Pentecost - Fire, Wind, Water

Today is Pentecost Sunday. In Korean it is SoungNyoung GangNim Jeol - the commemoration of the Holy Spiritʼs coming. Today, we are going to take some time and talk about some of the symbols of the Holy Spirit which were active on Pentecost Sunday. With each symbol, weʼll read some of the most important texts for that image of God.


First is fire. Fire is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.  [We lit a fire in a barbecue pit.  Unfortunately, the wind was against us, so I had to move the pit way off to the side to keep the smoke out of people's eyes.  Ah, the plans of mice and men.]

Malachi 3
1 “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
 2 “But who will be able to endure it when he comes? Who will be able to stand and face him when he appears? For he will be like a blazing fire that refines metal, or like a strong soap that bleaches clothes. 3 He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross. He will purify the Levites, refining them like gold and silver, so that they may once again offer acceptable sacrifices to the Lord.

Matthew 3
1 In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, 2 “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.”... 5 People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. 6 And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. ...
 11[John said] “I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not worthy even to be his slave and carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 12 He is ready to separate the chaff from the wheat with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, gathering the wheat into his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire.”

Acts 1
 4 Once when [Jesus] was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”

Godʼs Spirit is a fire that purifies. Godʼs Spirit is a fire that burns our trash.  Godʼs Spirit is a fire that cleans us inside and out. Godʼs Spirit is a fire that removes our sin and corruption and impurity.

Pray for the baptism of fire. Pray for the Holy Spirit. Submit yourself to God and allow him to purify your soul.


Second is wind or breath. In Hebrew, wind, breath, and spirit can all be the same word - ruach. Wind or breath are signs of the Holy Spirit. [We turned on a fan with ribbons streaming out to symbolize wind.]

Genesis 2
7 Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.

Psalm 104
24 O Lord, what a variety of things you have made!  In wisdom you have made them all.
      The earth is full of your creatures. ...
 29 But if you turn away from them, they panic.
      When you take away their breath, they die and turn again to dust.
 30 When you give them your breath, life is created,  and you renew the face of the earth. ...
 33 I will sing to the Lord as long as I live.  I will praise my God to my last breath!

John 3
 5 Jesus replied, “I assure you, no one can enter the Kingdom of God without being born of water and the Spirit. 6 Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. 7 So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it wants. Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit.”

John 20
19 That Sunday evening the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! 21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit."


The Spirit of God is the breath of life. We cannot live without Godʼs Spirit. We breathe in and breathe out the Spirit of God, the breath of life. We breathe in grace and breathe out praise.

And yet there is more. The Spirit of God is the breath of new life. God puts new life, the life of the Spirit, in us through the Spirit. We are “born again.” We receive Jesusʼ peace and are sent to live like Jesus through the Holy Spirit - the breath of Christ.

And yet, there is still more. The Spirit of God is like the wind. We cannot control it or contain it. We cannot predict it or plan it. The Spirit blows wherever it wants, and we canʼt explain just exactly how the Spirit works. But we can feel the effects of the Spirit. We can feel the wind on our face. We can breathe in the breath of new life. We can feel the winds of change and new life blowing through our world. Today, we see and celebrate how Godʼs Spirit has made people new.

Breathe in the breath of life. Pray for the ancient Spirit of change. Ask God to give you new life through his Holy Spirit. Let God inspire you. Inspire - like the word respiration - Inspire means to in-breathe. Let God breath in you. Let God so inspire you that your daily, moment by moment breaths are soaked with God.


Last is water. Water is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.  [I poured a picture of water into a basin here.]

Isaiah 44
 2 The Lord who made you and helps you says:
  Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, O dear Israel, my chosen one.
 3 For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields.
   And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children.
 4 They will thrive like watered grass, like willows on a riverbank.

John 7
37 Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! 38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” 39 (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)

Titus 3
3 Once we, too, were foolish and disobedient. We were misled and became slaves to many lusts and pleasures. Our lives were full of evil and envy, and we hated each other. 4 But—When God our Savior revealed his kindness and love, 5 he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. 6 He generously poured out the Spirit upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior.

The Spirit of God is life-giving water for our dry souls. The Spirit of God is a fountain of living water that springs up inside us when we put our trust in Jesus. The Spirit of God is a river of mercy that washes away our sins and fills us with new life through Jesus.

Come to the water. Soak in the Spirit. Open your heart to the river of God. Let God swish a big bucket of water into your heart and clean all the floors and corners and dark places. Let your roots grow down deep into the love of God so that the Spirit fills you with the life of God.

The Holy Spirit is fire, wind, and water. Listen to the story of Pentecost.

Acts 2:
1 On the day of Pentecost, all the believers were meeting together in one place. 2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting. 3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on each of them. 4 And everyone present was filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
 5 At that time there were devout Jews from every nation living in Jerusalem. 6 When they heard the loud noise, everyone came running, and they were bewildered to hear their own languages being spoken by the believers. ...
 14 Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and shouted to the crowd, “Listen carefully ... what you see was predicted long ago by the prophet Joel:
 17 ‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and
daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.
 18 In those days I will pour out my Spirit even on my servants—men and women alike ...’
 22 “People of Israel, listen! God publicly endorsed Jesus the Nazarene by doing powerful miracles, wonders, and signs through him, as you well know. 23 But God knew what would happen, and his prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed him to a cross and killed him. 24 But God released him from the horrors of death and raised him back to life, for death could not keep him in its grip. ...
 32 “God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. 33 Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today...
 37 Peter’s words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
 38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit...
 41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
 42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

Pentecost - fire, wind, water - Godʼs Spirit coming and changing people, Godʼs
Spirit coming and changing a community. Let it happen again. Let it happen today.

Sing, “Spirit of the Living God” !


Like the first disciples, we are meeting together in one place, and like them, we
are going to spend some time in prayer. Wherever you are just bow your head, and
pray together with me.

First, letʼs remember our sins. Quietly, there in your seat, remember your sins
and confess them to God.

.........


Second, remember Jesus who died for our sins. He died on the cross so that we
can live and be free. As you pray, voice your trust in Jesus. Tell Jesus thank you. Pray
for more faith to put your trust in Jesus more.



.........

Third, remember the Holy Spirit. The cross was not enough. Pentecost had to
come. The Holy Spirit had to come. Pray for the Holy Spirit. Pray for Godʼs fire and
wind and water. Ask God to purify you in the fire. Ask God to fill you with the breath of
his Spirit. Ask God to wash you clean and to be the source of your life. Pray for the
Spirit.

.........


Last, pray for power. Jesus said, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit
comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in
Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Pray
for the power to be Godʼs witness, to share Godʼs grace. Pray that your life will be so
soaked with Godʼs Spirit that people will get hungry for grace just being around you.

.........

Sing, “Spirit of the Living God” !

[After this, we invited people to come to the front to experience each of the symbols - to stand in front of the fan and feel the wind on their faces, to touch the water, to hold their hand over the coals - and to be anointed with oil and receive prayer.  There was a long line at the anointing station as somewhere around 50 people waited for prayer.  We'll have to have more pray-ers next time!]

