Reflections: January 2021

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 31 January 2021. Forth Sunday after Epiphany, by Revd Phyllis Wong. The scripture readings that day were Psalm 111 (O.T.) and Mark 1:21-28 (N.T.).

Opening prayer:
God of life, may your word inspire us and fill us by your wisdom from above. Send to us your holy spirit to renew our life and set us free. Amen.

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When I started to prepare for today’s sermon, I found that I preached 6 years ago with the same lectionary readings. For this time, I was attracted again by the same theme on wisdom.

How would you define wisdom? What does wisdom mean to you? Have you ever prayed to God for wisdom to guide you in making decisions or resolving problems?

When I looked at the Collins English Dictionary: Wisdom is defined as the ability to think and act using knowledge, experience, understanding, common sense, and insight.

With this topic on wisdom, I remembered one of my many encounters with my mom where I learnt from her wisdom.

When our son was born, my father-in-law was very happy and excited. He was very keen to give us suggestions on choosing a name for our son. My father-in-law identified himself as a person from the East of the globe. He recognized a powerful and influential leader in China, as well as his boss in the restaurant who had the name East, which in Cantonese is pronounced ‘Tung’. He thought “Tung” was a good name as it has good meaning with the right identity, power and wealth. He recommended that we take Tung for our son’s name. My husband and I did not really like this name. But at the same time, we didn’t want to disappoint our father as if we did not appreciate his suggestion. While we were figuring out what to do, my mother offered a wonderful suggestion. She said we could give our son two names, one was East, Tung Tung, a nickname that we used at home. We then chose another one that we preferred as an official name printed on the birth certificate. Apparently, my father-in-law was very happy because we always called our son Tung Tung (East East) at home. He felt that we had given him such respect. When I asked my mother why she had such a great and wise idea, she shared that it was nothing special as her father used to have more than one name. Yes, it is so true, in some cultures and traditions, a person is given different names in different life stages.

Wisdom indeed has very much to do with our accumulation of life experience, knowledge and insights that people use in a certain context that bring forward happiness, satisfaction and peace to others. You may recall in your life when you met people with wisdom.

Today I would like to focus on wisdom from above: Divine Wisdom.

Psalm 111:10 says, “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have good understanding.”

In here, the word fear is not referring to a person being afraid of someone or afraid of being judged or punished. Fear in Hebrew – ‘Yare’, means ‘Reverence and respect to God the Holy One’.

Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. It enlightens us to understand this: Wisdom is to know God, to show our respect and to discover God’s wonderful works in creating a life of wholeness and freedom.

From here I would like to move to today’s gospel story taken from Mark 1:21-28. This is a story about Jesus’ authority in teaching and his encounter with the unclean spirit. Jesus, the incarnate, revealing God, the Holy One inspires us to learn what is Divine Wisdom.

Jesus encountered the unclean spirit in the Synagogue while he was teaching.

Unclean spirit in Judaism is referring to demons, foreign and even hostile to the religious and moral purity demanded by the service of God.

Unclean spirit is thus an enemy of God because it takes people away from God. Unclean spirit/ demon separates people from God. Casting out of an unclean spirit is to renew a person’s life and to restore the relationship between God and the person.

In today’s context, unclean or evil spirit could refer to selfishness, greed, aggression, manipulation, discrimination, exploitation, systemic violence and injustice, oppressive governance.

When Jesus entered into the synagogue and taught to the people inside, a man with an unclean spirit cried out to Jesus (1:24) "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God."

When you read about this story, are you surprised to see there is unclean spirit in the temple, a place called holy for God or a place that is set up for the people of God? Evil and holy co-exist in our world even in a sacred space. Don’t be surprised if we see evil spirit and evil doing in church. In a way we have to acknowledge heaven and hell co-exist at the same time. Just like light and darkness coexist in the same manner. This is a divine wisdom informing us that we have to acknowledge the realities we are living in this world. With this acceptance, it helps us to overcome our disappointment and fear, knowing that this negativity is part of life and is allowed by God. Quite often, what makes our life miserable and unbearable is we refuse to accept harsh reality, imperfection and suffering on earth as part of our human experiences. When we make this connection, we may overcome and even take the challenges instilled by the evil spirit as an invitation and an opportunity for us to see Jesus and return to God, the Holy One.

