Reflections...

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on 27 November 2022, by Rev. Phyllis Wong. The scripture readings that day were Isaiah 2:1-5, Matthew 24:36-44.

Longing for the Light  

Dear God, 

 

Thank you for coming to the world in human flesh, sharing with us your life and love. May your Living Word inspire us and transform us through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen!

 

******

 

Today is the 1^st Sunday of Advent. We are here to celebrate the new liturgical year of the church.

 

It has been KUC’s tradition to clean and decorate the church to prepare for the season of Advent.

 

You have seen a refreshed church with banners hung on the walls, Advent wreath on the communion table, lights and photos of KUC members old and new on the Christmas tree, a real tree that you may smell the freshness of the plant. 

 

The lights hung on the panel and around the Christmas trees are very beautiful. Last night Pastor Maggie shared a beautiful photo of the sanctuary with the twinkling lights. I took one photo also and now I shared with you.     

 

The KUC Worship Advisory Group has taken “Longing for the Light” as the theme for Advent this year. The image of light in the sanctuary aligns with the theme. 

 

The world we are living today is full of darkness. The ongoing wars in Ukraine and the political unrest in Iran that has lasted for two months, the never-ending unjust persecutions and oppressions in many parts of the world, many people suffering from illness and loneliness, the Covid pandemic has made many lives difficult. Many people and the mother earth have been suffering in pain. We need the Light that shines to bring hope, peace and love. 

 

Jesus, the incarnated God came to the world and he said, “I am the Light of the world”. As Jesus’ disciples, we are called to follow the way of Christ – to be the light like him. 

 

The theme is timely to help Jesus’ followers to reflect on our life and faith in a deeper spiritual way, as we are preparing for Christmas and a new church year.

 

The word “advent” derives from the Latin word adventus meaning “coming” or “arrival”. As the Latin translation of the Greek word parousia, it is a reference to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Jesus has come for the first time and that’s why we have Christmas for celebration.

 

But have you ever thought about these questions?

 

Why did God come in the form of human flesh, mortal and vulnerable as a baby?

 

Why did God come to suffer and die?

 

How can a vulnerable and suffering God save us and the world?

 

Advent is a special season for Christians to slow down and reflect on the real meaning of Christmas – the birth of Jesus, the son of God who came to the world to love and save. Another reflection is on the second coming of Jesus Christ. The saviour is not just the God in the past. The eternal God who is living beyond time and space is still speaking to us now.

 

In today’s first Sunday of Advent, God speaks to us through the Word from the scriptures.

 

The words of the ancient prophet taken from the Book of Isaiah reminded the Israelites to walk in God’s way, to walk in the light, to choose peace instead of war in the midst military attack by other nations surrounding them. 

 

Can we do that in our time? Can we keep longing for God, for Christ, the Light who is the Prince of Peace? Jesus Christ did not use violence to fight back when he was attacked and even tortured. Jesus is a real peacemaker. Can we follow what Jesus did? 

 

Advent is a time of waiting. Waiting for the coming of Christ who will bring a new heaven and new earth.

 

That is why in the season of Advent, we light the candles of hope, peace, joy and love. These are the promise and qualities that Jesus Christ has brought and will continue to bring to us and the world.

 

In the gospel reading taken from Matthew, the image of the Lord’s coming is a bit disturbing as He comes all of a sudden. Someone close to you would be disappeared suddenly. Followers are told that no one know when the Lord will come. The challenge for disciples to prepare for the coming of the Lord is to stay alert. We cannot take life casually and lightly. As followers of Christ, we need to well prepare and to live a life close to God, and walk in Christ’s way.

 

The parable of the thieves reminds us too we need to be alert of anything in life that may take away our heart from God. The manifestation of the thief could be different to different people. For some people, the thief comes in a form of illness and physical pain, they complain to God why is it me who suffers? Some could be facing a thief like unjust suffering due to poverty and persecution that beat down disciples’ trust in God, they asked where is justice in the world? Some other thieves could be money, power, social status and success that grow ego in people’s heart and they see God no more. 

 

The gospel reading today remind us to be prepared for all kinds of uncertainty in life and stay alert to the temptation and attacks that may come to our home and our heart like a thief.

 

Let me give you a bit more of the gospel background. In early church, Christians experienced disappointment and loss of faith when their expectation to the Lord’s second coming had not been fulfilled in a time of very difficult life situation – the temple was destroyed, they were persecuted under the rule of the Roman Empire, their lives were shattered and torn. The author had to write something to encourage the community at the time. 

 

Therefore it is not wise and even dangerous if we do nothing but just passively waiting in a time of darkness. We need to be alert!