Giving Up our Snakes - Numbers 21

This week, I'm preaching at the monthly pastors' meeting for the Nazarene pastors in Cheonan.  Here's my sermon.

4 Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea[a] to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, 5 and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!”


6 So the Lord sent poisonous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. 7 Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people.


8 Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!” 9 So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!

 

[I want to say this first part in Korean.]

I have lived in Korea for seven years, so I guess I’m about 7% Korean. I am sorry that I cannot preach in Korean yet.  I am studying Korean, but I still have a long way to go.  I hope that I will not need a translator in a few years.  However, for today, I can only say about 7% in Korean.

             Next, I want to thank you for welcoming me as one of your own.  I know that our church is the first English speaking Nazarene church in Korea, and I know that it is sometimes difficult to include me in your discussions and groups.  So I want to thank you – especially those who have gone out of their way to include me and to make sure I understand what is happening.  In many ways, this monthly zone pastors meeting is one of the most important ways I am learning about the Korean church.  So thank you for the opportunity to be involved here.

             Now, I guess I better stop chatting and start preaching.

The snake in the desert is a story of powerful and creative ministry.  It was both Spirit-led and practical.  The snake in the desert led to spiritual revival and physical healing. 

             Moses was so connected with God’s Spirit that he was able to hear God’s plan to cure the people and to show God’s amazing power.  Moses made a bronze snake, and anyone who even looked at it was healed.  The people could now continue their journey to the Promised Land knowing that God’s grace is stronger than their sins and that God’s power is stronger than their problems.

             We would all love to have this kind of ministry.  Problems solved.  Sins forgiven.  Bodies healed.  Miracles accomplished.  We would all love to do that in our churches.

             It would be great if the story stopped here.  We could all go home and think about having amazing, miraculous ministries.  But the story doesn’t stop here. 

Later, in 2 Kings 18, we see that this story of incredible, successful ministry became dark and idolatrous.  When King Hezekiah began his religious reforms in Israel, he tore down the holy pagan worship sites on the hills; he smashed the sacred stones; he tore down the Asherah poles.  And … “He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it.” (2 Kings 18:4)

             Note what is happening here.  The people no longer live in the wilderness.  Snakes are not attacking them.  They have a king, and they live in cities and houses.  But the snake on the pole was so successful that people worshiped the snake on the pole after the snakes are gone.  The snake on the pole was so successful at demonstrating God’s power that people believed it was a god.  This wonderful tool of ministry became an idol.  People worshiped the method long after the context had changed.

             The same thing can happen to us.  Sometimes, some ministries or some methods work miracles.  People are saved.  Bodies are healed.  Communities are transformed.  Revivals happen.  And we all want to be like that.  We all want to have that kind of ministry. 

             So we copy the snake.  We focus on the methods.  We want amazing revivals to sweep through Korea again, so we try to replicate the same actions and the same conditions that brought revivals in the past.  The external culture changes and moves on.  But the church culture is forever reaching into the past, trying to resurrect the old results with the old methods.  Our methods have become our snakes on the pole.

             This happens in every culture. Whenever there is success, snakes will follow.  Whenever there is success, methods become objects of worship.  As humans, it seems like we fall into that trap every time. 

But, as pastors and leaders, our job is like Hezekiah.  We stand back from our ministry and ask, “What is really leading people to God and healing our world?  And what is just an old snake that is distracting us from God?” 

Then, we destroy the snakes.  That is hard and painful work, but it must be done.  Some people will resist.  Some will say that we are abandoning our history.  Some will say that we are unfaithful or heretics.  But snakes must not rule us.  We do not worship methods.  We worship God.

As I said, I’m only about 7% Korean.  I don’t feel like I have the authority or the wisdom to point out snakes that may be in the Korean church.  However, I would like to suggest some beginning topics that are relevant in many cultures.  There are a few changes that the church around the world needs to make in this generation.  We need to change our focus in three ways.

First, we need to move our focus from the church to the mission.  As pastors, we are people of the church, and we spend most of our time thinking about the church.  How is the church doing?  How are our people, our programs, our buildings?  And most importantly, how are our attendance and giving?  Many times our focus is on how we can get more people involved in more programs within the church.

But the church is not the point.  The mission is the point.  The point is God’s love transforming individuals and communities.  The church is a vehicle for the mission.  We need to stop asking: “How can we get more people into the church?”  Instead, we need to ask: “How we can get more people into the mission?  How can we get the church more deeply into our community? 

Second, in a similar way, we need to move from preaching evangelism to service evangelism.  We can talk and talk and talk and talk, but it doesn’t matter if no one is listening.  This week I saw a church holding a worship service in the park near my house.  They had a two guitars and drums and lots of worship leaders and a nice sign and nice clothes … and no audience.  No one was listening.  No one cared.  We can work really hard and preach really hard, but it doesn’t matter if no one is listening.

But if we help people with the real needs in their lives, they will start asking us questions: “Why do you care?  Why are you helping us?”  Then, we have people who are ready to listen to the gospel.  “We care because God loves us and you.  God changed us, and God can change you.”

Third, we need to move from success to faithfulness.  Success is also an idol.  Success is an idol in the world – money, power, honor, high test scores.  Success is an idol in the church – buildings, attendance, power, honor. 

One key sign that people have made success an idol is neglect of the Sabbath.  Six days for work; one day for rest.  It’s in the Ten Commandments.  But when the hunger for success pushes us to work seven days a week or to make our kids study seven days a week, we care more about success than faithfulness.  We care more about power than God. 

As pastors, we need to change our church culture that says it’s OK for workers and students to neglect God for the sake of success.  As pastors, we need to lead the way and take a day of rest every week.  (The beautiful irony is that rest will also make us more successful.)

There are the snakes in every culture.  Where are the snakes in Korea?  Where are the snakes in your church?  To be honest, I’m not sure exactly.  However, I believe we will find them and remove them as we adjust our focus.

From church to mission. 

From preaching evangelism to service evangelism. 

From success to faithfulness. 

From methods of ministry to the God who enables the ministry.

Blind Love - 1 Corinthians 13

    Just before she died in 1964, Flannery O’Connor wrote a brilliant short story called, “Revelation.”  O’Connor seemed to like symbolic names.  The lead character Mrs. Turpin - bringing to mind Turpentine, that cleaning chemical which is poisonous and stinky, and the other key character is an “ugly girl” named Mary Grace, who doesn’t like Mrs. Turpin and keeps giving her mean looking stares.  In an ironic way Mary Grace represents the disruptive grace of God. 