The man with an unclean spirit cried out to Jesus (1:24) "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God."

It is interesting to see the unclean spirit, the demon recognizing Jesus as the Holy One of God. Even the evil knows about Jesus. Sometimes I wonder how some people, especially those who are in high position with power, claim themselves as Christians. They don’t recognize Jesus as the Holy One in their lives as they fail to follow Jesus as a merciful and forgiving person to do justice and love kindness. Instead of using their power to serve the poor and the underprivileged, they manipulate it for personal interests. This is sad. Sisters and brothers, we need to deeply reflect in ourselves whether if we have ignored Jesus and failed to see he is God, and follow his way. If we are often so blind and ignorant to the life and deeds of Jesus, we may be even worse than the unclean spirit to recognize the presence of the God in our midst.

In the gospel story, when the unclean spirit challenged Jesus of Nazareth with this question: What have you to do with us? Have you come to destroy us?

How did Jesus respond? He rebuked the unclean spirit and told it to be silent. Jesus did not argue with the unclean spirit or gave it a lesson as such. He just simply ordered it to come out of the man, leave the man alone.

Once we are aware of the evil spirit that lives in us and in our community, we just stand firm to ask it to go away like Jesus. We don’t have to struggle with it. Whenever we encounter the unclean spirit in the form of bad thought and evil deed, first of all we learn from Jesus to calm ourselves, to silence the evil with gentle power. Jesus tried not to give the evil any energy to struggle with us. Quite often, we are too occupied with the evil and allow it to consume our soul. The more attention we give to the evil and fight with it, the more time and energy we may end up using to deal with them. No, we don’t have to. What we have to do is just focus and take the Divine Wisdom from Jesus. We just focus on God, the Holy One, instead of the evil. I have seen some friends who have been so upset by people who have hurt them or are so angry at the unjust system, they end up feeling depressed and trapped. In that case, the unclean spirit wins and takes over our lives instead of God.

In Jesus, we see also how he handled the unclean spirit that lived in the man. He did not destroy the evil spirit, he allowed it to leave. If we translate evil spirit as the enemy in our life and in our community that bring us troubles and turn us away from life, love, joy, peace and wholeness, what we have to do is to boldly ask it to leave or we ourselves can walk away from it. We don’t have to destroy it.

To learn from Jesus, whatever we do, we do it with love and peace, but not out of anger or hate. Jesus’ way to encounter an evil spirit has enlightened us how to deal with wicked and evil people around us. Quite often, we may be very angry and wounded by what our enemy and the wicked people have done to us and to others. There is a temptation to take revenge or do the same like these wicked people so that they may suffer like the victims. We have to be mindful not to lose our heart and soul. We have to be alert and not to behave and act like the evil and the wicked that we have condemned. If people who are seeking human dignity and social justice end up losing mercy and their sense of righteousness, it is not only tragic but also a great violation of God’s salvation through Jesus who came to renew and restore life but not to destroy.

Jesus’s prime concern is to heal and set the man free from demonic control.

The way Jesus cast out the unclean spirit from the man in the Synagogue shows to us Jesus did not just heal the man’s physical problem but also restored his life. Jesus ordered the evil spirit to leave the man in order to set the man free from any control. The man who was once being enslaved by the unclean spirit could be now in charge of his life again. He could be in touch with his real self and his real being. He could be reconnected to God. Jesus delivered this troubled man by restoring his wholeness as full human being. Jesus, the Son of Man who reveals God the Holy One, came to the world to save and liberate the whole humanity from sins, free from any force that separates them from the life and love of God.

After Jesus did all these, the people in the synagogue were all amazed. They were amazed by his authority. The authority to deliver new teaching and cast out unclean spirit. Obviously Jesus did not attempt to increase his reputation or build up his status through his teaching and healing power. The agenda of Jesus is not to dominate and control. Another divine wisdom we learn from Jesus is, anyone who is called to be God’s servant will be given authority to do good works for others. The key point is we have to use God’s given power to serve others but not for our own ego. While the people in his time was amazed by Jesus’ authority to make the unclean spirits to obey him, for me I am amazed by Jesus’ deep love to transform his people, and his powerful act to set the people free .

