28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” --- Matt. 11:28-30 How do you feel today? Of course, since we are online, I cannot hear your answer. You can type your answer in the chat if you wish – maybe those of you who are watching at our 9:30am service. Do you feel in need of a rest? Maybe it is just the hot weather here in Kobe or the pandemic which has gone on for so long. Maybe we need psychical rest or mental rest or emotional rest. Most likely Jesus was talking about spiritual rest – a rest for your soul. Are we restless people? Maybe. Our lives are often filled with hurts, pain, regrets, guilt, and distractions. Some people may try to put it all out of their minds in various ways but that won’t cure restlessness of the soul. You will only find it in Jesus Christ. It was Augustine who said, "The soul is restless and it will not rest until it finds its rest in God." Jesus offers you rest in today’s scripture. Jesus says, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Before I go further into my sermon, I will share a brief refrain from a Christian song that I really like pertaining to the scripture for today. The refrain is based on two scriptures: “Come follow me” (Matthew 4: 19) “I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28) The title of this hymn, “Be Not Afraid” by Bob Dufford, S.J. Anne Morimoto and her mother Keiko will sing and play just the refrain. Take a listen! (music played by Keiko and Anne Morimoto) “Be Not afraid. I go before you always come follow me, and I will give you rest.“ You can Google this song later if you wish to hear the whole thing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQr4udSiEew Two weeks ago, we heard a sermon online in our service from Pastor Akiko on Psalm 23. In that psalm we look at how the Good Shepherd will care for us. This is a Psalm many of us know and one I often read it to rest my soul. Here is a portion of it. The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; In Psalm 23, we may walk through the “darkest valley” and we do not stay there but we do go through it. For some, it is longer walk than it is for others. But we are NOT alone. Jesus walks with us and guides us through. We know our Lord, the Good Shepherd, stays with us. Rev. Tim Boyle preached last week and addressed the age-old question on why bad things happen to good people (you can read it or watch it on our sermon website). In his sermon he shared the poem, “Footprints” which says in it that during the times of deepest trouble God carried us. The trouble may not magically disappear but we are never alone. Let’s dive deeper into today’s scripture. One way would be to pick up just one or two words in the scripture that stand out for you or speaks to you. You can pray and mediate on those words. We did that for our sermon lab last Saturday with this verse and it was interesting to see which words from the verses were chosen. One person chose “Come” and “humble” while someone else choose “yoke” and someone choose “rest.” You can also look at different translations of the Bible to get a deeper meaning Here I have looked at some main points, phrases and meanings. 1) Come to me all who are weary and burdened. (Matt. 11:28) Look at Jesus’ invitation. It is an open invitation. No one is excluded. He is not offering us an escape from burdens in our life but he is offering his presence with us as we deal with these burdens. There is no such thing as a burden-free life. Life is full of struggles and hardships. It is normal to become discouraged or weary under the weight of life’s burdens. But Jesus offers you rest. The word translated “rest” in verse 28 is a word that means “to be still” or “to cease from movement.” I think of the Psalm 46, “Be still and know that I am God.” Let us practice being still in the Lord through prayer and seeking quiet. Rest, be still and give thanks for God’s presence. The word “give” is also important. “Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” This is Jesus’ gift to you. You do not have to earn it. You do not have to deserve it. You do not have to beg for it. You only need to respond to Jesus’ invitation. 2) Jesus is gentle and humble in heart. (Matt. 11:29) Secondly, notice Jesus’ character. Verse 29: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” That word “humble” means “to come low to the ground.” That’s exactly what God did for you and me in Jesus. God came “low to the ground” through Jesus. God of the universe came down to earth as a human being. And as the Son of God, Jesus showed us what God is like. Jesus is gentle and humble in heart. A lot of times people think of God as harsh and judgmental. But I think of God as gentle, loving and forgiving. 3) Jesus calls you to follow him as his disciple. Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me…” (Matt. 11:29) The word “learn” in this verse is related to the word for “disciple.” When Jesus tells you to take his yoke upon you, he is asking you to become his disciple. He invites you to follow him, learn from him and to serve him. 4) My yoke is easy; my burden is light. (Matthew 11:30) Why will you find rest for your soul? Look at what Jesus says in verse 30: “For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:30) The people Jesus was talking to back then were burdened under a pile of religious laws, commands, traditions, and the political situation. Jesus criticized the Pharisees for focusing too much on obedience to the law and missing the bigger picture. In Matt. 23, Jesus says about the Pharisees: “They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others.” (Matthew 23:4) Jesus offers an invitation to a different way of life, a different way of faith. Not a faith that burdens and breaks, but a faith that refreshes and renews. That is the rest Jesus offers. Jesus said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Come and find rest…by taking up this yoke! What is a yoke? A yoke is a wooden bar that joins together two oxen to make a team for pulling a plow or a wagon. Roy Mislang last Saturday told us that it is commonly used in the Philippines. Jesus says, “my yoke is easy…” The Greek word Jesus uses for “easy” also means “well-fitting.” As a carpenter, Jesus would have made a lot of yokes in his day. The ox was brought to the shop, and the measurements were taken. The yoke was then roughed out, and the ox was brought back to have the yoke tried on. The yoke was made so that it would fit well, and wouldn’t chafe the ox’s neck. The yoke was useful to the farmer so that the farmer could gently lead the oxen. Therefore, it seems that the reason why Jesus used the yoke is because it was a symbol of submission. If you want to find rest in this life, and peace in your heart, submit yourself totally to Jesus. There are four people who come to mind who have been inspiration to us because of the way they submitted to God’s will for them. These people loved God and loved their neighbors. They cared about the burdens people might be suffering and tried to alleviate them. One such person was Albert Schweitzer, a French theologian who did mission work in Africa, two others were Rev. Toyohiko Kagawa and his wife Haruko Kagawa who were called to live in the slums of Kobe and submitted to God’s will to help the poor. And our dear brother, Pastor Chuck Grafft, who submitted to the Lord in his final moments as he lay in his hospital bed dying from cancer but was at peace with his relationship with God. His final resting place is now with God. When Jesus says, "Take my yoke." Jesus is not asking us to do something he did not do. He carried the weight of the entire world's sin, sorrow, and suffering on his shoulders. But our yoke will be easier than his was because we have our Lord’s promise that he will be the yoke-partner. Jesus’ yoke is there to help us live the Christian life. Everywhere you turn in the world in which we are living you find unrest. There is international unrest, social unrest, moral unrest, and economical unrest. But come to Jesus and he will give us rest. Do you know what the word “rest” literally means? It means to "be refreshed." That same word is used in this passage in 1 Corinthians talking about Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus, “...for what was lacking on your part they supplied. For they refreshed my spirit and yours.” (I Corinthians 16: 17-18) It is used again in this verse. "Let me have joy from you in the Lord; refresh my heart in the Lord." (Philemon v. 20) A life lived with Jesus, in Jesus and for Jesus is refreshing. We are given strength through Jesus for our life journey. I will share a brief story of a journey that happens yearly. Some of you may know that I am from Redwood City, which is in the Bay Area near San Francisco. If you head south driving along the coast going towards southern California, you will pass several missions started by the Spanish. Mission San Juan Capistrano is one and was founded in 1776 by Father Junipero Serra. The Mission San Juan Capistrano has become known around the world for its annual event, The Return of the Swallows, which takes place in March. Hundreds of these little birds, every March, fly 6000 miles (9656.064 kilometers) on a journey each year over the ocean from Argentina all the way back to the Mission San Juan Capistrano, California. Now how do they do it? They can't swim and they certainly can't fly 6000 miles without stopping.
