“Church on Fire”
Rev. Claudia Genung-Yamamoto May 31, 2020 Acts 2: 1-12; 43-47 Today is Pentecost! My favorite holiday in the church calendar. Look at how I decorated! Red candles, “red tongues of fire” blowing out of the fan, red balloons, wind chimes, water candles, red tapestries, red stoles, and even my Hawaiian lei that I am wearing has the colors of Pentecost. I love Pentecost, because as we just heard some of the scripture read by Michael and 19 other people in 19 different languages, we get to celebrate the power of the Holy Spirit. I am so excited by the Holy Spirit, the “powerful wind” and the “tongues of flame” images used in this scripture passage. On that day there was also the gift of languages and thousands believing on the streets. At KUC, we would normally have a celebrative Pentecost service and then afterwards, red cake for the birthday of the church and red, orange, and yellow colored finger food in Gamblin Hall decorated with red balloons. So we have decorated the sanctuary the best we can and maybe you have worn something red (or something the color of fire) at home to celebrate Pentecost! Before I continue on, just take a moment to breathe. Breathing goes on all the time, so become aware of your breathing just for a few seconds. Please pay attention to your breath. If it is too fast, slow it down. Last week, Pastor Chuck talked about the “Power of the Pause” in his sermon, so pause for a moment now and breathe in and out slowly. You are breathing in Ruach which means in Hebrew the wind or the breath of God or the breath of life. You may close your eyes if you wish, and we will pray. God of life, we breathe in Ruah, (the breath of God) into our heads, into our hearts and into all parts of our bodies. Come Holy Spirit, let your Holy Spirit be upon us now. Amen. After Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection, the disciples must have been scared or at least very confused. Would they be the next people arrested? Would they be tried and, perhaps, even executed? On this day, they got back together. As we are and have been in staying at home and some folks in quarantine, The disciples were staying “home” or at least in the same place for a long period of time. It’s interesting to note that the word quarantine, comes from the Italian word for 40 and the word Pentecost, means 50th in Greek (the holiday occurs on the fiftieth day after Passover and for Christians, 50 days after Easter). Since we are in a pandemic, I am reading the words in Acts 2 differently than I would have before. In Acts 2:1 when it says, “When Pentecost Day arrived, they were all together in one place.” The disciples were self-isolating. Meanwhile, many people had come to Jerusalem to celebrate a Jewish festival called Shavuot which is when they commemorate the giving of the Torah to Israel on Mount Sinai. If you’ve ever seen a Torah festival, it can be pretty lively – people dancing around with the scrolls of the Hebrew Bible, singing and carrying on. However, there were one hundred and twenty people gathered together in a larger upper room. These first Christians were waiting for something very special to happen to them, and they weren’t quite sure what they were waiting for. They were waiting for the Holy Spirit to come upon them and in them, but they didn’t know what that would look like. Then it was like a rush of wind into the room…it happened. You can almost hear the wind in the Hebrew word Ruach , the word for wind, for breath and for Spirit. It was the coming of the Spirit that made the day miraculous. Just like the Law was given on Shavuot, the Spirit was given on Pentecost. The Spirit came much like a rush of wind, blowing through that diverse crowd, whispering to some, shouting to others. It seemed like tongues of fire had landed on everyone. There were tongues of fire above them. tongues of fire inside of them setting their hearts ablaze. The tongues of fire seemed to have landed on everyone. They felt the power of God inside of them, and they rushed out of that building into the streets. There was a miracle of one of communication and understanding. All of the people gathered heard the Good News of Jesus Christ in their own cultural language! Everyone heard the Gospel! in a way that they could understand it. How amazing was that? This was the birth of the Christian church! This first church was a culturally, racially, economically, and generationally diverse gathering of people who although incredibly different heard the same message of God's deeds of power. The Spirit helped the disciples communicate in the languages of all those people. The disciples built a multivocal bridge of communication. The first church, the Pentecost paradigm church was a celebrative and diverse church. Diversity meant joy and opportunity and surprise and creativity much like what we have here at Kobe Union Church! The reading of Acts 2 ends with 3,000 people being baptized. As they became the church, it says they worshiped together, studied together, ate together and took care of one another. We are caring for one another during this Pandemic- we have a Care Ministry Team providing groceries and other needs in our congregation. We will survive this time. It may be a struggle but we the church, our church, KUC, will be able to make it. Hopefully, in some ways, we will be “Better Than Before” which was the title of another one of Pastor Chuck's sermons. How we will do it depends on all of us. The first century was a great century of Christian expansion. The Church went to Ephesus, Rome, and onto Spain within thirty years. Those first Apostles planted a church everywhere they went. But the Apostles would leave a group of people in that village who were committed to Jesus Christ. The Greek word is “laos.” They were called the “laos”, which means, “the laity,” “the people,” “the people of God.” The Apostles always left common and ordinary towns people and villagers whose hearts were on fire, whose tongues were on fire, Let me share this William Blake poem for Pentecost. Unless the eye catch fire, The God will not be seen. Unless the ear catch fire The God will not be heard. Unless the tongue catch fire The God will not be named. Unless the heart catch fire, The God will not be loved. Unless the mind catch fire, The God will not be known. ----William Blake (1757-1827) from Pentecost These were the people of God in each place who spread the Gospel from house to house, and neighbor to neighbor and friend to friend and family to family; it is the laity, the people of God, who become inspired by the Holy Spirit. This flame of is spreading! Back in seminary, I learned three favorite quotations from theologians of a generation ago (Brooks, Fosdick and Spurgeon), and these three quotations can help us understand what happened at Pentecost and what can happen today in our church. The first quotation is this: “Nothing but fire kindles fire.” The second: “If you want to set someone on fire, you have to burn a little bit yourself.” The third: “A