A Good, Hard Year - 2009-10 Annual Report (Luke 18:1-8)

Josh Broward
October 17, 2010

   This has been a good, hard year.  Even the good times have been difficult, and even the difficult times have been good. 
    Many of us have had personal struggles.  We have had struggles with our jobs, struggles with finding a job, struggles with figuring out what to do next, struggles with our faith, struggles with our health, struggles with our identity and self-worth.
    Many of us have also had family struggles.  We have lost fathers and grandfathers.  We have had family in the hospital.  We have had new babies, with all of those joys and stresses.  We have had family conflicts and unspoken pains and griefs.
    We have also experienced some hard times as a church.  The cycle of coming and going has been unbalanced on the going side lately.  We bless them as they follow God’s leading, but we grieve for the hole they leave behind.  Others in our church are struggling to stay connected even though they’re staying in Korea. 
    In the midst of all of these changes and struggles, we can feel overwhelmed, depressed, powerless or hopeless.  We might feel a lot like a widow in the first century.  In that era, a widow was the iconic symbol of a helpless sufferer - especially if she was poor, especially if she had no close male relatives, especially if someone wronged her. 
    That is the case for the woman in our Gospel lesson.  She is a widow.  She is poor.  She can’t even afford the court fees or bribes to get the judge to hear her case.  She is alone.  Courtrooms were places for men, but she can’t find a male relative to go into the courtroom to plead her case.  And she has been wronged.  Probably someone has taken advantage of her vulnerability and taken some of the little bit that she has left.  She is desperate for justice.

Read Luke 18:1-8. 

    The word “justice” is repeated four times.  “Give me justice.”  “I’m going to see that she gets justice.”  Even the unjust judge “gave her justice in the end.”  “God will surely give justice to his chosen people.”   What is this “justice” about?  The word means to vindicate, to confirm, to justify, to uphold, to find innocent. 
    In this world, as we follow the way of Christ, we can often wonder if we’re doing the right thing.  Is it really the right thing to give rather than to keep?  To rest one day rather than to work seven?  To forgive rather than to hate?  To serve rather than to retreat?  Other people may accuse us of being lazy or uptight or soft or all kinds of things.  We see others who seem to be succeeding, enjoying life, getting ahead, and we also want to succeed and to be happy.  And we wonder if the way of Christ is really right.  If we follow Christ, will we be justified in the end?  Will we look back and say, that was the right choice?

    We also need to understand the context here.  In Luke chapter 17, Jesus has just talked about the struggles his disciples will face.  “People will ask, ‘When is the Kingdom of God going to come?’  And people will say, ‘Look over here, I see a sign.  Look over there, the prophecies are being fulfilled.  But when I come again, it will be obvious to everyone - like lightning flashing across the sky.  But between now and then, I must suffer many things.  When I come back, it will be sudden.  You won’t have time to pack your bags.  You won’t have time to go tell your neighbor.  If you cling to your life you’ll lose it, but if you live loose and free for me, you will find full life.’”
    And the disciples asked, “Where will this happen, Lord?”  (Like, um “when” didn’t work, so let’s try “where.”) 
    Jesus says, “Where the body is, the vultures gather.”  In other words, “When you see it happening, you’ll know where.”
    We want to know when and where and how.  “When will you make everything right God?  Tell me how this is all going to shake out.  If you want me to follow you, tell me where we’re going!” 
    And to all of our questions and complaints, Jesus tells us “a story to show that [we] should always pray and never give up.” 

    This is the second word we need to understand: “never give up.”  It’s actually one word in the Greek: ekkakeo.  Literally, it means “to behave badly,” but in common usage it means “to lose heart, to abandon the cause, to lose faith.”  We can catch it’s meaning by looking at how it is used in a few other places:
“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good.  At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).
“As for the rest of you, dear brothers and sisters, never [give up] doing good” (2 Thessalonians 3:13). 
    So Jesus told this story about the persistent widow so that we will keep praying and keep acting.  We pray, and we do.  We pray for justice, and we work for justice.  Keep the faith.  Hold to the cause.  Keep walking in Jesus’ way.  Keep praying and keep acting until our “righteousness shines out like the dawn, and [our] salvation blazes like a burning torch” (Isaiah 62:1). 