The Old Testament Reading today, taken from Psalm 111, is a beautiful poem of praise. The Psalmist praised the Lord for his faithfulness, as he had kept the covenant love with his people. The Lord had freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and brought to them new lives and liberation. The Lord is gracious and merciful, faithful and just. The Psalmist praised God’s wonderful works as this living God has been actively participating in the world he has made and caring for his people he has created.

Jesus Christ has revealed God’s continuous salvation in human history. His words and deeds have echoed the majesty and power that the Psalmist has proclaimed:

Psalm 111:9 He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name. As Jesus’ disciples, let us affirm once again Jesus Christ, Holy and awesome is his name. He is the Holy One of God. Let us gracious receive the divine wisdom from him and live a life like him.

To close my sermon, I will read Psalm 111:10 for a moment of silence to reflect the word and give our everlasting praise to God.

“The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever.”

# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, January 31, 2021

Love Comes from the Most Unexpected Places

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 17 January 2021. Second Sunday after Epiphany, by Dr. Muriel Orevillo-Montenegro. The scripture readings that day were 1 Samuel 3:1-10, 10-20; Psalm 139: 1-6, 13-18; John 1:43-51.

Introduction
Good morning! I hope you are all fine and warm enough on these cold days. Perhaps, some people are still thinking of new year’s resolutions of some kind? That they never fulfil as the year wears on. Today, Hong Kong and many countries around the world are still beset with the coronavirus. Some are rolling out vaccines. Some people have anxieties over their safety and effects. Then there is this news of a mutant virus emerging. In other parts of the globe, a leader who could not accept defeat instigated a riot, even as their people are dying of COVID-19 left and right! Politically and economically, people are distressed. In some countries like the Philippines and locally, people have seen their basic rights, especially their freedom of expression getting curtailed, their wings clipped. Led by a sexist and seemingly mentally sick president, the Philippine leaders are taking advantage of the pandemic to propose a constitution change to keep themselves in power. As these things are happening, people have also become frantic about what secure platform to use: Whatsapp? Signal? Inrupt? What? There seems to be hardly good news these days. All these and more make the people long for a world filled with compassion, as a new pattern for a new normal. These past days, I was drawn to listen to oldies but goldies, especially Burt Bacharach’s and Hal David’s prayer-like “What the World Needs Now is Love . . . No not just for some but for everyone.”

On this 2nd Sunday after the Epiphany, the lectionary gives us texts about God calling Samuel to be a prophet (1 Sam. 3:1-10, 10-20), of the Psalmist extolling God who knows us in and out, (Psalm 139: 1-6, 13-18), and the call of Philip and Nathanael in John 1:43-51. All these texts are pointing to love, implicitly and explicitly. But for today, I settled to focus on the Johannine text.

The Background: The Gospel according to John
Believed to be written by John the Beloved and some of his followers, scholars agree that he wrote this gospel in some place within the territories controlled by the Romans during the first century, probably Ephesus. John surely was aware of his and his readers’ geographical and political context: The Roman Empire. Scholars are contesting the date of its writing. Some scholars believe John wrote it before the Jewish Revolt against Rome in 66 C.E. Some said John wrote it towards the end for the first century. Whatever, the historical fact remains that the Romans dominated Jesus’ Palestine and that domination continued until the time of Emperor Constantine. John and his intended readers understood all the aspects and patterns of the Roman rule as their reality, including the political and military procedures, the curtailment of freedoms, etc. This is obvious in John 11:47-52. The writers’ aim here is to tell the readers of Hellenistic background about the meaning of Christ.

The text for today follows the prologue, the first 18 verses, that immediately tells us of the gospel’s emphasis: that of the incarnation. “In the beginning was the Word . . . and the Word became flesh and lived among us.” Then the writer tells us that John the Baptizer was in Bethany across the river Jordan, baptizing and witnessing about Jesus. The writer proceeds to say that “on the next day,” Jesus submitted to be baptized by in Jordan River. On the “next day,” John, presumably still in Bethany, was standing with two of his disciples when Jesus was coming toward them. The disciples left John and followed Jesus. One of the two, the writer said, was Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, who was from the city of Bethsaida. Bethsaida that is located at the northern edge of the Sea of Galilee, is around 58 kilometers to Nazareth.