burning heart will soon find for itself a flaming tongue.” During these past two months different people have had different experiences during the lock down or state of emergency. Some really feel alone as they stayed home. Others had their families. One thing I have heard from some friends is that they have experienced some growth. It has been hard, some have lost their jobs, some are working at home, some have had to struggle with financial loss, some have to deal with having children around them constantly but some have said it has been a time to prioritize what is important and to grow closer to God in prayer. We can take time to pause and to listen to how God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit. As Pastor Chuck preached last Sunday in his sermon, “there is Power in the Pause.” We pause to give a chance to the Holy Spirit to speak and to know that the Holy Spirit is the presence of God among us. So, for some this time of self isolation has been a challenge. Some truly feel alone but Jesus actually addresses those feelings of loneliness. In the gospel of John, for example, after telling the disciples he wouldn't be with them much longer, Jesus then comforts them saying, “I will ask the Father, and he will send another Companion, who will be with you forever." (John 14: 16) Jesus Christ also said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). We remember that the Holy Spirit is our companion when we’re apart, and encourages us to be there together for one another. We are the church. The church never closed during the pandemic – we have always been here and the Holy Spirt with us. The first church was a wonderful gathering of unique people, each filled with God's Holy Spirit. KUC is also a gathering of unique people. The Holy Spirit is here with us and we can go out to look for her in our community. Let the wind of the Spirit blow us in new directions! It says in scripture, “The wind (pneuma) blows where it wills” (John 3:8) What is the Holy Spirit calling on you to do? Where is the Spirit blowing you? Is it a mighty wind or a soft breeze? May the fire of the Holy Spirit burn within you a spark and bring new life, the same kind of new life that was birthed in us at baptism, and is nourished here in our church community through ZOOM prayers, gatherings, our Sunday School sessions, and online services. That fire of the Holy Spirit will change and transform the world through us! As the state of emergency restrictions are gradually lifted, put on your masks, wash your hands and as you go into the neighborhood maintaining social distance of course, and look and listen for the Holy Spirit. You felt the Holy Spirit when you felt you needed to contact someone as Pastor Akiko did this week and the person said how did you know I needed help? The Holy Spirit may have nudged you to buy groceries for someone in need. Maybe the Holy Spirit nudges you to be kind to a random strange in some way. You don’t have to go looking for the Holy Spirit, She is already out there, at work, we just have to go and meet her. Listen to where the Holy Spirit is calling you, guiding you, blowing you in new directions, or burning inside you. and then see what the Holy Spirit does to our church! I will close with give you a quote from St. Catherine of Sinea (who was born in 1347 and died in 1380), who also felt the power of the Holy Spirit when she said, "Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire." We are the church on fire! Let our church share the love of Jesus Christ with others!
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Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!
This morning I’d like to share with you some reflections on the Power in a pause. (pause!) A couple of months ago one of my daughters was sharing with me her frustration as her husband had been in the process of being head hunted for a great new job which would potentially upgrade their lives tremendously but…always the but…but it was not clear and most of all it had been dragging on for months and the longer the wait the greater the tension. So, she asked if I would pray for them- and, as I try to always do- I try- I try to listen first to the person and then I ask the HS if there is anything else I should see or know or how best to pray. So, I hear myself say, “well, you know there is power in the pause”. Like what? I myself sat there for a second to consider that. Power in the pause. Hmmm, that’s a good word! Yea, you know when you are waiting you can potentially be very attentive- possibly- or you can fidget or eat or distract yourself BUT you can stop, look, and listen- this is where the potential power lies- what IF God were trying to leverage the delay knowing it would be an ideal way to get your attention. Hmmm So, I am not saying this is always the case- like when I get sick, I always ask “God, did I do anything? Is this a result of just being a bit out of sync with you?” I almost always see something- now was it related? Hard to say and I never put this on other people- don’t get down on yourself if you’re sick ok! I just mean- I leverage those moments to stop and listen- to pause- and it usually bears fruit. So, Lindsey and I talk about this idea and what might come of using this pause for listening. She was quick to say that already this “pause” had greatly impacted them- they had reconsidered their priorities, their budget, their use of time, what they want from this season of life- tons of stuff. So, we agreed it was about more than just the ‘now and this’ but also a valuable way to leverage the tension of not knowing what is next. One of my all-time favorite passages - a top 10 for me- is one we read today in Genesis 40:23-41:1 You all probably know the story- God has chosen Joseph for great things; had even revealed parts to him in a dream; BUT it was a long pause- a long road- a long wait till the good stuff he expected- At this point he is in prison- had to be tough- and he felt a glimmer of hope I guess as he was given the power to interpret the dreams of a couple of his cell mates- so before they go to see the King he asks them: 14 But when all goes well with you, remember me and show me kindness; mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. 15 I was forcibly carried off from the land of the Hebrews, and even here I have done nothing to deserve being put in a dungeon.” BUT, right, they forgot and then this passage I love and hate: 23The chief cupbearer, however, did not remember Joseph; he forgot him. And then at the start of the very next verse in Chapter 41: 41:1 When two full years had passed, … Yikes- when TWO YEARS had passed?! If two weeks had passed, I’d have likely started to doubt everything and despair- but that’s how long it was- yup And then it got good- really good – read the story if you forget but start at Genesis 37. So there are two kinds of pauses if I can say this- the ones you make and the ones you take- so life presents pauses all the time- from a sick day to a pandemic to a time of waiting on something or a reply from someone- we can TAKE those times and find power in the pause or NOT. You can choose to worry or find comfort in the wrong places and wrong ways OR you can sit with God and ask for revelation- listen – finding the power in the pause. The other kind is like this- let’s look again at one of the passages we read today in Luke 5:15-16 15But the news about Jesus spread all the more, and great crowds came to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. 