Two weeks ago, I had such a grateful opportunity to travel Greece with my wife looking around the cities where Paul had visited. We started our journey in Athens. And the closest city, Corinth, was our next stop. Then, from there, we drove up to the far north to visit Thessaloniki and Philippi. On the way, we stayed one night in Delphi which is famous for the great ancient temple. This temple is located deep in the mountains. Arrived at a hotel there, I was so tired after a long drive that I fell asleep early. But because of jet lag, I woke up in the middle of night around 3am. Drinking a cup of water, I thought, I might see some stars. So I walked out to a small balcony. Breathing in fresh and crisp night air, I looked up the sky. And I was just amazed. I could see countless stars. It was the most beautiful night sky I have ever met. Not only that, I also noticed a faint band of shimmering light across the sky. I thought, it could be Milky Way. So I brought out my camera and took some long-exposure photos. And fortunately, I could capture this view.

On the day of Pentecost, the people gathered in the upper room experienced the most incredible event in their lives. It’s a wild experience. It’s beyond their imagination. There was a stormy sound, like “the rush of a violent wind,” like a tornado. It came down suddenly from heaven and filled the entire house. There was a strange vision. Flames of fire, like tongues, touched the heads of the people. There was an unfathomable wonder. The believers were gifted with the ability to speak fluently in a new language. In the presence of this Spirit of God, there was communication over any human barriers and unity within people’s diversity and differences. This event truly surpassed any human understanding. So the onlookers “were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’” And they sneered and said, ‘They are filled with new wine.’” 

For sure, this first day of Pentecost was full of wonder and divine mystery. And today, we are celebrating another day of Pentecost with all Christians in the world. We praise together the coming of the Holy Spirit who gave birth to the church. But we know, today we may not have the same dramatic event. We don’t expect the Spirit to descend on us like the strong wind of fire and embolden us to preach the gospel to anyone we meet. We don’t expect that, do we? Yes, we better admit, we wouldn’t have such drama today. 

Nonetheless, I believe, there’s at least one thing we can surely do even today. What is it? I think, that is, to be open-minded to the new possibilities of God. We may open ourselves to the unexpected visit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. And we may open our hearts to fresh changes and new experiences. We’ll never know what is going to happen in our lives in the presence of the Spirit. God may do something totally new, something radically unimaginable here and now with us. Yes,why not?

But I know, it’s very hard to be open-minded. It’s truly easier said than done. Think about our human nature and our ego. We are naturally inclined to avoid any sudden surprises. We don’t like any unexpected events and changes in life. It’s because we want control over our life. We always feel like our life is in the way it should be when we can plan on it and manage it. 

And in this light, we can understand the onlookers of the Pentecost event. They were just the same as us, just usual humans. They were so surprised when they witnessed the unforeseen work of the Spirit. In such strange situation, they tried not to lose themselves and not to lose control. So they came up with some words to grasp and delimit this event. And they finally figured the closest possible description. That was, drunkenness. They define the experience of the believers as mere drunkenness, saying “Look at them. They are acting like being filled with new wine. Yes, they are.” 

This was how those onlookers close off themselves from the astonishing work of the Spirit. And how about us? Don’t we sometimes do the same? How much and how often are we open to the new possibilities of God? On this new day of Pentecost, I believe the Holy Spirit inspires us to honestly look into our hearts. Are we like those earliest believers on the upper room? Do we joyfully open our hearts to the Spirit and yield our control for the amazing presence of the Spirit within us? Or, are we more like those onlookers? Do we just follow our will and delimit the work of the Spirit on our own terms, saying, “been there and done that”? And are we willing for the Spirit to grasp us and use us in a way out of our expectation? Or, are we willing for our ego to hold initiative of our life and lead us in our own preferred ways? 

The temptation to close off ourselves from the unexpected work of the Spirit is strong, very strong. But today’s Acts reading testifies to a certain truth and promise for us. If we truly open our hearts to the Holy Spirit and give way to her, the Spirit will get ahold of us and have her way with us. If we surrender our will to control and give room to the Spirit, she will dwell in us and mold us to be more like Jesus. And this is what we call “the way of sanctification,” “the way of holy living.” We know this work of the Spirit can happen in our lives if we truly believe. 