Reading John 1:43-51
John 1:43 begins with the third “next day” in this chapter. “The next day, Jesus decided to go to Galilee.” Which part of Galilee? The writer does not tell us. However, the writer said that Jesus found Philip there, and called him saying: “Follow me.” Like Simon Peter, Philip was also from Bethsaida. While following Jesus, Philip saw Nathanael. Philip said to him, “We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth.” Nathanael’s response to Philip is a sarcasm. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip’s simple answer was: “Come and see.”

Note that Philip’s mention of the law and the prophets highlights the two important sections of the Hebrew Scriptures. Nathanael is from Cana (John 21:2). Cana is evidently the present-day Khirbet Qana, just 12.8 km from Nazareth, and 19.3 kms. from the Sea of Galilee. A New Testament scholar and archaeologist, Peter Richardson noted that Cana was the strategic headquarters for a time of Josephus, the commander of Jewish forces in Galilee during the Jewish Revolt.

Compared to Cana, Nazareth is set in a small basin surrounded by hills. In ancient times, it was remote and not accessible as it was out of the way. It is not significant. However, a British-Israeli archaeologist Yardenna Alexandre noted that a few years ago, she discovered bell-shaped pits under the Nazareth homes. She surmised that these underground pits served as storage and hiding places during the Jewish wars.

Reflection
Twenty-four years ago, Kim Carnes and Dave Ellingson wrote a song “Love Comes from the Most Unexpected Places.” It echoed in my mind, like a clue to answer Nathanael’s question. “Can anything good comes out of Nazareth?” Yes, because “Love Comes from the most unexpected places.” I am not inclined to give prescriptions here. But I invite you to join me in reflecting on Nathanael’s question still along the line of the epiphany. And I hope you will find the implicit exhortations in the discourses in the text.

First, Philip’s answer to Nathanael to “come and see” is an invitation to be open to a theological epiphany. Epiphania, in Greek, means “to show, to make known, or to reveal.” An epiphany is a moment when one suddenly feels that he or she understands, or suddenly become conscious of something that is particularly important. For a Jew like Nathanael, whose name means “God has given,” waiting for the messiah was of utmost importance in his faith. Most likely a conscientious Jew, Nathanael was remarkably familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures. Being told that the prophecies of the Hebrew Scriptures has come true in the person of Jesus, a son of Joseph the Carpenter, was like receiving a fake news! Nathanael was like saying, “Ow, come on. There is no reference in the Scriptures about the messiah coming from Nazareth. It is not the city of David. Nazareth is an obscure town. It has no messianic significance! No way!” And yet, he wanted to see for himself this guy. He joined Philip and walked towards Jesus. That act shows that Nathanael was open to think and re-examine his views and his faith. Can anything good come out of Nazareth really? Anselm’s classic statement, fides quaerens intellectum or faith seeking understanding is, for me, a fitting description of Nathanael’s experience. He was seeking an intelligible explanation of faith. Surely, the encounter between Jesus and Nathanael was deeply theological. My cousin seemed to have an aversion to the word “theology.” She said it is only for the academe. “Simple persons” like her prefers to hold on to faith. Oh, well. But I insist that a true disciple must be able to explain one’s faith intelligibly.