Let me tell you how these swallows do it. Each swallow carries a large twig in its mouth. When the birds get tired, they drop their twigs into the water, land on them and rest until they are ready to resume their flight. This story can be an analogy for us. We all get weary in our journey of life, we can hold on and rest in Jesus. As you are waiting on God to give you rest, remember the words of the prophet Isaiah in Chapter 40, verse 31, “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) The Lord’s strength is what renews us and keeps us going even when we feel we cannot. Because when we accept Jesus’ invitation to come to him, when we join our lives to his, we are yoked together to one who has strength to bear the burden with us. He knows how to take away our weariness and bring rest to our souls. Come to Jesus, everyone, this is an open invitation, come to Jesus and he will give you rest. Amen.
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It’s with mixed emotions that I come before you this morning to share with you this message. It’s good to be with my KUC family again after quite some time, but as a “pinch hitter” for the person who was originally scheduled to give the message this morning, I also feel a twinge of sadness. Pastor Chuck was scheduled to give another message from his hospital bed, but as you all know, he passed on from this life into the next to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ almost a month ago now. It’s only natural for us to grieve in the face of such tragedy and to ask, “Why did someone like that who did so much good for so many people have to die so young?”
The “Problem of Evil” is something that we humans have been grappling with since the dawn of history, and it’s quite clear that there is no easily understood, satisfying answer to this dilemma. That doesn't mean, however, that the Bible doesn't give us any answers at all. It is just that this is one area of life that must always contain an element of mystery. What I would like to do this morning is to look at this question from the standpoint of the entire Bible to learn what we can about this difficult problem. The dilemma we must somehow deal with is how to explain all the unspeakable horrors we see and hear about on the TV news every day and at the same time believe in an all-powerful, loving God. In my studies on the history of science, I learned that it was this very question that was the chief stumbling block to the Christian faith for Einstein. His studies of the universe had convinced him that a Creator God must exist, but he ended up denying the God of the Bible because no one gave him a reasonable answer to this question. The net result was that Einstein ended up envisioning God as an impersonal, distant force that isn't involved in our lives in any personal way. Why do good people so often suffer? And equally troubling, why do evil people often prosper? These questions pose the dilemma that either God is good and cannot do anything about these apparent injustices, in which case God is not all-powerful, or, on the other hand, God can control these things but chooses not to, which would thus seem to imply that God is not really good. Likewise, if we believe that God is truly involved in the details of our lives, we are faced with the dilemma that the degree to which God is involved in the details of our lives for good would seem to require that it also be the degree to which God is involved in the details of our lives for evil. Now in a message such as this, I would not be so presumptuous to suggest that I'm going to sort this problem out for you into a neat little system that would enable you to discern the causes involved in each case of suffering. That is far beyond anyone's ability to understand. Likewise, as we turn to the Bible for answers, we must also recognize the complexity of Scripture. The Bible's formula for salvation is simple and easily understood. But the Bible as a whole is not simple. It takes a great deal of prayerful study to understand the whole counsel of Scripture. I would, however, like us to get an overview of how the Scriptures handle this thorny problem of suffering and divine justice. To help us picture the debate on this issue, let's imagine a discussion going on between various biblical characters. The 66 books of the Bible were written down by some 40 different authors from different cultural settings over a time span of well over 1000 years. That in itself is an amazing thing, when you consider the internal consistency and unity of these diverse books. But as a thought experiment, let's imagine the main characters of the Bible all sitting around a table discussing this weighty issue. The discussion itself is, of course, chaired by Jesus himself, and around the table are Moses, David, Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and other Old Testament characters. Also, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, Paul head up the contingent from the New Testament, and they are all discussing this issue. Before we go into the details of the debate, however, we first need to realize that this discussion takes place in the cultural context of the ancient Near East. Central to the worldview of that day was the belief that the highest values of life — namely health, long life, social standing, numerous children, and wealth —were achieved through service and worship of the various gods. The choices were clear to the ancients. If you wanted to have these things, then you had to obey the gods, because if you disobeyed the gods, you would have sickness, a short life, no children and be poor. This is the cultural context in which the biblical stories take place. First, let's look at how Moses speaks about covenant faith in that cultural context. At many points, of course, Moses takes strong exception to what can be found in that cultural context — namely, the worldview of the ancient world. Inspired by God, he challenges this concept of a myriad of gods and who they really are. He also strongly objects to the way people tried to relate to God through magical incantations instead of trusting and faithful obedience. This same mindset is prevalent even today in religious thought around the world — namely that we can manipulate God through rituals and prayers to give us what we want. With these and other matters in the cultural environment, Moses takes strong exception. But when it comes to the question of the consequences of obedience or disobedience to God, Moses expresses himself almost identically to his ancient, Middle Eastern neighbors. All through the books of Exodus, Numbers, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy, where Moses' dealings with the people of Israel are recorded, we find Moses telling us that the consequences of obeying or disobeying the covenant are in terms of immediate, concrete blessings or curses we experience in this life with little or no delay. These blessings and curses of the covenant may be spiritual in expression, but they are experienced in terms of health, fertility, longevity, national and personal peace, and prosperity, etc. When we look at the rest of the Old Testament, it becomes immediately obvious that this viewpoint forms the foundation upon which most of Old Testament thought is based. In the context of this biblical roundtable, this concept forms what we might call the "Majority Report." Over against this majority report, however, stands what we'll call the "Minority Report," which challenges this notion that if you are righteous, you'll automatically be blessed and if you do evil, you'll automatically suffer for it in this life. For instance, as the story of Joseph in Genesis unfolds, it becomes clear that there are many reasons why someone may suffer. As a young man, Joseph was obnoxiously boastful of his dreams, causing his older brothers to be very jealous of him. This led to his being sold by his brothers into slavery