16Yet He frequently withdrew to the wilderness to pray. We find several references to Jesus himself pausing and I would say finding power in the pause- time in prayer and time with his heavenly father. This is an example He gave us of making a pause- Or, like we are told in the 3rd of the ten commandments- honestly, it would not make my top ten if I had been in charge of things- it feels sort of unnecessary – take a day off? Waste of time! Yea, ouch, I need this passage! According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day set aside for rest and worship; commanded by God to be kept as a holy day of rest, as God rested from creation. So, we can take the pause or make the pause and it has potential value both ways In Psalms I really like the term Selah – a word about which there is a bit of mystery, but we can translate fairly correctly as “pause” and I especially like the way its presented in the amplified Bible: “pause, and calmly think of that” In the book of Psalms its used in over 70 passages, Like this one: Psalm 3:4 Amplified With my voice I cry to the Lord, and He hears and answers me out of His holy hill. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]! Years ago, in college I had gone to a men’s retreat. I was excited to connect and make friends with the brothers. We stopped our sessions for lunch so I knew this would be some of the best part where we’d share and get to know each other. So, we all go to our cars so we can go the restaurant and …my car won’t start- I mean nothing- click- click- I was so surprised and bummed- and everyone else was then gone. I mean what the heck- and our time was limited so… I noticed behind me was another restaurant, so I decided to just go there and quickly eat and then I’d be back in time for the rest of the day- oh well. So, I get a seat and put my Bible on the table. When the waitress comes, she notices and says “oh, are you a Christian? I say, oh yes, I am, I’m at a men’s retreat next door for the day. She offers this- “I used to be a Christian”. Suddenly it’s like everyone and everything else disappeared- the long story is way cool but for today here is the short story. I said, “look I feel God set us up to meet- would you like to get together after you get off work and talk about that?” She did and we did and it was…weirdly good…almost holy. She had had a very traumatic church experience and felt she could no longer be a Christian- that a slip in her walk had disqualified her. It was a real moment for both of us- which is why 40 years later I can still picture it – God gave me words for her and her reaction was so Godly and she was restored- I was almost in shock and…right..ok… when we finished, I went back to my car as the day was over and… it started- fine- yup. THAT was pause- a stop- a break- a “wait a minute”- and I am so glad I took it- well, actually God USED it more than I took it- but it was one of those pauses to me. I have a bunch more cool stories of both taking and making which I’d love to share and at the Adult Sunday school at 1030 this morning you can too! Let’s share some! - for now I really want this to hit you and stay with you: “Take and make”- take the pauses God gives you- look for them- use moments of uncertainty and waiting to ask God to speak and then…listen. Many I know wait by just picking up the Bible and they start reading till they feel they find God speaking to them- like a treasure hunt. The Bible says in Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter. What if God is not hiding things from us ..but for us. I believe that and that we often value more what we find in a search than what we just get. Taking what the world may give us as a stop or obstacle and asking God to make it a time for fruitful pause- I think we can do that, and God will appreciate us asking. And then “the making”- do we make pauses? I am really bad at this. I was raised, I guess, where busy is good even when you complain about it- being a workaholic may be one of the few sins we proudly confess – and how do we take all the passages on sabbath rest? I mean not just the 7th day but that concept is all over the Bible- do a google search and check if you might have missed this one- over 150 verses with the word sabbath and yes – it made God’s top 10! Hmm, “pause, and calmly think of that”! Finally, whether you make it or take it let me challenge you with one last passage: Isaiah 40:31 Its familiar and often used- it goes like this in the amplified: But those who wait for the Lord [who expect, look for, and hope in Him] Will gain new strength and renew their power; They will lift up their wings [and rise up close to God] like eagles [rising toward the sun]; They will run and not become weary, They will walk and not grow tired. Here is where it can help to check the original wording for greater impact. The Hebrew word Isaiah uses for “wait” is Qavah. It means “to wait, look for, hope, expect.” To actively wait on God, and there is a sermon here just on this but let’s make it simple for today – this represents an active form of waiting-with great focus- like when in childbirth and you are waiting for the baby to come out. So, here is my prayer for you – ready – I’m going to pray now to God for us, so you listen and see if you agree- if so, say “amen” to each point… Okay, God I thank you for this message and the pause moments you offer us I pray you would remind us gently of the pauses we need to make and take Help us see them I know your word makes it pretty clear about making pauses -but most of us are lazy so we want more but we see the pattern of not pausing enough - sorry we do want the power and the blessing of the pause so, help us see the connection and to take the pauses you are asking us to take I pray you would bless the pauses we make and take- that we would truly find Power in the pauses we include you in, even the ones we might miss…. but please come in anyway! I pray that in this time of being home or between seasons or whatever this period is like for each of us you would show us- show me- show us where best to pause and how best to take the pauses we are getting. In Jesus name – amen! Ok, so at 1030 this morning we’ll be meeting for Adult SS for Q and A and discussion of this message- remember you can read the rough transcript of each sermon each week in English and Japanese by going to the front page of our website- look for the buttons that say: Click here for the text of the sermon! and to join any zoom Sunday school class today – go to either the notes tab to the right side OR go back to our main website and the “Events at KUC” page Be blessed and find power in the pauses you make and take. So, first of all for anyone who has ever been stalked- sorry if this triggers something but let me share how this message came to me–
