A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Pentecost Sunday 6 June 2021, by Phyllis Wong . The scripture reading that day were Psalm 138 and Mark 3:20-35.
Opening prayer
Loving and living God,
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable and pleasing to you. Amen!
The gospel reading taken from Mark is talking about Jesus’ understanding and his practice of what a family is all about.
The text tells us that Jesus called his disciples and then he formed a new community to serve those in need. He healed the sick and casted out evil spirits. His good deeds had attracted a lot of people going to seek help from him. He and his disciples worked very hard, day and night.
Jesus’ popularity was criticized by those who did not accept him. They said that he was crazy and called out his family members and tried to stop him.
When Jesus’s mother, brothers and sisters went to see him, not only did Jesus not come out from the house to see them. He said something very unusual.
3:33 And he replied, "Who are my mother and my brothers?"
3:34 And looking at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers!
3:35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."
To you, how would you describe kinship/family?
I would say Jesus’ definition of family is very radical. And his way to live a family life is remarkable.
He regarded those who were there with him serving together and being served as his family members. Jesus said in 3:35 “Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."
Jesus has built a new community, in which people have no biological relationship, are living together like a family, loving and serving one other and doing the will of God.
That is probably why in church, believers of Christ call each other sisters and brothers.
Jesus said, “Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."
What is the will of God?
- The will of God is to love. The greatest commandment has informed us the most important part of God’s will : To love God and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
- For the will of God, I will add this: “To do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with our God.” (Micah 6:8)
Today in our church we have added new members. The gospel reading is just timely for us to reflect and to remember Jesus’ profound words and deeds in building a Christian family in a narrow sense, the kindom of God in a broader sense.
The sermon title: Making of God’s Kindom on earth.
It is Kindom and not Kingdom. It is not a spelling mistake. It is intentional. We don’t need a king to rule over the world and God’s creation. What we need is kinship, kindom is a world built of relationship but not of power and control. As church and Christ’s disciples, what we are called to do is to create kindom where people are loving and accepting each other as who they are, respecting and helping each other, serving together the poor and the lowly.
It is sad to see so many people not even accepted and loved by their own families for various reasons. For church, God’s kindom, we are there to receive, to accept and to love as sisters and brothers.
Jesus has called the church to share the good news and baptise people, and teach them whatever he has taught the disciples.
To be baptised is to join the body of Christ, a new community that focuses on God.
I would thus encourage the newly baptised sisters and brothers and all who have been baptised to remember our identity as Jesus’ family member in God’s kindom. We have to live a faithful life following the will of God.
Psalm 138:6 says “For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly; but the haughty he perceives from far away.”
That is again another great reminder of the church to stand with the weak, the marginalized and the minorities as we are building the kindom according to the will of God.
To live a life according to the will of God is not an easy mission. We would face different challenges.
Let’s look at Jesus. When he was doing what God had asked him to do and fulfil his mission on earth, he was attacked by those who were opposed to him. They said that he was possessed by demons. And his power was coming from the evil spirits.
When we are doing something good and righteous to defend the weak and the lowly, we may be criticized and demonised by others.
This reminded me of my personal experience. I was criticized and labelled as a problematic pastor because I accepted and embrace gay, lesbian and transgender people as who they are in God’s beautiful creation.
The Catholic Church that recently organized Mass in their parish for the commemoration of the dead on the 4th of June was demonised as a cult.
In creating God’s Kindom to preserve life, dignity, freedom and justice, we have to be strong and courageous to prepare for all kinds of possible attack and criticism.
The Old Testament reading from Psalm 130:7 is great to assure us that :
138:7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me.
May the word of God today strengthen us and keep us.
We are facing a very difficult and challenging political and social realities with the National Security Law and the Global Pandemic that have generated a lot of uncertainties, worries, anxieties and fear. Within the church, we also face challenges as we are people with differences in many different ways.
Ministers and church leaders indeed have additional pressure and burden when we are faithfully following the will of God and walk with Christ in his way of truth and life.
But we know we are not alone, God is with us and we are with each other.
As long as we stay strong in the unity of Christ and in the steadfast love of God, no demon can defeat us. Let us bear this in mind and live out this faith together by building a strong community of Christ.
Psalm (138:8) also reminds that it is God, the steadfast love, who fulfil his purpose for us. All human works are carried out for the sake of God. We as church are doing God’s will and to make the Kindom of love and peace for all.
In creating God’s kindom, I remember a man whose story I would like to share.
This is an old man over 80 years. He walked to the church one day with a walking stick two years ago. He spoke to Maggie and me. He shared that he has noticed our church and what we have been doing. He said he will make a donation to our church. After a short period of time we received a cheque of HK$100,000 in support of people who are in need. When our city and all over the world has been affected so much by the pandemic, he wrote to us and sent us another cheque to support us. Just last week, I receive from him another cheque to support the church ministry. This donor is a Christian. The generosity of this man reveals God’s endorsement to our work. It is great encouragement. Although this man is not a member of our congregation, but he is definitely a family member of the church in Christ. We share the same kindom in God.
Before I finish my sermon, I would like to close with these words from Jesus: "Who are my mother and my brothers?"
And looking at those who sat around him, he said, "Here are my mother and my brothers!
3:35 Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother."
I now invite you all to look around you and say in your heart: Here are my mother, my brothers and my sisters in God’s kindom.
Let us pray:
Thank you God for your word and for your spirit of love.
Thank you for the spiritual family that you have given us through Jesus. Strengthen us and transform us. Amen!
END
# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, June 06, 2021