in Egypt, where he languished in prison until some highly unusual circumstances resulted in him becoming the prime minister of Egypt, second only to the pharaoh in power. So, we see that suffering may be the result of our own brash and sinful ways, but that it may also be caused by other people's wicked choices. The reasons we suffer may indeed be complex — a combination of several reasons, often beyond our control. Joseph's experiences also show that even through evil circumstances, God works mysteriously behind the scenes to work out his own redeeming purposes. As Joseph said to his brothers many years later, "You plotted evil against me, but God turned it into good, in order to preserve the lives of many people who are alive today because of what happened." Thus, with passages such as this right in the middle of the covenant story — a story in which this clear cause and effect connection between sin and suffering and between obedience and blessing is laid out — we have this much more sophisticated understanding of suffering. Against this "majority report," Job also speaks out, making his points count. Job simply refutes this simplistic notion that there is a direct connection between the kind of person you are and what happens to you in this life. Job's three friends come at him from the standpoint that his suffering must be due to something Job himself did. But Job implores them to look at the evidence — the many examples where obviously evil people have prospered and have not been punished — at least in this life anyway, while others such as himself have suffered severely while leading exemplary lives. So, the book of Job rejects this direct link between one's character and one's circumstances in life. Job raises the possibility of seeing suffering as redemptive — serving some higher purpose rather than just a comfortable life on earth. Our physical lives are short compared to the eternity of heaven, and Job always keeps that perspective in mind. He stresses how important a belief in an afterlife is to enduring suffering in this life. Nevertheless, he doesn't shy away from making his complaints known to God. One message we get from the book of Job is that we can and should be honest with God about what we are really feeling, and not just mouth the pious platitudes others think we should be saying. We can speak to God as we are and not as others think we ought to be. We can speak to God in our suffering — even have feelings of anger towards God — for he understands. Another point Job brings up is that of a mediator to plead before God on behalf of individual humans. Somehow, Job senses that he will be justified in the end, and he cries out his great statement of faith, "I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth." Though Job couldn't have fully fathomed what that really meant, it turned out to be a prophecy of the coming Redeemer, Jesus, who would stand in the gap between God and humanity, providing the way to salvation. Likewise, Job points out his discovery that his suffering did not mean that God had abandoned him. It was only his inability as a finite creature to really comprehend his situation. He could see things only from the very limited perspective of his human life and thus was not able to see the whole picture, as that would necessitate understanding what was going on in the spiritual realm — something he could not do — nor can we. All these points Job raises add a great deal of force to the minority report at the roundtable discussion. Next, Isaiah enters the discussion. Isaiah 53 depicts God's servant as suffering innocently, not for his own sin but because of the sins of others. And it is not simply because of their sins but for their sins that he suffers. The idea is plainly put forward that one could suffer redemptively on behalf of others. This again was a prophecy fulfilled completely in life of Jesus. This principle was also lived out in the life of Jeremiah, another of the great prophets of the Old Testament. Jeremiah's message was based in the language of the book of Deuteronomy, which formed the basis for the majority report — namely that if you obey the covenant, then you will be blessed, but if you disobey the covenant, you will be cursed. But what happens to Jeremiah himself? He complains, "God, every time I preach for you, they throw me in the dungeon!" And how does the book end? The poor man is dragged off to Egypt and never heard from again! It seems rather inconsistent, doesn't it? Jeremiah himself certainly was faithful to the covenant, but one could hardly consider him blessed in this life. And so, we see that the life of Jeremiah adds to the experiences of Job to further add weight to the minority report. The editors of the book of Psalms include a few poems that also speak for the minority report. For example, there is the problem of someone who has been chronically ill for many years. This suffering, then, is often compounded by people telling you that if you are sick, it means that you have been sinful in one way or another. Our Scripture reading from Psalm 73 is one of the several that raise the issue of the plight of the chronically ill. In this psalm, the psalmist looks around and says, "God, I have a problem. I'm the good guy. But my family is in poverty and we're often sick. God, where are you? And God, do you see the pagan on the other side of town? That foul-mouthed, violent cheat! Look at the grand house he lives in and how healthy and beautiful his wife and kids are! And they're always putting us down! God, where are you? It just doesn't make sense!" Then, he goes into God's temple, and there, he sees the situation more clearly. He sees enough of what eventually happens to the wicked that he retains his faith. He sees how precarious life really is — even for the rich and arrogant. And he sees himself more clearly — how his own jealousy colored the way he had looked at life. He also gets insight into the journey beyond this life, as he affirms, "What else do I have in heaven but you? Since I have you, what else could I want on earth? My mind and my body may grow weak, but God is my strength; he is all I ever need." Psalm 73:25-27 We too will not live very long before we will also find ourselves in situations where we will have to either affirm or deny this same point — namely, "God, you are all I ever need." At some point, we all have to get off the fence and make up our own minds. Perhaps the most powerful voice for the minority report is "Qohelet," the philosopher who writes the book of Ecclesiastes. He flatly denies that there is any kind of direct connection between who we are and what happens to us. He says we can no more tell what God thinks of us by what happens to us in daily life than we can read tea leaves. Of course we are in the hands of God, he says, but whether God loves us or hates us, who can tell? How would we really know if God loves us? We surely can't tell by what happens to us. How would we know if God hates us? We can't tell that either. So, the writer of Ecclesiastes seems to abandon all connection between the kind of persons we are and what happens to us in this life. Nevertheless, he concludes with these words, "So remember your Creator while you are still young. ... Have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that we were created for. God is going to judge everything we do, whether good or bad, even things done in secret." Thus, the minority report cries out for the New Testament, and indeed forms a kind of bridge to the New Testament. So, in our biblical roundtable thought experiment, this is where Jesus takes over the discussion, where he in effect sides with the minority report. In Luke 13, someone poses the question to Jesus about the Galileans whom Pilate had killed while they were offering sacrifices to God. Jesus answered them, "Because those Galileans were killed in that way, do you think it proves that they were worse