The Doctor’s waiting room, which was very small, was almost full when the Turpins entered and Mrs. Turpin, who was very large, made it look even smaller by her presence.  She stood looming at the head of the magazine table set in the center of it, a living demonstration that the room was inadequate and ridiculous.  Her little bright black eyes took in all the patients as she sized up the seating situation.  There was one vacant chair and a place on the sofa occupied by a blond child in a dirty blue romper who should have been told to move over and make room for the lady.  He was five or six, but Mrs. Turpin saw at once that no one was going to tell him to move over.  He was slumped down in the seat ... his nose ran unchecked. ... if that child belonged to me, he would have some manners and move over-there's plenty of room there for you and him too. ...
Next to her was a fat girl of eighteen or nineteen, scowling into a thick blue book which Mrs. Turpin saw was entitled Human Development. The girl raised her head and directed her scowl at Mrs. Turpin as if she did not like her looks. She appeared annoyed that anyone should speak while she tried to read. The poor girl's face was blue with acne and Mrs. Turpin thought how pitiful it was to have a face like that at that age. She gave the girl a friendly smile, but the girl only scowled the harder. Mrs. Turpin herself was fat, but she had always had good skin, and, though she was forty-seven years old, there was not a wrinkle in her face - except around her eyes from laughing too much.
Next to the ugly girl was the child, still in exactly the same position, and next to him was a thin leathery old woman in a cotton print dress. She and Claud had three sacks of chicken feed in their pump house that was in the same print. She had seen from the first that the child belonged with the old woman. She could tell by the way they sat- kind of vacant and white-trashy, as if they would sit there until Doomsday if nobody called and told them to get up. And at right angles but next to the well-dressed pleasant lady was a lank-faced woman who was certainly the child's mother. She had on a yellow sweatshirt and wine-colored slacks, both gritty-looking, and the rims of her lips were stained with snuff. Her dirty yellow hair was tied behind with a little piece of red paper ribbon. Worse than [black folk] any day, Mrs. Turpin thought.
The gospel hymn playing [on the radio] was "When I looked up and He looked down," and Mrs. Turpin, who knew it, supplied the last line mentally, "And wona these days I know I'll we-eara crown.  ...
Sometimes Mrs. Turpin occupied herself at night naming the classes of people. On the bottom of the heap were most colored people, not the kind she would have been if she had been one, but most of them; then next to them -- not above, just away from -- were the white-trash; then above them were the home-owners, and above them the home-and-land owners, to which she and Claud belonged.  Above she and Claud were people with a lot of money and much bigger houses and much more land. But here the complexity of it would begin to bear in on her, for some of the people with a lot of money were common and ought to be below she and Claud and some of the people who had good blood had lost their money and had to rent and then there some colored people who owned their homes and land as well. ...

-- Mrs. Turpin began a conversation with the pleasant looking lady. --

“If you want to make it farming now, you have to have a little of everything. We got a couple of acres of cotton and a few hogs and chickens and just enough white-face [cows] that Claud can look after them himself.”
"One thang I don't want," the white-trash woman said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "Hogs. Nasty stinking things, a-gruntin and a-rootin all over the place."
Mrs. Turpin gave her the merest edge of her attention. "Our hogs are not dirty, and they don't stink," she said. "They're cleaner than some children I've seen. Their feet never touch the ground. We have a pig-parlor - that's where you raise them on concrete," she explained to the pleasant lady, "and Claud scoots them down with the hose every afternoon and washes off the floor." Cleaner by far than that child right there, she thought. Poor nasty little thing. ...
The woman turned her face away from Mrs. Turpin. "I know I wouldn't scoot down no hog with no hose," she said to the wall.
You wouldn't have no hog to scoot down, Mrs. Turpin said to herself.  ...
There was nothing you could tell her about [white-trash] people like them that she didn't know already. And it was not just that they didn't have anything. Because if you gave them everything, in two weeks it would all be broken or filthy or they would have chopped it up for [firewood]. She knew all this from her own experience. Help them you must, but help them you couldn't.
All at once the ugly girl turned her lips inside out again. Her eyes were fixed like two drills on Mrs. Turpin. This time there was no mistaking that there was something urgent behind them. ...
"If it's one thing I am," Mrs. Turpin said with feeling, "It's grateful. When I think who all I could have been besides myself and what all I got, a little of everything, and a good disposition besides, I just feel like shouting, 'Thank you, Jesus, for making everything the way it is!' It could have been different!" For one thing, somebody else could have got Claud. At the thought of this, she was flooded with gratitude and a terrible pang of joy ran through her. "Oh thank you, Jesus, Jesus, thank you!" she cried aloud.
The book struck her directly, over her left eye. It struck almost at the same instant that she realized [Mary Grace] was about to hurl it. Before she could utter a sound, the raw face came crashing across the table toward her, howling. The girl's fingers sank like clamps the soft flesh of her neck.  ...
Mrs. Turpin's head cleared and her power of motion returned. She leaned forward until she was looking directly into the fierce brilliant eyes. There was no doubt in her mind that the girl did know her, know her in some intense and personal way, beyond time and place and condition. "What you got to say to me?" she asked hoarsely and held her breath, waiting, as for a revelation.
The girl raised her head. Her gaze locked with Mrs. Turpin's. "Go back to hell where you came from, you old wart hog," she whispered. Her voice was low but clear. Her eyes burned for a moment as if she saw with pleasure that her message had struck its target.

-- Later in the day, after all the drama was over, Mrs. Turpin, lay down in her own bed to rest, and she started talking to God.  She knew that somehow Mary Grace had given her a message from God. ---

The ... image of a razor-backed hog with warts on its face and horns coming out behind its ears snorted into her head. She moaned, a low quiet moan.
"I am not," she said tearfully, "a wart hog. From hell." But the denial had no force. The girl's eyes and her words, even the tone of her voice, low but clear, directed only to her, brooked no repudiation. She had been singled out for the message ...  The message had been given to Ruby Turpin, a respectable, hardworking, church-going woman. ...
"What do you send me a message like that for?" she said in a low fierce voice, barely above a whisper but with the force of a shout in its concentrated fury. "How am I a hog and me both? How am I saved and from hell too?" ...
"Why me?" she rumbled. "It's no trash around here, black or white, that I haven't given to.  And break my back to the bone every day working.  And do for the church.” ...
"How am I a hog?" she demanded. "Exactly how am I like them? ...  There was plenty of trash there. It didn't have to be me.” ...
A final surge of fury shook her and she roared, "Who do you think you are?"
The color of everything, field and crimson sky, burned for a moment with a transparent intensity. The question carried over the pasture and across the highway and the cotton field and returned to her clearly, like an answer from beyond the wood.  ["Who do you think you are?"]
She opened her mouth but no sound came out of it. ...
A visionary light settled in her eyes. She saw ...  a vast swinging bridge extending upward from the earth through a field of living fire. Upon it a vast horde of souls were tumbling toward heaven. There were whole companies of white trash, clean for the first time in their lives, and bands of black [folk] in white robes, and battalions of freaks and lunatics shouting and clapping and leaping like frogs. And bringing up the end of the procession was a tribe of people whom she recognized at once as those who, like herself and Claud, had always had a little of everything and the God-given wit to use it right. She leaned forward to observe them closer. They were marching behind the others with great dignity, accountable as they had always been for good order and common sense and respectable behavior. They, alone were [singing] on key. Yet she could see by their shocked and altered faces even their virtues were being burned away.  [To read the full text of "Revelation" by Flannery O'Connor, click here.]

1 Corinthians 13
1 If I could speak all the languages of earth and of angels, but didn’t love others, I would only be a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing. 3 If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it; but if I didn’t love others, I would have gained nothing.
 4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud 5 or rude.  It does not demand its own way.  It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. 6 It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. 7 Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
 8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever!