Faithful friends in Christ, the great ancestors of faith, spirituals, and theologians in the whole history of Christianity basically teach us this truth, this promise of our salvation, our new life. Our journey of new life is the journey of opening ourselves more and more to God by emptying ourselves. And the more we are open to God, the more the Spirit abides in us, and the more we become sanctified and Christ-like. In the presence of the Holy Spirit, this journey may not go as we expected. The direction of this journey may be suddenly changed. Our planned itinerary may be turned upside down. But isn’t our goal of Christian life to follow Jesus and be more like him anyway? Then, why not? Why not give way, give room to the Holy Spirit? Why not let go of our way, our plan, our control, our will?
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Today, let us truly open ourselves to the new and unexpected possibilities of the Holy Spirit. Then, only then, we may experience true Pentecost among us. As the believers of Jesus Christ our Lord, we all have received the Holy Spirit and we are living our lives in the presence of this Spirit of Jesus. This is what Jesus promises in today’s Gospel reading. Thus, for our journey of sanctification, all we need to do is to open our hearts to this ever-present Spirit. In your time of prayer and reflection, ask this Spirit to awaken you and lead your way. Why not? Ask this Spirit to dwell in you and inspire you to keep up the good work of faith. Ask this Spirit to surprise you sometimes and turn you upside down to remain truthful and faithful to Jesus only. And ask this Spirit to come and set you on fire of love that you can love others as yourselves. Open your heart. Give way and give room to the Holy Spirit today. Why not?

During my vacation, I spent a good time with my family and friends in South Korea. I also had a lot of good Korean food. Among them, there were some authentic folk dishes. And I guess, they may be quite strange to you. How does pufferfish soup sound? How about soy sauce marinated raw crab? They may sound strange because they are unfamiliar to you. Other dishes, however, wouldn’t just sound strange, but they would also look and smell repulsive to you. Even many Koreans including Jee Hei don’t eat them at all. One of them is silkworm pupae soup. I know, they are insects basically. But what I can tell you is that it tastes alright and has high protein. And the last one I am going to tell you today is fermented raw skate, which is always ranked in top ten smelliest foods in the world. The New York Times even named it, “A Delicate Mix of Outhouse and Ammonia.” And that’s so true. Whenever I eat it, I get to squeeze my eyes shut because of the stench of ammonia fume coming out of my nose. Yes, I’ve eaten them all. But believe me, it was not me who ordered those dishes.

As you saw those images of strange Korean foods this morning, in todays’ Acts reading, Peter also sees a vision of strange foods from heaven. They are “four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air.” Peter has never had them before. And they are something strange and even repulsive to him. As a Jew, Peter knows it clearly that the Jewish dietary law, which we know as the Kosher law, defines such food items “unclean.” But in his vision, he sees a large blanket coming down from heaven, delivering them directly to him. And as he looks closely at them, he even hears God’s voice saying, “Get up, Peter; kill and eat.” Out of surprise, he replies right away, “By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.” Then, the voice answers back from heaven, “What God has made clean, you must not call profane” (Acts 11:5-9). The scripture says, this happens to Peter three times.

From our own perspective, we may feel like Peter is overreacting to God’s voice. These days, we are quite used to trying different cuisines and exotic foods. And we sometimes try them for a new experience. Let’s say, I bring some of those strange Korean foods to the church. Although they seem unappealing to you, I know some of you may give it a try just for fun. Right? You may take a little bite of silkworm pupa. No, never? Anyway, for us, trying some folk dishes from different cultures can be just a matter of fun, a matter of new adventure. But for Peter, for a Jew in Jesus’ days, eating unclean food is a crucial matter of life. It’s a matter of keeping his religious and ethnic identity, a matter of keeping the boundary of God’s chosen people in the world. In short, food is not simply food for Peter.

Through centuries of captivity in a foreign land, centuries of persecution by the powerful empires, centuries of dispersion from the homeland…Jewish people like Peter tried so hard to survive as a scattered and marginalized group of people. And they knew, this survival could be accomplished only through the faithful honoring of the boundaries between Jews and others called “gentiles.” To remain as sacred people of God, they made a careful distinction between those who were part of God’s covenant to Israel and those who were not. They did as such by the law including detailed dietary restrictions. 

Then, why on earth does Peter see that vision from heaven and is now being asked to break that law? In today’s Acts reading, Peter is actually standing in front of the Jewish Christians who thought that the good news of Jesus was primarily for the Jews. They are in the middle of accusing Peter of baptizing gentile people. “We heard that you are with them in Caesarea and ate their food with them! You had the nerve to even baptize them? How dare you violate the boundary established by the scripture?” Peter’s defense? He recounts the vision of the large blanket with the unclean food items. Peter tells them that the vision was not about unclean food, but it was actually about unclean people, the gentiles they have discriminated. Peter continues, he heard the Holy Spirit ask him to go to them. And he witnessed the Holy Spirit fall upon them when they were baptized. The meaning of all these? It’s simple; it is no one else but God who breaks down the boundary. The grace of God is now going beyond human barriers. And now everyone can be part of the promise of God, can be part of God’s beloved children! 