I’ve been spending a lot of time with God, alone, in the last few weeks although we are in a peak season at work- and it’s been great. I hear more when I listen! Let me say that again for me if not you- I hear more when I listen! We all have our own stories of our first encounter with God and inviting Jesus into our heart- its kind of crazy when we read the stories about Jesus’ first followers and how they “decided to accept Jesus”. Jesus said, “follow me.” And they just did! Or in Paul’s case you could say he was blinded by the light- he had a moment- they all must have had some kind of experience which may be hard to find words for but it seems like it changed their lives forever. Mine was much less dramatic but similar- I met God while living in a non-Christian home when I was 11. I had a dream in which He came to me at a moment I was feeling down and in self-doubt. I had got in a fight – No I got punched - trying to enforce the rules at my school as I was one of the student leaders …and proud of it! People who knew me might have said I was pretty confident or arrogant – but someone just punched me in the nose and it stopped me physically but also emotionally and spiritually. That night in a dream God came to me and said something like, “follow me – let me be your father” and somehow I knew it was God and I said yes. The next day I found an old Bible and starting reading and then used to go out back in an empty field and knell and pray- I don’t know where I got that but it seemed to satisfy something in me. The next 7 years as I went thru Jr High and High school, I guess you could call it a honeymoon period for me and God and it was great. I had lots of the usual teen challenges but God was super real in all of them and did amazing things for me. I also learned a lot about the Bible, God and church and above all I always knew my heart connection and experiences WITH God were the most important. No one could argue me out of those. I owned those. Now the reason I used the term stalker is this- there are many who study God and know a lot about him but sometimes it doesn’t feel and look like love- I’m not trying to be mean or harsh but just wonder if some might have missed what they could have…can have… and anyway, we all need a little shaking sometimes! So just consider… A stalker knows a lot about someone, maybe where they live and work and what school they went to- maybe they are watching their social media accounts BUT they lack intimacy with the person- they are a stalker – information without heart connection. A few years ago, I met a non-Christian and we were talking, and she said – well, you know the main thing is just to be a good person. Oh, really what is that? You know obey the ten commandments- so I said, “really? What are they?” She said, “well, you know treat others the way you’d want to be treated, don’t lie, don’t steal”… and…. she was stuck. I love an interview with an outspoken American Christian congressman- I won’t play it now but you can find the link in my sermon text for today on the front page of the website- its funny. http://www.cc.com/video-playlists/kw3fj0/the-opposition-with-jordan-klepper-welcome-to-the-opposition-w--jordan-klepper/tlf8t3 From Min 5:00-6:12 The point is what most people miss most? THE FIRST FOUR which are all about God and not the major black and white “No nos”! Test yourself- can you get all first four? Ok, that’s homework but let’s pull out the biggie here as was read to us this morning: Deuteronomy 6:5 Amplified Bible (AMP) 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and mind and with all your soul and with all your strength [your entire being]. You can read that over and over and maybe feel a bit overwhelmed. I mean how do we do that? And the other passage we read today in Revelations 2- the church was good- not bad- good BUT they were missing one thing- what was that? In the amplified: 4 But I have this [charge] against you, that you have left your first love [you have lost the depth of love that you first had for Me]. So here is my point- church is often about studying and learning about God but we must also remember: we are supposed to love him – and that can be tough- I mean for some of us it’s tough just to love those we hang out with! With whom its arguably easier than someone we can’t see BUT it’s the main big commandment. We are meant to be lovers of God, ….Followers and not just fans. Jesus seemed to have a lot of fans but arguably few followers. I like to say, Are you a believer or a follower? Satan believes but he doesn’t follow- do you look like you love and follow God, or do you just know a bunch of stuff? 1 Corinthians 8:1 says, “We know that "We all possess knowledge." But knowledge puffs up while love builds up. Can you feel it? Simple but tough. I told some of you the other day during one of our share and prayer sessions that when I was in college there was this famous football player who sort of started a movement and the key phrase was “I am third” meaning God first, Family second, and me third. So, one day I told a buddy of mine- you know, I think I’m going to make a little poster for my mirror and write- God is third (on a good day!) Because ahead of Him is working and working out and maybe my girlfriend- we laughed at how that sounded but agreed – we did not LOOK like God was first so we each made a little sign for our mirrors to mess with ourselves till it bothered us enough to change! And that’s often what it takes- often we don’t see where we’re wrong till its a bit late- I would guess that If I were one of the members of the church of Ephesus about whom that passage in Revelations refers to- I would be hurt and shocked but if lucky- IF I would repent and see it – sure you’re doing good stuff but…. – IF you weren’t it’d be easy to see! See that’s the trick! Black and white are easy – gray is confusing. Paul was likely stuck because he was already “a man of God”- yes, we know so…. BUT he could not see what was missing - what he knew messed up him seeing what he didn’t know – till he got struck blind! ------ break in video part 1 and 2 Does this mean if you’re currently more of a stalker than a lover there is no hope? Never. We are so lucky and happy that God is a God of mercy and grace..if we repent; see it; change. You can become a lover of God- absolutely. So, I am praying that none of us needs to go blind like Paul but…I can pray you have a moment! That you ask God, “Are we close?” Or as Tabuchi-sensei has asked a couple of times in his messages recently, “How are you doing?” Kelly and I have gone to lots of marriage retreats – we ALWAYS get so much- amazing- especially because I always think we’re doing so well! Always! But for many years we’ve booked a weekend