    Once upon a time, there were a group of cooks who never ate.  They met together to cook.  They made the most incredible dishes - adding just the right spices and holding the pan over the heat just so.  But each week after they finished cooking their masterpieces, they tossed them into the trash bins and returned home.  They missed the point.

    Once upon a time, there was a Manchester United fan club.  They all had the Man-U shirts and hats.  They knew all of the players’ names and statistics.  They had autographed balls and photos. Their fan club met every week, but they never talked about soccer, and they never watched any Manchester games - ever.  They missed the point.

    Once upon a time, there was an artists’ guild that didn’t do art.  Artists from around the city met together to talk about the art of art.  They discussed brush strokes and the tools for chiseling marble.  They had heated debates about the best kind of paper to use when painting with water colors.  However, the curious thing was that none of these artists ever did any art.  They missed the point.

    Once upon a time, there was a book club that met every week even though nobody ever read the books.  They would talk about this and that and have a cup of coffee, while the books sat on the coffee table unopened - with fresh, uncracked spines.  They missed the point.
   
    Once upon a time, there was a church that talked about God’s love.  They sang about God’s love.  They preached about God’s love and had careful theological definitions about the extent of God’s love.  But they were impatient and rude.  They were selfish and difficult to work with.  They were overly critical and liked to exclude others.  They were great at talking about love, but not so good about actually loving.  They missed the point.

    What is the point?  Fundamentally, what is the point of church?  Jesus answers that question for us pretty clearly. 


Matthew 22
37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”


    The point of the church is simple - love.  This is the first and most important part of our church’s vision: Being renewed by God’s love to love God, ourselves, and others.  That is why we are here.  The point ... is ... love.

    In the 1945 movie The Enchanted Cottage, a former pilot rents a home in the countryside.  One arm is useless and his face is deeply scarred from burns when his plan crashed.  He hires a shy, homely maid to look after the house.  At first, they endure each other’s company because of their mutual need.  Then, they begin to open up and share their true selves.  Slowly, they fall in love.  And slowly, mysteriously, the begin to change.  His scars begin to fade.  She becomes more attractive.  Their clothes become more stylish, and they develop a walk of confidence and poise. 
    To other people who do not share their love, they are still they same old, scarred and homely people.  But to each other, and to their blind neighbor next door, they are transformed.  Seen through the eyes of blind love, and growing in the light of love, they have become deeply beautiful people.  Love has transformed them.

    Let me suggest three venues for us to pursue the transforming power of love.

    First, within the church.  Most of us came here from another church.  We have our own sets of tastes and personal preferences.  Maybe you want more hymns or harder-edged music.  Maybe you want more discussion or more traditional theology.  Maybe you keep thinking of the churches you left behind.  Maybe, God has a message for us in the old Crosby, Stills and Nash song, “If you can’t be with the one you love, honey, then love the one you’re with.”  If your church isn’t what you want it to be ... then love it until both you and your church are transformed by God’s love.

    Second, within your home.  Maybe your spouse works too much.  Maybe your kids are disrespectful.  Maybe your mother-in-law gives you headaches.  Maybe your husband or your wife is not a Christian.  Maybe you and your neighbor just can’t get along.  If your family or home aren’t what you want them to be ... Love them until it both you and your family are transformed.  Love them until both you and your neighbors are transformed by God’s love. 

    Finally, within yourself.  Maybe you feel like you just don’t measure up.  No matter what you do there’s always a nagging sense that you’re not good enough.  Maybe you have an addiction that you are ashamed of.  Maybe you’ve beaten it; maybe it’s beating you.  Maybe it’s on days like today, when the discussion is about love, when you love yourself the least because you see how unloving you are most of the time.  If you are not who you want to be ... let God love you and love God the best that you can until you are transformed by God’s love. 

    The beautiful Gospel of Jesus Christ is that God loves us no matter what.  No person and no problem are beyond God’s healing love.  Jesus died on the cross to forgive our sins and to fill us with his love.  God raised Jesus from the dead, and he can raise us with new life and new love through his Holy Spirit.  Let God love you and be transformed by his love. 

O Love that will not let me go,
I rest my weary soul in thee;
I give thee back the life I owe,
That in thine ocean depths, its flow
May richer, fuller be.

Culture Shock Therapy

KNU International English Church
May 26, 2011
Josh Broward


    These days, we are talking about what it means to be the church.  So far, we’ve talked about hospitality, family, living the mission, and conflict.  Today, we’re picking up an issue that is really important for our local church: Culture Shock.
    I want to start with a simple example.  Words are like bags or containers for meaning.  The words themselves are packages in which we store meaning, and different cultures pack words with different meanings.  Sometimes, we’re surprised at the meanings other cultures pack into their words.
    Here’s one example of how this might work.  Jereme and Adam both went shopping.  They both brought home a bag that says E-Mart. 

• They both bought noodles.  (Jereme shows Korean “glass” noodles.  Adam shows spaghetti.)  They might look a little different, but they’re pretty close.
• They both bought red sauce.  (Adam shows tomato sauce.  Jereme shows red pepper paste.)  Those are going to taste VERY different.
• They both bought something fermented.  (Jereme shows kimchi.  Adam shows sour cream.)  At this point, both people might be saying, “You’re going to eat that?!  Sour cabbage?  Rotten milk?”  And both people are saying, “Oh yeah, that’s good stuff.”
• They both bought fruit.  (Adam shows an apple.  Jereme shows a 참외.)  Sometimes, when you start unpacking cultural differences, you run into a total difference.  One person says, “What is that?  We don’t even have a name for that.”  Actually, the only translation I could find for 참외 is “oriental melon.”  Basically, the dictionary people were like, “Um ... it’s kind of like melons you have in other countries, but not really.”

    This is how words and cultures work.  They are using the same word [E-mart], but they’ve packed it with different things.  Sometimes, they’re pretty similar - like noodles.  Sometimes, they’re different - like “red sauce.”  Sometimes, we are shocked by the way a different culture defines a word or experience.  Other times, we just scratch our heads and say, “I don’t really even understand that.  We don’t have anything like that.”  Then, the best we can say is, “It’s kind of like ... this.” 
    We have these kind of issues as a church.  Even when we’re speaking the same language, we are still packing those words with our own cultural meanings. 

    Culture shock is not all bad.  It can help us learn a lot about ourselves and others.  But for today, I want us to think about culture shock as a disease.  If you break that word down, it makes sense: “dis-ease.”  Culture shock is something that makes us feel not-at-ease or uneasy or uncomfortable.  There are three important things you need to know about the “disease” of culture shock.
    First, there is no vaccine.  Everybody gets culture shock.  If you have any long-term exposure to people of other cultures, you will get culture shock.  As Bill Patch used to say to the new professors, “99% get culture shock, and the other 1% are lying!”
    Second, there is no cure.  There is nothing you can do to make culture shock completely go away.  As long as you are with people from different cultures, you will still get culture shock.  I’ve been here for almost seven years, and I still get culture shock.
    However, there are treatments or therapies.  There are things we can do to make culture shock better, less severe, easier to live with.  And all of these treatments are deeply spiritual, deeply Christian, deeply Biblical.