After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Peter and other Jewish Christians experienced the power of the Holy Spirit being unleased in the world. This power transforms everything. And one of the powerful works of the Holy Spirit is to leap over any humanly imposed boundaries and widen the scope of God’s love and grace. This Holy Spirit now awakens Peter who still holds the old boundary as a norm and a mandate. The Spirit opens his eyes to serve God’s continued boundary-breaking mission on earth. Hear what Spirit-filled Peter says today, “If then God gave [the gentiles] the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” (Acts 11:17) 

Today, I am sure that the same Spirit, who gave that vision to Peter, is at work within us. I am sure that the same Spirit who broke the boundary between Jews and gentiles, is within us. This Spirit is the Spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ who gave us a new commandment. Jesus taught the disciples, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). Do you believe this Spirit of breaking boundaries, the Spirit of boundless love, is at work in us and in our church today? Yes, we should be awakened to this work of the Spirit calling us and empowering us to continue God’s mission of love and grace in this world. The Holy Spirit wants us to turn our justified discrimination into loving acceptance, replace our barriers of separation into doorways of relation, and change our self-righteous exclusion into self-emptying inclusion.
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Faithful friends in Jesus Christ, is there anyone you discriminate wittingly or unwittingly? Are you somehow biased towards a certain individual or group of people based on their differences? Do you regard some people as they are out of God’s grace and forgiveness? Do you regard some people are not gifted enough to do God’s holy work in the church? Here, I want all of us to do this. Whoever they are, from now on, let us try hard to accept them and love them as the children of God. I know it must be difficult for us to love those who are different from us, who are strange to us. But whenever it’s hard, let us remember the blanket of God coming down to Peter. And let us remember the voice of God from heaven: “What God has made clean, you must not call profane” (Acts 11:5-9). By the Spirit of love, by the Spirit that breaks down barriers among us, let us show the world how we love one another, how we love beyond any humanly imposed boundaries with the radical love of Jesus Christ. Then, people will know that we are disciples of God and we are the church of Christ. Let the love and grace flourish among us, and let them flow from us to all the people over any threshold of the world, over any barriers of our differences. Amen.

A long time ago, I saw this woodcut print in one of my college text books. I guess, the book was about modern art. The book said, this German artist Käthe Kollwitz made the woodcut and titled it The Mothers(Die Mütter). The image was so impressive and has been engraved on my mind ever since. Two years ago, I had a chance to visit Berlin. And I found there is the Käthe Kollwitz Museum. I was so excited to visit the museum. And guess what, there I could see The Mother sin person, and I could even purchase a copy of it. Here I brought it today. At the museum, I also got to know the story behind this work. This is a part of Kollwitz’s woodcut series called War (Krieg). She began carving it in 1919 in the aftermath of World War I. During the war, she lost her younger son Peter who joined the army and lost his life in a battle. Out of grief, she created this series as her artistic response to the pain and suffering she had to endure. 

Indeed, The Mothers conveys quite heavy emotions and messages. If you look at this image, you can see the mothers basically huddling together. Their arms are bound around themselves and their bodies linked. They’re doing it to keep their children safe in their embrace. But these mothers look neither strong nor heroic. Look at their watchful eyes full of fear. You can feel their anxiety and tension. And they look quite different from the ideal image of the mother in classic paintings like the Madonna and Child. But their tough hands and protective bodily gestures do represent something special. 

During the war, nations with power send people to battlefields to kill their enemies and conquer their lands. But mothers, out of their compassionate love, make safe space within themselves to keep one another. And they patiently nurture life and endure the turbulent days. After the war, people came to realize that these seemingly helpless mothers are the ones who actually grow hopes for the future from the ruins of war and give life back into the war-torn world. It is the compassionate love that paves the way of life, the true way of changing the world.This image of The Motherstells me this simple truth whenever I look at it.  
           
Today’s Psalm and Gospel readings give us one of the most distinctive images of God—yes, God as the good shepherd. And let me tell you this today: this image reveals us God’s maternal side. Like the mothers who endure hardships for their children,  shepherds face dangers and challenges with sheep at the closest distance. In Jesus’ days, “Shepherds spent most of their time outside watching over the herd, no matter what the weather. They often slept near their flock to protect it from robbers or wild animals.”[1] And they had to trudge through the rocky hills and wilderness with the sheep in search of a patch of grass. The real life of a shepherd was never like the ideal images of the good shepherd portrayed in some church paintings and stained glasses. And the Bible tells us, like a good shepherd, our God of love cares for us, sacrifices for us, gives life to us, and nurture us. In short, as the good shepherd, God is mothering us. 

