Reflections: August 2020

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 30 August 2020, the thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost, by Timothy Chan. The scripture readings that day were Exodus 3:1–15, Psalm 26, Matthew 16:21–28.

Good morning friends, today we have read two familiar passages. One is the story of God calling Moses to lead God’s people out of Egypt, and the other one is Jesus challenging his disciples to take up their cross and deny themselves to follow Him. These two passages are so rich, we could talk about the burning bush, we could talk about the liberating character of God, we could talk about the price of being a follower of Jesus. On top of all of these, I would like to talk about identity in this morning. It was an interesting moment when Moses asked God “What’s your name”, and we are going to reflect upon this question. Before we dive into the scripture, let’s pray:

Heavenly Lord help us to know you more through Your word, so that we can be a better follower of You. Help us to understand our identity with You in our lives. May our lives be transformed by your presence and love. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

In the beginning of chapter three, Moses is leading his father-in-law’s flock, doing his shepherd thing. It sounds a bit different from what we have learnt about Moses, being the great leader, and named the prince of Egypt. In this stage of Moses’ life, he was going through an identity crisis, or to say, up to that point of his life, he has been dealing with his own identity since the day he was born. Let’s spend some time trying to understand what he was struggling with. In Chapter 2:22, he calls himself “an alien residing in a foreign land”. He was raised by his Hebrew mother, but he was adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter and was given an Egyptian name. In chapter 2, you may also see, he was trying to help his Hebrew kinfolk and he ended up killing an Egyptian. When the Pharaoh learned of it. He wanted him dead. Egyptians wanted to kill him, and the Hebrews wouldn’t accept him, and they even identified Moses as an Egyptian. Therefore, he must be very confused about who he really is. He wanted to help the Hebrew, but he was rejected by his own people. Moses is both Egyptian and Hebrew, but in other people’s eyes, he is neither of them.

When God was calling him in the bush, asking him to deliver them. In verse 9 to 10 9 The cry of the Israelites has now come to me; I have also seen how the Egyptians oppress them. 10 So come, I will send you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt.” God sees the same thing Moses has seen. Same as Moses, God also wanted to help the Hebrew people. I believed it is what Moses has always wanted too, but at that point, he was not sure. In verse 10 Moses raised his concern to God, “Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” After all he has been through, he was not sure of who he is anymore, he was lost. He was indeed in the wilderness of his own identity crisis. Today are we also asking ourselves this same question? Are we trying to understand who we really are? What we really want to do, and what kind of a person we want to become?

Today we are living in a culturally diverse environment, many of our friends in KUC might have been living in different countries, and in different cultural settings before. Some of you might have good experience, but some of you might not have a very good one. In Hong Kong, I am sure the most popular subject now is netiehr the protest nor the covid-19, people are talking about migration, whether they should be moving out of Hong Kong. Not only in Hong Kong, there are also identities which are conflicting with each other. In America, how do you understand yourself to be an American with your own unique cultural and migration background? What does it mean to be an African American? This identity crisis can be found not only within our national identity, it can be also happening in every sphere of our lives. What does it mean to be a sexual minority and a Christian at the same time? What does it mean to be a husband and a son at the same time? My point is that we are all facing different dilemma and tension between different identities every day. To a point that we are like Moses, we might be confused of who we are, we might be doubtful of the decision we make, and eventually we ended up in our own wilderness, losing purpose and direction.

God knows the struggle of Moses, instead of choosing for Moses, God says ““I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you”. It is not really an answer we want to hear. Most of the time, we would really want God to simply just give us the answer, so that we don’t have to struggle with the choices we have. I am sure most of us have experienced a similar scenario, we want God to help us to make the right decision, and we were so afraid that we would make the “wrong” choice. However, God is simply saying “I will be with you”. God knows Moses was struggling with his identity between an Egyptian and a Hebrew, but God is not bothered or concerned by it. What God sees is Moses’ yearning for justice and liberation for the Hebrew people. Even though Moses was rejected by both people, but God knows that his hybrid identity is perfect for this task. Sometimes the struggles bothered us the most would be a blessing in some scenario. God promised to be with him, and He will also be with us, to go through all the difficult choices we have in lives and help us to realize the purpose of it.

