A sermon preached at Kowloon
Union Church on Sunday 12 May 2013 by the Rev. Ewing W. [Bud] Carroll, Jr. The
scriptures reading that day were Isaiah 32:16-20; Romans 8:1-11 and John 14:27
Many of you old timers at KUC
remember when the Amity Foundation’s [TAF] Hong Kong
office was in your church balcony. On
one visit to a small farm village high up in the mountains of Southwest
China. TAF discovered the villagers’ need for some kind of power
supply. Generations of farm families had
no electricity. Their closest water source was a two-hour walk back and forth –
carrying two buckets of water on a [biandan] a long pole over one’s shoulders.
TAF helped local villagers install a source of electricity and a water pump. Then local and nearby officials were invited
to a ribbon-cutting ceremony, that included firecrackers and plates of
specially prepared food. As the county
mayor, the most honored guest, pulled the switch to start the motor ----
nothing; silence; embarrassment. Then a
little girl cried out, “I know the problem.” But all the adults told her to be quiet. You know, “children are to be seen, not
heard.” With tears streaming down
her face she cried again, “But I know the problem.” Then the village chief shouted out,
something like “OK, little miss know everything,” what’s the problem.” Without saying a word, she walked over to the
wall, picked up the extension cord and plugged it into the wall socket. Immediately, there was the sound of a purring
motor and gurgling water. Connected
with the source of power, the water began to flow.
I believe that’s what Paul’s
was telling the church in Rome: ”To set the mind on the flesh is death,
but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.” As we celebrate Asia
Sunday today, we are challenged and invited to be God’s agents of peace. To somehow better understand what it means to
be connected to God’s Spirit. Paul’s own
experience proved that seeking to live in the power of the Holy Spirit helps
connect us to the problems and possibilities of being peacemakers - not peace-breakers.
I know this isn’t Christmas
Eve, but isn’t it a bit strange that “Silent Night” is such a popular Christmas
song: “Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright.” Birth in a cowshed? Wishful thinking? Today’s Holy Land,
birthplace of Christ, remains a hotbed of hatred, violence and discord. International trafficking of women into sex
slavery is growing; increased population growth also means growing global
hunger. Dozens of wars in Africa are being fought by child soldiers. When asked ‘What would you like to be when
you are eighteen?” their response is “Alive.” So-called advanced industrial nations need
for oil sparks controversies of all sorts; and natural and human-created
disasters seem to be non-stop. All is
calm? All is bright?” Ah, you ask,
“How we are called to live in a world of peace – not a world of pieces –
fragmented, divided, torn apart, with seeming little opportunity for the peace
of Christ.” Two words come to mind.
The first word is transformation. In today’s reading from the Hebrew
Scriptures, Isaiah was calling the people of Israel – to ‘return” to
“repent”. Words we modern Christians
often find uncomfortable. But Isaiah
makes it pretty clear: that if there is to be a world of peace, the first step
involves commitment, not complacency; involvement not avoidance.
In Romans 12, Paul writes: “present you bodies as a living sacrifice, holy
and acceptable to God…Do not be conformed to the world, but be transformed
by the renewing of your minds…”
We often think peace means a
world where there is no war; no arguments; no disagreements; no nagging wife;
no husband deaf to his spouse’s requests, etc.
Friends, before that happens, the roof of this church building will
collapse with snow and Jordan Road
will become a river wider than the Jordan River! No, the kind of peace Isaiah refers to and
what Paul speaks about, not to mention Jesus’ own words, “My peace I give
unto to you…” all begin with a transformation of life; a change in our
personal thoughts, attitudes and practices.
Like a U-turn going back to the
ways God intends us to live.
Recall the story of the king
who held a painting competition. He
invited artists from all around his kingdom to paint pictures of peace. There were dozens of entries, but only two
that the king considered possible winners.
The first one showed fluffy white clouds in a bright blue sky; a calm lake
that mirrored the surrounding mountains; so peaceful; a sure winner. Everyone loved it. But the king didn’t! he preferred the second one.
The second picture also had
mountains- but they were rugged and bare.
The sky was dark with heavy rain tumbling down the mountain; and
flashing lightening - like a dragon spitting from fire from its mouth. Not much peace in that. But when the king looked more closely behind
the roaring waterfalls, he saw a tiny bird nest sitting atop a small bush
growing out of a crack in a rock. There,
amidst the angry rushing waters and darkened skies and barren mountains, sat a
mother bird, nesting her babies –perfect peace.
An old Chinese saying [袖手旁观] describes someone who simply stands by the
roadside; with folded arms, doing nothing as the world passes them by. Today’s Scripture readings remind us there’s
both danger and warning in such idleness.
As people dedicated and committed to help change the world, we are
called to help find solutions, not cause more problems! Some call this idealism. I call it transformation.
The second word is trust. Jesus outgrew his Bethlehem baby bed and became the Prince of
Peace. His earthly life was far from
being calm or bright. But it was
one of great trust. Trust in God’s
presence; trust in what he saw as God’s will. Today, many people find comfort
and solace in asking “What Would Jesus Do?” Sorry, I find that absolute nonsense. We know what Jesus did.! The problem; the
challenge, is-- what will WE do.
And trust in Christ is a great place to begin.
H.G. Stafford was a Christian
businessman and writer. His business and
home were destroyed in a terrible fire.
Shortly after that, he sent his wife and four daughters on a cruise to England. Halfway across the Atlantic
Ocean, their ship collided with another ship. Twelve minutes later, the ship sunk and 230
people drown, including Stafford’s four
daughters; miraculously his wife was rescued.
A few days later, Stafford sailed to England to join his wife in
grieving the loss of their daughters. As
his ship passed near where they drown he was filled with great sadness; but no
bitterness or anger. Why? Because of his trust in God. A trust that led him to write, “When peace
like a river, attendeth my way, when sorrow like sea billows roll, whatever my
lot, thou hast taught me to say, ‘it is well, it is well, with my soul’.” Friends, that’s not slurpy, squishy power of
positive thinking religion. That’s faith
from the gut. From one’s innermost
being. That's world peace when even our
own world seems to be falling apart.
I read recently about a mother
and her small child trapped in their apartment because of a blazing fire. There
seemed to be no way out. The mother
yelled for help. She heard neighbor
voices outside shouting, “We can help.
Toss your child out the window.”
She couldn’t see anything. But
with great trust she threw her child out the window. With open arms, her neighbors joyfully caught
the baby. Then she jumped and landed
safely on a large open top coat.
What tremendous trust God has
put in us – in you and me. That God
would ‘toss out’ God’s only begotten son, Jesus Christ – at such great
risk. No longer a baby wrapped in
swaddling clothes; but the man of suffering and sorrow; also God’s hope of
peace.
Today, Christ calls us, not
only to be a people of transformation and trust, but also agents of peace. Remember and live these words from one of
today’s hymns [He Came Singing Love]:
“He came
singing peace
and he lived
singing peace;
he died
singing peace.
He arose in
silence,
For the peace
to go on
we must make
it our song:
You and I be
the singers.”
# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, May 12, 2013