I think we can clearly see this motherhood of God in Jesus Christ. While Jesus was in the world, people didn’t understand who Jesus truly was. Their main concern was about whether he was the Messiah who can defeat their enemies and restore their glorious days with his mighty divine power. In today’s Gospel story, the Jews gather around him and ask, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly” (John 10:24). But Jesus answers them, “You may want me to change the world upside down into an ideal place once and for all. But that’s not my job. I’m the good shepherd. I’m here to mother my sheep, give them eternal life and keep them safe so that no one can snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:28). After Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross and resurrected, people came to realize that the humble Jesus is the one who actually overcomes the world with love and grows life with grace even out of death. It is his compassionate love that paves the way of life, the true way of changing the world. Jesus’ cross and empty tomb tell us this simple truth whenever we reflect on them.

Today we are celebrating Mother’s Day, and also, the Good Shepherd Sunday. In the Mothers and in Jesus Christ, our good shepherd, we see God at work our midst. The mothering God always keeps us safe in God’s embrace and huddles together with us against any harms in the world. And God as the good shepherd always walks besides us and guides us even through the darkest valley of life. This motherhood of God is very special. It tells us, God’s way of giving new life and renewing this broken world is not a way of power and control. But it is a way of compassionate love. This way of motherhood seems weak and humble, but we know, it is the only way, the true way to flourish life in this world and build the kingdom of heaven on earth. 
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Faithful friends in Christ, as disciples of Jesus Christ, today I hope we commit ourselves to expanding God’s motherhood in this world. How? I think we all can be the channels of God’s compassionate love and find our ways to grow and nurture life. Out of God’s compassionate love within us, we may take care of the brokenhearted and the wounded. We may huddle together with the least and embrace the lost. We may help one another to grow hope even in the valley of despair. We may accept one another unconditionally to make this church a place of healing and renewal. We may encourage one another to cultivate our kind spirit in us. We may serve one another to ground a kingdom of heaven among us. And above all, we may hold one another to be faithful in Jesus, the good shepherd. In doing so, I surely believe, we will know once again, it is only God’s compassionate love working in our hearts that paves the way of life, the true way of changing the broken world. Amen. 


[1]American Bible Society, “How People Made a Living in the Time of Jesus,” (http://bibleresources.americanbible.org).
 

On his way to Jerusalem, Jesus stops by Lazarus’s house in the town of Bethany. Lazarus and his sisters, Mary and Martha, are overjoyed to have him in their house, because Jesus is so special to them. Yes, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. Lazarus literally owes his life to Jesus. A nicely prepared dinner is served for Jesus and his disciples. And it is during all the festivities that Mary breaks open a jar and anoints Jesus with a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard and wipes his feet with her hair. Then, the Gospel says, the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume (John 12:3).

This got me curious, what is nard? And what does nard smell like? A quick Wikipedia search tells me, the full name of nard is actually “spikenard.” It’s an amber-colored essential oil extracted from a flowering plant of the Valerian family, which usually smells like lavender. I also checked Amazon to see if I could purchase it. And I was so happy when I finally found the pure spikenard essential oil among many other fake ones. Yes, I had to read a lot of reviews. Anyway, when you entered this sanctuary, did you smell any fragrance? I dropped a few drops of oil on this diffuser. If not, no worries. Please take one of these test strips. You can definitely smell pure nard from it. What does it smell like? To me, it smells like a mixture of lavender, peppermint, natural wood with some earthy scent. I find it quite soothing and comforting. Now, think about it. What did it actually smell like in Lazarus’ house that night, when Mary anointed Jesus’ feet with nard? Even a few drops of pure nard on this diffuser and on the test strips spread fragrance in the air around us. Then, imagine, what would it be like, if it were a pound of it, almost 95 bottles amount of this little bottle I have here? No doubt, the house must be truly full of fragrance.

And you also have to know, this nard oil was not a cheap perfume at all in Jesus’ days. It was very expensive because the spikenard plant grew only in the Himalayas of Nepal and India—not in Palestine. It’s a completely imported good, something that couldn’t be used like Mary does in such a generous way. Even today, this little bottle cost 25 dollars on Amazon. Then it’s not very surprising to see Judas Iscariot who has a problem with her and says, “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” (John 12:4-5) Some explain three hundred denarii of gold was worth a year’s wages. Yes, it’s a lot of money. 

Then, why does Mary use such a generous amount of extravagant oil to anoint Jesus? I think, Mary does it because she felt Jesus being resolute and determined to do something groundbreaking, something final, as soon as she heard about his way to Jerusalem. Jesus once told, Jerusalem is the ultimate destination of his ministry where he will undergo passion and death. Out of love for Jesus, Mary wants to anoint him in a best way she can. She wants to bless his arduous journey to the cross and deeply thank him for his grace. Although she understands, Jesus is the only one who must bear such burden, she wants to do at least something to help him and support him. So she willingly sacrifices the valuable nard oil without any reservation.

