A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Forth Sunday of Easter 8 May 2022, by Rev. Phyllis Wong. The scripture readings that day were Psalm 23 and John 10:22-30.
Loving God, you are our good shepherd and we are your sheep.
May your Word guide us to walk in your ways.
May we be united as One Spirit through Christ to listen and recognize your voice. Amen!
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Happy Mother’s Day!
Today is a special day to celebrate the love of mothers and to give thanks to our mothers and those who have given us motherly love. On this special day, I miss my mom a lot!
In my sermon today, I would like to share the story of my mother with you.
Although my mother has returned to heaven with God for more than ten years, I still feel we are very closely connected. She is still part of me and I am part of her.
Biologically I carry the DNA inherited from my mother. Recently my best friend, who grew up with me and knows my mother, told me I look so much of my mom physically. Actually I find my core passion and character are so much like my mom too.
I remembered my mom shared with me one of her life experiences. She was a teenager when the second world war broke out. She said the Japanese soldiers went to the villages, took the young girls and raped them. Many people died; others were injured and starved during the war. During this time of darkness, she liked to go to the riverside and make paper boats. (My mom was very good at origami) She would put the origami boats into the water as a ritual to pray for peace and seek blessing to the world and those who were suffering. I asked my mom, why did you do that? She said, “We can’t live a good life if many others are living a harsh life.” I felt her deep compassion for others who are suffering. She showed me that she cared for common good and shared humanity. I chose social work as my profession and career after my graduation from university. My heart has been always struck by people who are poor and vulnerable. I always have a strong desire to help others. I believe that my strong sense of compassion for those in need is inherited from my mom.
My mom gave birth to ten children, two died not long after they were born. Amongst the eight children who survived, 6 are female and 2 are male. My mother was born and raised in a male dominated culture. Boys were more valued than girls. My mother (actually my father also) was very open minded and treated girls and boys equally. All her children were given equal opportunity to go to school. After I was awarded the Honour’s Diploma in social work and worked for two years, I asked my mother to help me financially for my further study to do a master's degree in UK. My mom agreed and gave the support to me without any hesitation. When a neighbour learned about this, they commented : “Why do you give money to your daughter for further education? Girls will marry someone after all.” My mom’s response was profound to me. She said, “isn’t a girl also a human being?” I really admired my mother’s progressive thinking and thankful for her gender equal mentality that had given me such a privilege for higher education. I trust that my passion in advocating for a gender equal society is passed on from my mother.
Another episode reminded me of my mom’s love and respect to life, not only to human beings but also to animals.
We had a dog when I was a teenager. Her name was Do Do. Do Do loved to go out and play with other dogs in a park close to where we lived. One day when Do Do was out by herself, a government department responsible for taking away dogs without their owners’ company in the public areas caught her. If the owner of the pets did not go to the Department to pay a fine and claims them back, the Department would kill them. When my mom learned about it, she went to the Department to pay the fine and take Do Do back home. Do you know how much was the fine at that time? Now the fine for not wearing a mask is HK$5,000. If you do not do the mandatory testing required by the government, the fine is HK$25,000. It is very harsh indeed. How about the fine for letting your pet wandering around? Honestly I forgot the amount of the fine my mom had to pay at that time. But it should be quite a lot. My mom used to be very careful in spending money as the financial burden was huge with a big family of 8 children. My mom said our dog was pregnant at that time. If Do Do was killed, it was very bad as it would not only the mother who died but also a number of her children within her womb. My mom could not accept it. So she took the trouble to go to the place where the Department kept our dog and paid the fine.
I did not feel anything at that time. But after I learned more and more about animal’s rights and how many pets have been abandoned by their owners, I started to appreciate my mom’ kindness towards animals. What’s in her mind and heart was her love and care to our pet and her deep respect to life. Animal life is also life, precious creature from God.
In today’s gospel account taken from John, Jesus said, “The Father and I are one.”
He told the Jews who were suspicious to his identity as God’s sent Son and Messiah, the works that he did in his Father’s name testify to him.
What had Jesus done?
Jesus healed the sick and the blind, casted out demons, embraced the outcasts, fed the hungry, and forgave those who betrayed him, denied him and even persecuted him. When he rose again from the dead, he went to share peace with his disciples who were in fear and sorrow….
Jesus came to give life, a life in full and eternality.
Jesus Christ, the incarnate, living with blood and flesh on earth. God is someone we can see, hear, touch and feel. But we need to have spiritual awakening to know God’s presence.
Our God is embodied in the world. God reveals himself in Jesus Christ and all who lives a life of love. Where there is love, there is God.
I have not met Jesus personally. But in the life of my mother, I see God, the One who is full of compassion and care for life without discrimination. In a way, I see Christ in my mother. The life of my mother and my relationship with her have inspired me to understand the lesson Jesus taught on : The Father and I are one.
I translate and adapt Jesus’ faith statement - The Father and I are one to “my mother and I are one.”
Jesus in his message shared his sheep hear his voice, he knew them and they followed him.
I heard my mother’s voice, she knew me and I followed her footsteps on love and compassion. It is the life of Christ in essence.
God is the Spirit and Life of eternal. God is love. This truth is manifested in Jesus Christ, the incarnate. This truth is revealed in my mother. So the true essence of our God is beyond gender, age, culture, race, nationality, level of intelligence. God is formless.
As I am able to see God in my mother and my deep relationship with her, we can see God in different kinds of relationship and in people’s visible and invisible acts. In this connection, Jesus’s proclamation of “The Father and I are One” is no longer a statement, but a truth that we can all claim.
The true essence of God can be revealed through our lives. When we are able to live a life of love and with honesty, we are in oneness with God, with Christ. When we are in one with God, the Father and Mother, we will automatically shine the light of Christ even without our knowing.
My mother was baptized a few years before she died. All the actions of love and kindness I mentioned above were before her profession of faith in Jesus. What does it tell? My mother who was born in fresh bore the holy image of God right at the beginning even before she knew Jesus Christ as a religion. All human beings are spiritual beings carrying God’s divine life. On earth we can live a godly life and we should live a godly life.
Jesus came to make us aware of it and he came to reconnect us to God. We are still in the season of Easter. Jesus’ risen from the dead reminds us that the essence of resurrection is - we are forever connected to God. To be truly Easter people and live a life of resurrection, we should proclaim with faith and joy – The Father and I are One; the Mother and I are One! Alleluia!
Closing prayer
Loving and living God,
Thank you for giving us precious life. We thank you for your tender love revealed through our own mothers, and others like our aunties, teachers, pastors and anyone who have offered motherly love.
May we always listen to your voice through Jesus Christ and those who show us compassion. May we faithfully follow Christ and live a life of love, light and joy.
May our oneness in you bear fruits to glory your holy name. Amen!
# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, May 08, 2022
