June 25, 2023 Sermon: Turning Aside (Rev. Joe Bae & Friends)

(Scripture and sermon starts at 28:21)

SCRIPTURE: Exodus 3:1-6

Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

Questions for HomeGroups This Week

1. Take some time to read the scripture passage together as a group.

• What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

2. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Was there anything that encouraged you, challenged you or resonated with you?)

3. Who are the people in your life that Jesus calls on you to disciple to as he called on Peter? How can you live out Jesus’ calling?

4. What questions in life, work, relationship and faith are you wrestling with right now? What does relying on God look like for you in your life as you wrestle with these questions?

5. Have you struggled with anyone who opposes your faith? How can you continue in relationship with such others in love and compassion?

June 18, 2023 Sermon: Homecoming (Pastor Justin Park)

(Scripture and sermon starts at 24:12)

SCRIPTURE: Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

‘Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes grumbled, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

So he told them this parable:

“There was a man who had two sons. And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs.  And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything.

“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.”’ And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.

“Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’”

ABOUT THE SERMON

Stories about family are the most universal and personal. We all carry with us family stories. The story of the father and two sons in Luke 15 is arguably one of the most beautiful short stories ever told. It’s been called the gospel within the gospel. From this parable, we who are prone to wander and go astray understand that discipleship is really about homecoming.

Responding to the criticism and outrage from the Pharisees for eating with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus reveals to us both who God the Father is and who we are in this story. Timothy Keller in his book The Prodigal God argues that the two brothers represent two basic ways people try to make life work. The desire-driven younger prodigal (def: extravagantly reckless) son pursues the path of “self-discovery”—a quest to find and fulfill himself, even if people get hurt along the way. On the other hand, the duty-driven presbuterous (def: elder, aka presbyterian) son is committed to a more socially respectably was of being in the world—the path of “moral conformity.” The good presbyterian son is on a program of self-salvation, seeking to earn the favor of his father and approval of his community. As we see in this story, when the presbyterian son feels the terms of his arranged deal are violated, his supposed good attitude turns into anger and resentment.

The main point of this parable is that the younger son and the presbyterian son are BOTH alienated from the father. In both cases, they're lost. The two sons’ external behaviour may look different, but at the core of their heart they are both operating on self-reliance and their customized self-salvation projects. Keller on this point writes, “Neither son loved the father for himself. They both were using the father for their own self-centered ends rather than loving, enjoying, and serving him for his own sake. This means that you can rebel against God and be alienated from him either by breaking his rules or by keeping all of them diligently. It's a shocking message: Careful obedience to God's law may serve as a strategy for rebelling against God.”

The dramatic turn of the story is that the father needs to go out and invite his lost sons back in. Counter to the interpretive horizons of the Roman world, where the primary characteristic of the father was one of authoritarianism and legal control, the gospel writer Luke paints a picture of God as Father with the central emphasis being on care and compassion. The compassion of the father is seen through the suffering he endures due to his sons being alienated from him. Henri Nouwen elaborates on this point in his book The Return of the Prodigal Son, “The father grieves over both, because with neither of them does he experience the intimacy he desires. During these long years of waiting the father cried many tears and died many deaths. He was emptied out by suffering. But that emptiness created a place of welcome for his sons when the time of their return came.”

In this parable, we see the father make three significant moves of love.

1. “And the father gave to both sons the family inheritance” (v 12).

Shockingly the father accommodates the death-wishing request of the younger son. The first loving move of the father was to let his younger son go. The father fully saw the rebellious intentions of his younger son. Rather than giving a moral lecture or doing the culturally right thing by disciplining or disowning him, the father lets his son go. Is this not a reflection of our Creator who gives us free will and does not force us to love him? If we want to leave the home of the father, he let’s us go. In return, the father waits and suffers much.

2. “And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him” (v 20).

Though God gives us the free will to go, His reckless and extravagant grace ceases not to pursue us. As the younger son was implanted with the good memory of his father’s love, this played a part in helping him to come to his senses. God’s grace comes first, then our response. The greatest love move of the father takes place here. Ever since the younger son left, the father has been waiting and scouting the horizon for the return of his younger son. And finally, as he sees the dot in the distance reveal itself to be his broken and wasted younger son, the father, undignified, runs to, embraces, and kisses his son. The younger son’s confession is cut short, for the father in seeing the son return fully restores him to sonship. Overflowing with joy that his lost young son has returned, the father throws a celebration that will be forever remembered by the whole community.

3. “But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him” (v 28)

The father loves without distinction, without calculation, without procrastination. He leaves his honorary position as host of the party, to go out and plead with his resentful presbyterian son to come inside the house. Aimed at the hearts of the Pharisees, this parable deliberately leaves the listener to contemplate what their response would have been. But the good news is this. God also loves the self-righteous Presbyterians and pleads with us to shift the focus from getting things from him to knowing and experiencing Him. And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours (v 31).

This parable would have taken a very different direction if the presbyterian son fulfilled his responsibility to be his brother’s keeper. When the younger son made the shameful request to the father and left with his inheritance, the presbyterian son out of love for his father and brother ought to have gone after his younger brother and done everything he can to bring him back. But the reality was that each son was stuck in their self-love. The younger enslaved to his desire for total freedom and autonomy and the older enslaved to his self-defined duty with expectations of certain outcomes. Like these two sons, our hearts are all addicted to these two ways of self-salvation. And if we are honest, our hearts vacillate between these two ways. We are stuck in our sin, shame, and pride.

The good news for all the prodigal sons and presbyterian sons is that the teller of this parable is the true elder son who came to seek and save the lost and give his life as a ransom for many. The extravagant love and reckless grace of the father shown in this parable is fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As the younger son is clothed with the best robe, Jesus clothes us with his perfect righteousness in exchange for all our past, present, and future sins. As the younger son is given a ring and sandals, the Holy Spirit is given to us so that He can bear witness to our sonship and form us to become children of God who reflect Him. And as the presbyterian son is invited to come into the house, Jesus invites us to come with him to the feast that God the Father has prepared for us and to rest in the embrace of His unconditional love. This homecoming invitation comes to us every morning. Will you take hold of the hand that invites you to come home?

Questions for HomeGroups This Week

1. Take some time to read the scripture passage together as a group.

• What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

2. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Was there anything that encouraged you, challenged you or resonated with you?)

3. Early in the sermon, Pastor Justin referred to rap artists as one of the more ‘prophetic artists’. Do you listen to rap music? What rap songs have struck you as prophetic?

4. If you are currently a parent, does your relationship with your father impact how you raise your children? How?

5. How was your understanding or relationship with your earthly father shaped how you relate to God?

6. Do you relate more with the younger or older son in the prodigal son parable? Why?

7. In the sermon Pastor Justin reflects that both sons are “stuck in their self-love”. Depending on which son your identify with, what is God’s invitation to you from this passage?

June 11, 2023 Sermon: You Will Receive Power (Rev. Joe Bae)

(Scripture and sermon starts at 53:43)

SCRIPTURE:

Acts 1:4-8

‘On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”’

Acts 2:1-4

‘When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.’

ABOUT THE SERMON

On the Day of Pentecost we see the Church being born. Although the disciples who had seen and been with the resurrected Jesus had the blessing of having their hearts open to scriptures, deep understanding of God’s plan of salvation, the blessed experience of being with the risen Christ they were not yet the church. They would need the Spirit of God that Jesus told them would come to them as a gift, comforter, defender, teacher, and counsellor. Jesus’ disciples, then and now, need the Holy Spirit. Praise God that He gives it to all who call Jesus their saviour!

But we have a choice to make. 

Despite all we know, experience and believe about Jesus, we have to keep making a choice to believe in the power of the Holy Spirit to work powerfully among us, to make us the church over and over again. 

In Peter and the first disciples, the Spirit worked powerfully to make them witnesses to the truth of Jesus’ work. Peter preached like a new person; people could hear the message of Jesus in their heart language so they could deeply understand; he convicted and moved 3000 people to trust Jesus that day. Power. 

And all of this confronts our deep belief that “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”

Maybe you believe that about yourself. About others. 

But if you believe the scriptures of the advocate that:

• advocates on our behalf, 

• comforts us, 

• encouraging us, 

• walks alongside us, 

• bearing fruit in us of love, joy, peace, goodness, kindness, gentleness, self-control, 

• prays for us when we have no words;

• teaches us what we need to know when we need to know it,

• convicts, nudges and urges our hearts towards righteousness, 

• causes "young people prophesy" against injustice and "see visions" of hope and elders to still "dream dreams" of a better world

Then “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” can’t be true at the same time. 

We have to make a choice. May we choose to believe again and again and again that God will give us the strength, courage, wisdom, and hope to try again, love again and serve again through is Holy Spirit. 

Questions for HomeGroup This Week

1. Take some time to read the scripture passage together as a group.

• What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

2. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Was there anything that encouraged you, challenged you or resonated with you?)

3. Have you ever tangibly felt the Holy Spirit working within you? Do you remember the first time it happened? What was that like for you?

4. This week’s message was about receiving power.  Do you struggle in believing you will receive power?  What causes you not to take action?

5. Pastor Joe mentioned that believing in the power of the Holy Spirit is a choice that we have to make again and again.  Discuss what that looks like in your life. Share about any areas in you life where you feel you need the power of the Holy Spirit.

6. Can you recall an example of the power of the Holy Spirit working in you.

May 28, 2023 Sermon: “All You Need Is Faith”: Can a Truth Become a Heresy? (Rev. Jonathan Hong)

(Scripture and sermon starts at 36:38)

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 7:21-27

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.    The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

Questions for HomeGroup This Week

1. Take some time to read the scripture passage together as a group. What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

2. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you, challenged you?)

3. Pastor Jonathan explains that faith should translate into faithfulness and action. How do we live our a life that follows Jesus faithfully?

4. What do you think about Pastor Jonathan’s definition of faith being about faithfulness? What does your definition of ‘faithfulness’ look like?

5. How can we practice faithfulness concretely? How can we improve as Christians and grow in our faithfulness?

May 21, 2023 Sermon: An Authentic Life: Outside Matching the Inside (Rev. Jonathan Hong)

(Scripture and sermon starts at 42:50)

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 7:13-20

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”

Questions for HomeGroup This Week

1. Take some time to read the scripture passage together as a group.

• What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

2. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you, challenged you?)

3. In a previous sermon, we discussed not judging but Pastor Hong spoke about knowing someone by their fruit (v. 20). How do we evaluate someone’s fruit, but not judging them?

4. What is an example in your life where you have allowed life/circumstances to compromise your faith?

5. Can you think of a Christian who is living an authentic life where their inside is aligned with their outside?

6. Pastor Hong spoke about living the life on the inside and out without calling attention to our faith for external praise. How can we balance not calling attention to our faith and being a light unto the world (as discussed previously)?

May 14, 2023 Sermon: The Way of Jesus: Facing It Together (Rev. Joe Bae)

(Scripture and sermon starts at 39:59)

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 7:1-12

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?  How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. 

“Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

ABOUT THE SERMON

This week, Pastor Joe continued our series on the counter-cultural way of Jesus. Up to this point Jesus has: defined who is blessed and our calling as God’s people; shown how God desires our hearts to be aligned with him, not just outward rule following; discussed true religious practices that build intimacy with God; and as we get to chapter 7, Jesus begins a discourse on relationships. 

Jesus assumes that in every community – be it a family system or especially a community of believers – there will be a need for correction as people struggle with sin, struggle to grow, struggle with their blind spots, and struggle to love in the way of Jesus. The people of Jesus, in this passage, are being formed and taught to be a people who can do this well. 

Jesus is calling his followers to avoid being people who judge others. We’re not good at it and it’s God’s job, after all. “Judge” is a word that has two senses: the first is a call to discern between what is right and wrong; the second is to harshly criticize someone, focusing on faults and even looking down on others. It’s the second sense to which Jesus says, “Do not judge.” 

Jesus might be more clear if he said, “don’t judge like that”. It’s this kind of condemning that Jesus likens to having a log in your eye; something so big that you can’t see properly and apply a standard to someone else that you’re not willing to apply to yourself.  

But too often, we have taken verses 1-5 to mean that we can’t get involved at all, saying things like:

-       I don’t want to be a hypocrite so I can’t say anything;

-       I hope it just works out…it’ll work out, right?