    But we have to ask ourselves another question: Why?  Why should we keep praying for justice?  Why should we keep working on being a loving community that changes our world?  Why should we endure suffering?   Why should we keep on in the way of Christ when other ways seem so much easier?
    The answer of the Christian church around the world is this: “Christ has died.  Christ is risen.  Christ is coming again.” 
    We can persevere in the way of Christ because Christ has died.  Jesus has already entered our suffering.  When we suffer, he suffers with us.  We are not alone.  But not only that, Christ has died for our sins.  Christ has died so that we can be finally justified with God.  Because of Jesus, God has ruled on our side.  God has given us “justice” or upheld us or confirmed us because Jesus died for us.  If we are in Christ, then God’s justice is forever on our side.
    We can persevere in the way of Christ because Christ is risen.  Jesus has passed through the suffering and come out on the other side.  Jesus went into suffering and death and broke out the other side, leading a long train of captives in his wake.  We still have our broken bodies in a broken world.  But Christ’s free life lives in us, and we are beginning to experience the joys of Christ’s risen life even now in this life. 
    We can persevere in the way of Christ because Christ is coming again.  We don’t know when.  We don’t know how.  But we do know Christ is coming.  Jesus will come again.  Jesus will bring the final justice - the final restoration.  Jesus will raise us from the dead and make everything right. 
    We can persevere in the way of Christ.  Why?  Christ has died.  Christ is risen.  Christ is coming again.  I want you to say that together.  When I say, “Why?” - you say, “Christ has died.  Christ has risen.  Christ is coming again.”  We can persevere in the way of Christ.  We can pray faithfully and serve faithfully.  Why?
Christ has died.  Christ has risen.  Christ is coming again.

    OK, so let’s get to the annual review part of this sermon.  First, a quick look at the numbers. 
Average Annual Attendance:

• 2004-5: 50
• 2005-6: 65
• 2006-7: 80
• 2007-8: 96
• 2008-9: 114
• 2009-10: 109

This might look bad at first.  This is the first year that our church has not grown for many years.  However, we can also see some strength in this.  Within the past year, several key leaders have returned to their home countries, and KNU has changed some of the rules for teachers in the public schools, sending them to other churches.  However, we have basically held our own.  Even though we lost a lot of people, our attendance didn’t change much.  That means two things.  First, we gained a lot of other new people.  Second, we are becoming more stable as a church.  We are less affected by changing dynamics in our environment.  We are able to weather the storms. 

Annual Giving:

• 2004-5: 37,000,000 won
• 2005-6: 50,000,000 won
• 2006-7: 71,000,000 won
• 2007-8: 85,000,000 won
• 2008-9: 97,000,000 won
• 2009-10: 103,000,000 won

This is a really positive sign.  Our attendance didn’t go up, but our giving did!  The economy went down, but our giving went up.  This means that more of us are actually investing in our mission and vision.  We are putting our money where our bodies are.  This means that your confidence in our church and our mission is increasing.  That’s awesome.  Keep that up.  

Savings Trend:

• 2005: 16,000,000 won
• 2006: 29,000,000 won
• 2007: 39,000,000 won
• 2008: 41,000,000 won
• 2009: 72,000,000 won
• 2010: 87,000,000 won

This picture is actually really significant.  Now, with more than 85 million won in savings, our church can actually support a full-time pastor without help from KNU.  For the entire history of our church, KNU has provided the housing for our pastor.  But at some point, either Sarah will not work for KNU, or our family will move on to another ministry location.  Then, our church will need to provide an income and housing for our pastor.  We now have enough money to purchase an apartment similar to the one where my family lives now.  We don’t have to borrow money.  We don’t have to pay rent.  We have the cash.  This is a major step toward long-term stability.  This is something we’ve been building toward for many years, and we’ve made it. 
So church, persevere in the way of Christ.  Pray faithfully and serve faithfully.  Why? 
Christ has died.  Christ has risen.  Christ is coming again.

    Last week we baptized 6 new believers.  As they shared their testimonies of how they came to believe Jesus and how God has changed their lives, many of us were moved to tears.  I was reminded why we do what we do. 
    Today, after the sermon, we will take in eleven new members to our church.  Eleven people are joining our community and committing themselves to our mission.
 So church, persevere in the way of Christ.  Pray faithfully and serve faithfully. Why?
Christ has died.  Christ has risen.  Christ is coming again.

    After the service today, we will vote in our new Advisory Council.  We have some really good people, and for the first time in the history of our church, we have more Koreans than foreigners.  This is also a big step toward stability. 
    If you have accepted the nomination for this year’s Advisory Council, please stand up when I call your name.  I want to introduce you.

• Christian Education: Beverly Gatlin (renewal) and James Picket
• Fellowship: Lee HaYoung and Tori Palmer
• Finance: Steve Larson (renewal) and Kang MinKyoung (Calvin)
• Missions: Kim SooZa and Park MoonShik
• Outreach and Publicity: Park InGyu and Lee KyoungRan
• Pastor-Church Relations Team: Kim SeongHwan (renewal) and Ron Thornton
• Worship Planning: Elizabeth Palmer and Tim Marvin
• Worship Preparations: Jo EunMi and Im SuHee

We have a great team of leaders to help us follow God’s leading this year.
So church, persevere in the way of Christ.  Pray faithfully and serve faithfully. Why?
Christ has died.  Christ has risen.  Christ is coming again.