Friends, most labels for identity are socially constructed, let it be nationality, race, political stance, sexual identity, even family hierarchy or economic status, but God sees beyond all these labels. God saw Moses’ passion for justice, God can also see through all these masks we wear or put on us and reach out to our being and existence. No one can define who we are unless we let them do it to us. Do we care about how the society and the world see us more than How God sees us? Know this my friends, God is with us and He is the one who truly knows us.

Well you may ask, how are we going to understand how God sees us? We don’t even know who He is! That is the same question Moses asked, “hey you said you are going to be with me, but who exactly are you? I don’t even know your name?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” “ehyeh asher ehyeh” It’s such a long name! oh wait, it’s not a name. God is saying He is who He is! Naming is a powerful action in the ancient near east world. In the Genesis, God brings all the animals in front of Adam, and ask him to name them. By naming someone, the other person gains power and dominion over the named thing or person. It is a display of power. If you want to understand why, you may try to think of the nickname we have in our lives. You can think of how it has affected you, and why different people address you differently and how it changes our behavior. My Chinese name is Chan Ka, and my friends gave me a bad nickname 人渣, meaning scum/scumbag. I don’t like it and whenever I am called that, I thought of maliciously ways to get my revenge over them. My Mandarin name is pronounced Chen Jia, and a friend of mine from China said “it sounds like building home” and he said I am going to build house of worship for God. Wow, compare to scumbag, it is much more meaningful, and because of it, I started thinking of church planting when I was young. If naming is so powerful, then why God doesn’t have a name?

In the Hebrew, the better translation of “ehyeh asher ehyeh” I am who I am shall be “I will be who I will be”. God refused to be defined by anyone, including himself. Therefore, God’s answer to his own name, “I will be who I will be”, is the essence of His existence, which can be seen as a cycle of possibility and actualization. Why I say it is a cycle? because God cannot be contained in the present nor the future, but we can know Him through what He has done in the past. In this story, even God is reluctant to name himself, but he mentioned twice that “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” (3:6, 15) Moses knows God through His relationship and promises God has given to his fathers and ancestors. In that present moment, Moses knows God on the Mountain, receiving this mission to deliver His people from the land of Egypt. Then Moses’s future is somehow entangled with God’s plan and purpose, like a knot. From that moment on, they share the same mission, and Moses’ identity has transcended from being either Egyptian or Hebrew, to become one of the most significant patriarchs of our faith.

God’s answer to His name is reminding us that in God everything is possible. It’s also an invitation for all of us to be part of His story. We know who God is through what God has done in our lives, and in other people’s lives. These experiences are helping us to visualize how God would do at this moment and how God would keep his promise in the future. Our faith is not a faith of the past, our faith is also a faith of the presence. Every day, as I have mentioned earlier in the sermon that we have different choices to make, and different dilemma to deal with. Our faith is helping us to follow the way of Jesus when we are put to make choices. Whatever we choose is showing the world of who we are. In the Gospel, Jesus said to his disciples, if you love another, people will recognize you are the follower of God. The prayer of St. Francis is also challenging us “Where there is hatred, let us sow love” In the face of difficult situation, God is with us to do the impossible. “I am who I am” can also be understood as “I can be whatever I can be”. With God’s help and presence, we can all achieve the impossible.

The Gospel reading today, Jesus told his disciples, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” It is an invitation to enable God to live through our lives. Just as Moses and God shared the mission to help the oppressed Hebrew people, Jesus is inviting all of us to bear the Cross with Him. The Cross is a way of life. When Jesus said he was going to be killed and be resurrected on the third day, Peter objected this idea and rebuked Jesus. Then in verse 23 Jesus said to him “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.” To take up our own cross, is to set our mind on the divine things, not on human things. It is difficult to tell what is divine and what are merely human, but it’s a commitment to let God’s will be done on us. By committing himself to God’s mission to liberate the Hebrews, Moses has denied himself to follow God. He surrendered his life to God, and let his life be available for God to use. To deny ourselves, we are actually freeing up space for God to live through us, to lead our life. Whenever we are letting it to happen, we are rewriting our future, and actualizing our potentials and purpose of our lives given by God.