sinners than all other Galileans? No indeed! And I tell you that if you do not turn from your sins, you will all die as they did. What about those eighteen people in Siloam who were killed when the tower fell on them? Do you suppose this proves that they were worse than all the other people living in Jerusalem? No Indeed! And I tell you that if you do not turn from your sins, you will all die as they did." Later, his disciples asked about a man blind from birth, “Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” And again, Jesus said “Neither!” Jesus teaches them that you can’t process these kinds of events in terms of who sins so that such and such happens. He tells us that we must see these things in the larger context of the purposes of God and his glory in this world. Even more striking is Jesus' call to discipleship, when he says, "If any of you want to come with me, you must forget yourself, carry your cross and follow me." Jesus bore the cross and suffered, and if we're to follow him, how do we suppose that we will avoid all suffering? Mark makes this issue a major point of his gospel. He centers his account of Jesus on the cross and says that you cannot understand God or Jesus if you try to avoid the suffering involved in the cross. It is only at the cross that you can truly understand Jesus. Thus, all approaches to Christian discipleship that somehow attempt to deny suffering or do an end run around it miss the mark. They avoid taking suffering into account as a part of our experience in this life within the will of God. The apostles, who were the first in the grand gathering to have experienced the fullness of God's revelation through the astounding life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, now enter the discussion. In answer to the author of Ecclesiastes and his assertion that we can't really know whether God loves us by what happens to us, they respond with a "Yes, but." They stake their claim in the cross of Jesus. How do we know God loves us? Not by whether we are blessed in the sense of avoiding suffering. Likewise, it's not because we have been fortunate enough not to experience natural disasters demolishing our property or war ravaging our families. How do we know God loves us? Because God meet our deepest need in delivering us from sin and its bondage. How do we know God loves us? The apostles always take us back to the cross. John says in his first letter, "This is what love is: it is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven." Paul then echoes this in his letter to the Romans, "There is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord." So, the biblical roundtable on suffering and divine justice leaves us with a somewhat unsettling conclusion. In some ways, the "majority report" seems more just from the standpoint of our human understanding. If you do good, you will be blessed, and if you do evil, you will be punished. "You reap what you sow'" — another biblical phrase. And certainly, in many aspects of life, we know this to be true. That is the very basis for our system of laws and government. One is rewarded for hard work, and if you are caught breaking laws and harming others, you will be punished. So clearly, the winning out of the minority report over the majority report in the biblical roundtable is no call to live for oneself as though what happens to us is not related to how we live life. No, we are called to do good and to lead righteous lives. We may not receive rewards for the good we do in this life, and indeed, we may even suffer for it, but we will have rewards in heaven. Now, I don't pretend to know what that entails in concrete terms, but I do know that it is a comfort to have that promise. No, the answers to the problems of suffering and evil are not simple. The main problem with the simplistic majority report was that its formula was limited to blessings and curses in this life, which has been shown to be patently false. And yet when viewed from the standpoint of eternal life in heaven — that is, when our "rewards in heaven" or lack thereof are entered into the equation — then we can see how these two viewpoints actually come together. At any rate, the minority report concludes with the apostles saying that God isn't just with us, as Job eventually discovered, but that he is also for us. He cares for us even as we suffer, and he will, in his own good time, work in and through our sufferings for his good purposes. He will lead us to that day when we know that God is just and that our faith has not been in vain. That's the good news of the gospel. And it's no end run around the problem of evil. There will always be some mystery involved in life, but we can still go on in the confidence that God is always with us. And, as we give our lives and minds to follow him, he will accomplish his purposes in us — even in our suffering. So, we will do well to stake our faith in the cross and know that God is for us, that God loves us, and that Jesus died and rose again for us. I'd like to close with a well-known poem called, "Footprints." It’s one that many of you are familiar with, but it is so appropriate for a time like this, particularly as we think of Pastor Chuck. "One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonged to him, and the other to the LORD. When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that this happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life. This really bothered him, and he questioned the LORD about it. 'LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why, when I needed you most, you would leave me.' The LORD replied, 'My precious child, I love you and would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.'" As we walk through life, we too may go through periods of suffering — perhaps seemingly more than we can bear. But let us remember that God is with us all the way, and that in the end, our faith will not have been in vain. I’ll close with the words of Hebrews 4:14-16, “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.” Always remember that you are his. You were bought with a price – the precious blood of Christ on the Cross. May God bless each one of you as you endeavor to follow him. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2023&version=NRSV
Today, our reading comes from one of the most famous passages in the book of Psalms. I think I can safely say that Psalm 23 is one of the most famous passages in the entire Scripture. There are songs that have been written about this passage, and art that has been made about this passage. The Mislang family band actually recorded a song, which we’ll hear after today's message, specifically about this passage. And at my youngest son’s kindergarten, there is a tapestry based on Psalm 23; a cloth wall hanging showing Jesus, as a shepherd, holding and guiding a flock of sheep. For our reading today, I used the New Revised Standard Version. And in this version of transition, like many versions, you can find added headings or titles for many passages within the Bible. Psalm 23’s heading reads, “The Divine Shepherd.” The Psalm 23 opens with a phrase that is all too familiar to many of us: “The Lord is my shepherd.” (Psalm 23:1) King David, believed by many to be the writer of this poem, is known to us as a great king of Israel. He was the King of the United Kingdom of Israel, following the unification of the twelve tribes of Israel by King Saul. Many of us know this famous story about young David, who with the protection and blessing of God, was able to defeat the Philistine giant Goliath, armed with nothing more than a sling. In time, he grew in military strength and organizational abilities, becoming perhaps the most famous warrior and king in the history of Israel. But before he accomplished all these, David was first and foremost a shepherd; a good, dedicated, and responsible shepherd. Having been a shepherd himself, in this Psalm, David confesses