But it was not the case for Nathanael. He took the challenge to examine and understand his faith, even as he also accommodated the prejudices held by his townspeople against the people from Nazareth. At first, he was sceptical. Perhaps, he thought of Jesus was an impostor. Sometimes, we are like that. I, too, tend to be careless sometimes in making comments on what people say, especially with fake news proliferating in social media. Just like my cousin. I posted in my FB page a message congratulating a fellow James Cone-advisee at Union, Senator-elect Rev. Raphael Warnock for winning the elections in Georgia, U.S. A. Instead of asking who is Warnock, she commented: “The pastor who supports abortion. Tsk. Tsk. Tsk.” While Nathanael was sceptical, it was, I think an intelligent scepticism, as he interrogated his beliefs. It is good to question our faith so we will distinguish the genuine from the fake and flimsy. Lesslie Newbigin, a scholar on missions, said: “Scepticism is a legitimate starting point. . . But it cannot have the last word, or nothing new will be learned.” Epiphany transforms persons. In Nathanael’s case, he moved from being cynical as he accepted the challenge to “come and see.” Philip’s invitation to “come and see” is also addressed to us, to open not only our physical eyes, but also to open our souls to a spiritual awareness. Nathanael had a theological epiphany. He found the answer to his question from the most unexpected person – a son of Joseph the carpenter – coming from the most unexpected places.

Second, the story of Nathanael is a story of an epiphany of love. The song, “Love comes from the most unexpected places,” has a line that says: “And if love takes you in, take all the love that you can find.”

In the gospel according to John, there is no story of the magi visiting, the emissaries who fell in love with the baby Jesus and did not go back to King Herod to report what they found. Instead, the gospel has a story of Philip and Nathanael who had an epiphany experience of being found by love - God’s love, and they took all the love that they could find. Theirs is a story of epiphany of love in one who comes from the most unexpected place. The themes of love and life are the predominant themes in the gospel of John. “God so love the world. . . God first loved us. . . love one another. . .” Love is a powerful word, an action word, a verb.

This epiphany, this encounter with Jesus, was a wake-up call to Nathanael to open his eyes and abandon his prejudice. I think Jesus was also aware of how others looked down on Nazareth and its people. But in an affirming approach, Jesus recognized Nathanael as a “true” “Israelite in whom there is no deceit.” That was an allusion of the narrative on Jacob/Israel who deceived their father to steal Esau’s birth right. His further words, “I saw you under the fig tree,” invokes the Hebrew Scriptures’ view that the one who sits under the fig tree is a person who studies and meditates on the words of the sacred text, and thus, finds the shelter of the fig tree as a place of blessing, of peace and plenty.

Nathanael was impressed! Yes, something good comes out of Nazareth after all! As if enthralled with a celebrity standing before him, Nathanael blurted out praises for Jesus. He exclaimed: “OMG! Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel.” But this accolade of troublesome titles did not seem to flatter Jesus. He said, “Come on, Dude. Do you believe just because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you? You will see greater things than these.” Nathanael, I presume, was aware of the people’s situation in the empire. But one’s view can be obscured by where one stands. I think Jesus was persuading Nathanael to get out of the box of his religion and social class to see the horizon of situation. It was a challenge to see the meaning of God’s love for all people, not just for the Jews in Cana.

This was an epiphany experience, the moment when Nathanael suddenly felt that he understood, and became conscious of the importance of this encounter. This epiphany brings the promise of God’s love not only for the scattered Jewish converts but also to all people within and beyond the Roman empire. This love offers the hope of liberation from the sufferings that the people face under the Roman rule. This epiphany of love reminded Nathanael and to the gospel readers that God’s love seeks to transform people, and there is no turning back.

Third, finding love that comes from the unexpected place carries an ethical demand. It seeks a practical, workable answer from the one who finds that love. I was still a little girl when Martin Luther King, Jr. stood in Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. in 1963 before a humongous audience, not of white rioters, of course. He stood deliver that “I have a dream speech” before a sea of people, people of color and solidarity groups of white people who dreamed and hoped that the “bank of justice is not bankrupt.” To many, it was an epiphany, a sign of hope.

Around that time, as a 9-year-old girl, I too, had a dream. Fascinated with the story of a musician-doctor who went to serve the people of Black Africans in Africa. (Of course, much later, with postcolonial lens, I have some criticisms of his works). Poverty was my reality, and I developed some sense of altruism. I wanted to be a missionary doctor, too, in Africa. But my father told me I need not go to Africa to be a missionary. Although I was active in church, my real epiphany experience did not happen in the church. I had it in the most unexpected places. I had it when I was in living with poor indigenous peoples in the mountains for some months and then, living with the poor in the slums. There, I encountered the embodiments of Jesus, of Christ. It did not tell me that love would come from the most unexpected places, in the seemingly God-forsaken areas. The church in those days was fascinated with “heaven” up there. The discourse was about me and my God, Jesus as my personal savior, my personal salvation. It was more into a feeling-good kind of charity works.