Brothers and sisters, “What is your name?” who do you want to be? God found Moses on the Mountain of Horeb, in his own wilderness where he was lost and torn between his identity. But God has literally shared his life with him and gave him a new meaning and mission. We are not defined by how the world sees us, because the presence of God in our lives is the sign that we are all loved and called by God. We are called to follow God which requires us to let go of our ego, our pride, and control over our lives. It might sound scary, but it can also be an assurance. In Galatians 2:20 Paul said of his life following Christ as “it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.” God is looking for the Moses of this generation because He has also heard the cries of the oppressed and persecuted for justice, equality, peace and life. God is looking for those who are willing take up their cross and follow God in the path of liberation and redemption. God is waiting and God is calling. May we all answer his summon with confidence, knowing that God is always with us and with God all things are possible. Amen.

# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, August 30, 2020

Who Is The Messiah?

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 23 August 2020, the twelfth Sunday after Pentecost, by the Rev. Phyllis Wong. The scripture readings that day were Exodus 1:8-2:10; Romans 12:1-8; Matthew 16:13-20.

Opening prayer:

God, our Messiah,

May You touch our hearts with your love.

May the Holy Spirit inspire us to understand your word. May Jesus Christ, our redeemer and living word renew our lives and our faith with hope and courage.

May the words from my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable and pleasing to you. Amen.

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In today’s gospel reading according to Matthew, Jesus asked his disciples who he was. Peter immediately gave the answer and confessed that he is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. How about you, friends? Do you confess Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God?

Today, I would like to reflect with you on this topic: Who is the Messiah?

Is the Messiah the super power from heaven to change the world radically and drastically?

Jesus claimed himself as the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.

He came to the world and died for our sins. And yet, the world is still so dark and unjust. Virus, poverty, illness, abuses, discrimination, oppression, and persecution still exist in our everyday life. Suffering and pain are still part of our reality. People will ask where is the Messiah? Who is this Messiah? Does this Messiah really exist in our midst? Even Christians may be disappointed and puzzled with the world situation.

To be honest, I don't have a complete answer to the above tough questions.

But I would like to explore together with you and tried to gather insights from the scripture readings of today.

If we say and believe that the Messiah comes to save the people, I must have to say salvation is not the absence of suffering and pain.

It is exactly when there is injustice and oppression, there comes the saviour.

Let us first of all take a look at the Old Testament reading of today. In the past weeks, the Old Testament reading on Genesis told us the story about Joseph. He was Hebrew, the Israelite in origin. He was sold to Egypt by his brothers. But he managed to become a high official under the King of Egypt to rule the country, with great power and influence. In Joseph's time, the Israelite people were probably doing fine. But when time goes by, the new King in Egypt did not know Joseph. On the contrary, the King was worried about the growing number of the Israelites in his country and he regarded these people a threat to his power.

Out of fear, the King of Egypt or Pharaoh started a genocide program. He asked the midwives Shiphrah (Hebrew: שִׁפְרָה‎ šiᵽrâ) and Puah (Hebrew: פּוּעָה‎) to kill the Hebrew baby boys. But Shiphrah & Puah feared God and refused to act according to the command of Pharaoh. In our terms for today, these two women were engaged in the actions of resistance. Resistance to the wicked rulers who kill innocent people or govern their people unjustly, is very biblical.

According to documentation, it is not entirely clear if Shiphrah and Puah were Hebrew or Egyptian although they both had Hebrew names. There was one notion saying that they were converts to the Israelite religion. Regardless of their race, what matters is that they were people who feared God. “Fear of God” can mean obey God's ethical imperatives (Lev 19:14; Job 28:28). They took God's commands as priority and so they refused to listen to a man with power and position, who ordered them to kill lives.

These two midwives were the first batch of bold women to prevent a genocide of Hebrew babies. They had used their soft power to resist the order of Pharaoh. They refused to obey someone who was doing evil thing with his power. These women were wise to use their knowledge and skills to save lives instead of destroy lives. When Pharaoh asked them why did they not act according to his command, they said, "Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them."

In the midst of terror, we see the presence of God, the Saviour. The brave and wise mid-wives had imaged God to rescue Hebrew babies who were in danger.

Wherever people embrace lives and show respect to lives, there is God, there is the Messiah!

According to the biblical account of Exodus today, Pharaoh insisted his plan to kill the Hebrew baby boys. As the midwives resisted to do the job, Pharaoh made another cruel order. He commanded all his people, "Every boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall let every girl live." The Pharaoh mobilized more people to be killers.