a year just to check and it’s always refreshing for our relationship. Funny, but if you take time to check- you’re going to find something you missed. And can I mention here- there was an Indian couple who attended KUC maybe 10 years ago. We were friends and they had a great family, great marriage, clearly loved each other and…. had an arranged marriage- yup, they built their love rather than “falling into it” That works too- if you work it! In fact, even if you fall in love, so to speak, you will have to work on it to keep it. So its not all about emotion but prioritizing your heart …. along with your mind. So, do you love God? Does He know it? Do you show it? I remember when I first came to Japan- which I think I’ve shared before was not a happy time for me- I was running away and had messed up. I was regrouping with God and trying to fix everything else. I used to get so busy. BUT/SO in my reboot I made a promise to God that I would spend the first hour of the day with him and it really, really helped me reconnect. Sometimes I would sing a song – which if you know me- it’s really hard to imagine BUT I did it because I though it might make God happy and keep us closer. So, what I hope you are thinking right now is- “God, are we okay? You know I love you right? Sure, I don’t really say it, but You know right?” Hmmmm. So, if I were a counselor and you were in a relationship which you wanted to make better, I might suggest a couple of things:
In John 10:27 it says: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. Are you following or just knowing, just believing…? In James 2:19 it says You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that--and shudder. What does following look like? How do we look like and show our love for God? Funny as it has little to do with church and all the usual stuff and is maybe best illustrated in these two passages: Matthew 25 and Jesus’s story of the sheep and the goats. I think some imagine that if one ‘prays the prayer’ and goes to church, we’ll be the sheep or the good ones. But what Jesus says is a bit scary-it can be a wake-up moment! He is saying we’ll be judged based on how we treat others – very specifically those who are down and out and the so called “least of these”. So yes, how we love others matters and it matters most the way God frames it or asks us to show it… to whom… and how. Those are powerful words- or in Matthew 7:21-23 21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and, in your name, perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Yikes, I mean you guys know I love miracles and the blessings we can bring to people but there is more. More than believing, more than study, more than knowing. My prayer for us all today is that we would open our hearts to this message. I pray we get God’s mid-term report- how are we doing? How am I doing? As David prayed in Psalm 139:23-24 23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting. Ok, now I am going to actually pray: God, thanks for this message you planted in my heart from your word and from the whisper of Holy Spirit a couple of weeks ago- I know it was for me but also for others so I pray that you get your way and that all who hear this feel “woke up” and hungry to check how we are doing and how we are following. Help us see who is in need in our circle, help us see people we might overlook, help us to use this message as a catalyst for renewal between us- we want to be close to you and show it- help us see how. In Jesus name- amen. And if you need prayer to be sure you know Jesus OR if you need someone to pray with you for a renewal- hit the prayer button on this screen and either myself or one of the other pastors here will pray with you. Ok- if you want to join us in a discussion of this message I will be waiting for you at that zoom room called “Sermon Discussion Adult Sunday School”- the link is under the Notes tab. See you soon! AKIKO: So, in our 12 years of marriage, there is a story that always brings us joy and laughter even after a hard day of arguing or fighting...Yes as just any couple does, we sometimes fight and argue.
DON: Oh, I know this story. You’re talking about the “South Meow Story, right?” AKIKO: That’s the one! So, when we were college students (yes; we both went to the same college), the two of us were supposed to go to a friend’s graduation party on the other side of town. DON: I remember being pretty excited about this, because we’d only been dating for a little while at this point, and this was going to be our first real social engagement as a couple. AKIKO: Of course, this was back in the dark ages around 3 or 4 BC (that is, Before Claire!), which meant that there was no such thing as GPS. No google maps, no car navi. And we didn’t have the slightest clue where we were going. Neither of us had been to this place before, and it was in an area of town we’d never really gone. DON: So Akiko called her friend, and got directions, and we went to the party….eventually…... AKIKO: Yes…..We did get to the party. Eventually. Getting there however…was a bit of an adventure. We got into the car, I handed Don the directions I’d written down, and we started driving. And as we worked our way down the list of directions, things got more and more confusing with every step. DON: The first few lines seemed simple enough: “go to this street. Turn right.” and things like that, but after awhile it started to seem like maybe…some things were less clear than they could have been. The final line on the paper said “turn around…go to place…south…meow.” AKIKO: My friend had told me a street name I had never heard of, or just did not know how to spell. So I jotted down what I thought it sounded like, and I did not realize I just had written down….south….meow…. DON: I know. And in retrospect, it was adorable. Of course, in that moment…it wasn’t super helpful. AKIKO: And since there was no GPS telling us exactly when and where to turn, I had to keep my eyes open and read each street sign, look for landmarks, and figure out where to t urn. It wasn’t enough to have nice and well-written directions. They had to be understood. Even with very good directions….except the part where it said “south meow” [DON: You know, I always figured you just got distracted by my super-cute cat while you were writing down directions! She was pretty cute!] [AKIKO: *laughs a little*] DON: Of course, even if we had good directions, finding the correct path was some work. We weren’t going to be given that path, we had to recognize it. AKIKO: Of course, we did eventually make it to the party. DON: After a few minor arguments, a LOT of wrong turns, and a 15-minute drive that lasted more than an hour... AKIKO: But we did make it! We got to the party, but we made it for maybe the last 10 minutes of it. Whoopsy…. DON: And then…we had to start all over again, because now we had to go back out and find our way home. Instead of a short journey to a long, fun party, we wound up with a long journey to a very brief moment of celebration…and