Jesus told Nathanael that he will “see greater things than these,” and furthermore, that he “will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” Jesus alluded to Jacob wrestling with an angel that left him limping. Jesus told Nathanael that the divine breaks into our time and space. The divine makes us open our eyes to be found by love and to find that love. The divine breaking into our time and space makes us see the seemingly hopeless situation and yet not lose hope. It makes us ready to tell the truth that sets people free. Jesus was aware that telling the truth is a risky business, but a disciple must be ready for greater tasks, greater things. Bev Harrison, my social ethics professor, reminded us that in situations of injustices, one must harness anger in the work of love. Jesus told the disciples that the one who loves and believes in him will also do the works that he did “and, in fact, will do greater works than these.” (John 14:12) The task of a follower is to prove the truth of Jesus’ work of love, even that of harnessing anger in the work of love. It is not about converting people to our brand of Christianity. It is about embodying that love that Jesus as demonstrated to live out in his context.

Conclusion and Challenges
God is love. This love is found in the most unexpected places, unexpected people, unexpected events. God reveals the Godself to people through a vision, burning bush, still small voice, through dreams, through angels in human form, and through events in our lives. We only need to open our eyes and souls. We only need to re-examine our faith, our beliefs.

As individuals, have we led people to see God’s love even in the most unexpected ways and places? Were there instances that through us, people “came and saw . . . even greater things than these?” Has the church offered people reasons why they should “come and see?” In what ways have we helped people see God’s love and how we should live amid this turbulent world – spiritually, culturally, economically, and politically? Have we wondered how our faith in the divine - whom we called with many names, God, Yahweh, Allah, Brahman, Kabunian, Sophia – made impact on our lives, in the lives of nation’s leaders? Why is it that governance is not enthused with compassion, justice, and love? How can the church help people find or see God’s love in the unfolding events in this world? We should ask whether the church, and religions, have offered people “a coherent vision for life” and help them find love in the most unexpected places, and see hope “when difficult questions and problems of life arise.” We should join with that preacher who wondered whether the church in general, has just simply offered “a mixture of entertainment, pop psychology, and superficial spirituality but leaves people empty.”

Today, we are in the segment of human story, when the world indeed, needs so much love. Not just for some but for everyone! We need to discern this love coming from the most unexpected places. But like Philip and Nathanael, you, and I, we - are also called to be the embodiment of that love that comes from the most unexpected place. I would like to end with these words of wisdom that comes with the Yogi tea bag from a friend that says: Live with love and compassion to remove the pain of the world. 🕊

# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, January 17, 2021

A New Beginning

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sunday 3 January 2021, Second Sunday after Christmas, by Revd Phyllis Wong. The scripture readings that day were Jeremiah 31:7–14; Ephesians 1:3–14 and John 1:10–18.

Happy New Year! We use to greet friends and others with “Happy New Year!” at the beginning of the calendar year.

In a new year, being happy is so much needed. It is especially true for this year of 2021. In the past year, with the Covid 19 pandemic, the political and economic hardship both in HK and other parts of the world, many people across the board have been feeling unhappy and worried. There is no joy.

Do you wish for a happy life in 2021 and beyond?

How can we make 2021 a new beginning?

What is a new beginning to you?

I would like to share a story about a young man who was suffering from depression. He was living on the 12th floor of his building. One day when he was at home looking down at the park in front of his building, he saw old people sitting on the bench chatting and playing chess. He found trees and flowers. He could even see birds flying and hear their singings. He also realized people and all objects were smaller than usual. Even the rubbish bin that he found so dirty whenever he passed by was just so small. With that distance, he basically could not see the rubbish nor smell anything bad.