It then came to another three women who played a vital role to save a child whose name was Moses. He was the great leader of ancient Israel, who led his people out of slavery from the land of Egypt. His life was redeemed by three women: his mother, his sister and Pharaoh's daughter, the princess.

Amongst these three women, I would like to highlight Pharaoh's daughter. In verse 2:6, it said, “When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him, "This must be one of the Hebrews' children," she said.

The Princess knew that this child was Hebrew and yet she still saved him and not only that she gave money to the child's biological mother to raise him. She even took him as her son. Isn't it amazing? She was openly doing something against her father's order. Isn't it another resistance against an abusive ruler?

The princess of Pharaoh has demonstrated her great compassion to the weak and the vulnerable regardless of her position and political background. By using today's language, she is a person belong to pro-establishment, the blue camp because of her relationship with her father, the King. And yet, we see how God moved her and made her the saviour to Moses. It was her pity (another word for pity is compassion) on the child that gave her strength and courage to do things that would sustain humanity which was totally opposite to her father. Once again, the princess had imaged God. She acted to save.

Where there is compassion, there is God, the Messiah!

Now I would like to move to the gospel reading Mathew.

Peter confessed Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of Living God.

In the gospel account according to Matthew, I would like to highlight this question. When Peter declared Jesus as the Messiah, Son of the Living God, Jesus warned his disciples not to tell others his identity as Messiah. Why? What do you think?

To address this question, we need to go back to the context of Jesus’s time. In first-century Palestine, the Jews desired to have a Messiah who was able to overthrow the rule of the Roman Empire. To them, Messiah was referring to a political saviour. But for Jesus, he knew very well his mission to the world as Messiah. He did not come to change the political structure or the power distribution on earth. He had a spiritual mission. He came to bring eternal life, a life that is eternally connected to God, not the temporary earthly matters. But he loved God's children so on earth he showed us how a redeemer lived his life and faith so his disciples can follow. In fulfilling the will of God, he was willing to suffer and sacrifice himself. Suffering and sacrifice were part of his mission. So his order to his disciples not to spread his real identity was to stop these people's incomplete expectations on him. Moreover, Jesus was wise enough to avoid any troubles from the Roman Government if he was too high profile.

Jesus’s warning to his disciples is meaningful for us to reflect on as well. Do we know who is the messiah? Do we have a complete understanding of the Messiah? Jesus the Messiah who came to suffer, die and sacrifice himself to bring eternal life so people and the creation can be reconnected again with God.

So if we are like the Jewish people or some of Jesus' disciples like Judas for example, to expect the messiah to use his super power to rule, and to redeem our broken world and broken lives of many, we may also have unrealistic expectation on Jesus.

To be honest, although Peter at this point realized Jesus as the Messiah, Son of the Living God, but immediately when Jesus foretold his death, Peter could not take it. This is the gospel account for next week, I am not going to talk too much about it.

What I would like to highlight and reflect today is: who is the Messiah?

If we confess Jesus is the Messiah, we should have to know and realize where there is suffering and pain, where there is love and sacrifice, there is Christ, the Messiah!

For today's scripture, Jesus affirmed the blessing to those who confess him as Messiah, Son of the Living God. In addition, those who declare Jesus is the Messiah is given power from Jesus to continue his journey on earth by living out the Kingdom of heaven. He has given Peter the keys of the Kingdom of heaven. I think Jesus did not only give to Peter, but he gave the keys to all who confess him as the Lord, the Messiah, the living God today. This is what we may learn from the conversation between Jesus and Peter.

By giving the calling to build the church and keys of the Kingdom of heaven, followers of Christ are also given authority and freedom to work and choose. With the promise of Jesus Christ, we are strengthened to face the trouble and imperfect world. Jesus Christ who suffered and died. He rose again. Jesus, as the incarnated God came to the world to save all humanity, I believe that His life touches and lives in the hearts of both Christians and non-Christians. But it is true indeed, Christians and the Church have been in particular called to continue the ministry of Jesus on earth more explicitly.

In my sermon two weeks ago, I encouraged sisters and brothers don't be afraid to face storms in life and in the world. Today, I invite you to confess Jesus as the Messiah, our saviour and redeemer. To echo Apostle's teaching from the Book of Romans: do not conform to the world but be transformed by God through focusing our mind, heart and soul in Christ and to discover what He has been doing in the world through him and those who follow his footsteps. Let us also receive his blessing and calling to build the Kingdom of heaven together as one body in Christ, by using the best of the gifts given to each one of us by God. Remember the Holy Spirit has given us the strength to do so.