That night in Lazarus’ house, a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, with excellent fragrance and prime value, is being dedicated to Jesus, to his anointing. For Judas, it seems such a great loss, such a great waste of expensive perfume, because he mainly focuses on the cash-value of the nard oil. But for Mary, it’s great gain, a great opportunity to bless Jesus for his unending love and grace. Why? It’s because Mary focuses primarily on the meaning of Jesus to her and to others. For Mary, the cash-value of the oilis no match for the surpassing value of Jesus. And the cost of oilis no match for the costliness of graceshe has experienced through Jesus. She’s confident that, Jesus is going to be the savior of all as he already has been to her brother. 

With this sincere heart, Mary anoints Jesus. Then the house gets filled not only with the fragrance of nard but also, I believe, with the aroma of love. Jesus senses this and talks to Judas, “Leave her alone. I know, she bought the nard oil to keep it for the day of my burial. But instead, she chose to anoint me with it today, because I now go to Jerusalem and die. Like her, please know that you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me here” (John 12:7-8). By her sacrifice and dedication that night, Mary has been remembered until now as a woman who anointed Jesus for his work of salvation. 

Looking at Judas and Mary, today, a simple question comes before us. What can we dedicate to Jesus? In this season of Lent, what can we sacrifice to bless Jesus’ name, to thank his grace, and to support the continued mission of the church, the body of Christ? I know it’s so hard for us to give up things that seems valuable to us. I know it’s so hard for us to sacrifice our time of pleasure for more time of prayer and meditation. It’s so hard for us to dedicate our treasure to others and to our works of mercy. It’s hard, because the sacrifice and dedication we make sometimes seem like a loss to us, just as Judas sees it. 

But here, Paul gives us an assurance from his lifetime experience: whatever sacrifice and dedication we make for Jesus, it truly is gain. It may look like a loss, but it truly is gain. In his Letter to the Philippians, Paul says, for Jesus, he gave up his reason to be confident in flesh—his status and pride as a legitimate Jew. He was “circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; …as to righteousness under the law, blameless(Philippians 3:4-6). However, Paul says, he can let it all go away because he may gain, what he calls, “the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.” For Paul, anything in the world is no match for this surpassing value, no match for the costliness of his grace.

Look at this diffuser spreading the fragrance of nard oil now. The candle gives up its wax to warm up the oil, and the oil gives up its fragrance to spread it out. In the same way, without sacrifice, without dedication, we can’t spread the aroma of Christ, the aroma of love to fill this church and fill our lives. Jesus gave up his life on the cross to share his abundant love and grace with us. By his sacrifice, we’ve become God’s children. We’ve earned our new life—the life in communion with God and in loving fellowship with one another. The cross of Jesus, his death, looks like a loss but it truly is gain, indeed, the ultimate gain of everlasting life. 
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So today, what can we sacrifice for Jesus? What can we dedicate to his kingdom on earth? Today Jesus is calling us to think about the things that we can give up for him in our daily lives. And he is calling us to learn how to focus on the surpassing value of following him and the costliness of his grace over all the other material values in the world. Let us offer ourselves to Jesus and his ministry so that our life may diffuse the fragrance of faith. And let us offer our lives to one another so that the people around us may smell the aroma of Jesus Christ, the deep aroma of love and grace, from us always. Amen. 

Everyone here probably knows John Denver’s timeless song, “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” Its famous refrain goes, “Country roads, take me home, to the place, I belong. West Virginia, Mountain momma, take me home, country roads…” Yes, this song is so familiar to us. But have you ever pondered over its lyrics? Actually, it sounds quite vague and implicit. We hear about some images of West Virginia, and there are some implications of a love story, but the song doesn’t tell any clear narrative, any story. Nonetheless, so many people still love this old song. Why? I think it’s because the song sings about home; it beautifully captures our common emotion and nostalgic memories related to home. Home sweet home, the place we belong… what does home mean to you? It must be hard to summarize, but for sure, it means something special. 

In today’s Gospel story, there comes a special home where we meet one father and his two sons. This home looks like a good place filled with the father’s love and generosity. But unfortunately, his two sons don’t feel that way about their home. 

The younger one feels like his home is not a place for him anymore. He thinks, as a grown-up, he should be out there, exploring the world. So he asks his father to give him the property he will inhere. This request can be heartbroken to the father, because in a way, it means, I wish you would be dead. Anyway, he receives his portion and travels to “a distant country,” and there, he wastes all his fortune on wild living. A severe famine hits that country. He is now desperate and hungry. So he even eats the food for pigs. At that moment, he finally sees who he has become and realizes who he truly is. “Right, I am not meant for this. I have home and father.” Now, he returns to home and asks his father to forgive him. And this gracious father not just forgives him but fully accepts him again. And out of his exuberant joy, the father even throws a big party for him. The father says, “Oh my son, you were once dead but now has come to life; you were once lost but now has been found.”