then we were back on the road again. AKIKO: Looking back it’s kinda funny, but at the time...it was exhausting. We kept feeling like we were almost there, only for things to get more confusing until, by the time we got to the party, it didn’t really feel like we had arrived at all. It just felt like another stop along the way. And I think that this combination of exhausting and funny is probably something familiar to a lot of us. DON: Coming out of the Easter season, we find ourselves using a lot of celebration language. We talk about the “risen Christ,” and call ourselves “Easter People,” and when we hear those words we might think of them as terms of victory. We tend to hear the word “Resurrection” as “Party time!” AKIKO: For a lot of us, “Christ is risen” sounds a lot like google maps saying “you have arrived.” DON: But we haven’t really arrived, have we? In fact, even in the gospel itself, this moment in the scripture is only about the middle of the story, nowhere near the end. AKIKO: (That’s right) Today’s passage comes at the end of the book of Luke, which often makes it feel like the end of the story, but the gospel of Luke is actually only the first half of a much longer book. DON: Yeah, the full book is written by “Luke the Physician” (who we call a physician because he wrote these books in the style of medical textbooks), and it was an accounting of the life of Jesus Christ and the acts of Jesus’ disciples. AKIKO: So, the book of Acts is actually “The Gospel of Luke Part II: The Acts of the Apostles” DON: It’s the big-budget hollywood sequel: LUKE II: This time it’s personal. AKIKO: oh Don…. DON: Oh...I could do more! AKIKO: Oh, I know you could. But what I think you’re saying is that this great Easter resurrection is only the mid-point of the story, not the end, right? DON: That is what I was saying, yeah. And it goes into some fairly grim territory after the resurrection happens too. In fact, the lectionary text for today which we didn’t use was all about the execution of the Apostle Stephen because of his faith in Christ. AKIKO: Not…not a great text for mother’s day. DON: Yeah…not great. Pretty awful, honestly. But that is where the story goes in time. I mean..the next two stories are “The Apostles hold their SGM and vote to replace Judas,” followed by Pentecost, but yes..., the story of the Apostles moves through pentecost to some pretty dark territory. AKIKO: And the story of the church after that too. DON: Exactly. I mean, after the story of Acts comes to a close, the next major “life event” for the early church is the Roman obliteration of Jerusalem and the destruction of much of early Christianity, followed by centuries of slow growth and persecution. Not exactly post-resurrection party time, if we’re being honest. AKIKO: This is a surprisingly common theme with the people throughout the gospels and beyond. For a lot of those who were witnesses to Christ, a lot of his followers, Palm Sunday was what was first supposed to be that great, triumphant moment; the arrival of the long-awaited Messiah. Like the GPS saying “you have arrived,” that was supposed to be the start of the party. The Messiah had arrived, so they didn’t need to follow any confusing directions anymore. DON: The journey was over! But…kinda like our little adventure, things took a bit of a surprising turn. Things didn’t go as planned. The new era they expected lasted only a few days, and then the darkness came back with a vengeance…mapquest led them not to a party, but to the cross, and the grave. AKIKO: Do people even remember what Mapquest was? DON: *chuckling* Maybe not! It was a website that gave us directions in those dark ages before Google Maps was a thing! DON: But then, just after these disciples had gone through the suffering of the cross and the indignity of the grave, suddenly, as if out of nowhere…comes the news of Christ’s rising. Unconfirmed, uncertain…but now there’s a little hope. Like when you’re trying to navigate your way through unfamiliar streets, there’s that tentatively hopeful feeling you get when you think you’re starting to recognize where you are, and where you need to go…but you’re not sure yet. AKIKO: That’s where the disciples are today. And then, all of a sudden…there he is. Jesus is there with them, and everything seems to be back on track. DON: And Jesus says pretty much exactly what a certain someone (*glances at Akiko*) said when I questioned her directions. He said “look, take a look at the directions again. This is always where we were supposed to go. The cross, the grave; these things weren’t wrong turns. You were expecting a quick drive to a long party…but that’s just not how you get to where I’m taking you.” AKIKO: So, now that we’re past that part, the next move would be to spread the good news then! That’s what the apostles are called to do, now that Jesus is back on the case! Proclaim repentance and forgiveness throughout the land, because the messiah has returned! DON: Well…let’s look at those “directions” again. Is that really what was said? AKIKO: Actually…no. Jesus doesn’t tell the disciples to do that. It’s in the passive voice; “repentance and forgiveness is to be proclaimed. (declared) The disciples are invited to participate in that proclamation, but they aren’t the ones making it. DON: Well, whether they’re making it or not, this is their moment to shine. This is where they’re given the charge to go out and spread the good news of the risen Christ. Now it’s time to evangelize AKIKO: Hmmm, let’s look at the Bible little closer because Jesus actually says to the disciple, “stay here in the city of Jerusalem and wait.” DON: Huh. Meet with the risen Christ…and then…wait? That can’t be right. That just sounds like a wrong turn… AKIKO: That’s what it says though doesn’t it?. ““stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” It’s right there in black and white (or red and white, if you’ve got an older bible!) We are often so eager to make it all about us spreading the word, our work in telling people about Christ, our going out into the world, our evangelizing, our ministries, our telling of Christ to other people, that we miss these very important first steps. DON: We can get so excited that we can very easily forget to stop. To wait. To look at the directions. And not just to look at them, but to understand them, and to get help figuring them out, because they might not make sense on their own. AKIKO: The apostles all knew their scriptures and prophecies. They knew their Hebrew bibles backwards and forwards. But they still weren’t able to make sense of things until Jesus opened their minds to the understanding of the scripture. They needed Jesus to help them interpret and understand, before they could use it to further the work of God in the world. DON: You can have the best directions in the world, but unless you have someone to help you navigate, you’re not going anywhere! AKIKO: And, even once you understand the direction, you still have to wait sometimes. Wait until you’ve