-       That’s their problem and none of my business…

But that is not what Jesus is teaching here. Those sentiments are the opposite of Jesus’ invitation. Jesus is calling his disciples to be the kind of people who will care enough about one another to get involved and stay involved when we see our brothers and sisters need help or correction. 

Jesus’ statements about giving pearls to pigs reinforce the need for discernment, not condemnation. In our desire to help, fix, correct someone – in our way and according to our timing – we are tempted to be right more than actually helpful to someone (giving pearls to pigs doesn’t help the pig). 

We need to discern how to demonstrate that we are with the person facing challenges to grow in character, to grow out of sin, to grow in love. To not judge is one thing, but we still are called to have Christian responsibility to one another. Pastor Joe suggests that this means, whatever challenges they are facing, we find ways to communicate that they won’t face them alone but that we’ll face them together. This is the way we hope our families, friendships, home groups and our congregation grow in love. We face things together. 

If verses 1-6 are all about learning to face things together (can be very difficult because change is complex and takes time), then it makes sense that Jesus would then immediately tell us to be an asking, seeking and knocking people – to pray to God who is exceedingly good and knows how to give what we need. 

Whether this is with people or Jesus, to ask, seek and knock (these are escalating actions for searching) it’s a picture of persistent care that refuses to give up and relying on God who is exceedingly good and knows how to give good gifts and what we need. This is what is needed to get, and stay, involved with one another and be a community that faces things together.

Questions for HomeGroups This Week

1. Take some time to read the scripture passage together as a group.

• What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

2. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you, challenged you?)

3. Have you ever received criticism delivered in a poor way? Can you recall an instance where you received constructive criticism in a way that was done well?

4. Is it ever difficult to ask God for help in your personal relationships? Why or why not? Have you ever experienced God’s help in difficult relationships?

5. In the sermon, Rev. Joe spoke about a Christian responsibility to one another; do you have experience of taking on this responsibility for someone in your church community in need? Have you ever received this help?

6. Is there anyone God is putting on your heart to reach out to? Is there anything right now in your life that you might need help with? How is God calling you to get involved and stay involved with a brother or a sister?

May 7, 2023 Sermon: Kingdom Ambition (Pastor Justin Park)

(Scripture and sermon starts at 33:06)

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 6:25-34 (ESV)

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

ABOUT THE SERMON

Anxiety does not discriminate. It takes a hold of the strong and the weak, the joyful and the sad, the spiritually strong and the spiritually weak. It’s often said that we live in the Age of Anxiety, where we inwardly battle with fear, worry & anxiety, and outwardly concerned about our futures and the future of the planet. CAMH reports in a 2022 survey that a quarter (25.1%) of Canadians reported feeling moderate to severe anxiety. Though billions are spent to advertise things and experiences to take away our fear, worry and anxiety, strangely after every purchase or blissful experiences had, our anxieties continue to live with us like an uninvited squatter.

Jesus promises that to those who made the decision to place their hopes on treasure that does not perish, on eyes that focus on being generous, and on God as our master, we do not have to be anxious about our life. But we all know that we cannot just stop being anxious. Instead Jesus’s invitation is to reorient our focus to the following principles found in Matthew 6:25-34. 

First, we are to shift our gaze from being self-reliant to seeing God our Creator who provides for the birds and the flowers. If God so provides even for insignificant and temporal creations like birds and flowers, how much more will he provide for the needs of his people? Go for a walk out in nature. See the birds. Smell the flowers. Praise and thank God who provides.

Second, we are to let go of our self-defined wants and give ourselves to the care of God our heavenly Father. Even the most imperfect earthly father can in some capacity provide for what their children need. How much more then, will our perfect heavenly Father know and provide for all of our needs? Furthermore, one of the gracious works of God in our lives is to remove the things in our lives that we think we need but are contrary to what God wills for us. Just as Jesus saw that Martha was anxious and troubled about many things and gently showed that the one thing necessary for her was to be single minded in focusing on him, this is an invitation extended to us as well. Anxiety fractures our attention into many pieces. Jesus’ presence centers our hearts and focuses our attention. Trusting God means we rest in his constant presence.

Lastly, we are to re-examine what our driving ambition in life is. Every single one of us are driven by something. Jesus teaches that Gentile (secular) ambition is driven by anxiety about life and desire for possessions because it is in these things that those who have no trust in God’s fatherly care put their trust in for security. Jesus’ disciples on the other hand, must live qualitatively different lives; their central ambition is to seek His kingdom and His righteousness. To seek his kingdom is to surrender and submit our lives to the reign of Christ in our hearts. We can go about life eating, working, studying, raising a family, waiting, exploring while not needing to fret and be anxious. To trust God is enough. To seek His righteousness means to embrace that the overarching will of God in our lives is to make us become more like Jesus and to spend ourselves to putting right all other relationships in our lives.

As much as we are to practice seeing how God provides for all his creation, we need to know that God sees all our lives; the good, the bad, the weird, and works for our good as He knows best. There will be many days where it will be hard for us to trust God. On days like this, though our feelings may be saying the contrary, we need to remind ourselves the gospel truth that Paul writes in Romans 8: “[God] who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with him graciously give us all things?” We are commanded to seek as our first priority God’s kingdom and His righteousness. We have a promise that those who hunger and thirst for God’s kingdom and righteousness will be filled, and everything needed will be added on to us.

Questions for HomeGroups This Week

1. Take some time to read the scripture passage together as a group.

• What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

2. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you, challenged you?)

3. What do you do when you are going through worries and struggles?

4. What is something that is causing you to be anxious right now? How can God help you with that?

5. How can we increase our trust in God practically?

6. What does it mean for you to have Godly ambition?

7. In this age of anxiety, what does it mean to live as a follower of Christ?

April 30, 2023 Sermon: The Way of Jesus: Treasures, Eyes, Masters (Rev. Joe Bae)

(Scripture and sermon starts at 33:14)

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 6:19-24

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 

“No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

ABOUT THE SERMON

John D. Rockefeller was once asked, "How much money is enough money?" 

He replied, "Just a little bit more."

Without having to think too much about it, many of us probably resonate with Rockerfeller. What we felt we needed to be happy when we were younger didn’t stay at that level; the markers keep moving. Maybe the dream was a condo, but that changes to a townhouse—and then we need that detached house. Something tells us that If we had just a bit more we would feel more secure, more in control, be less stressed and maybe even happier. 

The lesson that our world teaches us is more money, more stuff is what you really want and need and will make you happy. We’ve been shaped and formed to want more and more. Media has a part to play in it: we’re bombarded by advertising, by some counts 4000+ ads/day, that sells us more than products, it sells us fulfillment: if you wear this, drink this, eat here, travel there…you will be happier. In his writing, John Mark Comer discusses an agenda by the media over the last 100 years to produce consumers, not citizens. 

Rather than being infinite consuming machines, needing the newest or the most, for our security and abundance Jesus calls us to consider what it is we are investing in. 

Jesus gives 3 quick sayings that speak to the reality of our relationship with money and materialism. 

He tells us that there are 2 kinds of treasure: One that can be taken from us or diminished, or one that lasts and matters forever. Jesus is pointing out that there’s a way that we can try to hoard up for ourselves good things, however, hoarding up for our own good isn’t the way of Jesus, and isn’t the way to abundant life in God’s Kingdom. 

There are 2 kinds of eyes. In Jesus' day a healthy eye meant having focus and being generous when you see people in need. The unhealthy eye was a stingy heart; closed-fisted when it comes to the poor. 

There are 2 masters, but we can only follow 1 at a time. If we were asked, “which will you follow?”, we would know what the right answer is, but maybe we’d first try to thread the needle and follow both. Materialism and money are cruel masters. Jesus calls us to follow the master that will love you back. 

Jesus points out the logical - but not obvious - truth that we cannot pursue earthly treasures and the kingdom of God at the same time. What he says here is not a command but a statement of reality: you cannot serve both God and money. 

We’re called to follow God with all our heart, soul and strength. Not half or sometimes. 

But this is a call and reality that isn’t to deprive us of joy, happiness or security. He’s calling us to a full and abundant life in relationship with our heavenly Father who sees us and knows what we need. 

Questions for HomeGroups This Week

1. Take some time to read the scripture passage together as a group.

• What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

2. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you, challenged you?)

3. What would you say your relationship to money and wealth is? How does today’s passage challenge you?

4. Rev. Joe shared J.D. Rockefeller’s quote “Just a little bit more”—how does this quote speak to your life right now?

5. Is there something that you are hoarding for your own purpose? Where are you investing your greatest effort?

6. Can you think of something in your life that you should treasure more because it is a heavenly treasure?

7. In the last paragraph of this summary, Rev. Joe asked us to believe that the call to follow God with all of our heart, soul and strength is not to deprive us of joy, happiness or security, but to give us abundant life in an intimate relationship with the Father who knows just what we need. What is your response to this? How has God’s call to follow him already been a source of abundant life for you?

April 24, 2023 Sermon: Praying With Your Life (Rev. Joe Bae)

(Scripture and sermon starts at 25:11)

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 6:7-15

And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 

“This, then, is how you should pray: 

  “ ‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, 

but deliver us from the evil one. ’

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

ABOUT THE SERMON

Many people have some sort of relationship with the Lord’s Prayer. Maybe it’s one of the first prayers you memorized or learned, a part of family life, or maybe even something you recited at school. 

The Lord’s Prayer, as we come to it in Matthew’s gospel, is Jesus’ teaching on how we should pray. Did he have in mind that this prayer would be recited? Maybe. It’s more likely that it was given as a framework for how to pray to God—something like a guide or prompt we use to focus on more than just our immediate prayer needs. It was also given as an example against how NOT to pray. 

Jesus is teaching his disciples that prayer isn’t about technique or performance (that is to say, having the right words, the best words or the magic words). These were all used in pagan approaches to praying because the gods were notoriously fickle: a person really didn’t know where they stood with the gods. So you covered all the bases, prayed to multiple deities to hedge your bets of being heard. 

Instead, Jesus reminds us that God is our Father, good and kind and knows what we need. No need for anxiety or anxious babbling prayers here. For Jesus, prayer isn’t technique: prayer is relationship. The Lord’s Prayer calls us to consider “to whom am I praying?” and brings together shat’s going on in my heart and what’s going on in God’s heart.

The prayer flows out of the relationship of God as Father.  Because we are praying to our Father (think the best kind of parent here), we can pray simply, honestly, full of confidence that he receives our prayer. The opposite of anxious prayer. 

The Lord’s Prayer is a prayer that is real enough for our lives.

And it’s big enough to call us into His heart - which we are built to do. To live into the God’s heart for us and the world. 

(See pages 14-15 of this document for the prayer framework we practiced during service)

Questions for HomeGroups This Week

1. Take some time to read the scripture passage together as a group.

• What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

2. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you, challenged you?

3. In what ways is your communication with God similar to your communication with your parents? In what ways can it improve?

4. Take time to read through the Lord’s Prayer as a group as it is laid out in the document that was shared in the summary. Then take some time to pray through it individually or as a group. What strikes you about how it is laid out? Is there anything from the prayer that you don’t normally pray for?

5. As a group speak about your prayer habits. What can your time with God look like on a daily basis as it includes prayer? Can you commit to a prayer practice as a group?

April 16, 2023 Sermon: For an Audience of One (Rev. Joe Bae)

(Scripture and sermon starts at 35:05)

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

‘“Be careful not to do good deeds in front of other people. Don’t do those deeds to be seen by others. If you do, your Father in heaven will not reward you.

“When you give to needy people, do not announce it by having trumpets blown. Do not be like those who only pretend to be holy. They announce what they do in the synagogues and on the streets. They want to be honoured by other people. What I’m about to tell you is true. They have received their complete reward. When you give to needy people, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Then your giving will be done secretly. Your Father will reward you, because he sees what you do secretly.

“When you pray, do not be like those who only pretend to be holy. They love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners. They want to be seen by other people. What I’m about to tell you is true. They have received their complete reward. When you pray, go into your room. Close the door and pray to your Father, who can’t be seen. Your Father will reward you, because he sees what you do secretly.”’

