Reflections...

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Sixth Sunday After Pentecost 17 July 2022, by Justine Wong. The scripture readings that day were Colossians 1:15-28 and Luke 10:38-42. 

Good morning sisters and brothers. It is such a joy and honor to share God's words with my KUC family. 

For those who may not know me, my name is Justine Wong, and I was the seminary intern at KUC a few years ago! I was present among you all for about a year, a year full of blessings and learning. May we continue to grow and learn from each another through the word of God. 

Let's us pray. Dear God, thank you for the words and messages you have given us. May we have opening hearts to listen, to ponder and to response. May the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you. In Jesus name we pray, Amen. 

Today we will focus on the gospel reading, which talks about Jesus 

visiting Martha and Mary. 

Luke 10:38-42 - 

38. 38  Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village where a woman 

named Martha welcomed him. 

39. 39  She had a sister named Mary, who sat at Jesus’s feet and listened to what he was 

saying. 

40. 40  But Martha was distracted by her many tasks, so she came to him and asked, 

“Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? 

Tell her, then, to help me.” 

41. 41  But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by 

many things, 

42. 42  but few things are needed—indeed only one. Mary has chosen the better part, 

which will not be taken away from her.” 

I think this story is not new to us. Who do you think is the main 

character of this story? Jesus, Martha, or Mary? In my opinion, Martha is the main character, as she was introduced and got the most descriptions in the story. 

1

Every story has some kind of conflict or problem that the main character faced, what is the problem of Martha? The scripture tells us that: 

Firstly, Martha was distracted by her many tasks. While she was so busy, her sister Mary was not helping! So Martha seek help from Jesus, but the Lord said that Martha was worried and distracted. 

The scripture did not record what the reaction and response of Martha was. If you were Martha, how would you feel? I think I would be quite upset and angry. I was doing my best to serve the guests, and it was indeed more appropriate for women to stay in the kitchen than to sit with the guests in that culture. I was trying to remind Mary of her role, why would Jesus said I was worried and distracted? It does not make sense! 

Personally, I feel pity for Martha. She was always used as a bad example of worrying too much or too busy with her life. When we hear this story, that’s always the conclusion. As we live in Hong Kong, I think we can relate to Martha more than Mary. We seldom have time to go for a retreat, leaving all our tasks behind and just listen to the Lord. This is luxury, we can’t always get away and just spend time with God. In reality, we are all like Martha, busy with our lives. So what can we learn from this story? 

Martha’s intention was very good, she opened her home and welcomed Jesus. She has a loving and serving heart. However, she was using her own judgement and method to serve the Lord, making herself busy, occupied and distracted, and this is not what Jesus really want. 

2

The story before this passage is the parable of the Good Samaritan, which tries to answer the question, “who is my neighbor?" While the priest and Levite may have reasons to ignore the injured traveler, the Samaritan is the only one who showed mercy to the injured, acting as a real neighbor. Jesus valued this kind of wholehearted serving, the real presence with the needy, and the genuine care for the hurt. Serving is about meeting the needs of others, not just performing out of one’s agenda. 

I recently moved into a new apartment in June, and I have hosted a few housewarming gatherings, so I understand there are lots of preparations beforehand. You need to clean up and prepare food etc. Most of the time I just have hot drinks at home, but in weather like this, I would prepare cool drinks for my guests. I won’t force my guests to follow my habits. 

And when the guests arrived, the most important thing is no longer the preparations! When the guests arrive your home, you start to receive them, show them around and talk to them! I won’t sweep the floor when my guests are here! When they are present, you need to be present too! 

If we look up "present" as an adjective in the dictionary, it means "fully focused on or involved in what one is doing or experiencing." This is the kind of quality time we would like to spend with others. Was Martha “present” with Jesus? She served the Lord and even talked to Him, but she wasn’t really present. 

Just like when you have lunch or dinner with someone, but that person is always looking at their phone. Does this sound familiar to you? You two maybe eating together, but that’s not real present. 

3

This leads to another meaning of the word “present”. If we understand "present" as a verb, it means “formally introduce (someone) to someone else.” How did Martha “present” herself? Martha present herself as a responsible host, so she did whatever she can to display hospitality. She acted as a good host to welcome Jesus. 