been clothed with power from on high. Wait until you have been given the power, and the authority, and the ability(maybe resources) to do what you’re being asked to do. And this power comes only from our Almighty God. DON: The directions may say to make a left turn, but unless you know to wait on that turn until you get to the intersection, you’re going to drive into someone’s house instead! AKIKO: I’m glad we did not drive into someone else’s house on our trip! But being Easter people in a post-resurrection world is about navigating our way down backstreets to and from a party that we make it to only briefly, and without GPS to help us. DON: Yeah! We don’t get to take the highway. We get to carefully study the directions, stop at a bunch of red lights, make wrong turns, double back, south meow, argue, misunderstand, pull over, figure things out, wait some more…and eventually we get there. AKIKO: And it can be a frustrating journey emotionally, too. Think of how it must have been for the disciples then, grieving the loss of Christ, now turned to confusion and excitement at the news of his resurrection; only to hear that he’s just going to leave them again soon to be with God the Creator. DON: Christ’s promise of what’s coming is all the more important here. Just a little bit later, in Acts 1, we get a little more elaboration on the promise we get in verse 49, where he talks about “clothing with power from on high.” He talks of a baptism by the Holy Spirit. AKIKO: He’s talking about Pentecost which will be celebrated in 3 weeks. DON: This is a big turn, rounding the corner into a new era. AKIKO: But, they had to wait there for it to happen. DON: And that’s what it means to be a witness to Christ. The disciples spent all this time with Jesus during his ministry on earth. Yet, they were never called to be witnesses until this point. Until now, they were called to be his followers. AKIKO: They had to wait for the resurrection. And they had to wait to experience it personally, and let it become a part of their identity. Look, the passage doesn’t tell them “to witness,” it says that they “are witnesses.” This isn’t necessarily an active verb, or even a verb at all. It’s an adjective; a description. It’s a state of being. It means that they are on the journey with Christ, studying, discerning, and observing. It means they’re following the printed directions, stopping at red lights sometimes, but all the while knowing that God’s promises to us are rooted in something much greater than what we can see. DON: This journey with God…it’s a repeated motion of starting and stopping. Of gathering in, and going out, We’re not always doing the same thing; we’re not always evangelizing, preaching, teaching, proclaiming, or anything like that. We reach out, and we also gather back; we praise God, and pray together. Witness and worship in our Christian lives go together, as part of the same journey. AKIKO: For that proclamation of redemption and forgiveness to go out to all nations, what is asked of us is to listen, with quiet and patient discernment, to the will and word of God. What is asked of us is to navigate; to discern our way forward knowing that the message of Easter doesn’t start with the great commission. The message of Easter starts with a command to go back home and wait. To wait for the Lord. And home is wherever God calls you to be. DON: This is really what it means to trust God’s judgement over our own, to yield to God’s power rather than trying to change the world on our own, isn’t it? AKIKO: This is what it means to be Easter people in the service of the risen Christ. To go out as participants in Christ’s work of redemption, not as the owners or architects of it. DON: Going out into the world as witnesses to the risen Christ is an act of patience. It’s an act of discipline. We are a joyful people, resurrected with Christ. We know our redeemer lives! But we also need to know we are not at the end of the journey. If we let ourselves get too excited thinking that we’re almost there, we might make that turn early, and lose the path. Or worse…we could plow right through somebody’s house! AKIKO: So, as we go out today, with the word of Christ as our “mapquest directions” on the journey of life, let us remember to be patient. Ask for help navigating, and don’t try to figure it all out on your own. There are going to be weird turns, unfamiliar landmarks, strange sights and sometimes…we’re not going to know if we’re going the right way or not. Sometimes we are told to stop and stay put for a while. Sometimes we are sent into the world as patient people who have witnessed God’s work of redemption. DON: We have the hope given us in Christ. We have the promise that if we are patient, if we but wait a bit before acting on our excitement, then we will be clothed with power from on high. We will be baptized with the Spirit. AKIKO: God calls us to wait, to listen, to discern the right direction, and to navigate our way through with the grace, mercy, and love that only God can provide. DON: This is how God’s directions are being given to us, both in our history and even still, today. In the cold winter before advent, God’s promise was a child king, whose birth made us Christmas people. AKIKO: In the shadow of the cross, God’s promise was one of new life, of resurrection, which made us Easter people. DON: And as disciples of the risen Christ, God’s promise is of a baptism in the Spirit, clothed with power from on high, which makes us pentecost people. AKIKO: Along this journey, the one constant in being God’s people is waiting. Waiting for Christmas, waiting on Resurrection, waiting for the advent of the Spirit. We become witnesses of Christ’s by waiting. Waiting, until God says it’s time to go. DON: God’s love starts with us being called to wait, listening and discerning, until we are called to act. That action may look different in different times or places. It may call for us to turn left or right, it may call us to stop for a while, but the direction it takes us on is always the same: love first, and love above all else. AKIKO: Today, we’re waiting our way through a pandemic. Waiting in our homes. Waiting for life to resume. For our church, that might mean that our “new life” this Easter season is one of quiet patience. New ways of worshipping, being connected, praying, studying the Scripture are emerging and we will remain waiting as God unfolds more before us a new vision of what it means to be the church of God in this new and different world. DON: For others, that time of waiting has come to an end. Some people are called away, to witness to that new life in other places, in different ways. AKIKO: Our journey continues. Always changing, through good times and bad, through suffering and joy, united in the call to wait upon the Lord, and be witnesses of the resurrection. BOTH: AMEN Good morning, and I would like to begin today’s my sermon with asking you a usual question, “How are you?” How are you doing, how are you staying at your home.