Now the older son has an issue with his father. He’s not happy with the return of his sinful younger brother. And he becomes resentful as soon as he finds his father bringing his brother back without asking him any responsibility. His discontent boils to the surface, and he bursts out complaining, “Over all these years I have worked like a slave for you, and I have never disobeyed you. Yet you have never rewarded me. But now you are throwing a party for my sinful brother who has squandered your money? I can’t believe this!” Then, the gracious father reminds him of how blessed and beloved he still is, saying, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.”

The younger son lost himself in a distant country, away from home, in pleasure-seeking and self-indulgent life that eventually led him into misery. Whereas, the older son lost himself at home, in hatred and in judgmental self-righteousness. Whether going away from home or staying right at home, both of them got lost and forgot who they truly are—the beloved sons of the gracious father. So both of them need to come back home, to their father and reconcile with him. 
Today, I think, Jesus gives us this parable in order that we may find ourselves in both of them. In their weakness and brokenness, we may see ourselves. Take a look at this classic painting of Rembrandt, “The Return of the Prodigal Son.” The younger son is in his father’s embrace. The worn-out shoes with the torn heel and his bare left foot with the crusted skin show the hardships he had to endure. His cloth looks dirty and his back looks weakened by hunger. In contrast, there is the elder son on the right side. He is wearing a red robe like his father and looking good and rich. But he stands still and never goes closer to his brother or offers a hug. Grabbing a stick tightly, he looks down upon the reunion with judgmental eyes under the furrowed brow.

Sometimes we are like the younger son. We just follow our desire. We just let it drive us. We squander our time and money for morepleasure and let loose on excessive self-indulgence. Then, we realize our fault, get down on our knees and repent. And other times, we are like the older son. We behave like seemingly faithful Christians. But we find it so challenging when we have to forgive and accept others with God’s love. We often hate and judge others, losing ourselves in self-righteousness. We don’t see any need for forgiveness because we don’t even recognize these as our sins. 

Yes, we, sinners, either like the younger son or like the older one, also have to go back home. But the good news for us is that the home is not far from us. This home is not somewhere in West Virginia, where country roads take us. Rather, this home is anywhere God dwells, anywhere God’s love and grace is deeply experienced. So I believe this home can be now within us, right here in our gathering. Even though we are weak and broken as humans, I believe, today God joyfully embraces us in this spiritual home. And God feeds us with love, dresses us with grace, and celebrates our return.   

“Habitat for Humanity” is devoted to building simple and affordable housing all over the world for the people in need. You may know this group too. And they asked, to Habitat homeowners, volunteers, and staff, “What does home mean to you?” And here are some of their favorite responses. “Home is a safe haven and a comfort zone. A place to live with our families… A place to build memories… A place where we can truly just be ourselves. And whether our houses are big, small, fancy or modest, they are our shelters and our sanctuaries (Linda).” “Home means a future. Once we had a stable home, we could think beyond where we were going to live from week to week… Home is the base where everything begins (Kelly).” “I think that home is simply wherever you’re surrounded by people who love you (Mary Kate).” So true, home is the sanctuary where we find safety and comfort, love and support. Home is the base where we belong  and where everything starts for a hopeful future. 

Today I suggest we also add our response to the question, “What does home mean to you?” “For us, believers of Jesus Christ, home is where God the father always waits for us—his children. At home with God, we experience the grace that always forgives and the love that unconditionally accepts us. At home with God, we are always found with our sacred worth and beloved-ness no matter who we have become, no matter what we have done for good or for ill.” 
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Today, I invite you to make yourself at home here in this place with your sisters and brothers in God. I want you to come as you are, as weak or broken, feel God’s grace and love here, and be renewed and revitalized in joy and thanksgiving. Then, I invite you to make sure that this home is also available to those who are out there. I want you to open doors to everyone, to all God’s children. Make God’s loving and graceful family with true forgiveness and radical acceptance. With the heart and mind of Jesus Christ, I want you to embrace all the sinners just like us, welcome all the younger sons and all the older sons around us, give them the best spiritual food, and celebrate with them our beloved-ness, our kinship in our heavenly father. In this way, we may grow in faith and become more like our father day by day. And we may grow in love and make this place a sanctuary, a base for many people to truly belong. Home sweet home…may the Holy Spirit be here with us always. Amen. 

Every season of Lent, I try to come up with a theme, a theme that flows through the Bible readings for the entire six weeks in Lent. What is the theme for the current season of Lent? Look at the altar. The draping purple cloth and the six candles are not just there to make our sanctuary beautiful. Yes, they do symbolize the theme, “the Way of Salvation.” It tells us, our way goes along with the way of Jesus to the cross. And through worship, we have been reflecting on the things we experience as we journey through the way of salvation. On Ash Wednesday, we meditated on our beginning and end, our dust-ness and mortality. On the first Sunday in Lent, we thought about Jesus in the wilderness and the three temptations of human desire, will, and fear. On the second Sunday, we reflected on our way of being the church, being the community of the saved in this secular, skeptical, and individualistic age. And today, we are looking into a rather uncomfortable and yet essential topic of Lent: repentance and forgiveness.