his understanding of the Lord as the one, true, and divine shepherd. From his experience shepherding, and also living as a sheep of God’s pastures, David personally knows that there is an intimacy that exists between sheep and shepherd. Sheep are creatures which, by their very nature, are “followers.” They require a leader to guide the flock, and see them to their destinations safely. When we look at verse 2, we see that this divine shepherd leads the sheep to places of rest and water; destinations that provide for a sheep’s daily needs. This shepherd also moves the sheep, making them lie down in green pastures (Psalm 23:2). Now, it is important for us to keep in mind that Israel is far from a fully grass covered land; it’s actually a land of dry, barren deserts. Green pastures are simply not something one can find in abundance. There, green pastures spread out periodically over the land. One video I recently watched about the land of Israel mentioned that green pastures only account for 20-30% of the entirety of land in Israel. So, leading sheep in a way that they can lie down in green pastures would require careful planning and precise guidance on the part of the shepherd. The Shepherd would have to have intimate knowledge of the entire land, as well as an intimate relationship with the sheep in order to guide them across the deserts to find them green pastures. Doing this also asks the sheep to be willing to follow the shepherd’s lead, trusting that the shepherd can and will lead them to this rare, sporadic, green pasture. Of course, simply knowing where green pastures are isn’t necessarily enough, because these green pastures can be really short-lived. The wind carries moisture from the Medeterranian sea in a gentle arc over the valley, dropping just enough moisture to see a few mouthfuls of greenery sprout Of course, winds can change, which means that the green pastures where the sheep rest today might not be there tomorrow, or the day after. The Shepherd must continually lead the sheep, day by day, to green pastures where they can rest and eat, leading them to still waters to drink each and every day. If we keep reading through the Psalm, we learn that the sheep are given enough every day not only for their physical strength, but the strength of their souls (Psalm 23:2-3). And through this, the sheep grows in trust for the shepherd. Of course, there are still more challenges when it comes to finding green pastures in the Israeli desert. This area is also very rocky and hilly, filled with many ups and downs in the land Over thousands of years, both people and wild animals have forged many paths from point A to point B, tiny tracks that shepherds can take through the rocks and hills in order to find green pastures, to lead their sheep to water and a place to rest, one rocky hill at a time. As you can see from these pictures (please put the picture from https://www.theguardian.com/news/2020/oct/26/scorching-deserts-to-green-pastures-jordans-diverse-climate), there are many different paths one can take to go from place to place in the land of Israel, many different ways to lead sheep to pastures. Sheep do not have good eyesight, nor do they have a good sense of direction; left to their own devices, they can easily misstep, and find themselves falling down a rocky hill. Actually, falling is among the main causes of death for sheep and other wild animals in this region! The shepherd’s protection for the sheep comes from leading them on the right paths; the shepherd’s job is not only to provide the sheep their daily bread, but also to lead and keep them on the correct paths so they don’t fall and die. And the path a shepherd leads isn’t necessarily a straight path either; from the perspective of others, the path that the shepherd guides the sheep down might look long, winding, and crooked. But despite how it may look, the shepherd is actually choosing the best, safest path for the sheep to take, and the sheep trusts the shepherd’s leading completely. This analogy David uses in the Psalm, describing our relationship with God as like that of the shepherd and the sheep, is deep and meaningful, but in verse 4 that analogy comes to an end. Verses 5 and 6 begin to show our relationship with God as like that of a host and a guest. For some of us, particularly those of us who really found comfort and maybe resonate in seeing God as a shepherd, this might feel like a sudden or abrupt change. But, in truth, it isn’t abrupt at all. This change isn’t abrupt, because it describes what actually happens when we experience a real, living relationship with the Lord. When we have a living relationship with the Lord and grow in that relationship, while we remain as sheep relying on the provision of the shepherd daily, we also become honored guests, welcomed into the house of the Lord. Early in the chapter, the Lord has come into the world of the sheep. As shepherds do, our divine shepherd leaves home to join us in our world, to be with us in our habitat. But in verses 5 and 6, we sheep are invited to leave our pastures, and enter into the house of the Lord, welcomed to the table with food and drink. It’s interesting that, in the middle of this transition from the green-pasture-homes of the sheep to the house of the Lord, we find the well-known darkness of verse 4: “Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff-- they comfort me.” (Psalm 23:4) Even though the shepherd leads the sheep down the right path, it doesn’t mean that the sheep are completely free from danger. The shepherd may lead the sheep down the path least likely to result in a misstep or a terrible fall, but that doesn’t mean that the sheep don’t still have to actually walk through that dark and dangerous valley themselves. David says that sometimes we not only have to walk through that dark valley, but through the darkest of valleys; places where light has faded away, and green pastures for rest and food may not be available. Still though, the Psalm says that there is no fear to be found for the sheep, for us, in that darkest valley, because the shepherd remains with the sheep even then. Because the Lord is with us. In times of utmost danger, in times of deepest darkness, that one person who we sheep can trust most is right there with us, walking through that dark valley together with us. And the promise of the shepherd’s presence - the promise of the Lord to be with us - grows, cultivates closeness between shepherd and sheep. And in addition to that ever present presence of the shepherd, we are also given visible signs of that intimacy in our shepherd’s tools, the rod and the staff. A shepherd carries a rod in order to fight off wild animals which come to attack the sheep, and a staff in order to keep the sheep from wandering off into more dangerous places on their own. These tools which the shepherd uses to protect comfort the sheep; even when the shepherd is invisible to the sheep in the middle of the flock, they may still be able to catch sight of the rod and the staff poking out above the flock. And this grows the trust of the sheep as well, as they learn to trust in the assurances of their shepherd even when only the shepherd’s tools are visible. Sometimes in life, no matter how well the shepherd navigates the flock, that darkest valley is not, and cannot be, removed from us. But when we lean on the presence of our shepherd, lean on the presence of the Lord in our midst, and when we take the signs of the presence of the Lord as our comfort, our relationship with the shepherd, the Lord, grows closer and more intimate. Our trust in the Lord blossoms. We learn that we can find for ourselves a home in the Lord’s house, emerging there into a true and wonderful homecoming. The dry land of Israel might have ‘seemed” a natural habitat for them, but it was not their eternal home: the house of the Lord was (Psalm 23:6). When you enter into that nearer, more intimate presence of the