A sermon
preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 10 March
2019, the first
Sunday of Lent, by the
Rev. Phyllis Wong. The scripture readings that day were Psalm
91:1-16; Deuteronomy 26:1–11; Luke 4:1–13.
Opening prayer
Dear God, may your word inspire us and transform us.
May the Holy Spirit give us new vision to see and
new insight to walk with Christ in His path to the Cross. Amen.
Today is the 1st Sunday of Lent. Ash
Wednesday last week has kicked off the Lent season which lasts for 40 days
until Easter Sunday. Every year in KUC and in churches all over the world, Lent
has been highlighted as a special season for Christians to reflect and renew
our faith and life as we remember the pain, suffering and death of Jesus Christ
in his earthly journey before we celebrate his resurrection in Easter.
Lent is a time God calls for repentance of all Christians.
To repent is not merely to regret things we
have done or to apologize for mistakes that we have made.
Repentance is turning to God and refocus our
life in God. Repentance also points to a reorientation to a new life. It
involves an agreement to a change of direction that is required. This change
will help the person to live an abundant life as promised by Jesus for he said
‘I came to give life, a life of abundance’ (John 10:10). This change will help the
people of faith to reconnect to the life and love of God. The change will lead
us to fulfill God’s greatest commandment: ‘to love God and to love our neighbors
as ourselves.’
The Worship Advisory Group fixed the theme of Lent
this year as “Transformation through the Cross”.
Transformation through the cross. With this theme,
I put a cross at the centre of the altar before us.
In Jesus’ time, the wooden cross was a means of punishment to kill those
who were convicted of serious crimes. Jesus was nailed on the cross with the
charge that he claimed himself as the King of the Jews. This was obviously a
political charge.
The cross has been an important symbol and representation of Jesus’
life, pain, suffering and death.
The cross standing before us was made from the
Christmas tree some years ago. It has
been part of KUC’s tradition and practice. We used the trunk of the Christmas
tree to make a cross for Lent. We will see how a tree has been transformed to
the present form – a cross (looked old and tough, but also strong and
firm), standing up right here.
Look at the cross before you. What does this cross
remind you of? What does this cross mean to you? (After the Worship
Service, you are welcome to come forward to touch the cross and have a prayer
to God seeking his mercy in your spiritual path of transformation in this
special season of Lent.)
Transformation through the cross. What areas of
your life and faith need changes? In
what ways do you wish to be transformed and need to be transformed so that you
will be more connected to God and live a more loving and meaningful life?
I would like to share with you some insights based
on today’s lectionary readings.
I begin with the Old Testament taken from the book
of Deuteronomy 26:1–11.
The author instructed the Israelites in the old
days to offer to God the first fruits of the land. The people were asked to
bring their offerings to the priests in the Temple and proclaim a statement.
Here I quote “A wandering Aramean was my
ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number,
and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous. When the Egyptians
treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to
the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our
affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The Lord brought us into this place
and gave us this land, flowing with milk and honey. (Deut 26:1-9)
Why is it important to recite this faith statement
and historical account of the Jewish community when they offered their first
fruit of the land? The statement reminded the Israelites that God was the
Creator who provided for them what they needed. This Creator God was the one
who emancipated them from slavery in Egypt. God is the Holy One liberating the
people under captivity.
When we talk about transformation, one aspect is
liberation from slavery, emancipation from oppression. In our society and in our
world, we may still find slavery, may be in different forms. Migrant workers
and grassroot workers who are not given decent salary and adequate legal
protections to safeguard their basic rights and dignity are considered slavery
in a modern form. Recently I heard a petition in Hong Kong, to advocate for
better legal protection for female workers. The campaign was launched due to a case
of a lady’s work contract not renewed after her boss realized she was pregnant.
The problem of slavery happens in society. It also
exists at a personal level. Are we enslaved by our life situations at work, in
family, in relationships in which we have been kept like slaves without
freedom? A strong fear of adequacy and worry about the future could be
considered as another kind of slavery because we lose our autonomy and freedom
to control our own lives. If that happens, going to seek God and receive his
grace to make a change and be liberated is a good choice in considering
transformation. The faith statement from
the Israelites in their thanksgiving offering reminds us that all land belong
to God. God is source of all things and all lives. In God we lack nothing. With
this strong belief that God the Creator will give to his people and beloved
children enough to keep our lives and more than enough to share with others, we
will be more generous and happier to share with others especially those who are
in need.
In Deuteronomy, God instructed His people who were
given the gift of land, to celebrate the bounty with the Levites and the
aliens. It is easy for us to share what we have with our families and beloved.
God, however, instructed his people to share with the aliens who were consider
strangers and outsiders. In God’s eyes, everybody is regarded as important. In
God, no one should be excluded. Everyone’s need will be attended.
In this regard, we can be generous giver and cheerful
receiver at the same time. For people receiving help in times of need is never
a shame but shows courage and full trust to God’s love and grace.
Trust in God
To many people in our midst, life has never been
easy. No work opportunities, or too much work, and constantly working under
stress. Some are forced to separate from families because of different reasons.
Some are suffering from illness and worried about family members whose health
is poor. In facing an uncertain future, some are living in constant fear. Life
challenges are still part of life and seem never ending.
The reading taken from Psalm 91, very beautiful
poem, gives great comfort, assurance and hope to those who are struggling,
worrying and in fear. The key however is to trust in the Lord.
God promised that those who love and seek God, God
will protect. Transformation is a choice and a decision to give full trust to
our Lord God.
When we entrust in God, transformation
is made possible:
From sadness to joy;
From worries to peace,
From fear to love and hope
Jesus is our example
In the trust of God, Jesus has set a great example
for us to follow. In today’s gospel reading taken from Luke, it tells us about
the temptations Jesus has gone through.
In his temptations,
Jesus had given to God his full trust, full understanding and full love. He was
so closely connected to God and he is so sure of his identity as God’s Son.
The devil tested Jesus three
times. The first time was when he asked Jesus, ‘If you are the Son of God, you
can turn stone to bread.’ Then the devil promised to give Jesus all the honor
and glory if he worshipped him, and the third time was when he said, ‘If you
are the son of God, you jump and let your God protect and care for you.’ Jesus did not fall into his trap at all, he
kept his focus on God and not on his bodily needs, nor his ego, nor does he
need to test if God loves him.
Transformation
through the cross. Jesus Christ is at the center of the cross. Let us follow
his footstep. Let us always remember we are God’s sons and daughters, fully
loved and embraced.
God reveals Godself
through Jesus Christ. He came to the world to live, to die and to resurrect.
God is changing and transforming in different times and space. The video Tong
showed to the children about the image of God this morning is inspiring. It
showed us once again God is so creative and God reveals Godself in different
images and in different forms.
In this connection,
transformation through the cross is not only possible, but a gift given by God
whose nature is ever transforming and changing. With DEEP FAITH and DEEP LOVE
in Christ, let us move forward and walk the journey with Christ - the suffering
God.
To end my sermon, I
would like to invite you to spend a moment of silence to meditate on the cross
and pray to God what are the areas you wish to change. Seek God’s mercy and
strength for the power of transformation.
(Music)
Closing Prayer:
God, thank you for
your presence in the cross, in Christ and in all things that you have created.
May we all journey in a meaningful Lent that bring to us transformation. May
the love you share with us stay and empower us to love you and others more and
more.
In Christ’s name we
pray. Amen.
# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, March 10, 2019