ABOUT THE SERMON

When The Sermon on the Mount gets to Matthew 6 there is a shift from our ethics as disciples to our religious practice as disciples.

Jesus’ teaching in the passage deals with people who use religious practices that should bring us closer to God’s heart and give glory to God rather than making the practices of giving, prayer, and fasting about earning approval and praise from people. 

All of us have a need for approval, acceptance from people. The way that we’ve been trained in so many areas of life (work, school, family, peer groups) is to acquire that approval and acceptance through performance and presenting a curated version of ourselves. We learn along the way that our value is determined by the assessment of others. In the church setting, it’s possible to do this through religious practices: Do we pray the right way? Serve the right way? Give the right way? Say the right things?

Rather than seeking the approval of others (or the overcorrections of “it doesn’t matter what others think” or “all that matters is what I think”), Jesus invites us to value and consider what our Heavenly Father, “who sees what is done in secret,” thinks and says about us. Our worth and value are found in God’s eyes, that are ever on us. Furthermore, he invites us to hear that there are rewards, things that are commensurate, with these religious practices of giving (to see needs lifted), prayer (to be with God) and fasting (to grow in self-discipline and reliance upon God). 

As disciples, our beliefs need to move into becoming concrete practices. How else do we grow in grace, give God glory and pointing to Him before others (Matthew 5:16)?

And so we believe in a God who in scripture is merciful and compassionate, looking out for the vulnerable.

And so we move into practice by serving and giving compassionate to those in need. 

We believe in a God who cares and hears us when we cry out…so in practice we pray to Him, for our needs, for others, sometimes with words, sometimes without which is ok because he sees us anyways. 

We believe in a God who strengthens us, gives us wisdom, and forgives us. Therefore, sometimes we will fast to discipline ourselves to depend even more on God, allowing our bodies to help us to worship God. In the case of fasting, our feeling hunger reminds us of our need for Him in our daily lives. In scripture, people fasted as an expression of sentience for past sin; a way to humble ourselves in dependence on Him for future mercies; as a means of growing in self-discipline — a sign to show that we are not ruled by our desires, appetite, greed, or bodies. People have also fasted as a deliberate act of doing without in order to share what we might have eaten, or its cost, with the undernourished—A way of keeping in mind those in need; a form of solidarity.

Rather than use these practices as a way of getting approval from others, let’s turn our beliefs into practice, taking on these essential, and expected practices (giving, prayer, fasting), of Jesus’ disciples so that we can grow in grace. 

Questions for HomeGroups This Week

1. Take some time to read the scripture passage together as a group.

• What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

2. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you, challenged you?)

3. What would it be like if no one noticed the good things that you do? Share your thoughts.

4. How do you view prayer in your life? When do you find yourself praying more or less in your life?

5. How can we be honest in prayer? What comes to mind?

6. When was the last time you fasted? What was that experience like for you?

7. As a group, consider practicing one of these three practices together (giving, spending regular time in prayer, fasting). Talk about how this practice will go and report back as to how it went the next time you meet up as a group!

April 9, 2023 Sermon: Resurrection Hope (Rev. Joe Bae)

(Scripture and sermon starts at 56:04)

SCRIPTURE: John 20:1-18 (NIV)

“Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.) Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.

Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.

 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?” 

“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”

At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not realize that it was Jesus.

He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” 

Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”

Jesus said to her, “Mary.” 

She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means “Teacher”).

Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’ ”

Mary Magdalene went to the disciples with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.”

ABOUT THE SERMON

Easter Sunday is a day of huge important in the life of Christians. It’s a day that constantly invites us to celebration, faith, joy and hope because of Jesus being raised up to new life. But for many, Easter can feel like a very distant celebration, faith, joy, hope because we are waiting and longing to see healing and newness in our lives. 

Easter hasn’t yet happened to us. 

So how can we take part in Easter Sunday’s celebration and joy when we are still waiting? What if we are still waiting to feel the joy of this hope? Then we remember we are in good company because of what the gospels tell us. In John 20 we see that resurrection happens because God is still at work though we might know nothing of it. 

And that’s the good news. 

Resurrection happens because God will do it. It has nothing to do with our efforts. We are only called to hold on this hope…and if it doesn’t feel good at the time, know that you’re not doing anything wrong. 

Our passage today tells us that resurrection happens no matter

how sad we are, 

how unprepared we are, 

how little we do for God, 

how small our faith feels, 

how little we understand 

or how afraid we might be.

Resurrection happens because we have a God who is still at work, though we might be at the end of our hopes, strength and understanding about what’s going on.

How can we take part in Easter Sunday faith? 

We can quietly insist that God is still at work. Just like Mary and the others had to stop on the Sabbath (Saturday), with nothing to do but stop, wait and trust God is still working as they sit with all their pain. Just like a seed planted into a garden, we can’t do much more than trust it is growing even when we can’t see anything happening. 

The faith that says, “God is still at work” is a rugged faith statement. We need it in the hardest times. This is Easter Saturday faith that leads to Easter Sunday. 

Secondly, we don’t skip steps. Before resurrection, something has to die. We have to grieve and then, at the right time, newness of life can come. But until then, we can be confused, afraid, doing our best to make sense of things, and pray with tears. We need Good Friday, Holy Saturday and then Easter Sunday. 

We trust that not only is God still at work but Jesus knows our names. Mary recognized Jesus only as he called her by name. Jesus knows you, sees you and at the right time, will call out to you.

Questions for HomeGroups This Week

1. Take some time to read the scripture passage together as a group.

• What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

2. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you, challenged you?)

3. What does resurrection look like for you?

4. Pastor Joe mentioned everyone may be in a different stage, perhaps one of waiting, or mourning, or readiness, or joy. What season do you find yourself in? What words would you use to describe it?

5. Mary stayed by the tomb to wait for the Sabbath to finish and prepare Jesus’ body. Even though she was confused and distraught, her small act of love and faithfulness put her in a place to see the resurrected Christ. Can you think of a time when an act of faithfulness to God allowed you to experience God?

6. Jesus’ disciples were confused and scared and full of questions when He was crucified, yet Jesus revealed Himself to them after resurrection. How have you been confused, scared, or doubtful about what God has been doing in your life?

7. Share with he HomeGroup if and when you’ve heard God call out to you by name.

April 2, 2023 Sermon: The Way of Jesus - The Disciple’s Offence (Pastor Justin Park)

(Scripture and sermon starts 32:11)

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:43-48 (NIV)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbour and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

ABOUT THE SERMON

Fyodor Dostoyevsky writes that, “Love in action is much more terrible than love in dreams.” In this week’s passage, we are confronted with the very pinnacle of the ethical ramifications of the Sermon on the Mount—the way of Jesus includes an all-embracing love towards those who are our enemies. We are not merely called to be countercultural as followers of Jesus, but God-like in expressing indiscriminate love to others. As vehemently opposed to Christianity as our society may be, it longs for Christians who practice non-retaliation and self-renouncing, sacrificial love to all.

Our present cultural climate is marked by increasing polarization and an acceptance of mutual vilification. Tribalization is an accepted norm, and the ‘us vs them’ mentality is plaguing how we relate to one another. The combination of polarization and tribalization consequently normalize dehumanizing one another (churches, unfortunately, are not exempt from this). Yet, this human phenomenon is not new.

Jesus in his sixth antithesis takes on the distorted teaching that has emerged where the Jewish religion of the day that took the command to “love your neighbor” and omitted the crucial words “as yourself” and excluded enemies in the category of neighbors. In addition, the “hate your enemy” command was added. John Stott provides the following insight, "The words hate your enemy were a parasitical growth upon God's law; they had no business there. God did not teach his people a double standard of morality, one for a neighbour and another for an enemy.”

Jesus reveals that there is a wide range of enemies that we are to love. Enemies include those who actively seek to persecute you, those who daily ignore, resist, and rebel against God, and finally those who simply don’t love you and pass you by. As the sun rises and rain falls on all, God’s common grace extends to all. God’s indiscriminate love is given equally to those who are good and bad. What implications does this have on what it means to love our neighbour? For Jesus, the definition of loving your neighbour, includes our enemy. And what more is our neighbour than simply a fellow human being in need, whose need we know and are in a position in some measure to relieve? The core ethic that defines the way of Jesus is sacrificial, self-giving, and serving love.

Having established that loving your neighbour has no exclusions, from both this text and the corresponding text in Luke 6:27-36, Jesus shows how we are to practice enemy love. First, we are to love with our deeds manifested in practical humble, sacrificial service. Though our enemy may seek our harm; we in return seek his good and well-being as far as it can be sought. We imitate Jesus in doing good to his enemies, to the point of laying our lives down. Second, we are to use our words to bless those who curse us. Though our enemy curses us and wishes hell on us, we respond by calling down God’s blessing upon him, declaring in our speech that we literally wish well on him. We imitate Jesus in sharing the good news of the kingdom with our enemies. Third, we commit to praying for those who persecute us. We bring our enemy before God and ask for God's will and blessing to be lavishly applied to their life. We imitate Jesus in praying, "Father, forgive them; for they know what they do." 

How do we answer Jesus’s question, “What more are you doing than the Gentiles?” By loving our enemies through our deeds, words, and prayers, we prove ourselves to be sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father. We love those who are not our own, those who are different, those who hate and persecute us. The high call of a disciple is, “You must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” This does not mean moral perfection but relates to how we love and exemplify more and more the perfect love of God which extends to those who do not return it. We are to be all-embracing in our love.

Where do we get the power to practice such an impossible task as to love our enemy? We do so first by recognizing that we were once the very enemy of which this text speaks. As Paul writes, “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Col 1:21-22). We treat our enemy not by the treatment we receive from others, but by the treatment we ourselves have received from Jesus. Second, we set the deepest imaginations of our hearts upon Jesus and His gospel. Jesus, the Son of Man, lived surrounded by his enemies, loved his enemies, died for his enemies, and made a way for his enemies to be reconciled and have life eternal. Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection is our core identity. Third, we fully set our hearts to live out the call to be God-like in our love to others, especially our enemies. Since this is God’s will for our lives, he will by His grace and the power of the Holy Spirit make this a reality in our lives. Let us therefore love our neighbors without distinction, calculation, and procrastination. Love.

Questions for HomeGroups This Week

1. Take some time to read the scripture passage together as a group.

   • What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

2. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you, challenged you?)

3. When you think about your neighbour, who are they in your life? Who is easy to love for you?

4. Who comes to mind when you think about your ‘enemy’?

5. In the sermon, Pastor Justin shared a few ways we can practice loving our enemy. What would loving your enemies look like practically for you? What are the obstacles to loving them?

6. Have you ever tried to ‘love your enemy’? What happened?

7. At the end of the sermon, Pastor Justin spoke to ways we receive power to “be perfect as the Father is perfect”; recognizing we were once the enemy, settings our hearts on Jesus and the gospel, & trusting In the power of the Holy Spirit to carry out His command. Which of these encourages you the most?

March 26, 2023 Sermon: The Way of Jesus - The Disciple’s Defence (Pastor Justin Park)

(Scripture and sermon starts 45:04)

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:38-42 (NIV)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.”

ABOUT THE SERMON

Revenge for wrongdoing is in our blood. Popular media and entertainment make billions of dollars marketing stories of revenge; it’s in our TV shows, our movies, the books we read, everything we consume.

In this week's passage, we come to the 5th antithesis where Jesus calls for his disciples to exhibit an attitude of total love towards those who seek to wrong them. The way of Jesus is to respond to those who wrong us not with retaliation, but by acceptance of injustice without revenge. Like an anvil that absorbs the blow of a hammer, we are to absorb the wrongdoing directed at us and have it absolved in us, giving no room for revenge. Jesus forbids us from taking the law into our own hands rather than opposing the pursuit of justice. The four illustrations in the passage apply the principle of a disciple’s non-retaliation and the lengths it must go. The attitude and principle a disciple of Jesus is to embody is where out of their commitment to total love, they are willing to give their body, possessions, service, and money for the good of those who seek to do wrong to them.  We are to provide those who wrong us with an imaginative alternative to the necessity of revenge and violence in our world.