Before I close my sermon, I would like to share this with you.

Recently I read the book written by Chan Kin Man, a former professor from the Chinese University. He was one of three core activists to launch the Occupy Central movement to strive for democracy in Hong Kong. The Movement kind of failed and Chan ended up was sentenced to jail for 16 months. He wrote a book: Letters from the Prison. In the book, he shared that he has been greatly influenced by Bonhoeffer who had also wrote a book “Letters from the Prison” as he was once put in jail. Bonhoeffer was a theologian and a pastor in Germany during the Second World War. He was killed by the regime of Hitler after his plot to assassinate Hitler had failed. Bonhoeffer took suffering as part of his mission like Jesus, for fighting for life and dignity. He has even taken the cup of suffering as an honor. To him to die is not an end, it is a new beginning. For Chan Kin Man, he has also opened his arm to the Divine and accepted the suffering like Jesus. He did not regret to what he did even though he was put in jail. He is faithful to what he is called to do.

From these two great men, I see they had imaged the suffering Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.

Sisters and brothers, may we learn from these great people, to live a life to reveal Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.

Remember -

Where there is life, there is the Messiah.

Where there is compassion, there is the Messiah.

Where there is suffering and sacrifice, there is the Messiah.

Where people insist to seek for justice and righteousness unceasingly and tirelessly without fear, there is the Messiah.

Amen!

# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, August 23, 2020

Encountering God amidst a storm

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 9 August 2020, the tenth Sunday after Pentecost, by the Rev. Phyllis Wong. The scripture readings that day were Genesis 37:1–4, 12–28; Psalm 105:1–6, 16–22, 45b; Matthew 14:22–33.

Last Thursday, the Faculty of Medicine of Hong Kong University released a survey conducted from February to July this year on post-traumatic experiences in Hong Kong. 11,000 people responded in the questionnaires and over 74% of the respondents shared that they suffered medium to severe levels of stress, and over 36% displayed medium to severe symptoms of post-traumatic stress and depression.

From conversations with friends of different backgrounds, from news in Hong Kong and from around the world, I find that many people are living in a storm of various kinds. Some are facing health challenges due to infection of the coronavirus and cancers. Some are suffering from loss of jobs. Some are struggling with decision of emigration due to the unstable political situation in Hong Kong. Many people are concerned about how much their freedom of speech and assembly will be reduced by the HK National Security Law. People young and old are worrying and wondering when the COVID-19 will end so lives would be back to normal again. Are you or any of your family members and friends facing dangers or difficulties like living in a storm?

The Gospel account from Matthew is talking about Jesus and his disciples at the stormy sea and how Jesus restored calmness for them. We may not literally encounter a storm at the sea like the disciples. And yet, for those who are facing storms in their life situations that disturbed their hearts, the Gospel story today is timely as the Word of God is able to comfort and inspire us in this very extra-ordinary time in the world. I will focus my sermon on the Gospel reading of Matthew this morning.

Don’t be afraid: recognize Jesus’ voice

When we are facing dangers and threats that may take away what we deem valuable: be it a job, a relationship, health, even our own life, we may be worried and afraid.

According to the Gospel account of Matthew we heard this morning, Jesus went to the mountain alone and prayed to God after a long day of service to heal the sick and to feed the hungry. After he finished, he went to find his disciples. He was aware of the strong wind and the boat was away from the shore at that time. He walked on the water towards his disciples who were on the boat. His disciples were terrified by Jesus’ appearance as they didn’t recognize him. They thought he was a ghost.

Like the disciples, when we are overwhelmed by darkness, we may not be able to see God and may even mistake him as an evil spirit. Jesus appeared before his disciples when they were facing danger and threats. Jesus never leaves his beloved disciples and desperate people alone. Whenever there is storm, Jesus is there. He is always on site. I believe that he will not opt to work from home even in the face of the threat of COVID-19. We see that he was the one taking the initiative to walk to his disciples who were in trouble. Perhaps it is only we who are not able to recognize him.