    The first treatment for culture shock is UNDERSTANDING.  The book of Proverbs is all about understanding.  Let’s read the first part of chapter 2 now.
 1 My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands.
 2 Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.
 3 Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.
 4 Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures.
 5 Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord, and you will gain knowledge of God.
 6 For the Lord grants wisdom!  From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
 7 He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.  He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.
 8 He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him.
 9 Then you will understand what is right, just, and fair, and you will find the right way to go.
 
10 For wisdom will enter your heart, and knowledge will fill you with joy.
 
11 Wise choices will watch over you.  Understanding will keep you safe.
    Understanding is a key to life.  Concentrate on understanding.  Ask for understanding.  Understanding will keep you safe.  Understanding is so important for culture shock, that we’re going to spend a lot of time on this first therapy.  We need three different kinds of understanding.

    We need to understand the process of culture shock.  Here’s a quick overview.
 Stage 1: The Honeymoon Period.  This is the stage when everything is new and beautiful and wonderful.  You are soooo excited about your new adventure in a new culture.  Everything is cute or cool.  Isn’t it just so cute how all the little kids point and say some random English thing?  Hello.  My name is.  What’s your favorite color?  This stage usually lasts between two weeks and three months.
 Stage 2: Frustration. Eventually things aren't so cute any more.  Many of those little differences or “adventures” that were so intriguing at the beginning start to become grating and draining.  Don’t you just hate it when the kids point and say some random English thing?!  I’ve got a finger I can point too, kids!  This is the hardest stage of culture shock. We can feel homesick, depressed, angry, and helpless.  This stage can last anywhere from three months to one year.  Some people go home while they are still in frustration mode.
Stage 3: Transition.  You start to learn some things that are helpful.  Maybe you actually start studying Korean, so you can say more than “Anyanghaseo” and “Kamsahamnida.” You can actually use chopsticks without dropping your food all over your shirt.  The key point at this stage is regaining hope.    The transition period usually lasts one to three months.
Stage 4: New Balance.  After a while, you start to get adjusted.  You kind of find your rhythm in a new place, living in a new way.  You feel less out of place.  You find a few groups or communities where you really belong. And amazingly, your focus begins to shift away from culture shock and onto just living life.
 Stage 5: Re-entry Shock.  You thought we were done, right?  Nope.  When we go home, we have culture-shock in our own culture.  Home isn't the same any more – or at least it's not the same for us.  It takes time to get adjusted again.
 Stage 6: Recycle.  You thought we were done again, right?  Gotcha!  Culture shock just keeps coming and coming.  Once you finish one cycle, you just move back into it again.   But once you’ve gone through the process, it’s a lot messier from then on.  You might be in different stages at the same time in different areas of your life. 
    Just knowing where you are in the process can be helpful.  Knowing that there is a process can be helpful and hope-giving.  When you’re in the frustration stage, understand that you are not alone and that it won’t be like this forever.  If you persevere, you will transition and find a new and joyful balance.

    We also need to understand the other culture.  If you want to really thrive in a multicultural setting, you need to become a student of other cultures.  Read some books.  Learn the language.  Ask lots of questions.  Why did that just happen?  What’s really going on here?  What’s the history behind this issue?  For more on this, check out the insert in the bulletin, “How to Learn about Korea.”
    The real key here is listening.  James gives us some wise advice about culture shock.  “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry” (James 1:19).  If we would be a little faster to listen and a little slower to get angry, our world would be a different place.

    Lastly, we need to understand ourselves.  One thing I’ve seen about culture shock is that it forces our darkness to the surface.  Whatever our deepest issues are, they will come out in culture shock. 
    When we get ready to rail on how bad another culture is, we need to take time to heed the ancient words, “Prophet, know thyself.”  Before we go around trying to pick out the “specks” in other cultures, we need to take a long hard look at our own lives, at our own hearts, and at our own cultures.  We might find some rotten old “planks” in places we don’t expect.  (See Matthew 7:3-5.)

   So “tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding.  Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.  Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. ... Understanding will keep you safe” (Proverbs 2:2, 3, 11).

   The next key therapy for culture shock is FRIENDSHIP.  For this one, let’s take a look at one of the classic texts on friendship - Ecclesiastes 4:7-12.
 7 I observed yet another example of something meaningless under the sun. 8 This is the case of a man who is all alone, without a child or a brother, yet who works hard to gain as much wealth as he can. But then he asks himself, “Who am I working for? Why am I giving up so much pleasure now?” It is all so meaningless and depressing.
 9 Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. 10 If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. 11 Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? 12 A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer.  Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
   Culture shock and isolation are a dangerous combination.  If you are going through culture shock alone, you are likely to end up depressed and bitter.  Maybe you came to Korea to pay off your debts or to have some adventure, but you can end up saying, “Who am I working for?  Why I am giving up so much ... ?  It’s all so meaningless and depressing.” 
    Isolation is dangerous and difficult for single people and for introverts - and especially for single introverts.  If you find yourself isolated, make your way to a Bible study.  Join the adult Sunday school class.  Get involved in a ministry.  Join a book club.  Do something with other people.  Structure some relationships into your life because they probably aren’t just going to happen by accident. 
    If you are an extrovert, do everyone a favor and adopt an introvert.  Invite them into your social circle.  Bring them with you when you do stuff.  Introverts are pretty cool people, but they usually won’t just walk up and ask to get involved.  You’ve got to ask them.
    One of the 10 Commitments for members of our church is that we will love other people - especially people of other cultures.  In all of our membership classes, I always say that this means becoming friends with someone from another culture.  Become true friends - not just smile and handshake “friends.”  This will go a long, long way to helping us all deal with culture shock. 

    The last basic treatment for culture shock is GRATITUDE.  Sometimes, culture shock leads us into negativity.  We get together in little groups and bad-talk people from the other culture.  “Can you believe he did that?  What was she thinking?!  That’s so rude.  Oh, I know.  I hate it when they do that.  That’s just crazy.” 
    But here’s the thing.  What we focus on usually becomes true.  Our conversations become our reality.  Negativity becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.  We expect bad things and frustrations, and guess what we see?  Bad things and frustrations.
   This is why Paul’s advice in Philippians is so important for us.  Let’s read Philippians 4:4-9.
 4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon.
 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 9 Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.
   Listen to how Mark Lau Branson (Memories, Hopes, and Conversations) explains this.
Gratitude is not just a fleeting emotion - it is foundational.  As a response to God’s gracious initiatives, gratitude changes us to our very core.  Gratitude is not first affect (emotions), although it often helps us move from fear or doubt or anger; rather, gratitude is a stance that changes our perceptions, our thinking, our discernment.  When our beginning place is thankfulness - for God, for God’s creation and redemption, for God’s ongoing mercies, and for evidences of God’s grace - then we give attention to all signs of grace.  Our thankfulness, especially when voiced, makes grace more available, more present, more powerful - to oneself and to one’s community.