In the season of Advent as we wait, I invite you to take the advice from Prophet Isaiah who had reminded his people to go to the mountain and to receive the teaching and the word of God. I encourage sisters and brothers to spend more time to pray and be with God and stay close to Christ.  An online Advent devotional booklet was recommended to you for daily devotional here in church. Some hard copies were printed for those who do not have access to internet or prefer hard copy. 

 

The candle of hope is lit in today’s first Sunday Advent Service.

 

In the Advent litany, the first voice said: We are people of hope!

 

May we start our journey of Advent by proclaiming aloud:

 

Jesus Christ, the Light of the world. We are longing for you, the Light! Brighten us and make us the people of hope, of peace, of joy and of love! Amen!

 

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on 20 November 2022, by Rev. Judy Chan. The scripture readings that day were Jeremiah 23:1-6, Colossians 1:11-20, Luke 23:33-43.

Your Kingdom Come

Good morning.  Back in the 1970s, a seminary professor was teaching a class on the life of Jesus. There were around 30 students. He gave each a blank index card. Then he asked them to write down a word or phrase they thought captures the essence of Jesus’ teaching and ministry. What’s the one absolutely essential thing we need to grasp to understand the gospels?

The most popular response was “Love”. Then “Forgiveness”. One bright student even wrote “Justification by Faith.” But only 3 students gave what the professor said was the correct answer. And that was: “The Kingdom of God”. (Did any of you have that in mind?)

The professor was Gordon Fee, a renowned N.T. scholar. He justified his answer by telling us to look through the first three Gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke. There we find more references to the “Kingdom of God” than anything else. It is central to Jesus’ message. 

But why is the Kingdom of God so important? Some Christians would say the term is too male-oriented and imperialistic. So, they take out the letter “g” to make the word ‘kin-dom’.  Kin-dom reflects the kind of society God intends, where all are equal and related to one another. We’re all kinfolk, so to speak, not by blood but as brothers and sisters in the body of Christ and as the people of God.

Kingdom or Kin-dom: I think both words are good. But since today is Christ the King Sunday, let me focus on the original term. I want to explain what the Kingdom of God means in the biblical context and why it’s so essential to the mission of Jesus Christ. 

In biblical times, the word “kingdom” was easily understood. After all, that’s the political reality most people lived under as subjects of Kings and Kingdoms. If a ruler’s territory expanded to several countries and cultures, you could call him an Emperor with an Empire. 

When the Bible speaks of the Kingdom of God, however, it’s something completely different. Kingdom in this case is not defined by geography. It’s not a category of space or place. The Kingdom of God, says Gordon Fee, belongs to the category of time, specifically the time when God will reign over the whole earth and the affairs of humankind. A time when God will crush the enemies of Israel forever and restore justice and peace to all creation.[1]

This coming of the Kingdom of God was promised to the people of Israel and throughthe people of Israel from the very start. It’s what gave every faithful Jew hope in the midst of despair – that a godly Jewish ruler would come at long last to usher in the Kingdom. And when He comes, He will triumph with power, majesty and glory. From East to West, North to South, everyone will bow down to the King of Kings. Everyone will know that our God reigns!

Does this kind of language sound familiar? Yes, it’s the way Christians talk about God and the Kingdom too. So, let’s not be so quick to judge the people in Jesus’ time. Because if you really think about it, Jesus of Nazareth was the opposite of everything anyone would expect of a king. And when I say anyone, that includes the Jewish leaders, the Roman authorities, the man or woman on the street, and sometimes even the followers of Jesus themselves. I mean, if Jesus really was the King of the Jews, why didn’t His own people recognize Him? If Jesus really was God’s anointed, why didn’t He overthrow the powers that oppressed God’s people? If Jesus really was the long-awaited Messiah, why did He die a failure instead of a hero?

Why? Because the very things that offended people most about Jesus were actually the very things required to bring forth the Kingdom of God. Scholars call it the “great reversal”. We see it in everything Jesus was teaching and preaching and living out since Day 1. The first shall be last, the last shall be first; the rich shall be made poor, and the poor rich; prostitutes are closer to the Kingdom than the righteous, to live one must first die, to be great is to be the servant of all.  The Great Reversal.

And it all comes to a climax on a hill called Calvary. That’s why we read the story of the Crucifixion today on Christ the King Sunday. It might seem strange to go back to the passion of Jesus on the last Sunday of the church year. But what better place to view the ultimate reversal of reversals?  As theologian W. Paul Jones says, here we have “the king fit for a palace ‘reign’ over a garbage heap called the Skull. His entourage … criminals on each side; his finest wine … vinegar; the court games … dice for his own garments; his ‘adoring’ courtiers … scoffers and mockers; his throne is a cross, his coronation is his death” [2] and to complete the humiliation, a homemade sign overhead saying ‘This is the King of the Jews.’

This is the King of the Jews…and this is how God became King – in and through Jesus Christ. And, funny enough, it involves all those answers the seminary students gave at the beginning of the sermon – namely, love, forgiveness and yes, justification by faith.