When Jesus realized that his disciples could not recognize him, he immediately showed his identity. He said to them “Take heart, it is me!” Not only that, he comforted them by saying “Don’t be afraid”. Jesus was very kind and compassionate. He knew the need of his disciples and fully embraced them at that very moment.

‘Don’t be afraid’ is a very comforting and powerful statement issued by someone you know and trust. I remembered the day my daughter was born. On that day, typhoon no. 8 was hoisted. My husband Tong did not go to work and we were having lunch at home. All of a sudden, I felt water breaking and I realized that my baby was ready to come. I was very afraid and I did not know what to do. Both Tong and I had no experience at all on this. Luckily my mother was with us, taking care of me. By seeing how fearful I was, she said with a calm voice, “Don’t be afraid”. These three words coming from the mouth of my mother was so comforting and soothing. Immediately I felt very calm and peaceful. My mother was like the presence of Jesus, giving me great assurance. So in a storm, let us be alert to hear the voice from God through people around us. Similarly, we may be used by God to offer this assurance and peace to people who are in need, like what my mother did to me. When we are in a storm, let us recognize Jesus and hear his voice by saying to us: it is I, don’t be afraid.

Have courage

The story of the stormy sea is very interesting to continue with Peter asking Jesus with this question: “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.”

Jesus then said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus.

From the narrative, we see how Peter and Jesus were interacting with each other, with a back and forth conversation. Move beyond words, Peter took concrete action to walk towards Jesus.

I like Peter who is very cute. He is direct, honest and bold. He was the first disciple to verify Jesus’ identity in the dark. He asked Jesus to call him and when Jesus told him to come, he did not hesitate but went straight away.

When Peter tried to take a bold step to walk towards Jesus, he was trying to overcome his fear.

When we are facing dangers and threats, being afraid is very natural for human being. What makes a difference for people with faith in Jesus is that they are willing to overcome their fear by taking action in the midst of danger. They won’t allow fear to overwhelm them or paralyse them.

When Jesus said to his disciples, take heart, it is me. In the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), the words used are, “Take heart.” In the New Jerusalem Bible version, the phrase said by Jesus is ‘Courage!

According to the Cambridge Dictionary, courage means the ability to control your fear in a dangerous or difficult situation.

Jesus did not only comfort and assure the disciples by saying it is me, don’t be afraid, he gave them encouragement. He told them to be courageous. In encountering storms in our life, Jesus spoke to us about “Courage”, the ability to overcome fear.

Sisters and brothers, when we are facing storms and dangers, may we receive and be strengthened by the courage of God through Jesus. Peter, Jesus’ number one disciple, who was called to be the rock of the church, has set us the example.

Ask for help from God

The story is indeed interesting to see how it develops. Peter was bold to walk on the water. But not long after that important step, when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Peter is really a person with drama. One the one hand he showed his trust in his master Jesus. One the other hand, his weakness drew him back. Jesus in fact knew it very well. Peter had kept showing his human side. He had faith in God. And yet there was time when he was weak and doubtful. But what is really important is that he will cry to Jesus for help. “Lord save me”.

Whenever we are in danger and in great difficulties, and find that we can’t rely on ourselves any longer, don’t hesitate to cry out for God’s help. Cry out loud to Jesus: Lord, save me! Remember we are given this privilege and grace to seek God’s help and salvation.

Accept who we are: in our weakness we see God

After he saved Peter from sinking, instead of praising him for his courage and good try, Jesus challenged him by saying, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” We may see the tension and dynamic in the relationship between Jesus and Peter. Jesus loved and cared for Peter. Peter loved and was faithful to Jesus too. And yet, their relationship is not necessarily tension free. As Jesus’ followers, no matter how good and positive our encounter with God in the past, there could be time we may have lost our faith or doubt about God. It is part of our faith journey in encountering God especially when we are facing huge life trails. God know our weaknesses and constraints. Although Jesus challenged Peter of his little faith, he still loved him and entrusted him to be the head of the church. What is important is not to focus on our weakness but our faith in God and always turn back to Jesus once we realize we have walked away.

In the stormy sea, Peter encountered Jesus in his fear and his little faith. I see the transformation of God’s disciple like Peter who has been going through different storms in life. Once in a life-threatening situation, he refused to recognize Jesus as his master. In faith and doubt, in strength and in weakness, in hope and in despair, in success and in failure, Peter kept his calling as Jesus never gave him up.