How are we to follow this difficult and countercultural teaching of embracing suffering and injustice done to us without seeking retaliation? We need to centre our lives on the cross, and entrust ourselves to God who takes what was meant for evil and bring good out of it. We cannot live this teaching out divorced from a deep understanding of the cross. Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes the following on this point:

“[Jesus] vanquished evil through suffering. It looked as though evil had triumphed on the cross, but the real victory belonged to Jesus. And the cross is the only justification for the precept of non-violence, for it alone can kindle a faith in the victory over evil which will enable men to obey that precept. And only such obedience is blessed with the promise that we shall be partakers of Christ’s victory as well as of his sufferings.”

The purpose of the cross is not just to atone for our sins (make us right with God), it also reveals how God interacts with the people he loves and makes them more like Jesus. The cross is the way that God works through everyone. He pours out his love, grace, and power to overcome evil with good. Embracing the centrality of the cross in our lives brings profound comfort amid suffering. With Good Friday on the horizon, we remember that the cross is the only power in the world which proves that a self-renouncing and suffering love love can avenge and vanquish evil.

Questions for HomeGroups This Week

1. Take some time to read the scripture passage together as a group.

• What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

2. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you, challenged you)

3. Even in the midst of our deepest suffering, Pastor Justin reminded us to remember Jesus’ example of vanquishing evil through suffering. How are you challenged to continue to follow Jesus in the midst of your suffering?

4. Even on the cross, Jesus stated “forgive them Father, for they know not what they do”. In this way, Jesus truly exemplified his own teaching in embodying mercy and grace. Are there any instances where someone wronged you and you showed them mercy? Or instances where you were the one who wronged someone and mercy was shown? What happened?

5. Even though today’s passage spoke to not seeking revenge or retaliation, the Bible also commands us to seek justice (Micah 6:8). How is the idea of seeking justice different from seeking revenge or retaliation?

6. What are some practical ways we can choose into this countercultural idea of grace and mercy? In what ways does this passage speak directly to a situation at work/school/home?
   

March 19, 2023 Sermon: The Way of Jesus - An Honest Word (Rev. Joe Bae)

(Scripture and sermon starts 34:00)

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:33-37

“‘Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “Do not break your oath, but fulfil to the Lord the oaths you have made.” But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply “Yes,” or “No”; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”

ABOUT THE SERMON

This Sunday we looked at Jesus’ teaching on oaths. Though the passage is less intimidating on its face than the past few weeks, the teaching it gives is not any less demanding. What would it mean for us to be people who make commitments and keep commitments? What would it take for a follower of Jesus to be known as a truly honest person?

In the Ten Commandments the third is, "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7 ESV). This has more to do with keeping oaths/promises made than using profanity in our speech. Another translation put it this way: “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God…”

To misuse God’s name meant to call upon God’s name as a witness to an oath being made but failing to fulfill that oath (i.e. “As God as my witness, you can be sure that I will ______”) but then not follow through on what was promised. This is what it means to misuse/take the Lord’s name in vain. 

Jesus’ teaching upholds this command, but is calling out the ways that people seek to find loopholes in their oaths. A common view was to treat seriously only those commitments made in God’s name, swearing by God’s name, but treating as less binding when we swear by something else (see all the options in 5:34-36). The principle Jesus brings out is that everything belongs to God and God is present everywhere, therefore, any oath taken is one done with God as witness. 

In light of this, Jesus teaches his followers to be so honest, be so good at keeping their word, that people know to trust them without the song and dance of swearing by something else (“But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all”).

Pastor Joe sees at least three prayers in response rising out of this teaching:

1. Lord, help me be honest.

Is there a conversation that you need to have with someone that you’ve been putting off because it’s a difficult one? Often we’ll settle for people-pleasing rather than peacemaking and the courage involved with speaking truth. May we be people who are known for saying what we mean, who will speak truth with love.

2. Lord, help me keep my word.

Keeping one’s word has power. Lewis Smedes paints this picture about the power of a promise: “When a man makes a promise, he creates an island of certainty in a heaving ocean of uncertainty…” 

In our relationships, this builds a necessary track record of trust and stability. In our character, striving to keep our word can produce love, character and growth. As followers of Jesus, may we be known for keeping our word, and in so doing, show the heart of God who is faithful to his promises. 

3. Lord, help me give my word. 

There’s a challenge to saying ‘yes’. We can feel unwilling to give a ‘yes’ even when we know it is needed for various reasons. Sometimes, we can actually be too busy, and need to practice good boundaries by withholding our ‘yes’. But we can also be slow to commit with a ‘yes’ because of fear of missing out (FOMO) or fear of disappointing yourself, others or God. 

When God gives us an invitation to join his kingdom work around us, when it’s time for a ‘yes’, may we not be slow to respond because of fear that we may fall short. After all, as Jesus taught, any promise given, any commitment or oath made, is done in the presence of God. So we are not alone. When it is God’s work, we do not work alone but with the strength, wisdom and love of God in us. 

Questions for HomeGroups This Week

1. Take some time to read the scripture passage together as a group.

• What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

2. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you, challenged you)

3. Given that all promises are made before God (whether we invoke His name or not), how does this make us think differently about the commitments we have made or avoided?

4. Is it challenging to be honest in all aspects of life? (i.e. work, school, home life, etc.) In what area of your life have you been challenged to be more honest with your words and commitments?

5. Pastor Joe identified three prayers of response to the teaching. Which prayer resonates with you most? How might God be inviting you to think of commitment and honesty differently?

March 12, 2023 Sermon: The Way of Jesus – What Does God Want? (Rev. Joe Bae)

(Sermon starts at 33:51)

SCRIPTURE

Matthew 5:31-32

“It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Matthew 19:3-9

Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”

“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”

“Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”

Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”

ABOUT THE SERMON

Divorce is a painful reality and Jesus addresses that reality. In the passage, Jesus meets people where they are – in a way that would be a challenge to some, a grace to others - and leads the listeners toward God’s heart. 

Pastor Joe talked about understanding scripture as both a picture and a palette. Scripture is our rule of life and sometimes scripture is clear and we can point to it, like a painting hanging on a museum wall as if knowing that we are supposed to be like that. But sometimes, we have to also consider that scripture is what helps us understand our and makes sense of our lives. In this way, scripture isn’t just a painting to measure up to, but a palette to apply the colour of salvation, to believe, “maybe this is what God is doing…maybe we add a bit of “God created us in his image” here; or “remember the stories of God leading people to freedom” there. 

This passage is a painting and a palette. 

As a painting, Jesus gives a clear teaching on his view on divorce and marriage. 

Jesus’ teaching on divorce, and the broader context of what he was addressing, is best understood when 5:31-32 is read together with Matthew 19:1-12 with Deuteronomy 24 as a backdrop.

If a man marries a woman who becomes displeasing to him because he finds something indecent about her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce, gives it to her and sends her from his house… (Deuteronomy 24:1-4)

“It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

In Jesus’ time, the meaning and application of Deuteronomy 24 was debated. The word translated “something indecent" in 24:1 is very vague. 

There were two dominant views. One view (the school of Shammai) contended adultery was the only grounds for divorce. The other view (the school of Hillel) allowed for a much broader definition which included childlessness, cultic offenses, and even failure to complete household tasks. Divorce was too quickly an option for people. 

Similarly, in Matthew 5:31, the words translated for “sexual immorality” (porneia) can also be translated widely and could refer to refer to an incestuous relationship, an illegal one (for example, the wife was already married to someone else), a marriage in which one partner was unfaithful, or even an act of lewdness (which can be interpreted a multitude of ways).

Jesus is responding to a real debate when he teaches about divorce in this way and sides more conservatively. But as he’s been doing with anger and lust — he points to the heart of the matter. It’s not enough to simply say, “Hey, what I’m doing is perfectly legal!” Jesus attacks the assumption that God approves of divorce. 

He makes clear in Matthew 19 that divorce isn’t commanded; that’s just about the legal certificate provided so that people could go and remarry. Rather, he says that divorce and certificates of divorce were a necessary mercy, something permissible because of the hardness of heart and brokenness of the people. Importantly in Matthew 19 Jesus points to what God intended for marriage: for it to be permanent because spiritually speaking, God had made two parties into one. (Gen 2). Jesus had a high view of marriage in this perspective. He’s calling our hearts to treat it (and work to keep it) as a sacred gift and reality, as opposed to taking a lot of time to consider when it’s okay to divorce. 

So the picture: divorce isn’t ever what God intends for a marriage. But when that oneness has been violated because of adultery, or a kind of abuse that violates that unity/oneness, Jesus recognizes that marriage may no longer be possible and allows divorce as a necessity of mercy.

But the palette mentality tells us that in the case of divorce, there’s the teaching we want to live up to, but also other things that God wants for us. 

Divorce is a painful loss and change to a family. If children are involved, even more so. We can remember that at such times, there are other important realities to point to besides “is this divorce right or wrong?”

God is a safety for people in times of trouble.

God is our good shepherd, leading us though dark times, through the wilderness. 

God wants to heal us. 

God wants to bring forgiveness. 

God’s grace is sufficient.

God is present with us the storms of life. 

God loves us. 

God gets the last word.

God gets angry at the wrong done against people. 

All of our lives, every part, belongs before God. Jesus makes it possible. The Holy Spirit helps us to do that. A palette gives us permission for come fully before God. As a church, we can be people who help one another help bring our hearts to God by drawing close with care and wisdom, using the palette of scripture with people who are going through painful divorces, or hurting in life in a general way. 

Questions for HomeGroups This Week:

1.    Take some time to read the scripture passages together as a group.

• What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

2.    What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you, challenged you)

3.    In today’s modern society, divorce is a relatively common phenomenon. How does Jesus’ teaching on divorce stand in contrast to the way people view divorce today?

4.    If divorce has impacted your life directly, in what way are Jesus’ words painful to hear? How are his words comforting?

5.    Pastor Joe stated in the beginning of his sermon that sometimes it can be difficult to thank God for passages of scripture like this upon first reading. Are there passages of scripture that have seemed harsh to you at first? Are there passages of scripture that you struggle with now?

March 5, 2023 Sermon: The Way of Jesus - Confessing Our Hearts (Rev. Joe Bae)

(Scripture and sermon starts 29:28)

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:27-30 (NIV)

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell.”

ABOUT THE SERMON:

We continue our series on the sermon Jesus gives in Matthew 5-7. Through it all, Jesus addresses how we are called to live a higher righteousness, into our identity as salt and light, and live in a way that is full of goodness and brings glory to God. This process begins in our hearts, not with external behaviours and rules. 

When scripture speaks of our hearts, it is speaking to more than just our emotions; it also has in mind our will, our desires, our choices, our understanding and meaning-making. God focuses on our hearts being transformed, because we live out of our hearts.

Jesus is teaching that his people need to be people who fight the battle against cultivating lust in their hearts. Just as much as adultery (in the technical sense, being intimate with somebody married/betrothed to another person) is a serious offence, Jesus teaches that so is looking at someone with lustful intent. This is different from attraction or desire. Lust here is literally, two words in Greek: “over” and “desire” – inordinate desire. Lust refers to the fantasizing, the planning, the hoping that maybe something could happen, the using and objectifying of another person for your own pleasure. 

Jesus’ extreme examples of putting out your eye or cutting off a hand are calling his people to have a strong and resolute response to lust and, broadly speaking, sin in our hearts. If something you see, watch, or do gets your heart cultivating lust, Jesus teaches that we aren’t to justify, minimize or tolerate it. 

But how can we live with this teaching? Willpower matters, but the answer isn’t willpower alone. Our hearts and imagination will always beat willpower in the long run. In this season of lent, which is a time of examination and rededication to discipleship, we can take hold of a powerful, underused practice: confession. 

Many of us may know in our minds that even as we struggle with lust and sin, we are loved and are forgiven by God when we confess. Sometimes we just need to hear it from another person. Just as we do every week in church, we never confess without hearing assurance of forgiveness. We’re told that we are forgiven. Sometimes we need this assurance, for the things we shudder to mention aloud. Asking some trusted friends or a trusted person in the church to hear your confession, to be honest before God, is a grace we can take hold of this season. 

Rules for hearing a confession:

• Listen with compassion

• Help them name the good the want to do for God, with God

• Speak the truth about who God is (think, Shout to the Lord!))