Lord, entering into the very house of the Lord, it is you who will experience a transformation. This Psalm doesn’t describe that the Lord changed from being a shepherd to a host. The point isn’t that who God is to us changes. The point is that our relationship with God changes. It matures and grows through trust. As we all know, the Lord is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, but the act of entering a deeper and more intimate relationship with the Lord, becoming a guest and being welcomed to live in the house of the Lord; This changes you, me, and all of us. In growing more intimate with the Lord in this way, we come to realize that not only all we need is provided for us by the Lord daily, but we are given so much that our cup actually overflows (Psalm 23:5). Our perception changes. It is not only that we shall not want (Psalm 23:1), but in fact we will no longer know thirst. It has been more than two weeks now since our dear, beloved Pastor Chuck passed away. Just the other day Pastor Kelly posted a beautiful tribute to Pastor Chuck on her facebook page. Throughout the battle with cancer she said that “God gave many confirmations” that they were “on the right path.” I believe that the Lord, the trusted shepherd, was the one who was leading them on those paths. She also said that the last few weeks before his passing were really, terribly tough. Near the end, as Pastor Chuck was in a lot of pain and clearly not improving, he was literally walking through that darkest valley, the valley of the shadow of death. But just as Pastor Chuck testified to us, and Pastor Kelly also said, “Pastor Chuck was having the most beautiful, intimate time with God. The peace he was experiencing was very evident.” And it’s true, isn’t it? Even from thousands of miles away, we could also see the intimacy Pastor Chuck had with the Lord. The Lord was with him and, when the time came, he went to live in the house of the Lord forever. He lived in trust moment by moment. He trusted that the Lord would provide for him and his family daily. He acted as though he had received as much as he could possibly want. In fact he believed that his cup overflowed, and sought to share that overflowing cup with us, and with anyone who came in contact with him. The journey we take through this Psalm mirrors the journey we often go through in our faith lives. Sometimes, we find ourselves walking on paths that are crooked, and bumpy, and rocky, and we can’t quite see where the path is leading. Some of you might feel that you have truly found yourself in the darkest valley, worried that this might be your final destination. But we all know that in these dark times, when we can’t see what is ahead of us, they teach us to depend more and more on God. We grow closer to God through our times of trial, through our walks in the wilderness. To borrow Pastor Chuck’s term, these are our opportunities to become best friends with God. We trust that God is our shepherd, and God knows how to lead us in the right paths. We trust that God has tools which God will use to protect us from danger. We trust in the visible signs, like God’s rod and staff, which give us comfort, because they show us that God cares, God protects, and God is there with us always. Through our time in the wilderness, through times of uncertainty, brokenness, and hurt, when we have lost the sense of where to go next, God invites us to enter into a deeper relationship with God by leaving our own homes, our own ideas of comfort, safety, and solution to seek a new home in the house of the Lord. In the house of the Lord, God welcomes us and feeds us with what truly nourishes us. When God feeds us fully and deeply in our soul, we find that our cup isn’t just full but overflowing, giving us plenty to share with all the people around us. In God’s house, we are anointed just as God anointed King David, prepared and sent us out into the world to serve with hearts that have grown, matured, and changed through our intimate relationship with the living God. We come to see that it is not the adversaries, enemies, and evils that were following us, but that it was the goodness and mercy of God which have been following us, and will continue to follow us all the days of our lives. (Psalm 23:6) As much as we often read Psalm 23 at funerals, or celebrations of life services where we talk about the transition from life here on earth to the life eternal, Psalm 23 tells us about more than death; Psalm 23 is actually about life; it talks about how, by trusting God, we can live this life to the fullest and in abundance. I want to invite us all to meditate on these words from Psalm 23 this week; maybe even taking some time to memorize parts of this Psalm if you feel led. Take some time to pause, and sit with the verses that speak to you, and take your time with them. For example, if verse 4 - “your rod and your staff-- they comfort me” speaks to you, maybe you can spend some time looking around to see what visible signs of God’s presence you can see around you. What tools/things can you see God using to guide and protect you just as a shepherd used his rod and staff to care for the sheep? Maybe the beauty of nature, God’s creation, or a small act of kindness you received from friends or family, perhaps? Let us listen again to these wonderful, comforting and encouraging words from Psalm 23. Where and how can we feel God closer that you feel you are at home with God? “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff--they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long.” Amen. Good morning,
Last Sunday, Claudia-sensi said something that KUC ministers love the Holy Spirit. Well, in a way that is true, I have no problems with the Holy Spirit as the Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity which I preached on before. But to tell the truth, I think of myself NOT having good insight or acknowledgement of the Holy Spirit. One reason for that comes from my Christian background, which did not have a strong emphasis on the Holy Spirit or Spiritual experience. And also, I studied Theology at the School of Theology, Kwansei Gakuin University, which is not quite the same as the seminary. It was a part of university, an academic institution, and its learnings focus on intellectual leaning, and “rational” explanations even on the Christian Faith. Some of my fellow students were somehow disappointed with the nature of the study, and way of the study and moved to another more “spiritual training seminary.” Yes, the Holy Spirit is the one fundamental persona of our God, and it works among us to actualize our daily life based on the faith. In the Old Testament story, the work of the Spirit repeatedly mentioned. In the Creation Story, just before God created the world, “the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” (Gen 1:2), and God “breathed into his(Adam’s) nostrils the breath of life,” (Gen 2:7) (in Hebrew word for “breath” is the same as “spirit” ). And many prophets received the spirit from God and with it they prophesized. In Hebrew language, NABI is the word for the prophets, and it means to utter words in the unusual condition possessed by the spirits. The prophets were thought to have divine communication with God and they could transmit words they acquired in these ecstatic and over exciting experiences. King Saul was seen as one of these prophets and it is said in the First Book of Samuel as “the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him..., Is Saul also among the prophets?” (1Sam 10:10f) The activities of the holy spirit are common among the Old Testament people. At the same time, there are other Old Testament prophets, who had quite different ways of their prophecy, called ROHE. Rohe is a Hebrew term signifying “to watch” “to observe” or “to see carefully,” a big contrast to that of NABI, more rational, static, and closer to the actual situation of the people’s life. Prophet