I know, these days, repentance is not a popular subject of any sermon. Who would want to hear that you are a sinner or there’s something seriously wrong with you? And I also know, these days, preachers have been reluctant to present Jesus as the one who fiercely fought the evil in the world. He was not just a gentle guy, meek and mild, not a buddy, a therapist, or a life-coach. Jesus got very upset with people. He criticized evildoers and cursed hypocrites. He frequently admonished his disciples. And he even overturned the tables of money-changers and wielded the whip of cords in front of the temple. For sure, Jesus unconditionally loved the people around him, but at the same time, he was just and righteous to their sin. This is why he demanded them to truly repent. 

The season of Lent is called the season of repentance—forty days of honest reflection on our identity as sinners. We know, by God’s grace through our faith, we, though sinners, are saved by Jesus from sin and its consequence—death. Jesus opens us the way of salvation. However, please remember, our journey on this way can begin only when we repent. Yes, we should repent first, to be redeemed and to walk the way with Jesus. Some people say, Lent is only a penultimate journey; Easter, resurrection, the victory over death, is our ultimate destination. But before reaching that point, today we better pray honestly and solemnly looking into our spiritual status quo. And we better strike at the root of our complacency and comfort, and get down on our knees to repent. 

You may ask, what does it mean to repent? The word, “repentance,” originated from the Greek word, “metanoia,” which simply means, turning around, the change of direction. Let’s say we all are driving down to south. We would usually take either the Garden State Parkway or I-95. But some of you might take some other local routes too. It’s totally up to you. And let’s say that these roads and routes represent our ways of life we choose. Then here, repentance is not a matter of choosing between the Garden State Parkway and I-95. Repentance is a matter of changing direction from south to north. It’s about turning back from death to life, turning back from self to God, turning back from sin to Jesus Christ on the cross.  

In today’s Gospel story, Jesus is telling us about this repentance. In the days of Jesus, there were two tragic news that everybody knew. Pilate, the Roman governor, massacred the Galilean pilgrims who came to Jerusalem to offer their sacrifices with no clear reason. And there followed a unfortunate accident at Siloam where eighteen people died by a fallen tower. To comprehend such tragedies, people thought, the dead were worse sinners than the alive, and their sin caused the wrath of God. So the crowd asks Jesus what he thinks about their reasoning. Jesus answers them, “No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did”(Luke 13:3; 5). What does this mean? First, Jesus denies their reasoning, “No, God is not the God of wrath.” Second, Jesus moves their focus to a more pressing issue, the issue of repentance, “Sooner or later, you will all die too, so when you still have time, you should repent. And this is much more important than finding reasons for those tragedies.” 

According to Jesus, we can’t figure out why good things or bad things happen in our lives. They are out of our control anyway. Some may choose the Garden State Parkway and unfortunately have all the roadside constructions and lane closures. Others may take I-95 with some traffics but somehow go along rather smoothly. That’s life. Be that as it may. But one thing is clear: unless we change our direction, we will go down and perish. No matter how lucky or unlucky we are on our ways of life, if we don’t change our direction, we will go down and perish. So Jesus is telling us today, repent and change the direction. And this is something we can surely do today, and every day.

Now some of you might wonder, “I confess my sins personally and in every worship service. I got baptized and have faith in Jesus. Doesn’t it mean that I am saved and I already changed my direction of life?” Yes, it does. By God’s grace through our faith, we are saved. Our sins are forgiven and now our direction of life is towards the new life in Christ. But at the same time, we should be keenly aware that we can very easily move backward. Although we changed the direction to north but we can still move backward to south. Yes, we can still relapse. This is what we Methodists call backsliding.

In today’s Gospel story, Jesus also tells us about this backsliding through the parable of the fig tree. In the parable, a man has a fig tree planted in his vineyard and it bears no fruit. So he asks his gardener to cut it down. Then the gardener replies, “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig round it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down” (Luke 13:8-9). We know for sure that our God is the God of grace who gives us a certain time to repent and move forward. Yet it is also clear that our God is the God of justice who will surely judge our sin at the end. So in our limited time on earth, we need to intentionally walk on the right track, and like the John the Baptist says, we need to bear fruits worthy of repentance on our way of salvation. 