We should also practice confessing to God who hears our cries for help, and who understands (For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. - Hebrews 4:15-16)

And as a way of cultivating something other than lust in our hearts, we can be people who pray that we would love the things that God loves. External rules will not transform our hearts. Neither will trying to ignore or repress our desire. But we can also fill our hearts with the things of God. It’s the tension of holding both, which is certainly not easy but makes us better people and over time, produces a heart that is transformed for God.

Questions for HomeGroups This Week:

1. Take some time to read the scripture passage together as a group.

• What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

2. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you, challenged you)

3. Pastor Joe stated God is not telling us to literally cut off our body parts, but that we should take sin and lust seriously. What does that look like in your life now?

4. Have you practiced regular confession in your life? What has that looked like for you and what were the benefits?

5. Pastor Joe spoke to how we want to be a community that reflects salt and light. To reflect this, take some time to practice confession together as group. Using the ‘Rules for hearing a confession’ above, take some time to break into partners in your group and hear one another’s confessions, and practice giving assurance to one another.

Feb 26, 2023 Sermon: The Way of Jesus - I’ll Be Right There (Rev. Joe Bae)

(Scripture and sermon starts 38:00)

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:21-26 (NIV)

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”

ABOUT THE SERMON:

This week we began a section of the Sermon on the Mount call the 6 antitheses (the rest of chapter 5). It’s a pattern of teaching (“You have heard it said ... but I say to you…”) in which Jesus is pushing back against specific interpretations of God’s law, not the laws themselves.

Jesus is looking at more than just at external behaviour and avoiding literal murder. Jesus is concerned with a greater righteousness that takes into account what’s happening in our hearts, and this week we are looking at the anger that is in our hearts. The application of the command goes wider and deeper to include our angry words and thoughts. 

But first, what does Jesus mean by anger? Does he mean all anger?

No. Scripture shows us that God feels anger at injustice done, at sin, at death. We also know that anger can make us aware and energize us to action in the face of danger; it is the right and proper response to injustice and harm being done to people. One writer describes anger this way: “Anger is a God-given emotional signalling device, designed to alert us that something is wrong. It is to relationships with others what pain is to the physical body.”

Yet Jesus is calling us to watch the anger in our hearts because while God can be trusted to exercise a righteous anger…us, not so much. 

Jesus is calling people to watch out for anger that can become contempt. Reducing someone in your heart - calling them Raca (related to the sound one makes when spitting) or fool. Contempt seeks to diminish the inherent value of the other person. Treating them in way that says “you aren’t worth my time or my concern.” You make them invisible. 

Here Jesus calls people to take our anger and insults towards others just as seriously as we do murder. Contempt - seeing others as less than - has led to some of the worst atrocities in our history. 

While we may not be tempted to that end, the teaching matters. Jesus calls his followers to live in a way that is contrary to the intense tribalism that is all around us. Tribalism meaning, in this case: to draw sharp lines of “us” and “them”, to demand complete agreement with a position…or else. Life is far too complex for that. 

Knowing the things that can trigger anger in us is important to this end. 

In his book, The Good and Beautiful Life, James Bryan Smith writes of anger arises often from unmet expectations, reasonable or not, that we have of ourselves, others or God. We are people who live by the narratives we hold on to. They can be false ones, or kingdom narratives Jesus invites us to live by:

False Imperative Narratives

• I am alone.

• I must be in control all of the time.

• Something terrible will happen if I make a mistake.

• Life must always be fair and just.

• I need to be perfect all of the time.

Towards the end of the passage Jesus is making an extreme point about how much God cares about reconciliation. Is this true worship & righteousness, if we are not first dealing with our internal feelings of anger and strife? Jesus' teaching calls us to immediately and urgently to deal with the mess our anger, words and attitudes have cause. 

Remember: As people Jesus calls to be salt and light. Being people who deal with our anger is so important and a key way we give witness and glory to God. So as much as YOU can, don’t let things stay broken, cold or estranged. Maybe something Christians can be known for is being people who take the first step to do their part to mend something that our anger has messed up. 

It’s a high and costly command that Jesus gives – but one that can make things right. Rather than reacting with anger, we can take hold of the biblical precedent to give ourselves a chance to respond with faith, by taking time to admit that we have anger, and to voice that anger to God like so many of the psalms do. There’s a pattern that often starts with anger but resolves with faith. Prayer can often take that form. 

The grace Jesus gives to live this out as a possible life, can be seen in verse 24: “First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.” I think of a supportive friend who tells us to go do what we need to do and that they’ll be “right here waiting for you”—Is there a more kind and supportive act? God isn’t going anywhere and is so happy to support and wait for us to struggle through our anger so that we can worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.

Questions for HomeGroups This Week

1. Take some time to read the scripture passage together as a group.

• What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

2. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you, challenged you)

3. When the anger in your heart begins to rise, what coping mechanisms do you use to deal with your anger? Are their strategies you use to quell the anger? Do you think these methods are pleasing to God?

4. During the sermon, Rev. Joe shared a graph of Degree of Hate v. Emotional Engagement. Can you think of a situation in your life where your anger causes you to struggle in your relationship with someone? Where do you find yourself on this graph?

5. Some Kingdom Narratives vs. False Imperative Narratives were shared in the sermon and are listed in the chart above. Do you identify with any of these False Narratives? How can you begin to implement a Kingdom Narrative where you haven’t previously?

6. What does it mean for you to deal with your anger trusting that God will be right here waiting for you? What would the first step look like for you?

Feb 19, 2023 Sermon: The Way of Jesus - Great in the Kingdom (Rev. Joe Bae)

(Scripture and sermon starts 45:38)

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:17-20 (NIV)

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.” 

ABOUT THE SERMON

We’re spending the beginning of the year in the Sermon on the Mount because it gives us a vision of Christian life and a countercultural set of values that shape our character and actions. 

As we begin to engage with Jesus’ teachings in Matthew 5-7 we’ll find that they are not easy. This has led people to suggest that the sermon on the mount is a wonderful ideal but one in which we cannot live up to. But what is the point of that? Where’s the grace and truth and power of Jesus in such a teaching? The Sermon matters because it is a compelling description of life under God’s rule; it’s also a possible life by God’s grace and power. 

Today’s sermon serves as a setup for the rest of the series – Jesus is preparing us for what is to come. How? I want to point out 3 ways.

“I have not come to abolish them but to FULFILL them”

Jesus affirms the importance of the Law and the Prophets (what we would call the Old Testament). He is upholding them and making clear that he stands in line with them rather than setting it aside to make room for his teachings. 

For us today, this means that we need to have a right view of the Old Testament (OT) as well. We resist the idea that because we have Jesus, who is all about grace, we no longer need the OT and “the angry God” depicted therein. In affirming the value and importance of the OT, Jesus tells us that there's only one story of restoration and grace from Genesis to Revelation, that tells of the faithful love and power of one God who is holy, at times angry and grieved, full of love and compassion, and extending grace. One God, one plan, one heart, one gospel. 

“Therefore anyone who sets aside one of THE LEAST OF THESE COMMANDS…”

This verse hints to the common practice among Jesus and his contemporaries that, although all of law is important, some were given priority (“heavier” laws) above others. Not a single law, despite how small or “light” it was, was to be neglected. In the same way, however, these lighter laws were not allowed to get in the way (see Matthew 23:23). Jesus is saying they all matter. And because they all matter, we need to deal with them and learn how to hold them in obedience rather than selectively choosing which we’ll practice. 

Thankfully, we have a growing appreciation of authenticity and vulnerability. That is, we are not relentlessly hiding the fact that we all struggle, we aren’t perfect, we need help. This is healthy. But as it comes to our discipleship, we can take this too far. “Celebratory Failurism” is a term one writer coined to talk about how we can focus too much on our failures and need for grace to the neglect of remembering that Jesus calls, expects and will enable us to obey, by the Holy Spirit.  

…BE CALLED GREAT in the Kingdom of Heaven. For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the Kingdom of Heaven”

When Jesus is talking about a ‘surpassing righteousness’ he means something different than outdoing the religious leaders who took the rules very seriously. Rather than external rules, Jesus wants to see an internal grace changing us. Rather than “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” Jesus calls us to be changed in a way by grace so that our hearts will DESIRE NO EVIL.

This is what he expects of us: to obey and trust his teachings, even the most challenging ones, to the point that our hearts are renewed in what they desire, as we’ll see in the following weeks. 

If Jesus gave these commands, they aren’t just demanding and difficult, they’ll be good for us, and they’ll be possible to keep. If we are going to wrestle with the Sermon on the mount, we have to trust that it’s possible to live it out. No matter how long it takes or how many times we fail, we trust that it’s possible. 

Questions for HomeGroups This Week:

1. Take some time to read the scripture passage together as a group.

• What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

2. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you, challenged you)

3. What do you think the cost of obedience is for you?

4. In what areas of your life have you loosened God’s standards? In what way have you done this?

5. Do you ever fall into Celebratory Failurism? What does that look like in your life, and what could an alternative be for you?

6. As Rev. Joe mentioned, some often point to the Sermon on the Mount as impossible to fulfill. Scripture often has commands that are seen as hard to reach. What do you think of this?

Feb 12, 2023 Sermon: The Way of Jesus - The City of Life (Pastor Justin Park)

(Scripture and sermon starts 35:56)

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:13-16 (NIV)

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”

ABOUT THE SERMON:

We have been parked in Matthew 5:13-16 for the past three Sundays examining our Christ-given identities as salt of the earth and light of the world. Why? The fact is, we are prone to spiritual amnesia. We keep forgetting or ignoring who we are as disciples of Jesus. One of the most important practices for a spiritual community is to regularly remind each other of who God is and who we are.

In this week’s sermon, we explore how Jesus calls his disciples to be a dynamic city that is lit and seen by the world. We are a 'sent people' called to be visible through our deeds and words, to be focused in pointing people to Jesus and His kingdom by proclaiming the good news, and to be expansive in taking the gospel to our communities and beyond. Bearing witnesses to the good news is the heartbeat of everything we do as disciples of Jesus. 

We live out our identity as light in this world by embracing that our faith is a visible one. As John Stott puts it, “We are not to conceal the truth we know or the truth of what we are.” Being a visible and marked disciple of Jesus means that our primary and all-encompassing identity is that we belong to Him, and that all our other identities flow from our all-of-life commitment and loyalty to Jesus. The call to shine our light before others directs us to be focused on letting the Spirit cultivate in us good works that others will see.

There are two sides to good works, one side being gospel deeds where the Spirit unleashes in and through us acts of meekness, righteousness, mercy, and peacemaking. The other side points to gospel proclamation where we point the people God brings into our lives to Jesus. We do this by praying for opportunities to verbalize the gospel, emphatically listening and building trust, receiving and asking questions, sharing our personal stories, and wisely contextualizing the gospel message. We will find that some will reject, some will request more conversations, and some will receive. Let’s not let the fear of rejection or ordeals that last longer than we’d like, prevent us from going after those God has prepared to receive the gospel.

Jesus, who declares that He is the light of the world, is the fulfillment of the prophesized servant who will be the light to all nations. The light of Christ is expansive beyond our imagination.  As light on a stand gives light to all in the house, we must recognize that God wants to shine the light of Christ beyond your wildest imagination—beyond the people and places you think it should shine on. As we go about our days, the Spirit is seeking to make us conduits of Christ’s light to the people and places where we live, play, work, relax, and pray. Some of these people and places, God has already impressed on our heart, but there are people and places beyond our imagination that He will be leading us to as well. May we not resist, but simply be who we are in Christ and shine.

Questions for HomeGroups This Week:

1. Take some time to read the scripture passage together as a group.

• What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

2. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you, challenged you)

3. Pastor Justin mentioned ‘code switching’ or changing one’s speech or behaviour depending on the social situation. What are some examples in your life where you code switch?

4. Why do you think listening is so important in evangelism?

5. What are the greatest obstacles to sharing our faith? What are some practical ways we can overcome these obstacles and live out the Great Commission?

6. Is there someone you want to share your faith with? Who is that person?

Feb 5, 2023 Sermon: The Way of Jesus - Discovering Who We Are (Valera Strugov)

(Scripture and sermon starts 32:43)

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:13-16 (MSG)

“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth. If you lose your saltiness, how will people taste godliness? You’ve lost your usefulness and will end up in the garbage.

“Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We’re going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don’t think I’m going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I’m putting you on a light stand. Now that I’ve put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you’ll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven.”

ABOUT THE SERMON:

The past couple of weeks we have been reflecting on Matthew 5:13-16 - God’s call for his people to be salt and light. It’s not a new calling or identity, but a call that Jesus was able to fulfill, and invites us in turn to do the same by his grace and power. To live and be salt and light will be a foundational way of living into the way of Jesus. Like the Beatitudes and the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, as Christians we do these things—these counter-cultural acts—not because they are good religious things to do but because it flows out of who we are in Jesus. 

This past Sunday Valera Strugov of MoveIn reflected on Matthew 5:13-16. 

Valera shared that MoveIn is a prayer movement of regular people seeking to follow Jesus. Their inspiration as a movement comes from Jesus’ literal example as described in John 1:14 (MSG): “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.”

In teams, they move into very specific communities - the unreached urban poor communities. These aren’t necessarily communities that people long to move into but they are very dear to God’s heart. And so they do to be an intentional presence of God’s love, God’s salt and light to the world. In doing so, the MoveIn teams find that these communities themselves are a gift of God to his people. 

MoveIn does not take Jesus to communities but wants to meet Jesus in our communities. 

In the paradoxical mixing of beauty and brokenness, these communities are profound gifts to us as believers. As believers notice the brokenness around us, God nudges us to notice the brokenness within us. And then in hope, we can surrender to him, and claim once again our true self in Jesus - wrapped in light, seasoned with salt. 

Matthew 5:13-16 is a high calling and could cause us to think it’s all about doing good deeds. But an important truth in Matthew 5:13-16 is that it’s not just a call to do more; but all our doing must flow from a place knowing who we truly are in Jesus, which is a lifelong journey of discovery.

Valera shared that it takes communal rhythms and practices of weekly prayer meetings to remember who we are in Jesus. The teams helps one another remember though weekly prayer meetings during which they reflect on their presence in the neighbourhood: taking kids to school, with neighbours in the parks, in the laundry room. They reflect on how they prayerfully rub shoulders with their neighbours, asking God to move and work through them. 

They also remind one another that they are God’s children - maturing into knowing that what and who we becoming is more important than our performance. They ask together if they are desiring to be more poor in spirit, more love, more patient…in short, more like Jesus. They do this because when we are like Jesus we will act like Jesus. 

And what did Jesus do? Jesus noticed and elevated people who others thought should be touched. 

As salt enhances flavours in food, so does seeing and loving people for who they are. It reveals the God-given good in them despite all the brokenness and sin. Light helps us to see what is: both the brokenness and God’s goodness.

Valera also called us to think about our presence and claim once again who we are. 

In community and also in solitude. Closeness to God matters. He shared: “When I forget to pay attention to that and pause, to listen to God’s voice…I get exhausted and overwhelmed doing good deeds but running on an empty tank. Outwardly it looks good, but to be serious about being salt and light in the world, we can’t neglect solitude with Jesus.”

Encountering God’s loving presence is what enables us to to be who he has called us to be: salt and light and his children in the world.

Questions for HomeGroups This Week:

1. Take some time to read the scripture passage together as a group.

• What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

2. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you, challenged you)

3. Share your experience of being salt and light in the world. Is it a new journey? In what ways has it been joyful? In what ways has it been a struggle?

4. What is an action we can do in the next week/month/year to be that salt and light. How can use this action to glorify God to those around us rather than to take credit ourselves

5. What are some practical ways that you are filled and prevent feeling burnt out. What are some ways members of the HomeGroup can support you? 

6. As described by the speaker we tend to focus on our short comings and allow an internalization of negativity. The speaker also spoke about the positive traits we have that can be used as salt but sometimes it is difficult for us to see. Take some time and share with the group some of the good traits they see in others in the HomeGroup that can be used to be salt and light in the world. 
   

Jan 22, 2023 Sermon: The Way of Jesus – The Good Life (Pastor Justin Park)

(Scripture & sermon starts 33:11)

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 5:1-12

“Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them.

He said:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
    for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
    for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
    for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
    for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

ABOUT THE SERMON:

Look around: whether online or in-person, wherever you go you are bombarded with promises of happiness. We are inundated with the message that maximum material comfort will make us happy, that the way to success is to just keep hustling, and that the highest form of happiness is achieving self-actualization as defined by you. As humans we are all hard-wired to seek happiness and, as Blaise Pascal puts it, the seeking of happiness is the motive of every action of every human. Jesus lays out the countercultural values of His kingdom in his famed Sermon on the Mount. He begins not by telling his disciples what they are to do or what they are to be, but by emphatically stating what they are. Here we find that the foundation of the Christian life is being before doing.

The Beatitudes therefore tell us the good life of a disciple. This “blessed/happy are you” life is characterized by the following key characteristics. First, you need to be emptied to be filled. As the poor in spirit, we declare our spiritual bankruptcy before God. As those who mourn over our sins, we surrender ourselves to the Spirit to turn our confession into contrition that leads to repentance. As the meek, we lay down our pride and claim to any sense of superiority over others.

Second, the Beatitudes are a reversal of the values of the world. Rather than being driven to possess status, power, fame, or things, we hunger and thirst for God and His kingdom. We give ourselves to being merciful and compassionate towards others over vengeance and bitterness. We choose the path of peacemaking, even at an enormous cost to ourselves.

Third, this new way of being as described in the Beatitudes will inevitably bring us into conflict with the values of the world. As a disciple is not above his master, persecution and suffering are an integral part of a disciples life.

To experience being poor in spirit, to mourn over our sins, to choose to be meek, to be a peacemaker during ongoing conflict, and to be persecuted are all hard things. When we recognize the Spirit cultivating this in us, the invitation for us is to lean in rather than resisting it. And as we lean in the Spirit will not only confirm and deepen in us who the Beatitudes say we are but magnify to us how the Beatitudes ultimately describe and reveal Jesus Himself. Happiest are those who delight in Jesus give themselves to become more like him. This is the happiness that our family and friends need most. This is the happiness that the world needs most.

Questions for HomeGroups This Week:

1. Take some time to read the scripture passage together as a group.

• What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

2. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you, challenged you)

3. What has your experience been with pursuing happiness? Is it attainable?

4. How do the beatitudes contradict our usual idea of blessedness?

5. Which beatitude do you find particularly compelling and/or difficult?

Jan 15, 2022 Sermon: The Way of Jesus - Change My Mind (Rev. Joe Bae)

(Scripture & sermon starts 31:30)

SCRIPTURE: Matthew 4:17-20

“From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’

As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’ At once they left their nets and followed him.”

ABOUT THE SERMON

This Sunday we started a new series, The Way of Jesus, that will focus on the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) and how the followers of Jesus are called to live out these teachings as a way of being formed for deeply by our discipleship to Jesus than our discipleship to the world around us. It will see that the Way of Jesus is at times challenging but also necessary and a good and beautiful way of living. 

In order to get ready for the Sermon on the Mount, we unpacked 3 key terms from Jesus’ early ministry before Jesus begins his teaching on the mountain. 

First, “THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN”

What did Jesus mean by this term? Probably a few things:

1. The expectations that the Jewish people had for “the Kingdom of God” had to do with the justice and peace of God to make all things right, which would include having military power to live free and a king/Messiah to lead this victory. Jesus didn’t fall in line with those expectations. He showed that God’s Kingdom would bring freedom and peace through sacrificial love; victory would come not through military power, but the cross. Jesus was bringing the upside down Kingdom. 

2. A king has a Kingdom when there’s a place where what they want to happen, happens. Dallas Willard talks about this as “the range of effective will.” The Kingdom of Heaven is God’s range of effective will…any place or arena of life where God’s will was being done. Jesus will go on to describe the Kingdom of Heaven in the sermon on the mount – what life is like when God reigns. 

3. When Jesus talks about the Kingdom of Heaven that is coming near…near to where? To those who live in the kingdom of the world. The kingdom of heaven is both an alternative vision of what it means to truly live, what is good; but also it stands in opposition to the kingdom of the world that would seek to form us in its image.

Second, “REPENT”
We might tend to think about angry people telling us to change, that we’re on the wrong course, to feel bad about it. Jesus probably had some of that in his heart. But actually ‘repent’ means to turn around, or change one’s mind. We all know how hard it is to change anyone’s mind, much less our own about significant things, but Jesus calls us to change our minds. He calls us to change our minds about what’s good, how God’s goodness is breaking through, what standards to hold, about what’s happening and what could happen. It’s a good word. 

Third, “FOLLOW ME”
The disciples left their jobs and life to follow him but maybe “Follow me” isn’t as radical or crazy as we might think it to be. Many of us can point to a time when we put everything on hold in order to make that promotion, get that job, get that relationship, make that money, get that body, find that peace, numb the pain…we understand devotion — Jesus now calls for it.  And it’s also such a kind gift. “Follow me” isn’t saying “Do better!” or “Try harder!” but rather “be close to me” or “I’m doing this thing, why don’t you join me?” It’s an invitation to a good and beautiful life.

Our church needs to hear these words well. Learning to recognize the ways of the kingdom of the world and to live in God’s Kingdom as a beautiful alternative is the work the church absolutely needs to take on. Our devotion and discipleship to Jesus absolutely needs to be stronger than the discipleship we receive from our culture. How else can we bear witness to the grace of God? How else will we raise up the next generation of disciples?

 3 prayers to take on:

• Pray for hunger for his Kingdom

• Pray for the Spirit to examine us and show us if we are following anything else above Jesus;

• Pray for conviction to grow in this way.

QUESTIONS FOR HOME GROUP THIS WEEK:

1. Take some time to read the scripture passage together as a group.

• What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

2. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you, challenged you)

3. Have you ever changed someone’s mind? Have you ever had your mind changed by someone?

4. Pastor Joe mentioned it’s often tough to follow Jesus boldly in our modern context, but we find joy when we identify a fellow Christian in our school or workplace. Do you have a joyful experience of meeting a fellow Christian I your workplace?

5. Pastor Joe spoke about repenting as turning around, to look and see differently. What is something I need to turn away from in order to follow Jesus?

Dec 18, 2022 Sermon: The Family of God - Fathers and Sons (Pastor Justin Park)

(Scripture & sermon starts 36:38)

SCRIPTURE: (Matthew 1:18-25)

“This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph, her husband, was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). 

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.”

ABOUT THE SERMON

A constant pattern we go through in life is the process of expecting something, dealing with the reality, and the choices we make responding to the gaps in our expectations and the reality. In our text, we find that the Joseph’s expectation of what his married life with Mary would be is completely subverted when it is revealed that Mary is pregnant with a child. The reality of the situation is scandalous. We are told that Joseph being a just, law-abiding man wrestles through what to do and not wanting to put Mary to shame, resolves to divorce her quietly. An angel then appears in Joseph’s dream calling him to take Mary as his wife, reassuring him that this child was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and that the child is to be named Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins and be the fulfillment of prophesy. It is written that Joseph obeys what God commanded him to do. He takes Mary as his wife, names the child Jesus, and adopts and cares for the child as his own.

In Joseph’s example, we see what faith in action looks like. Even though one’s life expectations are being shattered and the reality of life is overwhelming, a heart that trusts God embraces the mysterious leadings of God; does not run from suffering but embraces it; and chooses self-sacrifice over self-help.

But how can we live this kind life? It is by receiving the good news that Jesus, the son of God adopted by his earthly father Joseph, through his life, death, and resurrection makes a way for us to be adopted into God’s family. In adoption, God through Jesus takes us into his family and fellowship and establishes us as his children and heirs. J.I. Packer in his book Knowing God, explains that the doctrine of adoption is the paradigm/framework through which ought to view and live the rest of our Christian life.

“For everything that Christ taught, everything that makes the New Testament new, and better than the Old, everything that is distinctively Christian as opposed to merely Jewish, is summed up in the knowledge of the Fatherhood of God. ‘Father’ is the Christian name for God. Our understanding of Christianity cannot be better than our grasp of adoption” - J.I. Packer, Knowing God

Joseph considered and wrestled through the Hebrew Scriptures and the dream that he received from God. For us to follow Joseph and Mary’s example in responding to God’s reality in their life, we are invited to consider and wrestle through the highest privilege that is offered to us by the gospel: that God is our Father and that we are His sons and daughters. When we allow the Spirit to engrave or tattoo this truth into our heart, mind, and soul, everything else that we are to be and do as a follower of Jesus will naturally flow out.