But what did Jesus want? Did Jesus want her to be a good host, or a good friend? Or even a good student? Most of us indeed like Martha. We tried to do a lot of things to please others, and also to please God. We present ourselves as a certain role, using our own ways. Do we really know what God want from us? 

“Present”, if we see it as a noun, it means “the period of time now occurring.” Present is now. Do we know what we supposed to do now? There are important things and urgent things in our lives, but sometimes we mix up our priorities. We tend to fix all the urgent things first, but neglecting the important things. Did Martha choose to do the right thing at the right time? 

We always think that we can do this and that LATER, maybe when we are less busy, when we are retired, or after our kids grow up. Important thing like body check or dentist appointment always got pushed back. We always have excuses to delay our agenda, and eventually we forgot what we supposed to do. If we fail to live at the present moment, we may regret our decisions in the future. The story of Martha remind us to think through our priorities, and choose to do what is important at the moment. 

4

Finally, another meaning of “present” as a noun is “a thing given to someone as a gift.” Do we see spending time with one another as a “present”? I think we experience this more during the pandemic, when we can’t take worshipping together or eating together for granted. We need to treasure our time together. Do we treasure our time with Jesus as well? Do we always feel His presence? 

This leads to our New Testament reading today.
Colossians 1:15-20 –
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation,
17 He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross. 

Jesus is a great present for us. Not only He is the image of the invisible God, we can only reconcile with God through Him, thus enjoying God’s presence, peace and provision. 

I have this magnet in my office which display the story we just read today. Take a moment to look at it, which character do you relate most? 

While Jesus was teaching, Mary sat at His feet and listened to what he was saying. She was engaging and enjoying the presence of Jesus. Her mind and heart were focused, and Jesus said she has chosen the better part. 

On the other hand, when you look at Martha, her body and her hands were not facing Jesus ---although she tried to look at Jesus. She was worried and distracted by her many tasks. 

5

In verse 42 Jesus said, ”but few things are needed—indeed only one.” This story is not about honoring listening and underrating action or service, it’s a story about many and one. 

While Mary was focused on doing one important thing, Martha was distracted by her many tasks and many things. She was not present. She has excessive anxiety and worries, because she wants excessive control. Things should happened according to what Martha thinks. Her will is stronger than God’s will, even when Jesus was present. That’s where the problem lies, and that’s where priorities go wrong. 

Let me conclude with a quote from A.W. Tozer. 

“The reason why many are still troubled,
still seeking, still making little forward progress
is because they haven't yet come to the end of themselves. We're still trying to give orders,
and interfering with God's work within us. ” 

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Fifth Sunday After Pentecost 10 July 2022, by Rev. Phyllis Wong. The scripture readings that day were Deuteronomy 30:9-14 and Luke 10:25-37

Who is the Good Samaritan? 

The gospel account about the parable of the Good Samaritan taken from Luke 10:25-37 today is a very familiar story.

 

The story begins with a question from a lawyer of the Jewish community, a religious leader in interpreting the Jewish laws and commandments. He asked Jesus: "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

 

Jesus was smart to know that the lawyer was going to test him. Instead of answering the question directly, he asked the law expert in return, “what is written in the law? What do you read there?"

 

The expert was of course able to give a very good answer - "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself." Jesus acknowledged that he had given the right answer, and told him just do it and you will live. 

 

When the lawyer asked a further question: “Who is my neighbour?", Jesus shared the story about a Samaritan and how he helped the person who was robbed, stripped, beaten and left half dead. Both the priest and Levite who passed by saw the wounded man but moved on. It was a Samaritan who was moved with pity after seeing that man, took actions to help him. He bandaged his wounds and brought him to an inn, took care of him and paid for his rent. He even promised to come back after his trip to see the man and pay for all the charges from the inn. 

What is the lesson we learn from this gospel account?

People from church always quote this scripture and share this story of the Good Samaritan as our basis to love and care for our neighbours.

 

My sermon title today is “Who is the Good Samaritan?” The answer seems straight forward. The Samaritan was good as he cared for the person who was a victim of violence, losing his money and almost his life as he was badly wounded. Out of compassion, the Samaritan gave his time, his skills, his transportation means and his money to help this stranger. But the Good Samaritan story has a deeper meaning for us to learn.

 

First of all, I would like to clarify the definition and understanding of the word “neighbour” in the ancient Jewish community. “Neighbours” were not referring to those who live next to our house like today. To them, neighbours were the people they knew. Neighbours could be an ally and people they were close to. 