With such a scene, he realized God helped him to see that when he was so absorbed by his own negative emotions and problems, it’s like he was living in the darkness. He could not see the light. When he allowed himself to stand from above to look down with some distance, he recognized that space has given him new visions. Whenever he walked in the park, he didn’t notice the beautiful trees and flowers, the lovely birds and the old people who were doing something so relaxing to enjoy themselves. He realised he had missed so many good things God has created and given. The dirty rubbish bin has also inspired him to understand no matter how bad was a person, an object or an incident in life that bothered him, the problem or the trouble was much smaller than he thought when he stood up much higher and kept a bit of distance from the situation.

From a faith and spiritual point of view, if we try to go up to the divine above and look down at our life and all challenges with God’s eyes, we would be able to see things with a new vision. With a divine vision from above, we are able to have more clarity and find good alternatives to encounter our problems in the troubled world.

The gospel reading this week is taken from John. This passage is often read on Christmas Eve or Day because it is the only “Christmas story” we get from the gospel of John.

In the gospel of John, the writer does not dwell in the specific story with Mary, angels, shepherds, and so on. The reason is this gospel writer tends to emphasize the divine aspects of Christ. Jesus Christ is equated with “the Word” that was with God at the beginning of time.

The Divine became human flesh and came to the world. This breaking in of the Divine to the earth has given us a profound spiritual insight. As human kind, we are able to build a close relationship with God. We are able to relate to God in entirely new ways that allow us to reach the Divine above. From verses 12-13, the writer further assures us that “But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of God.” We who claim Jesus as God are given the divine identity as God’s children. Human beings who live in Christ are spiritual beings fully in union with God. As a result, human beings can be transcended and transformed like Christ. Given this power, we who are faithful to God will live with grace upon grace. Nothing on earth can defeat us when we are connected to God as God’s children bearing the light and life of Christ.

2020 has been a difficult year for many people in Hong Kong. The enactment of Hong Kong National Security Law has further damaged the freedom of speech and posed increasing threat to people who have been engaged in the civil society to strive for freedom, human rights and social justice. Pro-democracy politicians and activists have gone exiled to a foreign land. Many who are worried, fearful or disappointed by the increasing political control by the government have emigrated or planned to emigrate to other countries such as Taiwan and United Kingdom. It’s estimated that more people will leave Hong Kong in this or next couple of years.

There is a deep sadness for these people who are voluntarily or involuntarily leaving their home due to political reason. Those who stay in Hong Kong are also sad to see their families and friends leaving. The sentiment now in Hong Kong is similar to Jeremiah in his time when Israel was conquered by another powerful nation.

The Book of Jeremiah has been taken as the book of consolation. The reading that we heard this morning is written to console.

Jeremiah, the prophet of Israel, writes to those who left their own home during Babylonian exile and those who stayed at their home country. Jeremiah writes to both groups a bright and hopeful future in which God will gather up them again and bring them home, because they are God’s beloved people.

Most of this passage is written in the future tense; God promises joy that will happen one day in the future. God will bring people of young and old, able and disable, male and female back home to reunion again. Jeremiah has also prophesized that God will do all this to all people from all nations. What people need right now is be patient to wait, and to wait with hope.

For people who are sad right now because they are suffering or seeing others suffering, the deep sorrow is too much to bear. They may ask how long do they have to wait for this joy coming in future? From the prophetic message of Jeremiah, the first line, however, is in the present tense, with the prophet calling on the people to sing aloud and praise shouts today for the joy that is promised in the future. It gives us insight about joy. Joy is not just about the promise in future. Joy is about NOW. Jeremiah speaks to God’s people to rejoice now by singing praises to God who is present in our life and in our world. The manifestation of joy is to sing and shout praises to God.

In the past two years, we have witnessed so many protesters and activists injured, arrested, jailed, exiled, like many people from Hong Kong who are grieving, my heart has been paining. In 2020, millions of people died of coronavirus and many people struggled with livelihood because of the economic downturn. When I prayed to God, I asked, where is the joy that you have promised to give us and for those who have been faithfully following the footstep of Jesus Christ?

