A sermon preached at
Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 18 December 2016, the fourth Sunday in Advent, by Timothy Chan. The scripture
readings that day were Isaiah 7:10–16, Romans
1:1–7, Matthew 1:18–25.
Good morning brothers and sisters, and
also to those who are listening to the radio broadcast. The weather is getting
cooler and finally, we can smell Xmas around the corner. It reminds me of a
song, Seasons of Love, from the Broadway Musical = Rent. It goes: five hundred
twenty-five thousand Six hundred minutes How do you measure a year in the life.
Maybe some people will measure how much they earn? How many goals they have
achieved? However, in the chorus it goes, How about Love? Measure your life in
Love! In this morning, let’s reflect on the meaning of Love again. Let’s pray:
Loving God, we are longing for love in
this season, may your Word transform us today. Inspire us to have new insight
on what it means to love. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Last week, we read how Mary responds to
this news that she was going to give birth to Jesus. She sings out the
Magnificat, praising our God, and she knows she is bearing the Savior, the
Messiah, that was promised to the World. This week, Matthew, the Gospel author
leads us to see another character, Joseph, the the earthly father of Jesus.
Obviously Joseph could not share the joy of Mary. He was actually troubled by
the news! How come my fiancée was pregnant! Is she making up a story that God
chose her to give birth to a son? How is it possible? Why God chose Mary? Why
me!? I think Joseph had been struggling and desperate for an answer and a sign
to give him assurance that this is not a lie.
Today, we are also facing a lot of
uncertainties. We are troubled by the news all around the world. We ask God:
why? Why all these things could happen in our city, in our world? We are also
desperate for an answer, a sign of assurance, and a reason to carry on our life
in this disturbing world. We may not have all the answers. However, brothers
and sisters, Love is what we need the most today, in this broken world.
What happened to Joseph was shameful
according to the Jewish tradition. A woman is pregnant before marriage and
sadly, it is still the same today! Joseph was very close in breaking the
engagement with Mary. Joseph knew that if her pregnancy is found out by others,
she would be in big trouble, probably be stoned to dead. That is why he wanted
to let her go secretly, quietly. Maybe this is what he could do at that moment
of confusion. But Love always push us one step, or most of the time, a few
steps further. The angel visited him and said “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your
wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”
After he
woke up, he changed his mind and he decided to take her as wife and to shelter
Mary and the coming child. The cost of love is immeasurable. It means you
properly have to suffer with the one you love. Joseph could have an ordinary
life, but once he chose to walk in this path with Mary, he might have suffered
the discrimination against this family with Mary; Because of Love, he journeyed
with Mary to look for a shelter to give birth; because of love, he fled with
Mary and baby Jesus to Egypt to seek refuge there. Not to mention how he
brought up Jesus with Mary together. Imagine it without his commitment and
participation to this family, I have no clue how the story would end. It’s not
about obedience only, it is about Joseph’s love for Mary and to Jesus.
To love
is to accompany and to be there. Joseph did it to protect and nurture Jesus,
who is going to be with us all. That is why we name Jesus Emmanuel, means ‘God
is with us.’ God is with us, brothers and sisters. There are times we cannot
even find a meaning for our sufferings, and we realize that believing in God
does not mean we can be excluded from bad things. However, God promises us that
He is always there for us, not only watching over us from afar, He incarnates
as full human being, just like you and me, to experience all sorts of joys and
sorrows; the sweets and bitters of life with us.
He did
not come to revenge for us. He did not come to kill our enemy. He did not come
to condemn and judge. In John chapter 3 verse 17 Indeed, God did not send the Son into
the world to condemn the world. But he came to be with us! No matter
what we are facing, no matter what difficult situation we are experiencing. God
is with us. No matter how we are being marginalized or being discriminated
against, God is with us. No matter how we feel lonely and worthless, God is
with us. And no matter you believe it or not, God is with us.
God is
love, and love is to be there, in a world which emphasizes individualism so
much, we find our connection with one another weaker and weaker, just look
around you, you may not know the name of the person who is sitting next to you.
In Hong Kong, new flats and apartments are designed smaller and smaller. The
developers claim there are more and more single tenants than before, so they
build more smaller room/flat to meet the market demand. However, it also
reflects what is happening within our society, we are becoming more and more
isolated. We need love to connect people together again, for we are created to
be in relation with others. Our God is a God of fellowship, and we are made to have
communal life.
Brothers
and sisters, we are LOVED! God is with us! But not just this, WE are Called to
Love. We are called to be with people. We are called to be Joseph. We are
called to be the church, to be a community and fellowship of love. We do not
come to church only to experience love, but we are called to bring love around
to the people who are suffering, to share peace, joy and hope from God with our
neighbor and friends.
Love is
not just a charity, but a challenge for us to suffer with others. Our culture
today packages love with romance, happiness, and sweetness, maybe with some
diamonds. However, love is more than that, it may not feel good and it may not
please you and it may not make you happy. Because love challenges us to be with
the unloved. Are we ready? Will you say yes to God? Will you spend your time to
be with the needy people? Will you risk the hostile stare when you are standing
in solidarity with the minority? Will you risk challenging the authority if
they oppress the weak? Will you sacrifice for the one you love? - - will you?
Well, I
may say no too! To be honest, I’m scared to do a lot of things. Joseph almost
gave up too, he planned to dismiss Mary quietly. He was paniky! But the voice
of God changed his mind, God said “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid”
Today God is also telling us, “My children, do not be afraid.” For God is with
us. Do not be afraid to love and to give. We all have moment forgetting why we
have to love. Forgetting why we have to stand up for justice. Forgetting why we
chose to suffer with the unwanted people? It is because Love is the only way
which can bring true peace to the world. Love paid the price, to love is to
sacrifice too. Christmas is a season of Love, but this love is far more than just
happiness and joy, Jesus demonstrates what it means to love, it comes with
commitment, courage, and a spirit of sacrifice.
In
Romans, Paul affirms that we are called to belong to Jesus, and in chapter 1
verse 7, he said we are all called to be saints! We are called to spread love
around. Love is so powering that it interrupts injustice without mirroring
injustice, that it disarms evil without destroying the evildoer. This
revolution of love is big enough to set both the oppressed and the oppressors
free and bring reconciliation and justice to the world. This is the love we
need in our broken world. To love in this way is like a revolution, but we are
not alone, right? Just look around you again! May the Love of God inspire every
one of us here to follow him. Amen.
# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, December 18, 2016
