A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on
Sunday 18 August 2019, Tenth Sunday after
Pentecost, by Timothy Chan. The scripture readings that day were Psalm 82, Hebrews 11:29–12:2, Luke 12:49–56.
Good morning sisters and brothers.
Do you have your bulletin with you? sometimes when I am reading about the
prayer concern, I wonder for how long would conflicts and divisions be no more.
I wish there can be more good news written in the bulletin. It would be nice if
we are all living in a peaceful society, where no one has any complain, no
protest, no tear gas, no violence. It would be nice, too nice, unrealistically
nice. Then we read about this passage from the Gospel of Luke this morning,
saying, Jesus the Cause of Division. I think it’s time for us to renew
our understanding of peace and division. Before we dig deeper, let’s pray:
God of justice, God of peace. Help
us to understand what it means to follow you. Help us to find peace in you
instead of looking for it in the world. May your Holy Spirit come and inspire
us, ignite our passion to follow you again. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
“I came to bring fire to the earth,
and how I wish it were already kindled!” This is how Jesus describes His mission.
When we think of fire in an apocalyptic perspective, we would think of the
hellfire of destruction, punishment and judgement. That’s why we would be
confused of why Jesus is going to punish and judge the earth. But in the
context of Luke, or in the wider Old Testament context, fire has a few more
meanings. In the Exodus, fire signifies the presence of God, think of how the
pillar of fire leading the Israelites in the wilderness and how he shows
himself in the fire to Moses. In the prophetic books, fire carries a meaning of
transformation and sanctification. In the context of Luke particularly, the
image of fire is the continuity of the mission of John the Baptist, which is
the refiner’s fire, purifying our sin, and making us holy. If we can expand our
understanding of fire here in this context, then we know Jesus is coming to
judge and punish, but to make things right, to remove the evil within us, our
society and all humanity.
The second thing he mentions in his
mission is baptism. For many of us who are baptized would know the meaning of
it. It means we are dead to the world, so we can live for God. Baptism is also
a mark we carry, separating us from the world, telling the world and its
authority that we are children of God, citizens of God’s Kingdom. For us, it
might only be a religious ritual. However, in the New Testament time, it is a
political statement. By declaring themselves as the citizens of God’s kingdom,
and to recognize Jesus Christ as their King and Lord, Christians were accused
of treason. They are labelled as threats to the national security of the
Roman’s Empire. At the same time, Christians were also being rejected by the
Jewish community for betraying their tradition. These are the reasons why
Christians were persecuted in the first few centuries.
Even today, Christians are being
persecuted in many countries, such as China, because of the value and belief we
hold firm to. Therefore, the mission of baptism is a mission to disturb and
challenge the earthly authorities, cultures and spiritual forces which go
against the Kingdom of God. No wonder Jesus says: “Do you think that I have
come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division!” This
division can be so close to us that it happens within our families as mentioned
in the scripture.
The scripture reading this morning
reminds me of the current situation in Hong Kong, where we all experience
different kind of divisions. It might happen in our workplace, in our family,
among our friends, or even in the church. It is easy to think we are right, and
they are wrong. It is easy for us to think that God is on our side, because we
are pursuing justice and peace. But I find it unconvincing, for both sides
believe that they are advocating for justice, and against violence. So who is
right?
Yesterday, there was a gathering in
the Tamar park in Admiralty, organized by pro-government group, their group
name is “Safe Guard Hong Kong”. They advocated against violence too, but they
support the police’s excessive use of force. I also rememfber how these people
celebrated when the white shirts beat up citizens in Yuen Long MTR area. It is
hypocritic. Today’s problem is how people become selective on what they support
and how they misinterpret and abuse the meaning of justice in order to fit
their own agenda. People can be divided because of their own selfish motives
and benefits.
What about us then? What we are
standing for today? In the midst of division and conflict, we need to have
courage to be critical on what we are supporting too. How can we, as
Christians, support and follow the values of God’s Kingdom instead of
supporting a particular group of people or a political agenda? Are we too
overwhelmed by what happened around us that we forget to simply pray and listen
to God? We all have our own emotions to deal with, we all feel frustrated,
angry, and sometime confused. While we are paying attention to what is
happening around us, let us not forget to spend time with God, and to be still,
and know that He is God, to seek his will be done, not ours.