By the way, do you have enough masks for you and your family? So far, I cannot find any, not a single one at any of my nearby drug stores, and that long expected Abeno-masks have not yet arrived at my house. However, when I go shopping in my neighborhood, almost all the people are wearing them, and I wonder where and how can they find their masks. In the meantime, my daughter, living in New York sent me packets of surgical masks, saying she and her husband are confined to their home and not allowed go out even with masks, so there is no chance for them to wear them. Anyhow, we, living in Japan also feeling we are now under house arrest. It should be “Golden Week” in Japan, the time to go out to enjoy and appreciate the best season of the year with warm sunshine, and out-door fresh air. Instead we are told to stay at home, since we are now in national/prefectural “stay home week.” I now really understand the feeling of Winter without Christmas, as Mr. C.S. Lewis, wrote in his famous Narnian story, “the Lion and the Witch”. If we put our situation into Narnian story context, we are spending days of Lenten season, even after three weeks since Easter Sunday already. No! It is wrong, we should not dismiss Easter blessing even in this our situation here and now. We have heard many messages on Easter from my colleagues, members of the pastoral team of KUC, almost for a month since Easter day. And Claudia reminded us that we are Easter people. And I am going to think another side of the meaning of our identity as Easter people. Have you ever thought of the reason why we have worship service every Sunday? Why not on Monday, Thursday, or Friday as Muslims do or on Saturdays as the Jewish people do. According to the creation story in Genesis chapter 1, God created the whole universe in first six days and rested on the seventh. Following this, the Jewish congregation rest on the seventh day, Saturday of the week. Are we the Christians not following the biblical custom to make the Saturday Sabbath, holy day? Why Sunday? It is the day of Jesus’ resurrection. He was crucified and killed on Friday, and the third day He was raised from death. Resurrection is the core and key for the Christian faith, it is so unique matter which Judaism and Islam have never accepted. And on every Sunday through the year, we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection at any time of the season. As that, Church does not emphasize Jesus resurrection only on the Easter morning, but every Sunday, we worship our risen Lord. Do not forget that we are celebrating Easter as a special celebration only once a year, but as an ordinary, every week event to us, which we easily fail to recognize. Reading the Gospel Story, the disciples were the people just like us, who easily forget what they are. In the story of today’s scripture, an incident on the boat at The Sea of Galilee, Lake Tiberias.I never have visited the holy land, and Hiroko san was there last year, so ask her how the place looks like, It is said, on that lake, sometimes sudden gusts attack the sailors and fishing people on the boat. Jesus and his disciples are the one who was caught by sudden change of the weather. The disciples panicked greatly, but it is strange to see this, because Peter and Andrew were originally fishermen there, who should know how to cope with that occasion, and they just panicked.So the weather was such severe, we should presume. At that time Jesus was soundly sleeping in the boat. Finding this they shout at him “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” and Jesus replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” and He calmed down the storm. The disciples have had been following Jesus, up to that time, and most closely listening his word to learn the Gospel messages. And failed to follow his teaching at this crucial moment, “You of little faith!” They have had been with Jesus for certain length, yet not understand what and who he was. And this same thing happened during the time of Jesus’ death and the resurrection. As I mentioned earlier today, Jesus was crucified on Friday and resurrected on Sunday. We sometime confess our faith with the Apostolic Creed which says “(Jesus Christ) was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again;” Through these three days, at least, from the time of Jesus’ arrest, what the disciples were doing, where were they? According to the Gospel of John, which we heard from Claudia at Easter Service, they are hiding themselves “with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders.” (20:19) They just spent these days with fear and anxiety, or shock from the loss of Jesus, without knowing what to do next. And then, resurrected Jesus came in, but they could not believe what was happening at that time, just same as by Thomas, who denied to believe. And Jesus said to him “Stop doubting and believe.” (20:27) Long before the death on the cross, Jesus repeatedly predicted them “he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” (Mat. 16:21) And here again, they totally forgot or did not believed what they have heard from their Master. Even though they thought they were in the midst of their deep agony, distress, great loss, but Jesus had already taught them what would come next, and look forward their future, which they and now we are almost dismissing. Easter people lives with the hope which is rooted deeply in the word of Christ, and never lose their confidence and firm assurance of the truth of God’s Word, which has been existing with us, from the beginning of the world. There are a few people in the Gospel story, who had been keeping their faith of Jesus during the time of trials. Among them there was Mary Magdalene, she witnessed the death on the cross in her eyes, and his burial in the tomb. On the third day she went to the tomb and found the empty grave, the stone was rolled away. More than that, she actually met Jesus himself, and became the first messenger of this great Good News, “I have seen the Lord!”(John 20:18) We are asking church members where they have seen the Lord in these last few weeks during this pandemic.And before worship today, we saw Dominick Kimura’s testimony. I hope others will send in their 3 minute video clips of where they have seen the risen Lord. Please send us pastors! We are waiting. During this time, we have so many storms in our lives. We cannot say we are in the same boat but that we are in the same storm. However, we are not alone. The risen Christ is with us and will not leave us. Let us pray, Our merciful Lord, thank you for this Sunday, again we can meet you, hear from you the word of encouragement, and hope for the next step of our lives. Be with us always to protect from any harm of this time and pray for us. With that we can follow you and pray for one another of our community of faith. We give thanks to you and pray this prayer in the name our resurrected Lord, Jesus, Christ, Amen |
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