God. From the internet he was able to find over 50 churches he could approach. Unfortunately, he was rejected straight away on the phone by many churches. There were occasions that he was rejected at the church office when he went there direct to submit the application. Many churches rejected his application for church wedding because he was a divorcee. Even his home church did not accept him to marry in their denomination church. He was very upset, disappointed and frustrated. When this man found Kowloon Union Church, he was relieved for his application was accepted.

In the interview I had with this man and his fiancées, he was touched because he felt he was accepted. He realized how God loved him and prepared for him a church for his wedding. On his wedding day, he cried at the end of the ceremony when he shared the words of thanksgiving to the guests. Being rejected by many churches for his application for church wedding, he was deeply sadden and frustrated at the beginning. But God never left him alone. At the end of the day, God prepared him this place at KUC, a beautiful church that he was able to have their sweet and memorable wedding. He shared that their church wedding at KUC revealed God’s great blessing to him. He felt the deep love of God in him and his wife. The tears he shed at his wedding was a sign of joy and rejoice to the love and grace that God dwelled in them.

We all have our history. We may have committed mistakes and did something unwise that hurt others, ourselves and God. Like Jacob, he was not an honest guy and tried in many ways to take advantage from others that hurt his brother and parents. In spite of what Jacob did, God blessed him. God promised to give him land to settle and abundant offsprings. God promised Jacob to give him a bright future with as many offsprings as the dust of the earth. God even blessed and called Jacob and his families a blessing to many families of the earth.

In the House of God, we are blessed regardless of who we are and what we have done before. God will bless those who are in distress and lost. Of course, everyone has to take responsibility for what he or she has done. God would never add salt to those who are wounded. The nature of God is love. God is the source of blessing to all people.

In our congregation, many friends come to and stay in Hong Kong for different reasons. Some of us are local. Jacob named the place he encountered with God in a dream ‘Bethel’. Bethel meant ‘the House of God’. If we move beyond the ‘House of God’ from church to Hong Kong, how do we encounter with God and receive God’s blessings in this place?

There are friends coming to HK seeking asylum. Many of them shared with me that they find Hong Kong a safe place to live. They enjoyed the peace that they did not have in their home countries. Many friends work in Hong Kong as domestic helpers, doing business, and professional missionaries. In spite of many hardship and difficulties, have you seen any blessing from God that were revealed in your life in HK? I trust that God manifests his blessing to each one of us in a unique way, like Jacob. We may need to take time to discover and acknowledge in a humble way.

God is the source of blessing to everyone in His House. When He blesses us, he too call us to be a source of blessing to others. When we are able to encounter our sacred Lord and acknowledge his presence, we will make a difference in our life.

To some friends, their lives are still difficult and they are still suffering. May the word of Apostle Paul give light and hope to them. “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed.” (Roman 8:18)…”For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen is not hope. … But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” (Roman 8:24-25) We entrust that the Lord of Abraham, the Lord of Isaac and the Lord of Jacob, who is the God of history, source of blessings to all people from the earth will keep and guide us no matter what. May Jesus Christ, the son of God and the Holy Spirit the gracious gift from God will lead us forward with a transform life. Amen.