Isaiah may have had both sides of these characters. When he was called to be a prophet, he witnessed the real presence of God Himself, and was overwhelmed to find Isaiah's own great sinfulness. Then an angel came down to him with firing charcoal to touch his lips to forgive his sins (Isaiah 6). Isaiah had known God’s omnipotent, unlimited power to govern this world and he proclaimed the words of God to the people. One time, Isaiah encountered the king of Judea to criticize his political decision, which was ignored by King Ahaz, and predicted the coming of the real ideal King as Immanuel (Isaiah 7), who should be a “wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, the prince of peace. (Isaiah 9) At the same time, he has been carefully observing his society which produced serious oppressions and discriminations against the poor and weak. His image of the King was the one that was to overcome and defieat stubborn enemies, and who also would provide safety and peace to all his people including these oppressed and suffering people. That is why in Chapter 11, Isaiah speaks about the ideal king (that is Messiah)’s mission to this world, which we heard this morning. This section is very familiar to many Christians, and it is annually read at Christmas Services. Jesse was the father of King David, and according to St Matthew’s genealogy (Mat 1), Jesus was the descendant of him. The Messiah which prophet Isaiah expected was an idealistic ruler to the society in the Spirit of the Lord, with righteousness and justice, “with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.” (Isaiah, 11:4) And Jesus himself read a remarkable text of the Isiah at the synagogue (meeting place of the Jewish congregation), which says “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.” (Luke 4:11) This text is also taken from the Book of Isaiah (61:2), and after that, Jesus said “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:20) Jesus’ mission was certainly in line with the messages of Isaiah. guided by the Spirit of God, that had been fixed on the blessings and welfare of the people in distress. Reading today’s scripture texts, I can recall one Japanese Novel, written by Shusaku Endo, some of you may have read his best-known work, titled “the Silence.” Shusaku was a Catholic Christian baptized at Shukugawa Catholic Church in Nishinomiya, and many of his novels have a common theme on the meaning of Christian faith to the Japanese. My favorite Shusaku's works are “Obaka-san” (The Wonderful Fool), and “Watashiga-Suteta-Onna” (The Girl I Left Behind). In the latter work, the heroine, the central figure, is a very ordinary girl named Mitsu, and the story is about her life. She was not so attractive and popular among the friends and was just living her everyday hard life. One day she met a young man and had a personal fantasy about him. On Christmas time she planned to send him a gift and tried to knit him a sweater. On the very day of their dating, she was ready with the knit sweater for him and went out. However, on the way to him, unexpectedly she saw a poor woman, totally unknown, holding a baby in her bosom, wearing no overcoat in that cold Christmas season. At first, Mitsu-chan paid no attention to her, and passed by. But suddenly something had happened to her, she heard some voice in her heart, saying “are you OK to ignore her?” And she was stuck, could not go further, and stood still to wonder what to do. Her boyfriend was waiting for the Christmas celebration with her, and she had long planned how to make that day memorable, and her knit sweater was just for it. But Mitsu-chan met a poor woman, shivering in the cold with her baby. “Are you OK with this?” At last Mitsu-chan turned back to that woman, handed her gift and ran away. She couldn’t help passing by after all. What happened at that time to Mitsu-chan? And why I recall this story for today’s sermon. I can see the activity of the Spirit of the Lord in this Mitsu-chan’s action. At that very moment, Mitsu-chan’s top priority was to meet her boyfriend to give that gift. But she met the woman, who has no relationship to her at all, and someone forced Mitsu-chan to care for her. Not for her own good or own sake, but just to do something only to help the woman’s situation. Mitsu-chan, unexpectedly, rather unwillingly or involuntarily followed the guidance of the Spirit, to do something good, or best at that moment, didn’t she? At KUC’s Sunday worship, we confess the Apostlic creed, saying “we believe in the Holy Spirit,” and I do also. And the Holy Spirit works not to meet our own plan rather only to fulfill God’s purpose. With this Spirit we just become the tools for His will. Yes, the Holy Spirit is real and acting, acting through us, who are just as God’s instruments. I would like to finish my sermon with my favorite prayer song, and it goes like this. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me, Melt me, mold me, fill me, use me. Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me, Amen You may or may not have notice but among us pastors, we are doing a sermon theme each month. Last month was, “Walking with the Holy Spirit.” This month it is “Gifts of the Holy Spirit.” Pastors Chuck, Akiko and I decided this theme last month.
We, the pastors at KUC, love anything with the Holy Spirit, especially our dear Pastor Chuck! Pastor Chuck passed away from multiple types of cancer and tumors on June 28, a little after 4 pm, Japan time. (After midnight in California). Because we are still prerecording our services, we finish and record our sermons usually by Tuesdays but I rewrote my sermon many times so I could include more about Pastor Chuck. Pastor Chuck had many gifts. I won’t be able to cover all his gifts in this sermon and we will save some of talking about his gifts for our Celebration of Life Service later this month, but I would like to lift a few up to day to inspire you to consider your own gifts that you can share in the community and church. One was his generosity. He gave away food, money, and his time. He donated food from his store, Foreign Buyers Club, to places where disasters had hit like the Hanshin earthquake on January 17, 1995 and the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plant meltdown in Tohoku on March 11, 2011. He generously donated to those in need. I called him after the Tohoku crisis to ask for food and treats for a shelter in Fuksuhima where many kids had become orphans and he gave generously. He also went to Tohoku many times to give food. He liked walking around the streets in Long Beach where he and Kelly lived and maybe in other areas around Los Angeles with a $100 bill in one pocket and a $20 in the other and depend on how the Spirit led him, he would give someone money from one of those pockets! 2 Corinthians 9:7 says that, ”God loves a cheerful giver” and Chuck was cheerful when he was giving! He also had a gift of healing people. Not just psychically but emotionally and spiritually. He shared so many stories in his sermons and you can go to our church website, scroll down to past services, to watch and listen to his messages. What were some of his other gifts? Leadership, hospitality, evangelism, a deep faith, praying in tongues, discernment and being an apostle for Christ. Now some people may have some limitations due to their physical, spiritual, emotional, and mental state but they still have gifts. We all do and they may differ at different times of our lives and they may develop and change as we grow in our faith. Sometimes others along the way may have to help us with our gifts or show us how to use them. As the body of Christ, we care for each other. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 I love the variety that God has placed in God’s creation. I love the variety of people that have answered the call of Jesus. I am amazed at the different abilities the Spirit has given us. KUC is diverse and the gifts we have are diverse as well. I hope you can discover your gifts and the Holy Spirit will guide you. Although Pastor Chuck is now in heaven, his legacy and his ideas do live on and he helped many people find their gifts and discipled them. Discipleship was a big thing for Chuck! Now the rest of the pastors on our multi-pastoral team – Pastor Akiko, Tabuchi sensei, and I - will prayerfully help you discern and find your gifts from the Holy Spirit. Once we find our gift or gifts we make sure we “unwrap them” to share. Therefore, we don’t “hide them under a bushel” or “bury our talents” (Matthew 25:14–30) but are good stewards and we use them. “Do not conceal your talents or abilities” is a proverb is taken from the Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. (Matthew 5:14–15, Mark 4:21–25 and Luke 8:16–18.) We use our gifts to serve one another. " Serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received." (I Peter 4:10) One of our purposes in life is to serve God by serving others. We are all different. We all have different interests, different passions, different skills, different gifts and different abilities. Scripture tells us, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.” (Romans 12:16.) To serve others is to also to minister to others. When I use the word "minister" don't think of a pastor or someone who works full time in a church. The Bible says that every believer is a minister. Anytime you serve God by serving others, you have become a minister. I used to put in our KUC bulletins back in the day we had written bulletins and were meeting in-person, that the ministers are the people of KUC. I may be your pastor but we are all ministers. John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement and an evangelist who served in the mid 1700s, often spoke about the ministry of all believers. So, each one of us can serve – in small or big ways depending on our gifts and abilities. I. Be Ready for God's Service Pastor Chuck believed in us being of service to God. Serving God is not a 9 to 5 job. Serving God is 24/7. You must always be ready to serve God. Proverbs 3:28 says, "If you can help your neighbor now, don't say, 'Come back tomorrow, and then I'll help you.'" (Proverbs 3:28) People who have a servant spirit and a servant heart are ready to serve at a moment's notice. John Wesley, the great Methodist preacher, lived by this motto all of his life. "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, by all the ways you can, in all the places you can, and all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." That is what it means to be ready to serve God. II. Be Responsive to God's Service Ministry is not what you have to do for God, it is what you get to do for God. Paul was talking about the ministry God had given him and he made this statement: "How thankful I am to Jesus Christ our Lord for the power and strength He has given me. He trusted me and gave me His work to do." (I Tim. 1: 12) Paul did not look at his ministry as a duty, but he looked at it as a delight. He didn't look at the opportunity of service as a burden, but as a blessing. Psalm 100:2 says, "Serve the Lord with gladness." (Psalm 100:2) I want you remember something about ministry. God expects you to do something meaningful for others. We may have different abilities – I know that and so does God. Some may only manage to pray but that is still serving God. III. Be Reliable in God's Service Pastor Chuck enjoyed his ministry and all that he did. He touched many people with his gifts and service. His life and his work was a ministry. Years ago, Pastor Rick Warren, “the founder and senior pastor of Saddleback Church in California said something that I will not forget. He said people are so obsessed with living as long as they can, so they watch their diet, they exercise, they take vitamins, but he said that is not the real issue. It is not how long you live that matters. It is how you live that matters. It is not the duration of your life that matters according to Rick Warren. It is the donation of your life that counts. I Corinthians 15: 58 says, "Keep busy in your work for the Lord since you know that nothing you do in the Lord's service is ever without value." (I Corinthians 15:58) Do you see the word "nothing" there? That means EVERYTHING you do in service to God no matter how trivial it may seem, really does matter! Whether it is writing letters to the shut-ins at church, or greeting people at a door, or putting up and taking down chairs, or addressing envelopes, or cleaning up after an event, or being an usher or greeter, or driving our church shuttle, or sharing a testimony, or helping to edit a video, or drawing art for our church, or singing, or serving in the tech team or praying. They all really matter. The fact of the matter is - some of God's most anonymous servants are some of God's most important servants. I did some research and it seems there are basically 18 gifts of the Spirit. It is interesting that in gematria (a form of Jewish numerology), the number 18 stands for "life", because the Hebrew letters that spell “chai” meaning "living" or “life” add up to 18. (In Hebrew “the fullness of life” is Chayyim or Chaim.) However, I did a little research and I found two lists of 18 and the last three on each list are different. But that’s ok as there are many gifts of the Spirit. Each one of these gifts are important. I cannot say one gift is better than another. Some of the gifts of the Spirit are:
(spoken in sermon: I don’t have time to explain in this sermon what all the gifts mean but in my sermon manuscript you will find a brief explanation of these gifts. Go to the website and read the sermon. Also, if you go to Japanese Sunday School led by Hiroko-san or to Sermon Discussion Sunday School led by Kwame today, July 4, at 10:30am, you will possibly discuss in more detail the sermon and texts.) Gifts of the Spirit with a brief explanation:
Another gift I have it nurturing. I love to care and nurture people. I believe I also have a gift in creating worship. I love worshipping God and putting together a service with liturgy to praise God’s name. There are many gifts that I don’t have. For example, singing! I love music but am not gifted with a nice voice. But Rev. Tabuchi sings and he can lead choirs. Also we are blessed with many gifted singers at KUC – praise God! I also don’t feel I have a strong gift in finances so I am glad I am not the church treasurer so I am grateful that Ben Tan is! ☺ But this is why we are part of the body of Christ. If one of us doesn’t have a particular gift, then hopefully someone else does. We share our gifts, help and encourage one another. The Spirit gives us spiritual gifts. Paul says in "But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift." (Ephesians4:7 ) The Greek word for grace, “charis,” gives us the word charisma or charismatic, which literally means "gift." Every Christian is gifted. We all have gifts. We don't all have the same gifts, but we all have certain gifts that God has given us so we can do what God wants us to do for other people. God never wastes anything. Every spiritual gift and natural ability that you have, God gave it to you to be used in service and ministry. The good news is that there are more than enough gifts in the church to do everything that God wants the church to do. Whether you are a member of this church or not, you can get involved in some aspect of the work of this church and do something in the service of the church and community. Sometimes when people look for a church, they ask this question; "How can this church meet my needs?" When you begin to mature as a Christian, you will begin to ask instead, "How can I be used in this church to meet the needs of others?" We are called to serve and to share our gifts. Let’s continue to walk with the Holy Spirit to serve one another. Amen. |
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