    We could easily dismiss this: “Sure, it’s easy for Paul and Mark-whoever to say be grateful.  But it’s different for me.  I’m here in Korea, working like crazy or being bored like crazy.”  But Paul was beaten, shipwrecked, whipped, put in an arena with wild animals, and more.  Paul actually wrote these words about gratitude while living in a Roman prison, where he was in chains for his faith.  Yet, Paul was absolutely saturated with the love and joy of God.
    This is the heart of the gospel.  God loves us deeply.  We have rejected God and rejected each other.  But God worked through Christ to reclaim his lost children and to make peace within his family.  God forgave our sins and rebellion, and in Paul’s words:  “Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united [us] into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us...  He made peace between [us] by creating in himself one new people from the two groups”  (Ephesians 2:14-16).

    Sure, we experience culture shock.  Sure, we get frustrated.  Sure, we have hard times, but God is good.  God offers us amazing grace.  We don’t deserve it.  We can’t earn it.  It’s free and limitless.  But God’s grace changes us --- if we let it.  We have so much to be thankful for.  We can start with God’s amazing grace and let that grace open our eyes to the countless blessings all around us. 

    We all get culture shock.  There is no vaccine and no cure.  But there is treatment. 
“Cry out for insight, and ask for understanding.  Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures.”
Develop friendships that will support you and strengthen you.
Practice gratitude. 
    Remember God’s goodness, and be grateful.  Remember all the blessings that are yours by living in Korea, and be thankful.  Remember all the good things that come from multicultural community, and rejoice. 

The Family of God

Part 1:

    Today we are celebrating several holidays: Children’s Day, Parents’ Day, Teachers’ Day, and Family Day - and while you’re at it, you can throw in Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day.  We had some debate about how we should deal with these secular holidays in our Christian worship service.  However, as we began to think about our series on the Church, we remembered the Christian teaching that God is our Father and that we are God’s family together. 
    Listen to how Paul explains this in Ephesians 2.

 19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners.  You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people.  You are members of God’s family.  20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets.  And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.  21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.  22 Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

    We are one family, one house.  God has carefully joined us together in Christ, so that together we are a temple for God’s Spirit.  When we are together and committed to Jesus, something amazing and mysterious happens.  Somehow, our togetherness and our foundation in Jesus makes God’s Spirit real among us. 
    One of the beautiful things of God’s family is that we are all in God’s family - whether we are single, married, divorced, or widowed.  No one is excluded.  If you have put your faith in Christ, God has given you a new family.  We are all related to each other - like it or not!
    Paul explains this again in his letter to a young pastor named Timothy:

1 Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father.  Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers.  2 Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters.  3 Take care of any widow who has no one else to care for her. ...  7 Give these instructions to the church so that no one will be open to criticism.
 8 But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith.  Such people are worse than unbelievers. (1 Timothy 5:1-3, 7-8)
    We are brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, mothers and fathers to each other.  None of us is alone.  Last week, we talked about hospitality.  One of the fundamental functions of the Church is to include each other as family - especially those who don’t have any family living close to them.  Christians make new families.  Christians welcome the lonely.  Christians gather the stragglers into small groups.  Christians give students a place to call home.  Christians are brothers to the brother-less, and sisters to the sister-less.  Christian singles band together in new friendship/family groups.  Christian families welcome singles into their family mix, involving them in holidays, family trips, and weekly dinners.  The family of God is always inclusive.  Live out the family of God this week by including someone new.


Part 2 (With Children)
    Christians also celebrate children.  Our children are with us for the first half of the service today.  I want to invite our children and parents to come up to the front.  If you have a child who is elementary age or less, come on up to the front.
 
    Did you guys have a good Children’s Day? 

    Did you do something special with your family?

    Did you get any presents?

    You know, sometimes, big people think we’re so important that we don’t have time for little kids and kid stuff.  Do you ever feel frustrated because your parents don’t have enough time to play with you?  I know Emma feels like that sometimes.
    One time, people thought Jesus was too busy to spend time with little kids.  Let’s read the story in Matthew 19, and see what happened.

 13 One day some parents brought their children to Jesus so he could lay his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples scolded the parents for bothering him.
 14 But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.” 15 And he placed his hands on their heads and blessed them before he left.

  What do you think this story means?

    I think it means two basic things.
    First, you are really important to God.  God loves you.  God always has time for you.  God will always listen to you and love you.  Kids are really, really important.  You are really special.  Sometimes, parents and big people can get kind of stressed and busy, but we need to remember that you kids are super important to us and to God.  God loves you, and we love you.  And the most important thing we can do is to love you and to help you feel God’s love for you.
    But second, you have something to teach us.  A lady named Angela Schwindt said something really cool: “While we try to teach our children all about life, our children teach us what life is all about." 

    What do big people teach you?

    What can you teach big people?
   
    Jesus says we need to become like you children if we want to live God’s way.  (See Matthew 18:3-4.)  We need to trust God like you trust your mom and dad.  We need to ask lots of questions like you do.  We need to play with freedom and joy like you do.  We need to love like you do.  If we really want to be like Jesus, we need to hang out with you guys and learn how to be kids again.  That means you’re pretty special, right?!

    So we want to pray for you.  All of our pastors are going to come up here.  (Pastor Matt is in the USA for his ordination interviews - 안수심 - so he can’t be here today.)   Also, let’s bring up everyone who has children here today - whether they are babies, teenagers, or university students.  We want to pray for all of you.  So just come with your family to one of the pastors.  First, the parents pray for your kids.  (Korean is OK.)  Then, if the kids want to pray for the family, they can pray too.  Last, the pastors will pray for each family.  If you aren’t here with kids today, please spend this time praying for the kids and parents in our church - or for your family at home.  (After we pray for your kids, please take them to the children’s room.)

--- Greeting time and Song ---

Part 3:
Proverbs 23:12-26
 12 Commit yourself to instruction; listen carefully to words of knowledge.
 13 Don’t fail to discipline your children.  They won’t die if you spank them.
 
14 Physical discipline may well save them from death.
 15 My child, if your heart is wise, my own heart will rejoice!
 
16 Everything in me will celebrate when you speak what is right.
 17 Don’t envy sinners, but always continue to fear the Lord.
 
18 You will be rewarded for this; your hope will not be disappointed.
 19 My child, listen and be wise: Keep your heart on the right course.
 
20 Do not carouse with drunkards or feast with gluttons,
 
21 for they are on their way to poverty, and too much sleep clothes them in rags.
 22 Listen to your father, who gave you life, and don’t despise your mother when she is old.
 
23 Get the truth and never sell it; also get wisdom, discipline, and good judgment.
 
24 The father of godly children has cause for joy.  What a pleasure to have children who are wise.
 
25 So give your father and mother joy!  May she who gave you birth be happy.
 26 O my son, give me your heart.  May your eyes take delight in following my ways.