Isn’t it ironic that the first person to recognize Christ as King was a condemned criminal in his final moments? Maybe we shouldn’t be surprised. After all, this is the upside down Kingdom of God.  But how exactly did it happen? How did the least and the last in that society become the first to receive the promise of salvation?  Exactly the same way you and I receive that promise.  

How? 

1.    Through Jesus, who was willing to be condemned with the guilty even though He himself was blameless. 

2.    Through confession that we deserve our punishment and turning to the only One who can save us.

3.    Through Christ the King, who even from the Cross, had royal authority to pardon and set us free for eternity. 

Through Jesus, through confession, through Christ the King. 

As I said, that’s exactly how you and I also receive the promise of salvation. Now we may think: surely, we’re a bit better than convicted criminals! Maybe, but remember entering the Kingdom of God not only requires repentance and faith. It also requires that we be crucified with Christ. The Kingdom of God not only requires repentance and faith. It also requires that we be crucified with Christ. 

I think whoever designed this church building believed that too. One of the most striking things to me about our KUC sanctuary is this Cross mounted front and center. Have you ever really looked at it? What do you see? There’s the Cross of Christ of course. And then there’s a crown, a royal crown of thorns for our King. And then you can see there’s not just one cross but two others, one on each side in the shadow. I don’t think that’s just an artistic touch. That’s the way it should be.

Episcopal preacher Barbara Brown Taylor tells a marvelous story that makes the same point. She says she used to regularly drive by a hill in the countryside in the springtime. The first time she passed that highway, there were three upright poles in the ground, the middle one around 10 feet tall, with two shorter poles on either side around 6 feet tall. The next time she drove by, the crossbeams had been added. A few days later, they were painted white, and finally a purple cloth was draped over the center cross. Yes, the three crosses of Calvary. But she thought what a lot of work for someone! Why didn’t they just stop with one cross – it conveys the same basic message, doesn’t it?

Then she realized, no, that’s not true. One cross is not the same message as three crosses. “One cross makes a crucifix; three crosses make a church.”  In other words, the Savior hangs on the middle cross. But we are all hanging on the other two.[3]   And how we respond to the ‘man in the middle’ makes all the difference in the world.

So, on this Christ the King Sunday, let us never forget we follow a crucified King. And if we follow a crucified king, that means we must also become a crucified church. Are we ready for that? I don’t know about you, but that’s scary to me. To suffer is one thing, that’s inevitable in life. But to be crucified for the sake of the Kingdom and the kin-dom of God is something else.  I confess, Lord, I am not that holy!

So where does that leave someone like me? Not just at the foot of the Cross, but on the Cross by our Savior. On the Cross by our Savior with the only words He needs to hear: ‘Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom. Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom.’ This is a sinner’s only hope today, tomorrow and finally at the hour of our death. Jesus, remember me, when you come into your kingdom. Say it, sing it, again and again, and let it be your prayer and mine now and forever. Amen.

 

A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on 06 November 2022, by Rev. Phyllis Wong. The scripture readings that day were Psalm 145:1-5, Proverbs 3:9-10 and Matthew 25:14-30.

God of love and faithfulness,

May your Word touch our heart and deepen our faith. May the Holy Spirit enlighten us and transform us to be a more responsible steward of God. 

 

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable and pleasing to You oh God, our saviour and liberator. Amen!

 

***

The Church has designated this week as Stewardship Sunday.

 

Call for Stewardship has been a tradition by many churches in HK and beyond. In KUC, it has been a practice arranged annually to encourage church members to make pledges to give faithfully, lovingly and generously, not only money (the financial gift), but our time and our talents to the church.

 

For some years, we did not have Stewardship Sunday. We revived it last year. This year we arrange it again with a pledge form printed for members to consider areas of ministries they would like to participate and financial contribution to give to the church. 

 

What is stewardship?

Stewardship begins with God and God’s creation.  

 

Genesis 1:26, it says -

Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”

The scripture in Genesis has laid the foundation on stewardship - when God created the world, he has entrusted human beings to take charge and take responsibility for caring for all creatures.

Stewardship is thus the will of God proclaimed right at the beginning when the world was created.

When God entrusted human beings to take care of the world, it implied God has deep trust on human beings of what they can do. With this trust, God has expectations upon humankind. Stewardship implies we are God’s co-workers and working partners. It is a very privileged and honourable invitation.  

 

As a church community, we centre our life in Jesus Christ. We are called by Jesus to follow his footstep to advance the Kingdom of God. After his death, Jesus’s followers built up churches to witness to him. All disciples including you and me, are required to take care of the household of the faith community – the church, in order to achieve the mission of God that Jesus has started on earth. 

 

All people who are created in God’s holy image are given talents and gifts to do the work of God. Being the steward of God is an inherited duty. Stewardship is also a natural response for the disciples of Jesus Christ.