One day when I went to my facebook account, by chance I watched a video about a toddler boy. He demonstrated deep love and tender care for his baby sister. He helped his mother to bring nappy to her. When his baby sister cried, he went close to her, comforting her and singing to her with a gentle voice. My heart was melted when I watched it. The pure love of this little boy to his baby sister filled my heart with joy. After this episode, I tried to pay attention to the people around me and the very small things that happened in my daily life. I then noticed that there are many things that could make my heart merry. The love and care from my family reminded me how blessed I am for God has sent these angels to me. The donations in different forms from many generous and kind people to the church have demonstrated God’s goodness in people’s hearts. The blue sky and beautiful tree outside the church reveal God’s wonderful creation. People who have been persistent in fighting for justice at the expense of their own freedom and life, encouraged me to keep up and never give up. When I focus and keep my awareness on all these goodness, my heart is gradually transformed and changed to be more positive and joyful. The story that I shared earlier about that young man who discovered that by keeping distance from the troubles and move up to a higher level and even imagine I am in the spacious sky to see things below, I have got the space to accept and embrace what have been happening. When I see life and love, I see God. Joy and hope are then regenerated again within my heart.

We are on the second Sunday after Christmas. Christmas is a time we celebrate the birth of baby Jesus. Jesus Christ, saviour of the world, came in form of baby. Baby is a sign of newness, a life full of new possibilities and new imagination. With new life, we can create and recreate many possibilities. Remember, everyday is new, every moment is new. In the new year, we are reminded that we may live a new life with new vision and new plan. A new beginning starts with a new mind set in God and with Christ. A new beginning starts to affirm: from Christ his fullness we have received, grace and upon grace, (John 1:16), regardless of our background and status (Ephesians 1:3-14). In Christ, we are all accepted and all loved. It’s the deep love of God who sent Jesus, the incarnate, to save the world.

As a new beginning in 2021, I wish we all be happy and able to lead a joyful life in the year ahead. In here, I would like to share with you my newly created ten commandments on Joy:

Joy is not an absence of sorrow,
but the presence of love.

Joy is not an absence of tears,
but the presence of care.

Joy is not an absence of difficulties,
but the presence of hope.

Joy is not an absence of wounds,
but the presence of healing.

Joy is not an absence of isolation,
but the presence of friendship.

Joy is not an absence of brokenness,
but the presence of reconciliation.

Joy is not an absence of cruelty,
but the presence of kindness.

Joy is not an absence of fear,
but the presence of peace.

Joy is not an absence of darkness,
but the presence of light.

Joy is not an absence of death,
but the presence of the Spirit.

Where there is God, there is joy.

Sharing of a beautiful song: By Gentle Power

In the year ahead, we may still face a lot of challenges. The winter is cold. But let us remember the warmth brought by the sun. Darkness is still overwhelming. But let us remember the light that shines day and night.

The God of history is still walking with her people today. The unity with Christ empowers us to know we are not alone!

To close my sermon, I would like to share this beautiful song with you – By Gentle Power.

On the 1st day of the new year, Doris, shared this song in one of our church’s whatsapp group.
The words of this song are based on a prayer written by Dietrich Bonhoeffer for his fiancee and family for Christmas and New Year’s Eve while he was in prison for his action to fight against Hitler, the dictator.
I was deeply touched by this song. My tears kept rolling across my face when I was listening.
May this song bring you comfort and light to your heart.

(Bonhoeffer wrote this prayer eight weeks before his execution and four months before the fall of the Nazi Regime. The music version of his prayer was written in 1977 by Siegfried Fietz.)

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Lyrics of the song in English

Surrounded by such true and gentle powers
So wondrously consoled and without fear,
Thus will I spend with You these final hours,
And then together enter a new year

By gentle powers lovingly surrounded,
With patience we’ll endure, let come what may.
God is with us at night and in the morning
and certainly on every future day.//

The worries of the old year still torment us.
We’re troubled still by long and wicked days.
Oh Lord, give our frightened souls the healing.
For which You’ve chastened us in many ways.

By gentle powers lovingly surrounded,
With patience we’ll endure, let come what may.
God is with us at night and in the morning
and certainly on every future day.//

Warm and bright be our candles’ flame today,
Since into gloom you brought a gleaming light,
And lead again us,if you will, together!
We know it: you are beaming in the light.

By gentle powers lovingly surrounded,
With patience we’ll endure, let come what may.
God is with us at night and in the morning
and certainly on every future day.//

# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, January 03, 2021

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