    Alright so, there you have it, the message from God today is “Spank your kids.”  Well, not exactly.  Spanking can be helpful for little kids, like when they keep trying to touch the stove or run out into the street.  But as kids grow up, the parenting method needs to grow up too. 
    This passage is really about the heart of parenting.  Listen to what the wise teacher says about the heart. 
My child, if your heart is wise, my own heart will rejoice!
My child, listen and be wise: Keep your heart on the right course.
O my son, give me your heart.
If you want to be a good parent, if you want the kids in our church to grow into healthy loving adults, then we need to get to their hearts.  “Don’t fail to discipline your children.”  Absolutely, that’s true.  But that word translated “discipline” here might be better translated “correct” or “instruct.”  Do not fail to instruct your children.  That’s what this passage is really about.  Do not fail to teach your children how to live. 
    As adults our greatest obligation is to help our children develop wise hearts.  As parents, our greatest joy is children with wise hearts.  More than anything else, our children need wisdom.  What is wisdom?  Several times, the Bible says, “Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true wisdom.  All who obey his commandments will grow in wisdom” (Psalm 111:10).  Wisdom is a deep respect for God that helps us to live well.  Wisdom is God’s life living deeply in our hearts.  Wisdom is living God’s way of life from the depths of our hearts. 
    The simple truth is ... this takes time.  Commit yourself to instruction.  Commit yourself to being there for our kids.  Give our children your hearts through time and touch and talking.  And, I’m not just talking about parents here.  We need everybody to help us guide our kids.  I remember that if the cool young guy at church told me something, I was much more likely to listen than if my mom told me the same thing.  Give our kids your hearts by giving them your time.  Then, you’ll get their hearts, and you’ll be able to guide them in God’s ways. 
    Church, do not fail to help our children get wisdom.  They will be rewarded for this.  Their hope in God will not be disappointed.  Wise children will give you great joy.  Wise children will make your heart glad.  Do not fail to help our children get wisdom.  Guide them well.
    But the hardest truth in this passage is hidden in the last verse.  “May your eyes take delight in following my ways.”  Your children will follow you - not what you say.  They will do what you do - not what you tell them to do.  This is the most difficult part of being a parent.  We have to get wisdom before we can give wisdom.  We have to live well before we can help our kids live well. 
    What do you want for your kids?  What kind of life do you want them to live?  Then, start living that way now.  If you don’t live it, they probably won’t either.  Your kids will follow your ways.  When they have grown up to be just like you, will they be happy about that?  Will they be delighted that they have grown up to be like Mom and Dad?  Will you be delighted if your kids live mostly like you? 
    Do you want your kids to work as much as you do?  Do you want your kids to talk to your spouse the way you do?  Do you want your kids to drink like you do? ... to eat like you?  ... to have a marriage like yours?  ... to pray like you?  ... to relax and to play like you?  ... to use money like you?  ... to feel about themselves like you feel about yourself?  ... to be as close to God as you are?
    Whether we like it our not, our children will follow us.  If you want our kids to be wise, then you have to be wise.  If you want our kids to get wisdom, then you have to get wisdom.  If you want our kids to live a good life, the first step is to live a good life now as their example.  They will follow you.
    Be a good parent.  Be a good teacher.  First, take care of yourself.  Make sure you are following God, loving God, loving people, and loving life.  Then, give our kids your hearts.  Pour yourself into their lives.  They will give right back.  Their joy will fill you with joy.  Their love will fill you with love.  Their hope will renew your hope.  And your wisdom will shape them into wise and loving people. 
    And that is a huge part of what Church is all about.  God loves us.  We’ve all turned and walked away.  Our kids - no matter what we do - will turn and walk away at some point.  The Church is here to keep calling out God’s unconditional love.  The Church is here to keep announcing the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The Church is here to help us find our way home again, where we can all be made new together, as the family of God.  Be the Church.  Be family.

Living the Hospitality of God

    The big news this week is the wedding of England’s Prince William and Kate Middleton.  Some 2 billion people watched the wedding on live TV.  That’s nearly a third of the world!  One of the things that has caught my attention is the sheer number and variety of people involved in making this wedding happen.  People from every sort of career and genre are involved in this massive procedure. 
    Just think about musicians as one example.  First, there’s the choir of Westminster Abby, which includes 20 boys, 12 adult singers, a choir director, and an organist.  Then, there’s the Chapel Royal Choir, 10 more boys and 6 more adults.  Next is the Fanfare Team from the Royal Air Force.  The reception will include traditional music from the Prince of Wales’s Official Harpist and a performance by Ellie Goulding, a British pop star.  Finally, after all the formal stuff was over, a celebrity DJ was expected to fill Buckingham Palace with the sounds of classic and modern rock, ranging from The Monkeys and Johnny B Goode to Bon Jovi and Queen, all the way up to Beyonce, Black Eyed Peas, and Lady GaGa.
   And that’s just the music.  Think about all the other people helping.  Dozens of people around both William and Kate have devoted most of their waking hours over the past six months organizing all the proceedings.  The royal florist and his massive team are preparing mountains of flowers and at least 8 fully grown trees which will be moved inside Westminster Abby.  The Queen’s army of 21 royal chefs (and countless assistants) prepared a reception for 650 guests, which included no less than 17 Royal fruit cakes - not kidding.  The Royal Wedding Invitation itself, although simple, required a host of designers, printers, and couriers.  A literal army of photographers, journalists, TV reporters, bloggers, and videographers documented every minute detail of the wedding.  Builders and remodelers were put into action for everything from custom flower pots, to stages, to photo backdrops.  Westminster Abby provided a large team of priests to plan and to perform the wedding.  Also, you can be sure that the Royal Family had several offices of accountants and lawyers working full-time on all of the financial and legal issues surrounding this huge event.  I imagine that every hair stylist and makeup artists in London was busy on the wedding day.  5,000 standard police officers took to the streets to ensure order, and that’s not even counting the Royal Family’s personal security team.  And last but not least, women around the world were intrigued by Kate’s dress, but every guest was required to wear uniforms, formal wear, or “lounge suits.”  (I don’t even know what a lounge suit is!)  Needless to say, quite a few tailors have been working around the clock to get ready for this.
   
    Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son” (Matthew 22:2).  Psalm 23 says God prepares a feast for us, anoints our heads with oil, and fills our cups to overflowing.  The prophet Isaiah explains God’s plan of redemption like this: “In Jerusalem, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will spread a wonderful feast for all the people of the world. It will be a delicious banquet with clear, well-aged wine and choice meat” (Isaiah 25:6).  When John the Revelator sees heaven, he hears a choir so large it sounds like thunder sing, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him.   For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself” (Revelation 19:7).
    God is the great Host.  God has prepared a space for us in his world.  In fact, he has prepared our entire world as a guesthouse for us to live in.  God provides food and company and friendship for us.  With the coming of spring, I’m always amazed at how careful God was to add beauty to our world. 
    But relationship with God is more than living in this created world.  Relationship with God is enjoying the Father’s hospitality on a more personal level.  God has planned a great feast of love and friendship, with God loving people, people loving God, and people loving people.  God invites us into his great wedding celebration to share in his joy and love.  Amazingly, in this great feast, the King himself gets up and serves us.  Listen to how John describes this in our gospel lesson.

