From the Pastor |
It amazes me how many people believe that being a Christian means we will only experience good things… that if our faith is strong enough, we will avoid all suffering and pain, and we will prosper in this life. Well, if that is the “gospel message” you believe… I am afraid you might be a bit disappointed… because we actually have no such guarantee.
I mean… let’s face it… we live in a crazy, mixed up, violent, sinful world. It is a world that seems to reward deceit and greed while scoffing at truth and righteousness. A world full of heartache and pain… illness, poverty and injustice… a world that honestly makes being a follower of Christ difficult at the least… and at worst, very dangerous. Even today, in the 21st century, it can be dangerous to be a Christian. At least in much of the world. Did you know that there are at least 60 countries where Christians still face persecution? Millions of Christians face the possibility of imprisonment, or abuse from their government and neighbors. Many still… like Stephen I our reading from Acts… face death because of their faith. But that is not usually something we even think about here in America… It is NOT our reality. How many of you consider your faith to be dangerous? Difficult? Yes, sometimes. Inconvenient? Yes, at times. Embarrassing? Yeah… Sometimes it can be. But dangerous? … Yeah… not so much. Persecution is not our experience. When it comes to persecution, American Christians tend to cry “persecution” when someone suggests saying “Happy Holidays” instead of “Merry Christmas”… or when asked to make a wedding cake for a gay couple when they do not approve of or believe in gay marriage. Or like the past 2 months when government leaders and health officials called for all gathering places to be closed… including churches. Many Christians cried out that it was “persecution” that went against their right to Freedom of Religion. If that is persecution… we are truly blessed. Persecution was what Stephen faced in Jerusalem. When he was put on trial for speaking the good news of Christ. When he was dragged outside the city gates and stoned for his faith. Persecution is what the early Christians faced from the Jewish leaders and the Romans… Persecution is what Christians in other countries today face when they have to meet in secret… when they are beaten, ridiculed and imprisoned for their faith. Persecution is not something we have really had to face in this country… Yet, even though we are blessed with the freedom of religion that we enjoy here… it is still difficult to be a Christian. Why is that? I think it is because our faith is still very demanding… Our freedoms have made us complacent and tend to fill us with apathy… we try to follow Christ while blending in because we do not like that our faith makes us different… outsiders in this society… and as I said before… our faith does not offer any guarantees for our lives in this world. But Jesus never promised that the faithful would NOT suffer. In fact he actually said the opposite. Jesus said “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24 “…they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of my name.” Matthew 24:9 We like to think our faith will protect us from pain and suffering… but it doesn’t. We are not immune to suffering… we are not exempt from trials and tribulations. It is true… Scripture, and history show us, again and again, that Christians do indeed suffer for their faith in Christ Jesus… even we can suffer for our faith… but the gift we have been given through our readings this week is the assurance that, even though we might suffer… if we put our trust in God… we can find peace and joy in God’s care. As we live our lives in this crazy, sinful world… even as we experience pain… we know that God is with us. God has provided the way that is always steadfast and sure. For Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” john 14: 6a By following Jesus, there is always a way forward… we have a guide who will never leave us. When we are unsure of where to go, Jesus knows the path and if we remain with him… if we follow him and trust in him to see us through… we continue to move forward with confidence. “If you really know me, you will know my Father as well… Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” John 14: 7a, 9b Jesus came so we could truly know God… He dwelt among us and showed what it was God cared about and the extent of God’s love. He lived with the poor, healed the sick, fed the hungry… he sought out the weak, the lost and the outcast… he humbled himself to act as a servant… humbled himself to even die on a cross… but then he won victory over death by rising again. Jesus promised to go ahead to prepare a place for his disciples… for us… so that we know that even death is not the end… that one day we will reside with him in God’s great kingdom. If we know Jesus… we know God. How awesome is that? Through Christ we know what God is like and we know that God is with us, even in our vulnerability, our uncertainty, and our fear. The assurance this brings is amazing. Faith might not stop suffering from happening… but it can see us through even the worst that this world can dish out. There are 2 common responses when people are faced with challenges in our world. Some allow fear to grab hold… they focus on the crisis and work frantically to try and figure out what to do… the future is riding on it and honestly this path can lead to hopelessness. Then there are others… Christians who use their faith like an escape hatch… they focus on their promised future in “heaven” and ignore the problems of today… this path is fairly easy because it is passive and requires no work on our part… they just wait for God to change the brokenness of our world. That “Left Behind” mentality. However, the Scriptures call us to a different response altogether... Even while Christians are called to put their trust in God to care for us… even while we recognize and acknowledge God’s promise for the future… even as we find peace of heart, soul and mind in the assurance of God’s love and grace… we are called, by our faith, to work. To work in partnership with God, continuing the wonderful works that Christ had begun. That is what Christ meant when he said “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these…” John 15:12A Our Christian faith calls us to welcome all people to experience God’s love, compassion and mercy through us. Christ has shown us that it is by living and working for God’s kingdom that we are truly able to find the assurance and peace that we are looking for. We cannot do this if we separate ourselves from the world… we must actively serve the world in Christ’s name… to be active participants in God’s work wherever we are… at home, in our neighborhoods, offices and schools… trying our best to live as followers of Christ in whatever ways we can, whether large or small… to actively shine the light of God’s love into the community around us. This may mean that we put ourselves at risk of ridicule, misunderstandings and even persecution by those who wish to maintain the “status quo”, and our work may seem thankless and we might even find ourselves facing discouragement and disappointment. But even so… trust that God is at work in the world… in our communities… in our lives… Look around and see the signs of God’s love and grace in this crazy world. They are clearly visible if we simply look for them. The assurance that our faith provides can give us hope… and as we live as followers of Christ… people full of trust and hope, we can actively bring hope to the world. There are very few things in this world that are certain… I’ve been told that only death and taxes are certain… But that is NOT true… there is something else that is certain. God’s love for us… The power of Christ’s love for us… love that will see us through any trial… any suffering… That is certain. God’s love and care is reliable and never-ending. It cannot be lost or cancelled… and Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. God is our rock, a strong fortress to keep us safe. This is the assurance that our faith brings… the hope that sees us through, and the work that faith calls us to do makes us participants in God’s saving work in our world… calling us to do even greater things. Amen
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Yeon Shin
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