Reflections...

Meditations, Reflections, Bible Studies, and Sermons from Kowloon Union Church  

“KUC as the Household of God”

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 22 July 2018, the Nineth Sunday after Pentecost, by the Rev. Phyllis Wong. The scripture readings that day were Psalm 23; Ephesians 2:11-22; and Mark 6:30-34, 53-56.


Opening Prayer

Dear God,
Grant us the wisdom of knowledge and the gift of grace.   
Make us be like Christ and follow His way.
May the word of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be from you and with you.  Amen!


Last Sunday Pastor Maggie organized the KUC Quiz for the congregation. Those who had participated in it found it great fun. Following this great game, I would like to do my sermon today with some questions. All who can give the right answers will be rewarded. I work that out on a trust system. You may come to me for the reward after the worship.

Be ready. What is KUC stand for? (waiting for the congregation to answer…)

Bingo – Kowloon Union Church

KUC is the short form of our congregation.

KUC is the name of our church.

If KUC is called as church by Christ and is regarded as the Household of God, K.U.C, these three letters would have a broader and deeper meaning.

I now start my second round of question.

For K – apart from Kowloon, what would you say? What does it stand for? (KING, KIND…)

In making reference from Psalm 23, K stands for King.

Psalm 23 begins with ‘The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.’ (another version uses - The Lord is my shepherd,  I lack nothing).

In the ancient Near East, the shepherd was a central image for the king. Throughout the Old Testament this royal metaphor is used to portray God’s protective and guiding grace.

K stands for King. This King is not the ordinary one. Unlike the kings on earth that are concerned more on power, control and status, the King in the Household of God is loving and kind. Kindness, is another word begins with K. Kindness is another quality in the household of God.

The household of God is where Christ the King dwells. This King is full of kindness.   

The Church which is called to be the Household of God will have Jesus Christ sit right at the center.

Christ the King who is our shepherd offers protection and assurance in times of crisis and trouble. Christ the King gives to His people comfort and strength. Christ the King leads his people to walk in the righteous path with courage. Christ the King empowers his people to overcome fear, to encounter evil and their enemy with strong faith and hope. The promise of the shepherd, the King who is full of power and yet very gentle and kind has been beautifully said in Psalm 23.

The great king, the great shepherd has given us great assurance and has invited us to stay in the house of the Lord for a whole life long.


Sisters and brothers, if you are feeling weary and facing crisis in life, come to dwell in the house of God. The Household of God is in this space and in this time.
The household of God refers also to our inner heart where Jesus and the Holy Spirit dwell.
Let your wounds be healed and your soul rest in the love of our great shepherd, Jesus Christ who is King of the world and head of God’s household.
I will now read Psalm 23 to you, please listen deeply and attentively. After listening, please spend some moments with God and receive His grace in silence. I will end the silence with sound of bell.


1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures;
he leads me beside still waters;
3he restores my soul.
He leads me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
4Even though I walk through the darkest valley,
I fear no evil;
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff—
they comfort me.
5You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6Surely
goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the
Lord
my whole life long.

(Silence by 1 minutes and end by the sound of the bell)

Bearing this peace and silence, I now move to the second

letter – U (K.U.C.)

In the household of God, what does U stand for?

A tip for you is to make reference from the epistle’s reading of Ephesians that we heard this morning.

U for unity, Union, United…. 

Jesus Christ, Christ the King is at the Centre of the household of God.

Christ is Unity.

In the early church, there were tensions between the Jews and the Gentiles. The Jews have regarded themselves as God’s chosen people. Their religious rules and cultural norms on circumcision have created division and conflicts with the Gentiles.  The radical love of Christ, however, has broken all human made barriers. 

In the epistle of Ephesians, the message of unity brought by Jesus Christ is clear.

In his blood, in his sacrifice, Jesus has made both the Jews and the Gentiles into one. He himself has broken down the dividing wall and the hostility. No more human rules and traditions can separate people from the love of God. There are no longer strangers and aliens. No one is discriminated against. The unity in Christ brings peace and wholeness of life.  In Christ, all are equal and treated with respect. In the household of God, everyone is included as member, and as children of God.

We know unity is easier said than done.  To achieve the goal of unity is still a long way to go in our earthly journey. We have witnessed so many conflicts and divisions at home, in work, in church, in society and in the world. Unity and peace is never an easy task. But we have to keep this calling and work together towards that goal.

We have to remember too we are not alone. Christ is our unity. Christ will continue to guide us. In Christ, we are united with God and with each other. In this oneness, we are very much interconnected. Your happiness is my happiness, your sorrow is my sorrow. To achieve unity, we need to communicate with deep listening and do our best to understand each other without bias. We need also to learn and have the courage to say sorry and take responsibility of what we have done wrong, and to seek forgiveness. Unity requires also deep healing and reconciliation. But we need to be careful not to ask victims of violence (physical or sexual) to forgive the abusers too easily. It is wrong and could be a form of religious violence to victims and doing injustice to them. True unity is to bring liberty and set people free of bondage and oppression.

Whenever we walk humbly with Christ and live a life with love and respect to one another, we are able to make not only our church, but our own family and the world a dwelling place for God.

Now we come to the last letter – C. What does it stand for in the Household of God?

Compassion, Care, Community….. They are all good and important quality for building the household of God.

The gospel reading from Mark today shows to us Jesus’ compassion.  I would like to pick the word - compassion. (care and community are also good)

 34When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd.So he began teaching them many things. (Mark 6:34)

Jesus demonstrated his love and compassion to those who are in need of him by spending time with them, to teach them and to heal their illness.

Love without action is not love. As we know, Jesus did not only give time to the needy. He had even sacrificed his life for the sake of love.

Today, Jesus’ love in action once again encourages us and reminds us in the household of God, compassion is a quality that we can never miss.

Conclusion
KUC – the household of God.
The scripture readings today remind us to build the household of God with KUC.
K: King - putting Christ the King, the Servant King at the centre of the House. People who are living in the House - being kind.
U: Unity - Christ is unity that breaks all division and brings love and liberty.
C: Compassion, Care, Community...
In the congregation of KUC, we have been doing our best to build the household of God by centering our mission in Christ the servant King, to bring unity and peace with a compassionate heart for the poor and the vulnerable.  Timothy will share the peace making ministry later in the Mission Moment later. You will then be updated on our work.
For the household of God, it is not only external.
It is also important to make our life and our heart a dwelling place for God to live in. Let us live out K.U.C in our daily life.
May God bless us and guide us to be more and more KUC - be kind, united, compassionate and caring in Christ!


# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, July 22, 2018



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