If division is unavoidable, we have
to understand why. Today, we are divided not because we are supporting
democracy or not, we are divided not because we are supporting the police or
not. Today, we have to remind ourselves that Jesus is the cause of division,
which means, in order to follow Jesus, we must make decisions to separate
ourselves from injustice and evil. That is why in the midst of chaos, we must
turn our eyes to Jesus, to ask God where we should stand in the context God is
placing us. God is not asking us to be indifferent, or to turn a blind eye and
run away from what is happening around us. Instead, God is inviting us to
engage, so we can be the light and salt of the world, to testify his love
and justice.
I like the word Division used here.
It is a process, it is not trying to erase the difference, but to highlight the
constant struggle in the context. Instead of retreating and running away,
division actually offers hope for those who are oppressed. So, let us not be
afraid of division. I thank God for division, because it means we have a choice
to make, to follow his way, or to follow the world, even sometime following God
would give us more trouble and may put us in danger. I thank God for division,
for it means God still cares, and he doesn’t ignore sin and compromise to evil.
Only if we have faith in God’s judgement and promise, we would have the
courage to embrace division. This is what our ancestors in faith has
demonstrated to us.
If we choose to believe and follow
the way of God, we must be ready for the consequence and the choice to make. In
Hebrews chapter 11:29 to verse 12:2. The author listed out the faith of
Israelite heroes. It reads:
29 By faith the people
passed through the Red Sea as if it were dry land, but when the Egyptians
attempted to do so they were drowned. 30 By faith
the walls of Jericho fell after they had been encircled for seven days. 31 By
faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were
disobedient, because she had received the spies in peace.
In these situations, the people of
God has made the decision by faith. The Israelites could have stayed in Egypt
to be enslaved, instead, they have faith in God for the Promised Land. They
chose to leave Egypt, a place where they have inhabited for a few generations.
They might be suffering, but Egypt was also their comfort zone. But then, they
made a choice to leave that place of oppression and slavery, to rebel against
the will of the Pharaoh. They disobeyed their government so they could receive
the promise of God. They made the first
move to leave, and God was helping them to pass through the Red Sea.
Rahab, the prostitute is also listed
among the people of faith. We are not sure why she became a prostitute in the
first place, but we know the ancient society has the least respect for them.
According to the scripture, she is convinced that God has promised the city
Jericho to the Israelites. She decided to hide the spies sent by Joshua from
her people, in another word, she had to disobey her people to receive the
promise of God. There are many more people mentioned in the scripture who
received the promise of God through faith. They have all made a choice, a
choice which might not be welcomed and agreed by the majority. They chose to
act up against injustice and confront evil. They chose Jesus over their own
life, for they have faith in the judgement and promise of God.
Friends, not all of us are lucky to
have received the promise right away. Some of us might be making the right
choice to stand up for justice and confront evil, but because of it, being
persecuted. This reminds of me of a refugee friend I have met in KUC. Other
than having fellowship every Tuesday in KUC, I would bring a few members from
our fellowship to different schools and churches to share their experience in
Hong Kong and their testimonies. I remember one time, there was a student
asking one of our friends, “Do you regret involving in political movement, and
speaking against the government? If you have not done all these, you wouldn’t
become a refugee now”. Without a single thought, my friend said “No.” he
continues “If I am given another chance, I would still do what I have done, for
it’s a matter of justice and what is right or wrong.” Even though now he is
separated from his family, and living a difficult life in Hong Kong, he did not
blame God and has no regret of the choice he has made. For he follows the way
of God’s Kingdom, to stand up against injustice and evil.
Sometimes I wonder what is the price
for us to believe in God in Hong Kong. What is the price for us to do what is
right? Do we have the courage to make the right decision, to help those who are
weak and oppressed? We are living in a time where it is easier to judge than to
reflect what we are standing for. I hope we can all remember the mission of Jesus,
who sends fire and baptizes the earth. The fire is not only for retribution,
but also for purification and transformation. This fire is not only for those
who are wicked. It is also prepared for those who believe and follow him. We
are all called to be representatives of God in the world and be part of his
mission. May we be conscious of the roles God has given us, to bring true peace
to where we are living even it may result in division. For peace without
justice is tyranny. (William Allen White)
Friends, let us put our faith in
Jesus, who is “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake
of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its
shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.” Our choice
to follow God and pursue goodness may result in persecution and division, but
compare to the promise of God, they are all temporary. No matter what you are
struggling with now, I believe God is inviting us to make a choice and decision
to follow His way. Let us set our sight on his promises and goodness, for even
we are in the darkest valley, he is there with us, for he is our shepherd, our
savior, and our liberator. Amen.
# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, August 18, 2019
