From the Pastor |
2020 has been an interesting year to say the least.
In January… it looked like we might actually end up going to war with Iran when the US targeted and killed the Iranian general Qasem Soleimani and then Iran retaliated by bombing 2 US military bases in Iraq. Then House of Representatives brought impeachment proceedings against the president… Then this strange new virus began to make the news… and by March 1st… We had 2 confirmed deaths in Washington state and the first cases in Rhode Island, Florida, and New York were reported… from there it exploded and we were forced to literally shut-down. Since then, in our country alone there have been over 2 million confirmed cases with around 117,000 deaths… over 30,000 deaths here in NY. The closing of businesses, school and even churches… stay-at-home orders went into effect… the world seemed to run out of toilet paper… the requirements of wearing masks and social distancing were accepted (grudgingly) by many citizens… but it led others to storm their state capitols… wielding guns and shouting at law enforcement officials and politicians in protest. If that is not enough… the issue of racial and economic injustice in our nation reached a volcanic boiling point and exploded with the horrifying video of George Floyd’s tragic death on May 25th. Since then there have been continuous nationwide protests against racism and injustice. In fact, the protests have begun worldwide. People in other countries have picked up the cries for equal justice for all. Many of the protests have remained peaceful but many have turned extremely violent with the fault falling on both sides. Think about all this for a second… we are only about ½ way through this year. It’s hard to imagine what could possible happen next. But 2020 has spawned some great memes on Facebook. Well… we have finally entered phase 2 of reopening after the pandemic shut-down… now we get to undertake the massive task of trying to establish now guidelines and protocols to reopen our churches. I have to tell you… This year has been tough. As a pastor… I have been feeling a little beat up and a lot overwhelmed… I sometimes wonder if Jesus ever felt overwhelmed in the course of his ministry… I mean… Jesus was going from town to town teaching, healing, driving out demons and spreading his message. Crowds always seemed to gather around him… I sometimes feel a little overwhelmed just being in a large crowd… yet Jesus found that wherever he went… the crowds around him kept growing… but if he felt overwhelmed… he did not show it… instead we are told by Matthew that he felt compassion for them… he felt sorry for them because he saw they were lost, like sheep without a shepherd. When he looked to the crowds… Jesus also recognized that his task was huge… it was too big for one man to accomplish. He saw the crowds… compassion is what seemed to overwhelm him… and he taught a valuable lesson… he DELEGATED! He said to his disciples “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the Harvest, therefore, to send workers into His harvest field.” And then he called them together… empowered them with the ability to drive out demons and to heal people… and then he sent them out to continue the work he was doing, and to proclaim “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” Jesus tells us plainly what to do when the work seems to be too much… when we are feeling overwhelmed… in need of help… “Ask the Lord of the harvest… to send workers into His harvest field.” Turn to God for help. Throughout his ministry, Jesus did this many times. The gospels tell of the many times Jesus would just go off by himself to pray and if you look at what was going on at the time, many of those times are when normal people would have been feeling overwhelmed. He stopped and went to pray for help and guidance… to center himself and refocus his heart and mind on his mission… his purpose. Are you overwhelmed? Do you need help or even just a little guidance to make a decision? Years ago there was a movement… a fad that was all over the place? WWJD – What Would Jesus Do? Well, today… he gives us the answer. Stop! Put your faith and trust in God. Then pray to God for help and guidance. Finally, open your heart and mind to the power that comes from the Holy Spirit. Then be ready… because Jesus has shown that he is very willing to delegate! That day, he sent his disciples out to work the fields of the “to the lost sheep of Israel”… but after the resurrection he sent them out to all the nations… to the ends of the earth. Here in the year 2020… “The harvest is [STILL] plentiful [and] the workers are [STILL SO] few.” We are now the Disciples of Christ in this age…Through the Holy Spirit… Christ still empowers and sends his disciples… us… out into the world… to proclaim the good news… to cast out the demons of fear… anger… and hatred… and to heal the people… to heal the world. But let’s be honest… The job is enormous… it is overwhelming. We look around… look at all that is going on in our world and think… we cannot make a difference… I can’t make a difference… I can’t do it… That is when we need to turn to God… to ask the God of the harvest for help… for “with God ALL things are possible” [Matt. 19:26] and as Paul wrote in Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The fields are ready… it is up to us to continue the harvest. Amen
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Yeon Shin
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