A sermon preached at Kowloon
Union Church on Sunday 12 June 2016, the fourth Sunday after Pentecost, by the Rev. Phyllis Wong. The scripture
readings that day were Psalm 32; Galatians
2:15-21; Luke 7:36-8:3.
Opening prayer:
God of love, open our heart to hear your Word and
inspire us through the Holy Spirit. May your Word transform our faith and our
life to be more like Christ. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Getting married is a happy life event. But it was
not so for Eddie and Rachel. Although they had planned to get married, Rachel
was pregnant before their marriage. They had to arrange quickly the wedding
ceremony. As both of them are Christians, they would like to have a church
wedding. They wished to make their solemn vows before God and to witness God’s
love in them. Of course they would like to have God’s blessings for their
marriage, their new family and new life ahead. When they approached their home
church minister, they were condemned for committing sins of pre-marital sex.
The minister discouraged them having a church wedding because they had sinned. They
were also asked to confess publicly before the congregation. With great disappointment, stress and guilt,
Eddie came to KUC one day, checking the possibility of having a church wedding
service here. I’ll never forget the
first time I met Eddie. He was so lost and distressed. He said he did not know
what to do. He felt confused, shameful and broken. While he was under great
pressure from the church, he was worrying about her girlfriend Rachel. But he
was faithful to God and wanted to seek God’s guidance ahead.
The woman in the gospel account from Luke that we
heard this morning reminded me of Eddie and Rachel. Like the woman, this young
couple was regarded as sinners. They have committed the sin of pre-marital sex
in the eyes of their church leaders.
The response of Jesus to the woman gave us light in
responding and receiving sinners as such. From the gospel story, the author did
not mention what was the sin this woman had committed. There were biblical
commentaries referring it as sexual sin. This woman might have been a
prostitute. She was a kind of person who received no respect from her
community. She had possessed expensive perfume and thus she might not be that
poor financially. But she was poor and marginalized in the social sense. She
was rejected and not welcome by her community.
When the Pharisees challenged Jesus in their heart for
he related closely to the sinner, Jesus realised it and he confronted the
religious leaders by asking an interesting question with a parable about debts.
From the parable, he shared the message about
forgiveness and love. The more debts cancelled,
the more love the debtor has for the creditor. To translate it to sins - the
more sins forgiven the more love shown by the sinner. He then affirmed the
woman of what she did for him – washing his feet with her tears, drying it with
her hair, kissing it, and anointing it with the expensive ointment (a kind of
oil people used to bury dead body or purify priests). It indicated she treated
Jesus as an important person.
This woman who did not even have her name mentioned
in the account was affirmed by Jesus. Jesus received the affection and care
from this woman without hesitation. Unlike the Pharisees who focused on the law,
sins and the past record of the person, Jesus focused on forgiveness and the
transforming power that love brought to a person. Jesus cared more about the
relationship with this woman who had shown him love, gratitude, courage and humility
of faith.
After Jesus responded to the challenges raised by
the Pharisees, he said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” Jesus’ public
proclamation of sins forgiven to this woman was remarkable and powerful. It was
a full acceptance and embrace of this woman in God. His public declaration also
indicated the chain of sins that this woman carried was broken. She was free –
free from guilt, free from isolation, free from rejection. Jesus received her as a full human being with
dignity.
Jesus’ act of forgiveness was a great contrast to
the minister of Eddie and Rachel. Instead of asking the woman to confess her
sins publicly, Jesus declared forgiveness to her.
Jesus’ love was to empower. He did not only say to
the woman – your sins are forgiven. He further said – “Your faith has saved
you; go in peace.” He acknowledged her
effort and her faith. Jesus showed his great respect to this woman. Jesus was
not portrayed as a superior man and God showing his power and claiming all
credit. No! Jesus treated this woman as equal partner in making herself anew
and become whole again.
Jesus gave to us such good example for relating to sinners,
those who are rejected and marginalized in our society today such as the sex
workers, the LGBTI community, ex-offenders, HIV/AIDS carriers, you name it. Let
us embrace and receive these marginalized with the love like Jesus. Let the divine love transform the heart of
people.
While we always have something to learn from Jesus,
I would like to highlight what we may learn too from the woman who was regarded
as sinner by her community.
This woman was not a passive person awaiting for
salvation. She did act with love and faith.
She had the courage to break the social norms that prevent her from seeking
God’s grace through Jesus. She had faith in God and the inner strength to get
close to Jesus. As woman she was supposed to sit at the side and not stayed so
close to Jesus, the guest of honor. This woman, however, refused to fall into
the category other people defined her – a sinner. She did not constrain herself
but to do what she thought was right. She demonstrated great love to Jesus in
the public.
Radical love is to give and love by removing all
barriers with courage. Radical love is a mutual relationship. Like the woman and Jesus, they had
demonstrated love to each other.
As God loves us, our desire and love to God is
equally important.
Let us go back to the story of Eddie and Rachel.
After hearing their story, I felt a strong urge to give them support so
as to demonstrate God’s love and grace upon them. I agreed to officiate their
wedding in our church. They however decided not to go ahead because Rachel’s
family and their home church did not support. I did my part anyway. They
appreciated what I have done for them. I was invited to witness their marriage at
the Marriage Registry and shared prayers and bless their marriage. In midst of
all the rejection and condemnation, my presence and acceptance somehow revealed
Christ’s forgiveness and love. In them, I have witnessed the transforming power
of forgiveness. Jesus forgave the guilt
of the woman’s sin. Jesus forgave the guilt of Eddie and Rachel. Anyone who is
bold, humble and trust in God may go to him for forgiveness. Jesus’ radical
love can set us free and bring us back to the love of God. Radical love
includes also faith – our trust in the Lord. As promised by the Psalmist shared in Psalm 32 - Steadfast
love surrounds those who trust in the Lord.
Last month Eddie sent me the good news of the arrival of their baby. He is thankful to God and is hoping to bring
glory to God through him and his family. I saw their love and trust in God. I
am thankful for that.
To the lost Christ shows his face, to the unloved
he gives his embrace, to those who cry in pain or distress, Christ makes his
friends, a touching place.
May we all learn from Jesus Christ of his radical
love to move beyond all human boundaries, to feel for the people we most avoid,
to feel for the confused and to feel for the lonely heart.
How can we act like Christ to love and be liberated
from the laws and social norms that are suppressive? Apostle Paul from
Galatians reminds us of Christ’s radical love of sacrifice and our deep union
with Christ is the way.
The Word taken from Galatians 2:19-20 is a remarkable passage for us to remember.
Here I read:
19 For through the law I died
to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with
Christ; 20 and it is no longer I who live, but it
is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith
in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Sisters and
brothers,
Let us live
everyday by faith in Christ who loved us and gave himself for us. It is this
self-sacrificing love of Christ that encourage us and empower us to declare
this faith statement:
“I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but
it is Christ who lives in me.” (Galatians 2:19-20)
May the radical
love of Christ stay in us and our radical love for God shine. Amen.
# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, June 12, 2016