John 21:1-17
 1 Later, Jesus appeared again to the disciples beside the Sea of Galilee. This is how it happened. 2 Several of the disciples were there—Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples.
 3 Simon Peter said, “I’m going fishing.”
   “We’ll come, too,” they all said. So they went out in the boat, but they caught nothing all night.
 4 At dawn Jesus was standing on the beach, but the disciples couldn’t see who he was. 5 He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?”
   “No,” they replied.
 6 Then he said, “Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you’ll get some!” So they did, and they couldn’t haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.
 7 Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his tunic (for he had stripped for work), jumped into the water, and headed to shore. 8 The others stayed with the boat and pulled the loaded net to the shore, for they were only about a hundred yards from shore. 9 When they got there, they found breakfast waiting for them—fish cooking over a charcoal fire, and some bread.
 10 “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught,” Jesus said. 11 So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net to the shore. There were 153 large fish, and yet the net hadn’t torn.
 12 “Now come and have some breakfast!” Jesus said. None of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Then Jesus served them the bread and the fish. 14 This was the third time Jesus had appeared to his disciples since he had been raised from the dead.
 15 After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
   “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.”
   “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him.
 16 Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
   “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.”
   “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said.
 17 A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
   Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.”
   Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep.

    This is a beautiful and mysterious text, and we could talk about it all day.  I just want to point out two things. 
    First, Jesus made breakfast for his disciples, and they knew who he was.  Maybe he cooked for them a lot.  Maybe they recognized the special smell from the spices he used.  Jesus cooked for them, and then Jesus served them the bread and the fish.  Remember, Jesus is our perfect picture of God.  When we see Jesus, we see God.  Here we see the resurrected Christ cooking and passing out food.  God loves hospitality.
    Second, Jesus calls us to follow his example.  Three times, Jesus asks Peter, “Do you love me?”  Three times, Peter says yes.  Three times, Jesus says, “Then feed my sheep.”  The point for us is simple.  If you love Jesus, live like Jesus.  If you love Jesus, live God’s hospitality.  Feed others.  Care for others.  Make space for others in your life.  If you love Jesus, practice hospitality.

    In Christianity, there are two fundamental arenas for hospitality - the church and the home.  These aren’t completely separate. 
    The Royal Family planned a huge wedding, a large reception, and a massive after-party.  However, there were tens of thousands of satellite parties happening in ball rooms, pubs, clubs, and homes all around the U.K. and around the world.  You could go on the net and download party plans and recipes for the food at the royal wedding.  They were celebrating the same thing in many of the same ways, just in smaller venues. 
    The church - and especially the Sunday worship service - is like a big weekly wedding party.  We are all coming together, working together, celebrating together that God is in love with us all, that Christ has died for us all, and that the Spirit is working to redeem us all.  To do this party right, we need help from everyone.  Just like the royal wedding, we need artists, musicians, accountants, graphic designers, builders, florists, planners, cooks, writers, photographers, advisors, greeters, priests, theologians, and lots and lots of people to move things and arrange things.  Listen to how Paul describes this huge party we call Church.

1 Corinthians 12:12-31
 12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.
 14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
 18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
 22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
 27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. 28 Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church:
   first are apostles,
   second are prophets,
   third are teachers,
   then those who do miracles,
   those who have the gift of healing,
   those who can help others,
   those who have the gift of leadership,
   those who speak in unknown languages.
 29 Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? 30 Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not! 31 So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.
   But now let me show you a way of life that is best of all.

    We need you.  You have a role in this party.  You have a gift to bring to share with all of us.  You can come and watch and eat and sing and go home - with your gift still in your pocket.  But if you do, the party will be a little less because you didn’t share.  And WE all will be a little less because you didn’t share.  And YOU will be a little less because you didn’t share. 
    Last week, I had an appointment to talk with one of our new church members about helping me in a special way.  When I finished explaining what I wanted him to do, he asked why I wanted him to do it.  I explained that he has a unique perspective to share.  Because of his place, position, perspective, and personality, he has wisdom and insight that others don’t have.  We need his voice.  Then his face lit up with a big smile.  He said, “I’m so pleased that you asked me.  Now, I know that I have a place in this church.”
    You all have a place in this church.  But there are more than 100 of you.  I can’t go to all of you one by one to help you find just the right place.  I’m working on it, but that will take too long.  We need you to take the initiative.  Step up.  Find a place of service.  Find your place in the party.  If you do, you will make us a better church, and you’ll find joy in the process.
    Our Sunday worship is a huge Jesus party - celebrating his amazing love and power to change our lives.  But there are smaller satellite parties happening all the time.  Any place where we gather with other Christians is a satellite celebration of the big Church party.  We’re celebrating the same thing.  We’re living the same party.  Jesus said, “Where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them” (Matthew 18:20).  When you are at home, when you take people out to lunch or out to coffee, you are planning a little satellite party of the Church.
    These satellite parties have amazing power.  Listen to how Luke describes the satellite parties of the first Christians.

Acts 2:42-27
 42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.
 43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity —47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.
    Hospitality changed the world.  Jesus laid down his life for them.  Then, he cooked fish for them.  Then, he sent them to share his life with the world.  They met together for the big party meeting in one place for the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, the Lord’s Supper, and prayer.  Then, they did satellite parties - meeting in homes and sharing meals with great joy and generosity.  They laid down their lives for each other, and they cooked for each other.  And people loved it.  “Each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.”
    Hospitality is contagious.  When we start loving and sharing and celebrating with great joy and generosity, that changes people.  They want in on the action.  They want in on the love.  People around the world are hungry - but not just for food.  We are hungry for community and generosity, for love and joy.  People around the world are hungry for the Party of God, for the hospitality of God. 
    Ed Rowel is pastor of a church in Colorado, and their has a long-term partnership   with a church in Ethiopia (similar to our partnership with Bangladesh).  Rowel says his American church is learning a lot from their Ethiopian brothers and sisters.  "For them, poverty is primarily about a lack of relationships ...  If they have a little bit of food and a lot of love, they will always have enough to share.  But if you don't have loving community and deep friendships, you are poor indeed.  As busy, disconnected [people], we tend to be resource-rich but relationship-poor... They're teaching us a simple but profound lesson: we desperately need community to grow in Christ.  As a matter of fact, I now think that community may be the biggest missing ingredient in the ... church” in developed-nations.1
    He’s right.  We are “resource-rich but relationship-poor.”  But we don’t have to stay that way.  God is inviting us to the biggest, most powerful party that ever lived.  We can participate in the amazing Church of Jesus Christ.  We can each bring our own gifts - whether it’s flowers, or music, or counting money, or playing with kids, or running PowerPoint, or welcoming new people.  When we all celebrate, and when we all share our gifts, this party blossoms into a world-changing event.
    Then, we can go home from the Big Party to our satellite parties - sharing the same love and grace that we experience here.  We can be little world-changers, simply by sharing some fish or kimchi or coffee. 
    When we become relationship-rich, we really can change the world.  It starts by accepting God’s love, forgiveness, and new life through Jesus.  Then, it moves outward by living God’s party way of life with love, forgiveness, and generosity.  This is the gospel.  This is why Jesus came.  This is why the Church exists.  This is why we exist on this earth.  We are God’s people called to be a loving community that changes our world.