Questions for HomeGroups This Week:

1. Read through Matthew 1:18-25. What stands out to you about the characters involved?

2. What common expectations do we have about God and the Christian life?

3. Often there are gaps between our expectations and reality. What gaps are you experiencing in your faith life? What do you sense God is trying to teach you in those gaps?

4. The act of obedience gets a bad rep in modern evangelical communities because it is often wrongfully accused of fostering legalism. How can we practice joyful obedience (Ps 119:47-48; Jn 14:15) instead of begrudging obedience?

5. What are your thoughts on the claim that the doctrine of adoption is the paradigm/framework through which we ought to view and live the Christian life?

Dec 11, 2022 Sermon: The Family of God - Speaking Up (Rev. Joe Bae)

(Scripture & sermon starts 44:14)

SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:57-79 (Key verses, 76-79)

“And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;

    for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,

to give his people the knowledge of salvation

    through the forgiveness of their sins,

because of the tender mercy of our God,

    by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven

to shine on those living in darkness

    and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

ABOUT THE SERMON:

We continue our Advent series as we look at the very end of Zechariah’s part in the birth of Jesus, how there is a need for silence and a need to speak up about the work of God in our lives. 

In the gospel of Luke, the author makes a point of juxtaposing Zechariah and Mary’s responses to the angel Gabriel visits to them both. Mary responds with openness and willing obedience to God’s plan; Zechariah responds with disbelief (“Do you expect me to believe this?” Luke 1:18 MSG). As a result of his disbelief, Zechariah is made silent until the child and is born and God’s plan is proved true (Luke 1:20). 

Our passage is the end of that silence. After 40 weeks, we see Zechariah’s first words be of praise to God (1:68-75) and prophecy (76-79). This imposed silence is part punishment but also a gift so Zechariah could see with clarity God’s work of salvation and his family’s role in it. It’s almost as if God was making him pregnant alongside Elizabeth, allowing faith and hope to grow in his soul. All he could do was take things in, to think and listen deeply. He could begin to see how what he knew of the Scriptures, his prayers and what was happening around him were all fitting together. How God truly is merciful, working salvation out in the most unexpected ways. 

Insight came in these 40 weeks of silence. An enforced silence. A gift of silence. The kind of gift we would never ask for but for which would also never trade because of what we learned through such a gift. Sometimes we just need time, some quiet to see how things are fitting together. 

We all probably feel on some level that our lives are too noisy, too busy, always running from one thing to the next, to see how all we’ve been going through fits with God’s presence and promise. Zechariah’s story reminds us that even when life makes it difficult to believe that God is working out his power in our lives, we are invited to know that God is doing exactly that. Silence can help us to this end. Moments and rhythms quiet and silence, different from all the noise and our activity to discern and see clearly. What might that look like for you?

Zechariah’s words coming out of that silence also teach us how important to be people who will speak up with the truth we have learned about God into each other’s lives. The first thing out of his mouth is praise and prophecy. Prophecy is not about telling the future, it’s about speaking spiritual truth into a certain moment: the right words (God’s words) at the right time. The Holy Spirit enables us to do this. 

Sometimes we keep quiet instead of speaking up because we feel unqualified or fear being wrong. How many right words at the right time have died in our mouths for these reasons? We might not be able to go on 40-week retreat to listen but what we do know - what God has taught and shown us - we should speak. Many of us can point to God’s forgiveness, salvation, faithfulness and tender mercy. Such words can heal a heart, give strength, be a foundational blessing on a loved one. The same Spirit that filled Zechariah (1:67) fills us today as we love in our families and as a church. 

Questions for HomeGroups This Week:

1. Take some time to read the scripture passage together as a group.

• What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

• What does this passage teach us about the work of the Holy Spirit?

2. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you, challenged you)

3. Has your mouth ever gotten you in trouble like Zechariah? Share an experience of when that happened for you.

4. Do you practice rhythms of silence in your own life to hear God’s voice? What does/might that look like for you?

5. What is the Spirit moving you to speak up about in your own life?

Dec 4, 2022 Sermon: The Family of God - What We See Together (Rev. Joe Bae)

(Scripture & sermon starts 36:58)

SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:39-56

At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”

And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord

    and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,

for he has been mindful
    of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed, 

    for the Mighty One has done great things for me—
    holy is his name.

His mercy extends to those who fear him,
    from generation to generation.

He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
    he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

He has brought down rulers from their thrones
    but has lifted up the humble.

He has filled the hungry with good things
    but has sent the rich away empty.

He has helped his servant Israel,
    remembering to be merciful

to Abraham and his descendants forever,
    just as he promised our ancestors.”

Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.”

ABOUT THE SERMON

We continue the series, The Family of God, and Mary’s part in Jesus’ birth as it teaches us how we can think about joy. 

Henri Nouwen writes about the difference between happiness, which depends on circumstance, and joy: “The experience of knowing that you are unconditionally loved and that nothing - sickness, failure, emotional distress, depression, war or even death can take that love away." In this passage, we see that difference at work. 

Mary’s experience of the angel announcing God’s plan (1:26-38) moves from being troubling and amazing news to rejoicing. She is experiencing joy in the midst of being deeply vulnerable as she faces an uncertain future. How? While we cannot manufacture joy, there are two things to note about Mary’s shift to joy in the midst of uncertainty.

The first is that she is rooted and familiar in Scripture. Mary knows the patterns of God though hearing the scriptures shared in synagogue. She knows the scriptures so well that she’s able to see the pattern at work in her own life. This is the work of the Holy Spirit, who is very present in this passage. It’s like the Spirit helps her to recall the right words that will help her understand and express her response to the news of God’s work in and through her. 

Mary’s song closely echoes the song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10) because God is, again, doing unexpected reversals, humbling the proud, raising up the humble. 

For Mary, Jesus isn’t coming to give us who already have so much, more; Jesus is coming to make things right and will shake things up until things are made right. 

So she rejoices, though none of her circumstances change. She’s just as vulnerable now as she was before, but there is joy because of how she can recognize and understand through scripture what God is doing now. Joy, Mary shows us, runs deeper than circumstance; joy and sorrow can co-exist and indeed, joy can be found in the midst of sorrow. 

The second context for the change towards joy is that Mary wasn’t alone. There’s scripture but there’s also a relationship that serves as context for joy. As much as we long for deeper relationship we are fighting an uphill battle. We feel we want to handle things alone. Psychiatrist Curt Thompson talks about how we are trained towards isolationism:

We know that the brain can do a lot of really hard things for a long time, as long as it doesn’t have to do them by itself. We only develop greater resilience when we are deeply emotionally connected to other people.

Yet we were committed to any number of different practices long before the pandemic that has us moving further and further away from each other. For example, I am less deeply known by my neighbours. My children are not spontaneously known by other children in the neighbourhood. They don’t go to the playground and play pickup games.

By virtue of how modernity and the Enlightenment’s emphasis on the individual has atomized us, we have been practicing isolation for much longer than we know. We build it into our daily routines. We build it into our social media behaviour. We have practiced liturgies of isolationism.

In being isolated, we practice believing that joy and life and delight in the world has to do with the acquisition of something. If we can have the best job. If we can have the best marriage or the best relationship or whatever it is. If we can reach a benchmark, if we personally can acquire that, then we will be OK. That’s just another aspect of our isolationism.

Can we pushback against that training? 

Before Mary thought of scripture or Hannah’s song, she thought of Elizabeth and going to her. It’s while they were together, as Elizabeth responded to the prompting of the Holy Spirit, to bless Mary and courageously names what is happening from God’s perspective, Mary is moved to joy. 

This is simple and profound picture of discipleship: intentionally making time to be with people who will help us to look for what God is doing in our lives. Sometimes that means speaking into our lives; sometimes that’s just listening to us well. 

Questions for HomeGroups This Week

1. Take some time to read the scripture passage together as a group.

   • What words, images, or phrases stuck out to you?

   • What does this passage teach us about the work of the Holy Spirit?

2. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you, challenged you)

3. During the sermon, Pastor Joe mentioned the soundtrack of your life. What is the praise song that had a big impact on your life or held a special place in your heart?

4. They say joy and sorrow often come together; can you recall a moment in your life or in the scripture where this is true?

5. The scripture calls us walk with one another but we are often inclined to face our struggles and burdens alone. In Luke 1:39-56, Mary goes to visit Elizabeth and shows a profound example of discipleship. How does discipleship build up your relationship with God? How did Elizabeth build up Mary?

Nov 27, 2022 Sermon: The Family of God - I Am the Lord’s Servant (Rev. Joe Bae)

(Scripture & sermon starts 28:28)

SCRIPTURE: Luke 1:26-38

‘In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth, your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. For no word from God will ever fail.”

“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.’

ABOUT THE SERMON:

Over the next few weeks, we’ll remember the family of Jesus as they wait for God’s plans, promise, and for Jesus, to unfold in their lives. Like Joseph, Elizabeth, Zechariah and Mary, we all are waiting for all the same things, and waiting for them in the context of relationships and family. 

Luke shares the account of Mary’s part in God’s plan. She’s known to many as the “God-bearer”, and many consider her the first disciple because of her response to say ‘yes‘ to God bringing Jesus into her life. Her yes to God also really upends her life as a result. “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.”

Mary is thrown a curveball. The angel doesn’t ask her if she’ll come along…she’s told. “You’ll conceive a son” 

Mary's plans, engagement, timing, future, are all tossed up in the air because God reveals his plan with her. She’s not asked as much as she is told what God will be doing through her life. She’s left with huge questions of HOW and no guarantees. But there’s still a choice for her: Yes or no. Like Mary we can choose to say "yes, I will live/explore this life that has come before me," or “no, I won’t." She can choose to engage this or fight this.

We know about this in our own families. Families can be the site where we find great strength or deep wounds. So much just happens, both wonderful and terrible—sickness, conflict, death, loss and pain—and we have to decide how we’ll proceed. Will we see only problems to solve and burdens to bear, or will we see a God to serve, or a plan to explore to see what God could be doing? 

Mary shows us that as members of God’s family, our response to be open to God coming into our lives despite the changes that might result, can be rooted in:

1. Hearing the whole message of God. Mary heard her strange and surprising part in His plan. She also heard the implications of this plan – her engagement, and therefore her future and wellbeing were all at risk. But she also heard the grace and power of God in the midst of things getting messy:
   

   • God has favour on you.

   • Do not be afraid.

   • God is with you.

   • Nothing is impossible with God.

2. Being a servant. She accepts that her life, future, expectations and dreams are not her own but are meant to serve the Lord.

Questions for HomeGroups This Week

1. What stood out to you from the scripture and sermon this week? (Encouraged you? Challenged you?)

2. Have you ever felt called by God to move in a direction you felt uncomfortable with? What happened?

3. What is your first instinct when something unexpected happens and changes all of your plans? How often do you turn to God first?

4. What would having a posture of “I’m your servant” look like in your daily life?

Nov 20, 2022 Sermon: True Royalty (Rev. Joe Bae)

(Scripture & sermon starts 35:14)

SCRIPTURE: Luke 23:33-43

‘One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”’

ABOUT THE SERMON:

Practically speaking, what does it mean to say “Jesus is king?” 

Our relationship with royalty is loose at best. The language and present reality of kings don’t really make a difference in how we live. If we extend king to mean someone who leads or has power, we have seen many examples of modern day rulers, dictators, leaders, or those who wield power and resources poorly, or in a manner that is self-centered. We may have even seen heartbreaking examples in the church. 

None of them look like Jesus, the King, as we see him in this passage. 

Throughout the gospels, Jesus repeatedly tells people to say nothing about his identity as the Messiah, the promised King. He’s insistent that the time for his glory to be revealed is through an amazing display of suffering love on the cross and this is what is seen: a king full of compassion, praying for enemies, suffering pain and humiliation so that all people could be made right before God. 