 

For Christians who have baptized and joined the Church, they pledged to serve Jesus and the world by engaging in ministries through the church. 

 

Stewardship Sunday is to remind sisters and brothers in Christ our calling from God and our pledge to Jesus as a faith community. 

 

Stewardship Sunday is to re-dedicate ourselves to the service of God. 

 

My sermon title today is “Am I a responsible steward?”

 

My intention is to help sisters and brothers to reflect on the importance and our attitude being God’s stewards. 

 

Am I a responsible steward?

 

A responsible steward must put God as the first priority. 

 

The key of stewardship is our life centring in GOD, which means our motivation of serving and working are for God and not for our own self-interest, not even for the interest of the church as an organization or institution.

 

If a church is established only for the sake of growth in number of membership without caring for people’s well-being and soul, it is NOT responsible stewardship. Good stewardship is able to connect people to the love of God and to unite people with joy and trust. Good and responsible stewardship is not about building a big church to honour earthly leaders or to make people feel good.

 

For KUC has been a small congregation with less than 100 official members. Quite a number of sisters and brothers who are active in serving the church are not necessarily registered church members. We have been very organic and appreciate flexibility. This allows our community which is very diverse to enrich one other with different initiatives from members and friends who join the community. The welcoming nature of KUC and her practice of equal participation amongst members and friends make this community unique and beautiful.

 

To enhance good participation and effective services in church, we need to avoid institutionalizing the church and not make over complicated mechanisms that at the end of the day become a barrier to our service for people and communities that are in need of our help. 

 

Being a responsible steward, we need to remember the existence of the church is to serve God, God’s people and God’s creation. Church is not built to serve the structure and policies. It is quite to the contrary, structure and policies are developed to enhance church ministries. 

 

In our calling for stewardship, the church needs to cultivate spiritual qualities of God’s servants and uphold this principle – God’s Kingdom and God’s people first. 

 

***

 

Am I a responsible steward? The sermon title today was inspired by the gospel story on the parable of the talents.

 

In the parables of the talents, the master highly acknowledged the two slaves who were able to double the money he gave by making good investment. But the emphasis of the master is not about the amount of money they had made. What he said to both of them was “Well done, good and trustworthy slave…” The master was happy with their attitude. The master was happy because these two slaves took up his command very seriously and they worked in responsible manner.  On the other hand, the slave who hid the talent in the ground without taking further action to invest the money was condemned by the master as “wicked and lazy slave!”. The slave was wicked because he did not own his responsibility. He made excuses for his laziness and irresponsible manner. That was not acceptable to the master. 

 

Jesus used this parable to illustrate a very important attitude and quality for disciples who followed him. God’s servants have to be good and trustworthy by taking their responsibility when they are entrusted to do the work. A responsible steward has to honour God’s commission and take it seriously with respect to God. 

 

In the parable, the slave who was considered wicked by the Master gave an excuse for his inaction that he feared the master who was harsh. The master pointed out straight away – this slave was telling lies.  

 

A responsible steward is not pointing fingers to others for his or her failure. 

 

Indeed there are life situations affecting our participation in church ministries – work pressure, unemployment, illness, unstable family income, all kinds of personal problems… you name it.

 

A responsible steward is able to reflect on their life circumstance and take responsibility for their lives. 

 

Responsible stewards know their priorities in life. They recognize that they have a choice in life. They can make decision on their own and make a difference to their lives. 

 

I have witnessed sisters and brothers living a life of responsible stewards in the midst of their illness and life challenges. A senior sister was suffering from cancer. When she was in hospital receiving treatment, she went to other patients in the same ward bringing them water and words of comfort. She was ill and yet she kept serving others whenever she was able to. 

 

I have been impressed too by our Filipina sisters who have tried their best to come to the church for worship every Sunday and help the church to do different services in the midst of their long working hours during the week.

 

A responsible steward knows that we have choice in life and we can make a good one for ourselves and for God. 

 

***

 

Am I a responsible steward?

 

The lectionary reading for this week we heard this morning is taken from Psalm 145.

 

The message from Psalm is very important for us to remember when we are reflecting on Stewardship.

 

Being a responsible steward, our first and most important duty is to praise and give thanks to God. Therefore, worship life and engaging in worship are more important than all other tasks. 

 

I shared at the beginning of my sermon, stewardship begins with God and God’s creation.

 

The climax and essence of stewardship is our praise, honour and gratitude to the almighty God! 

 

This God is great, source of life.

 

This God is compassionate, source of love. 

 

This God is kind and generous, source of all provision.

 

Stewardship is not just about working and doing. It is about our being and our relationship with God. To affirm God’s love to us and our love to God through Jesus Christ is the core foundation of stewardship. 

 

We love because God first loved us. We serve because God first served us.