Obviously the Samaritan treated this stranger with deep mercy. This is Jesus’s first breakthrough in defining neighbours as opposed to the ancient Jewish tradition. 

 

For Christians and the Church, we don’t just help those we know and feel close to. We offer our support to anyone who is in great trouble or who may bring to us trouble and cost our time and resources. 

 

There are times I heard some churches refusing to help some people because they don’t know them well. The Samaritan did not know the person who was wounded. But what made him take actions was that he came near to the person and when he saw him as a person he was moved with pity. When we are able to see another person as a human being who is like us and is God’s beloved child, that changes our heart and our attitude, then we are the Good Samaritan.

 

 

After Jesus finished the story, he asked the Lawyer, “which of these three – the priest, the Levite or the Samaritan, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?"

 

Jesus’s question was different from that of the Lawyer. Can you tell the difference?

 

The Lawyer asked Jesus: “Who is my neighbor”. The Lawyer was defining a neighbour as someone waiting to receive love and help from him.

 

Jesus turned it around and defined a neighbour as the one, like the Good Samaritan, willing to provide care and support for a person who is in need. 

 

To Jesus, it is more important to be a neighbour to someone who is in need than to know who is our neighbour that is waiting for our loving care. Knowing who is our neighbour does not necessarily make us do the good deeds.

Jews and Samaritans had been enemies for decades. Jews did not respect Samaritans. They regarded them as impure as they were born with mixed blood. Samaritans were second class people in the eyes of the Jews.  

 

When Jesus highlighted that the Samaritan was the neighbour to the wounded man in the parable, he challenged the Jews to regard their enemies and those they look down upon as their neighbours as well, to love them as the commandment required.

 

Jesus redefined what neighbourhood is all about.

It is not those who are close to us or our ally.

Neighbours can be just strangers. Neighbours can be someone we don’t like or even our enemies. 

 

When Jesus talked about “love your neighbours” as the most important commandment to the Jewish community, he reminded us and taught us this: to remove labels, stereotypes and rejections to the people we don’t like or accept because of our fixed belief, cultural barriers and or unpleasant encounters with them in the past. By doing so, we are then able to live out the true essence of loving our neighbours as ourselves. By doing so, we are able to be the good Samaritan and to inherit eternal life.

 

It is very challenging indeed to love your neighbour if that person is someone who may bring you troubles and put you at risk of losing your money, status and power like the priest and Levite who refused to help the wounded because they have to protect themselves not to be contaminated by a person who was half dead.

 

The story about the Good Samaritan does not simply set a model for the church and Christians to follow.  Sometimes, to love and care for those who are obvious victims in need of help may not be difficult. But to take risk to care for those who are labelled, marginalized and discriminated against by the mainstream systems and the authorities who have power to stop you doing so with consequences is not an easy decision. 

 

In today’s world, do you see anyone or particular communities who have been robbed and wounded by physical or psychological violence? Would they be refugees and asylum seekers? Migrant domestic workers? Sex workers? Sexual minorities? Protestors seeking for a more humane and equal society? Are we willing to come closer to them and to see them with God’s heart so we are able to care for them with compassionate love and concrete actions like the Good Samaritan? 

 

To close my sermon, I would like to go back to the first question from the Lawyer to Jesus:  "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"

 

The story has reminded Christians and the Church, to inherit eternal life is not just to believe in Jesus Christ and take him as our saviour and then we earn a place in heaven after we die. This is a very narrow understanding of the gospel. No, to receive eternal life is not just simply be a believer. Jesus taught us that eternal life is an inheritance, a gift, a blessing, that we can enjoy here and now. The eternal life is fullness of life that need to be shared with others. We need to take actions with mercy and help every human heart enjoy God’s gladness and abundance. 

 

This is not easy and yet this is not as difficult as suggested by the author in the book of Deuteronomy that we heard today. All that require of us is to turn to the LORD our God with all our heart and with all our soul. 

 

Who is the Good Samaritan? Good Samaritan is an individual or a community who love the Lord God with all their heart, and with all their soul, and with all their strength, and with all their mind. With the deep love in God through Christ to make breakthrough in life, the Good Samaritan is the good neighbour who loves and cares for others wholeheartedly.  

 

May God bless us and guide us to be the Good Samaritan. Amen!