I trust that God does not give us up even in our failure to trust and in time of doubt. Jesus still went into the boat together with Peter at the end.

The wind ceased when Jesus is in the boat

When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. This time, Jesus did not need to order the wind to stop like what he did before. Once they got into the boat, the wind ceased. What he did this time was just quietly went to the boat together with Peter and stayed with the other disciples. The presence of Jesus is enough for the wind to cease.

At the end of the story, it tells us that,^“And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” This is the climax of the gospel account. In the storm, Jesus’s voice and actions to save, his words of challenge and encouragement have strengthened the faith of his disciples and build up a stronger relationship with them. The disciples focus their lives not in the storm, not even in the calmness of the sea, but God, the incarnated One who was with them and saved them.

In the midst of storm, what do we need to do? Be with Jesus Christ, the incarnated God. Allow God to stay in the boat right at the centre of our heart. I believe the calmness from Jesus within our heart will give us comfort, courage and strength to face the storms in our lives and in our world.

Storms are the disguise of God who is fully present to embrace and save lives. Dear brothers and sisters, so don’t be afraid of any storm that comes to us. Just be prepared to encounter God amidst a storm.

# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, August 09, 2020

Until Daybreak

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 2 August 2020, the ninth Sunday after Pentecost, by Timothy Chan. The scripture readings that day were Genesis 32:22–31, Psalm 17, Matthew 14:13–21.

Good morning brothers and sisters, today we read about the story of Jacob wrestling through the night. It was not a scheduled MMA fight, I think Jacob himself did not expect that fight either, but he was caught by surprise, and he had to respond without giving a thought. We all might have experienced something similar, to be dragged into a wrestle unwillingly, and be caught up in a situation which we are not prepared for. No one knows whether we would prevail or not, but I am sure we would be able to learn one thing or two in this story. Before we look closer into the scripture, let us pray:

Loving God, You are the one who looks after us, even in the darkest valley, you would never leave us alone. We pray that through the story of Jacob, we can learn how to trust in you, so that we have strength to face those unexpected challenges in our lives. In Jesus name we pray Amen.

Some of you may not remember very well of who Jacob is. According to the book of Genesis, he is the son of Isaac, and is the grandson of the Father of Faith, Abraham. In Genesis chapter 25, we learn that he has a twin brother, Esau and Jacob was the younger brother. When he was born, he was gripping Esau’s heel, that’s why he was named Jacob. In Hebrew, there are multiple meanings related to this name, including the word “heel” itself, also “deceiver” and “lying”. When he has come of age, under his mother’s influence, they planned to steal Esau’s birthright, and eventually Jacob has taken his brother’s firstborn blessing. That’s why Esau hated Jacob and planned to kill him. His mother helped him to escape, and sent him to his uncle Laban, where he married both his wives Leah and Rachel. However, it came with a heavy price, he spent 14 years labouring for his uncle. After his contract finished, Jacob had already accumulated a lot of wealth. Together with his eleven children, they decided to leave and find their new home. The first thing he did after leaving, is to look for Esau, to seek forgiveness and reconciliation. This little story of wrestling happened right before the day Jacob was about to face Esau.

Jacob has been living his life with manipulations and lies. He knew what bad things he did. Imagine if you are Jacob, after all your families and property have crossed the river, you are left alone on the other side of the river, and all of a sudden, someone approached at night and wrestled with you! He has every reason to believe that person might be an assassin sent by his brother Esau! It might be too dark for Jacob to see his face. According to the scripture, we don’t even know whether this person is a man, or an angel or God himself. But he had no time to think, if he did not fight back, he would have been killed! So all night long they were wrestling, until daybreak (oh the sermon title), then his opponent said he had to leave before the dawn! Jacob knew if he is going to persist, he could prevail. He asked this man to bless him, he wouldn’t let go. Finally the man gave in and blessed him “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.” And the next morning, he went to see Esau, and guess what? His brother forgave him. You may continue to read chapter 33. Such a story!