    We have lots more to celebrate for this year.
 We did our first week of 24/7 Prayer, and it was incredible!  This fall, we’re doing it again.  Michael Palmer is hosting a coffee outing today after the potluck for people who want to help plan 24/7 Prayer. 
 This year was the beginning of our partnership with Bangladesh.  We gave 1,000,000 won for blankets during a cold-wave this winter.  Then, we sent a team to scout the area for us and to help build a house.  We’re sending another team in February.
We are redesigning our website.  That is still underway, but we took some big steps this year.  You can also vote on the final drafts for our church logo today. 
 We also gave 1,000,000 won to the single mom’s house we support.  They bought a GPS device for their van and a sewing machine. 
Also, I have an important announcement to make.  Last year, one of our priority goals was to strengthen our youth ministry.  Last week, the Advisory Council appointed Shannon Smith and Adam Jantz as youth pastors for our church.  (They are both so good that we just couldn’t decide between them!)  This is a big success for our church.  They will add tremendously to our community as they help our students grow in the love and grace of God. 
    I know there are more things for us to celebrate and to thank God for, so we have prepared a Thanksgiving Tree in the hallway.  In the bulletins, there are some fall-colored leaves.  Take one of those and write your thanks on there.  Then add it to the tree.  On your way through the food line or after lunch, you can check out the tree and read what people in our church are thankful for. 
 So church, I want to encourage you to persevere in the way of Christ.  Pray faithfully and serve faithfully. Why?
Christ has died.  Christ has risen.  Christ is coming again.

    This year, we want to do a lot of different things.  However, I want us to set two priority goals as a church.  Whatever else we do, we must do these two things. 
    First and foremost, we need to experience more of God when we gather to worship.  This is our best chance to grow close to God together.  This year, we have tasted some powerful worship services, full of the Spirit of God.  The time around 24/7 Prayer and Pentecost stands out for many of us.  We need more of that. 
    Greenhouse Worship is at the front of this effort.  Listen to our vision for these Sunday worship service.
Our worship encounters will be:

• God-filled
• fearless and honest
• creative and connected to tradition
• welcoming and life-changing

We will:

• come hungry
• celebrate Jesus
• take personal action
• leave hungry for more of God.

    We need your help here.  We need you to pray for our Sunday gatherings.  Pray that God will fill this time with his Spirit.  Pray that lives will be changed here.  Then, when you come, engage the process.  We may be asking you to pray or to worship in some new ways.  Come hungry, and be open to trying some new things.
    Also, as I preach, I’m going to try to talk about the core of the gospel every Sunday.  No matter what the topic is, I’m going to try to help us understand how this fits in with the core of the gospel of Jesus Christ:  Because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, our sins can be forgiven, and we can live a new life with God in his mission of healing our world. 
    Our second priority as a church this year is to strengthen our core.  It is true that we are a transient community.  Many people come and go.  However, in the center of all that change are people who are staying.  In the past year, we’ve started having meetings of our Korean core.  In the coming year, we also need to have meetings of our foreign core as well.  We need to get these two groups together to build deeper relationships so that we can have one core together.  We need our long-termers to step into your role as core members in our church.  Whether you’re Korean or foreign, if you have been a while and you aren’t going anywhere soon, you have a unique role to play in our church.  It’s time to step up.
    This year, more than anything else, we need to have deeper worship services,  full of God’s Spirit, and we need to strengthen our core.
 So church, persevere in the way of Christ.  Pray faithfully and serve faithfully. Why?
Christ has died.  Christ has risen.  Christ is coming again.

    I want to conclude today by introducing you to one of my friends.  Stasi Dishman was born with a disease called Cerebral Palsy.  She’s actually really smart, but her body doesn’t respond to the instructions from her brain.  For 40 years, she had almost no movement in her legs - only very painful muscle spasms. 
    Stasi was a student at MidAmerica Nazarene University.  It took her about 10 years to graduate, taking just two classes a semester.  When I entered MidAmerica, she had already been there five years!  Other students helped her with basic tasks like eating, reading her text books, typing papers, and even going to the bathroom. 
    Because of Stasi’s extremely painful muscle spasms, the doctors actually removed her kneecaps to ease the pain.  They said she had no hope of ever walking, so the kneecaps were useless anyway. 
    About a year ago, Stasi began seeing a chiropractor who introduced her to a new form of treatment.  She sits or stands on this simple machine that vibrates her whole body.  Apparently, the vibrations stimulate her nerves and re-establishes connection between her brain and her body. 
    For the first time in her life, Stasi can actually move her legs when and how she wants.  I was amazed when I saw on Facebook that she had walked 190 feet.  This summer, Emma and I went to see her walk.  They strap her to a walker, and she walks around the chiropractor’s office.  She’s slow, but she has to rebuild muscles that haven’t been used for 40 years! 
    This fall, Stasi entered a 5K race.  Her doctor pushed her in her wheel chair for most of the race.  Then, they stopped and helped her walk the last 300 feet (a new record for her).  Stasi’s new email address is appropriately: walkingmiracle@worshipper.com. 

    If God can help Stasi, God can help us.  Persevere in the way of Christ.  When everything seems impossible, keep going.  When it seems too difficult, keep going.  When you feel too small and too frail, persevere in the way of Christ.  When you feel like you just can’t take one more hit, one more fall, one more failure, one more complaint, one more criticism, persevere in the way of Christ.  Pray faithfully, and act faithfully.  You never know what miracles he has planned.  Persevere in the way of Christ.  Why?
Christ has died.  Christ has risen.  Christ is coming again!