Jeremiah 23:1-6 tells us that a king’s calling is to care and protect the people, not be self-serving. Even so, the people under a king’s rule are not the king’s people but God’s people (“the sheep of my pasture…tend my people…scattered my flock…”). 

Jesus saw power and authority given by God this way: “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life…”

Saying “Jesus is King” is to honour the kind of King he is and what he’s done for us. Further, however, saying “Jesus is King” is to know that his ways—having a heart and posture of serving and caring for God’s people—are what truly saves and makes a difference in the world. 

We can start by praying as he prayed: “Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39) As a king he yields all that he has and is to God’s will. 

God has given us minds, time, bodies, families, kids, friendships, skills, money, character…

Our king showed us the way to use these things - not to save ourselves or to be served - but to be used for God’s good and perfect purposes.

Questions for HomeGroups This Week:

1. What stood out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you? Challenged you?)

2. In a world of kings and rulers that fall short of true royalty, what are the characteristics that make you understand God as our True King?

3. How do we allow Jesus to reign and rule over our lives?

4. During the sermon, Rev. Joe asked us to reflect on the blessings and gifts we have been given by God. How has God asked you to use the blessings and gifts he has given you for His will? How have responded/will you respond?

NOV 13, 2022 SERMON: Live By Every Word: God's Word Will Not Return Empty

(Scripture & Sermon starts 37:24)

SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 55:8-11

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

    neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.

“As the heavens are higher than the earth,

    so are my ways higher than your ways

    and my thoughts than your thoughts.

As the rain and the snow

    come down from heaven,

and do not return to it

    without watering the earth

and making it bud and flourish,

    so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,

so is my word that goes out from my mouth:

    It will not return to me empty,

but will accomplish what I desire

    and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."

ABOUT THE SERMON:

As we finish this series on our relationship with Scripture, we turn to this passage from Isaiah. The book of Isaiah is a word for the people of Israel, to turn from their ways and to know that God is calling them out on how His people were to live. They didn’t, and as a result there was judgment and exile as they were separated from their homes. But there’s also hope for God’s people: A promise that God is not done with them. This is good news! 

Isaiah speaks to the fact that sometimes we don’t know what God is doing, we are hopeful but also unsure.  What does it feel like to hope in God? 

Sometimes it feels like not being able to see the whole plan. Sometimes it looks like not being able to understand the plan. It can be like the quiet, hidden growth and life of a garden, where so much is happening out of sight. 

Have you ever felt like God is asleep at the wheel? Isaiah tells us that God is not asleep, rather he is at work: God's word will not return empty, it will accomplish what it was given to do. Is there trouble coming? Yes. Is God’s word also working? Yes. Isaiah holds the tension of coming trouble and hope in God.

As Jesus’ followers, we are God’s people. Therefore, we are encouraged to hold our lives and whatever we might be facing together with God’s word which still works and does not return empty. Scripture has power to work in our lives. Wycliffe Bible Translators, Jono and Janice Barnhoorn gave witness to the power of Scripture in Nigeria. Scripture is too precious to not read. 

Maybe you feel like you know what the Bible says. Maybe you've read it before.

Let’s return to it with the faith we have today, with the questions we have today and let God’s word work in us to teach us, strengthen us, surprise us about what it has to say about God.

Questions for HomeGroups This Week:

1. What stuck out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you? Challenged you?)
2. Have you ever had the experience of re-reading something and seeing a different meaning from the first time? Share that experience.
3. Jono and Janice Barnhoon from Wycliffe Bible Translators shared a bit of their ministry with us this week. What part of their story touched you or resonated with you?
4. During their sharing, the Barnhoons shared three reflection questions with us:

1. What ruler are you using to measure your life?

2. Are you allowing God's word to change you?

3. Are you open to changing the way you live based on what you read in the bible?

5. Have you ever felt the Spirit speaking to you through scripture? What was that experience like? Who taught you how to study scripture and apply it to your life?

November 6, 2022 SERMON: Live By Every Word: The Power of Scripture (Pastor Justin Park)

(Scripture & sermon starts 35:10)

SCRIPTURE: 2 Timothy 3:10-17

You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

ABOUT THE SERMON:

For thousands of years, God has used Scripture to preserve, form, and renew his saints. In 2 Timothy 3:10-17, the Apostle Paul exhorts Timothy that the power of Scripture is that it can make any Christian be competent and equipped for every good work.

Knowing that his end is near, Paul writes to Timothy about some important warnings, reminders, and exhortation. Paul warns that in the last days, people will be marked by their love of self. Their disordered love leads to moral corruption. This warning applies to our current age, where self-centredness is celebrated. The barriers to faith that we face is due to the cultural climate that is characterized by the following:

• Self-is-Authority

• Self-is-the-Chief-End

• Self-is-Distracted

• In-Self-You-Trust

Paul reminds Timothy that the way to resist the ways of the world and grow in faith is to lean into two things. The first is to imitate him as he follows Christ. As humans we are decent in retaining information, but fantastic at imitating one another. The second is to embrace suffering as one of the primary avenues through which we come to know Jesus and grow in our faith.

Paul exhorts Timothy to continue in the faith that he has learned and firmly believed in from a young age. This faith was cultivated through Timothy’s encounter with Scripture. Paul urges Timothy to continue relying on Scripture to equip him for every good work that God has prepared for him.

We learn the following four things about Scripture from this passage.  First, Scripture is the foundation that we are to build our faith on (3:15). For this foundation to be built, followers of Jesus are called to commit themselves to disciple their generation and the generations to come. Second, Scripture is the wisdom that reveals to us that salvation comes through faith in Christ Jesus (3:15). All of Scripture is good news about God. God’s good news is Jesus. Third, Scripture is the authority that we submit our lives to, it does not submit to us (3:16).  Fourth, Scripture is the divine instrument that teaches us, rebukes us, corrects us, and trains us for righteousness.    

The invitation for us is not only to know about Scripture, but to encounter the God who transforms us through it.

Questions for HomeGroups This Week:

1. What stuck out to you from the sermon this week? (Encouraged you? Challenged you?)

2. How can scripture transform us? Can you think of an example from your life where scripture transformed you?

3. As you examine your life, can you say that scripture really is the authority of your life? Why or why not?

4. In the sermon, Pastor Justin spoke to Paul’s example and simple instruction to ‘imitate his life’. Do you know someone that you feel you can imitate to be more like Jesus?

5. Is there someone who you can encourage or invest in their spiritual life in turn?

October 30, 2022 SERMON: Live by Every Word: Because You Say So (Rev. Joe Bae)

(Scripture & sermon starts 37:01)

SCRIPTURE: Luke 5:1-11

Key passage: Luke 5:3-4

When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, 'Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.'

Simon answered, 'Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.'

ABOUT THE SERMON:

Scripture is the standard for everything because it’s the Word of God. And we listen to what God has to say, right? In Living Faith, our denomination’s statement of what we believe, this is what is said about the Bible:

The Bible has been given to us by the inspiration of God

to be the rule of faith and life.

It is the standard of all doctrine by which we must test any word that comes to us

from church, world, or inner experience.

We subject to its judgment all we believe and do.

Scripture has authority over us; it examines and judges us. But there is a way to come to Scripture, picking and choosing to listen to only those parts we understand or agree with. In other words, we can choose to judge the Bible. Whereas our culture trains us to judge the Bible that is not the way our historic tradition of faith works.

In our passage, we see in Peter the picture of submitting to the invitation of Jesus - “because you say so…” This is a posture of faith. 

There are so many reasons why our hearts keep us from taking this posture:

• I don’t feel like it;

• I don't want to fail and let people down, let alone God.

• I know how this is going to turn out. 

• I know what it’ll demand of me, I know I’ll have to sacrifice.

But we lose out when we live this way. Understanding, power, beauty really come out of our submitting to Scripture. As one theologian says, “All right knowledge of God is born of obedience.”

It’s a great posture of faith – to make space for God’s word to speak into and lead our lives even when it pushes against all we prefer, all our lived experience and training. But on the other side of submitting and trust is awe, wonder, and power to transform. 

Sometimes the hardest thing about trusting is how vast the difference is between what we see with our eyes and what God’s Word invites us to see. Scripture often speaks another way, and shows us another vision of what is, and what is to come. 

Submitting starts by listening and coming under the Word of God and letting it speak to us. As Barbara Brown Taylor writes, “Sometimes it seems far-fetched, but other times it seems to be truer than what is supposed to be true…Reality had not yet caught up with God’s vision, but it would.”

Maybe the posture of trust, posture like Peter for us today is simply to hold on and let life catch up to the incredible good work and vision of the Kingdom of God. May we have faith to be people who gladly say, “But because you say so”!

Questions for HomeGroups This Week:

1. What stuck out to you from this week's sermon? (Encouraged you, challenged you)

2. What is your current relationship with scripture? How do you tend to approach scripture?

3. Is there a verse or book of the Bible that you feel has spoken to you, or that you regard as a life verse? How did the word speak to you and what do you believe God is calling you to do?

4. Pastor Joe spoke to Peter's posture of faith as one that trusts and submits to God "because he says so". Can you think of a time when you said yes to God even when you were hesitant or reluctant? What happened?

5. Is there a specific part of your life that you find yourself relying on your expertise, convictions, and beliefs more than the scripture? What makes it difficult to trustingly obey the scripture in this particular aspect of your life? What would submission look like in that area of your life?

October 24, 2022 SERMON: Live by Every Word: The Role of the Holy Spirit in the Shadows of Life (Guest Speaker Rev. Dr. Maj. John Huh)

(Scripture reading & sermon starts at 26:37)

SCRIPTURE:

John 16:12-15

“I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.”

ABOUT THE SERMON:

How do you handle times of uncertainty? 

This Sunday, Rev. Dr. John Huh started by reminding us that we live in a time where we are regularly confronted by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity (V.U.C.A.). Out of such times we are seeing more division, polarization, burnout and turnover. 

When we find ourselves in VUCA, sometimes the safest thing to do is to do nothing. To stay in the shallow end of the pool, so to speak, so that we are not likely to get hurt or burned (again).

Other ways we navigate through VUCA are 

• Indifference (as a way defending ourselves from the overwhelming amount of problems in the world);  or, 

• Adopt a scarcity mindset, where we are accumulating and taking as much as we can get because we are worried there won’t be enough for us. 

Are these the best ways to navigate uncertainty? Do they move us towards, or away from, seeking the will of God and trusting that our lives are in his hands?

How does Jesus teach his disciples to handle VUCA?

John 14-17, from which our passage is situated, is a moment where Jesus is instructing and preparing his disciples for how to stay faithful and on mission as they face trials and VUCA. 

Jesus is telling his followers that tough times are to be expected as disciples, no one is exempt. 

But his encouragement in the face of all this is the promise of the Holy Spirit, who will encourages Jesus’ followers to not stay in the shallows, hide or give up in 3 ways;

1. The Spirit, who is God’s very presence and power, is sent to us so that we will not be abandoned, never be alone;

2. The Holy Spirit is the one who reveals and applies Scripture to our hearts, truths like 2 Corinthians 12:10 (“For when I am weak, then I am strong.”). We aren’t trained to live in this way — we often think and feel that I can, and should, do all things. 

3. The Spirit guides us. John 16:13 says that, “the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” Guiding into truth is important because we are constantly being tempted to believe a story that isn’t true; that are lies. Lies that nothing is good enough: not you, not God’s Word, not the church, not God’s presence or promise. And sometimes, somehow we buy into it. The Holy Spirit is the one who guides us back to truth, one step at a time.

We are given God’s Word and God’s Spirit, which is like a lamp for our steps. Not a light for the entire route, but a lamp--enough light for a step or two at a time. 

If we are hiding these days, keeping things safe, we were encouraged to step out; step out of the shallow end and step into his presence and word.

Questions for HomeGroups This Week:

1. What are the circumstances in our life when we find ourselves stuck in the Shallows of Life?

2. How are you currently living in a state of VUCA? As followers of Christ, how should we be living, both as individuals and as a community?

3. Can you think of a time where the Spirit encouraged you in the midst of uncertainty? Share your experience and what you learned.

4. How do you feel God is calling you to step out of the shallow end and into his presence? How can you be practicing his presence in your everyday life?