Jacob prevailed because he never gives up. Jacob chose to face the unexpected ambush and fight back. As I said earlier, no one knows who this person was, it was dark, and nothing was clear. It was like an ambush in the dark. No one sees it coming, no warning, no sign, no time to prepare, yet he chose to fight and persist. Just like the Hong Kong national security law, it just came! Last week we have 4 students age between 16-21 being arrested of threatening the national security, no one knows what will happen to them. All of a sudden, the government disqualified 12 legco candidates and postponed the election for a year! All of a sudden, the confirmed case of covid 19 has doubled, breaking the 3000 mark. All of a sudden, you may lose your job! All of a sudde, things just happen! We would never know what comes next. There are just things happened out of our expectation and comprehension, and sadly most of them are not very good things. We cannot predict. In that dark night, Jacob didn’t have time to ask why and how. At that very moment, friends, we have no choice, but to engage with this challenge placed in front of every one of us. I am sure we all have this all-of-a-sudden moment in life.

It is a test of perseverance, only if we persist, we would be able to see the daybreak, only if we fight, we could find the opportunity to turn things around. Only if we believe, we could see the blessing and work of God in our lives. Friends, no matter what you are going through, don’t give up!

At that night, Jacob was not only wrestling with this unexpected ambush. After reading this story together with what he had been through. I realize, at that night, he might also be wrestling with his dark side. All of a sudden it becomes a Star War movie. No. if we read again verse 22 to 24, we would see. “22 The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 24 Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.” Not only physically he was alone, psychologically he was vulnerable as well. Remember this is the night before Jacob was about to face his biggest fear and retribution, he was going to face Esau, his own twin brother whom he has mistreated. It was a night where he was wrestling with his old self, the deceiving one, the cunning one, the one who always got away from his own mistakes. He was also wrestling with his own guilt, shame and fear. These unexpected ambushes in life are also opportunities for us to face our own problems. They might be buried deep, but when we are caught up all alone, we couldn’t run away, but to face it. It might be the emptiness, insecurity, and desire in your heart, it might be the wound untendered, or a need to forgive and to be forgiven. This is the moment when you may ask, what is stopping us from crossing that river? What is stopping us from turning the page?

Trust me, we all know our problems, but we just find excuses not to face them. We run away from them, and we pretend they are not there. We are even tempted to accept them as part of our life, to justify the problems we have! But think of why Jacob would come to this moment? Because he left his uncle and wanted to find a new home! He didn’t want to be manipulated anymore! He wanted to start fresh! In order to start new, we must all be courageous to face our own issues and start to take the responsibility. This is what Jacob did!

Friends, there is one more thing I would love to share with you about this story. This event is not only a teaching us how to face unexpected event in life, and how to deal with our inner struggles. It is also an event of transformation too. Nowadays, people care about the result more than process. We judge something based on its outcome. People care about their own achievements in life, people care about how people look at them. Today, it’s not difficult to find this kind of teaching in the mainstream Christianity, that emphasizes the blessings from God, but talks very little about God in suffering and endurance. If we look at the result of this wrestle in the dark, no one is winning, but Jacob earned a blessing, his life is transformed. Today when we are fighting, even we couldn’t get what we hoped for, it doesn’t mean all our effort would go in vain. No. Look at the democratic movement in Hong Kong, if we look at the “result”, we are getting worse! But we see HK people are more united than ever, we see people involved in this movement in different creative ways. The more we resist, the oppression would be more intense. Only if we are not focusing on the result, we could different beautiful things are happening at the same time.

This wrestle is the turning point of Jacob’s life. His name is no longer Jacob, the man gave him a new name, Israel. On that daybreak, he said goodbye to his old self of deceiving and cheating. He no longer relies on his own wisdom, but on God’s faithfulness. He no longer grips his brother’s heel, but the promise of God. Today, the world has an endless supply of bad news, what are we choosing to grip? In view of the pandemic, the rise of totalitarianism, and the ecological crisis, these remind me of what Jesus has said about the End Time in the Gospel of Matthew Chapter 24:13. Jesus said “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” We Christian might not be stronger or tougher than anybody, we would be angry, lost, frustrated and wanting to give up. Fortunately, we are not facing all these alone, we face all these as a community of Christ. We share each other’s burden, and we share what we have. We might be as desperate as the disciples, wondering how 5 fishes and 2 loaves can feed these thousands of people, but Jesus is always there to save. So friends, are you ready for some wrestling? This is a long fight, the daybreak seems to be very far away, but I believe, only if we persist together, justice would prevail. Amen.

# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, August 02, 2020

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Until Daybreak

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