A
sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 2 February 2020, Fourth
Sunday after Epiphany, by the Rev. Phyllis Wong. The
scripture readings that day were Micah 6:1–8; Matthew 5:1–12.
It is the first time in
KUC to have our Sunday worship service go live streaming. Thank you Pastor
Timothy, Carl and Fai from the IT team to make our worship service online
possible.
New Year Greetings of
love and peace to you all in here and friends who are
joining us through live streaming.
Due to the outbreak
of coronavirus in Wuhan and Hubei region, and the fear of the virus spreading
in Hong Kong, many precautionary measures have been adopted in many different
ways. Some people and families with
children are not able to worship in church as usual.
I am grateful
that we are able to continue our Service in the sanctuary and some friends worship
together with one united spirit at their own home, with the support of our
dedicated sisters and brothers today.
Opening prayer
Let us pray:
God of light and life,
you have blessed us and graced us by your love. Open our eyes, our ears and our
hearts to receive You. Empower and transform us by Your word. Amen.
Message
While the city of HK has
not yet settled nor resolved the political crisis that started June last year
on the movement of anti-extradition law, the recent public health crisis due to
the outbreak of the coronavirus and the government’s insufficient measures
especially on border control, have added burden, uncertainty, worry and fear to
the people across the board.
We are very much in need
of God’s grace and blessing in this time of the year.
The lectionary reading
taken from the Gospel of Matthew on the Beatitudes today are just timely.
The Beatitudes are eight
blessings proclaimed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.
Today we are
on the 9th day of Chinese New Year.
During
CNY, people usually bless one another with “Kung Hei Fat Choy”, meaning be
rich. But the first blessing from the Beatitudes is “Blessed are the poor in
spirit”.
Another
blessing that people usually say are “have peace and good fortune”. But from
the Beatitudes, Jesus said, “Blessed are the persecuted for the righteous’
sake.”
It is very
obvious, Jesus had different vision and understanding about
blessing.
In Matthew 5:3-12, Jesus stated several
blessings, each beginning with the phrase, "Blessed are ..." (Similar
declarations appear in Jesus' Sermon on the Plain in Luke 6:20-23.) Each saying speaks of a
blessing or "divine favor" that will be bestowed on the person who
possesses a certain character quality.
The word
"beatitude" comes from the Latin beatitudo, meaning "blessedness." The phrase
"blessed are" in each beatitude implies a current state of happiness or well-being. This
expression held powerful meaning of "divine joy and perfect
happiness" to the people of the day. In other words, Jesus was saying
"divinely happy and fortunate are those who possess these inward
qualities." While speaking of a current "blessedness," each
pronouncement also promised a future reward.
I now share in brief the meaning of each blessing by quoting Mary
Fairchild’s writing:
1)
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The phrase
"poor in spirit" speaks of a spiritual condition of poverty. It
describes the person who recognizes his or her need for God. "The kingdom
of heaven" refers to people who acknowledge God as King. Those who are
humbly seeking God, they will enter into his kingdom.
2)
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
"Those who mourn" speaks of those who express deep
sorrow over sin and repent from their sins. The freedom found
in forgiveness of sin and the joy of eternal
salvation is the "comfort" of those who repent.
3)
Blessed are the meek, for they
will inherit the earth.
Similar to
"the poor," "the meek" are those who submit to God's
authority and make him Lord, are God's children who will inherit everything he
possesses.
4)
Blessed are those who hunger
and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
"Hunger" and "thirst" speak of deep need
and driving passion. This "righteousness" refers to Jesus Christ. To
"be filled" is the satisfaction of our soul's desire.
Another interpretation is the passion for
justice.
5) Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Those who demonstrate mercy will receive mercy. Likewise, those
who have received great mercy will show great mercy. Mercy is shown through forgiveness,
kindness, and compassion toward others.
6)
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
The "pure in heart" are those who have been cleansed
from within. This is not outward righteousness that can be seen by others,
but inward holiness that only God can see. Meanwhile
persons with a purified heart from inside enable them to see God.
7)
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called sons of God.
The Bible says we have peace with God through Jesus Christ. Reconciliation through Christ
brings restored fellowship (peace) with God, and bring same message of
reconciliation to others. All who have peace with God are his children.
8 Blessed are those who are
persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Just as Jesus faced persecution, so will his followers. Those who suffer
and endure by faith rather than hide their faith to avoid persecution are
genuine followers of Christ. They will receive the kingdom of heaven.
The biblical passage extends to say:
"Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter
all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who
were before you" (Matthew 5:11-12). Jesus said many times
that those who follow Him will be persecuted. "If they persecute me, they
will persecute you" (John 15:20-21). The importance of this
Beatitude is that even if we are wrongfully persecuted for belief or devotion
to God, we shall be blessed eternally in the Kingdom of Heaven.
How does the understanding of blessings
proclaimed by Jesus enlighten us to face our current troubles in life and
challenges in society now?
I trust that the words of God carry the
power of transformation. Jesus’ life and deeds gave us light.
Wuhan has been identified as the most
seriously infected city of the coronavirus. People there have been suffering. I
would use the letter of Wuhan- WUHAN to highlight the message on blessing
today.
The first letter W
W: Stand for ‘We’, God and I, God and
us, you and I. We are united through Jesus Christ, the incarnated God. We are
never alone!
2nd letter
U: Unity. In God and with Christ
through the Holy Spirit, we are united as one to support each other and to
fight a good fight together in the community.
3rd letter
H: Happiness in Heavenly Kingdom. Those
who are persecuted and suffering for the righteous’ sake are given eternal
happiness. This is an eternal blessing in the Kingdom of Heaven. By given the
eternal blessing, let us as children of God focus our eyes and hearts on
heavenly kingdom. Put our hope in God the heavenly king but not the earthly
power. Keep our HOPE in Christ, the risen Lord! Remember always Jesus suffered
with us, and he overcome evil and death.
4th letter
A: Affirm. We may be afraid and anxious
in facing the threat of the virus and its outbreak in our community. Whenever
we are in fear, we affirm the grace of God through Jesus’ proclamation of the
beatitudes to us and to the world. We may even sing alleluia to declare
the sovereignty and power of God on earth.
Lastly letter N.
N: Never give up. God never gives us
up. Jesus came to the world to save and to heal. As the blessed, we never stop
being humble and merciful. We never stop being peacemaker to bring peace and to
do justice for God’s righteous’ sake. We never hesitate to stand with those who
are seeking justice for the common good. We are never afraid to face
persecution and suffering, for God’s heavenly kingdom belongs to these people.
Sisters and brothers,
Be strong and courageous. Pray that God
transforms ‘Wuhan’ from curse to blessing, fear to hope, darkness to light,
separation to love, evil to justice.
Let us pray:
Gracious God, as Jesus united us as one
and promised the eternal happiness in the Kingdom of Heaven, help us to affirm
our faith and never give up because you love us and are with us, now and
forever. Amen.
# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, February 02, 2020