Faithful companions in Christ, I know, today, I am talking much about a topic that is not just good to hear. But please remember, from time to time it’s really necessary to be aware of who we are and what we ought to do. We still have time, although it is yet limited, and we still have one another who journey together in the right direction. In this season of Lent, let us do something to bear good fruits in life. Let us keep staying in the loving relationship with God and with people around us, keep growing in faith and holiness by joining the works of piety and works of mercy in our church, and keep repenting when we fall back, and keep submitting ourselves to God to be redirected. May God be with all of us with the grace that abundantly pardons. May we drink the living water from our rock of salvation, Jesus Christ, and wash our sins away. And may the Holy Spirit be with us and empower us to step always forward to the new and everlasting life. Amen.  

In the remote mountains in Northern Ethiopia, a Coptic Christian priest makes an incredible journey to his church every day. He doesn’t walk or drive to the church but “climbs” up to the church. And this climb is incredible because his church is not just somewhere on a hill or in a valley of the mountain. Rather, it is located above a staggering cliff. His church is one of the rock-hewn churches in Ethiopia, which is carved into the side of a towering sandstone pinnacle. Can you believe it? Let’s find out. 
 
Ethiopia’s Chapel in the Sky
 
Isn’t that inspiring? For the priest and the members of Abuna Yemata church, joining a worship service is, truly, a matter of life and death. On their journey, they have to climb one 35-foot steep cliff by only using carved footholds; they have to cross a few rickety bridges, and at the end of their journey, there is a narrow ledge with a 650-foot drop on its side, which finally leads them to the church. If this were a United Methodist Church, the church should do something for their handicap accessibility…but anyway, after watching the video, who cannot admire these Ethiopian Christians. What they demonstrate on their journey is their serious commitment to their faith.

How was your journey to the church this morning? Don’t get me wrong. I’m not asking this as a setup to eventually tell you, your journey is way too easy breezy. Actually, it’s exactly the opposite. I think the journey each one of you had to take to come here this morning also demonstrates a serious commitment to your faith. I’m not saying this just to make you feel good, because it’s true. Yes, we don’t have physical challenges like climbing a steep cliff, crossing a rickety bridge or a narrow ledge. But we do have a different set of challenges here in North America on our way to the church this morning, and moreover, on our lifelong journey of salvation. 

On our way, what kind of challenges do we encounter? I see the steep cliff of secularism. Many people don’t care about the church anymore. They don’t care about seemingly obsolete ideas such as discipleship and salvation. For them, the church should be consumer-friendly and at least entertaining with hip music and trendy messages. On our way, I see the rickety bridge of skepticism. Some criticize, Christian faith is irrelevant and unreasonable in this scientific age. Others denounce, churchgoers are intolerant, hypocritical, and judgmental. And on our way, I see the narrow ledge of individualism. Fragmented and polarized individuals don’t find a meaning of building a loving community with different people. It looks tiresome for them to accept and forgive one another, and love one another beyond political, racial, and cultural barriers. 

Against all these critical challenges in our time, in our culture, today, you chose to come all the way to the church and to be a precious part of this church family. You chose to climb and navigate the mountains of our time with one another. So I thank God for that, for your commitment to your faith, for your willingness to be the church in times like this. Here, you may ask, “Did I? Really?” But let me tell you, “Yes, you did.” Each one of you are a living testimony of faith here today. Your presence here actually means much more than you think…to me, to the world, and more importantly, to God. 

As we continue to be the church, to build a compassionate community against the tough challenges of secularism, skepticism, and individualism, there’s one more thing I should thank God for. I thank God for our forebears of faith, Abraham and Paul and our Lord Jesus Christ who showed us how to journey faithfully.

Abraham heard the call of God at age seventy-five. Then he left his home, all that he knew and loved. In today’s Hebrew Bible reading, he doesn’t even know where he is going. He has fears and doubts. Nevertheless, he is still on his way through the wilderness to the land that God may show him someday. Here, God reassures him, “Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great” (Genesis 15:1). No matter what the challenges are, Abraham keeps on going on his way of faith.

Paul wrote today’s Epistle, the letter to the Philippians, in prison. From the letter, we see, even in a prison cell, he’s dearly worried about his friends in the Philippian church where some false teachers caused threats. He says, “I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears…their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven…. stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.” (Philippians 3:18-20; 4:1). No matter what the challenges are, Paul keeps on going on his way with his friends in Philippi, the way of heavenly citizenship.

Jesus is warned by some Pharisees in today’s Gospel story. They say, “Get away from here, for Herod wants to kill you.” Hearing this threatening news, Jesus tells them, “Go and tell that fox for me…today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way” (Luke 13:32-33). Then, Jesus laments over Jerusalem that he tried to gather people together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but they were not willing (Luke 13:34). Jesus has too many challenges to bear in his ministry. But no matter what the challenges are, Jesus keeps on going on his way to the cross. 

 Faithful friends in Christ, on our way forward, we will continue to face challenges. Your way to the church will be blocked off by so many mountains of earthly things, and the spirits of this age. The churches in North America in general have been already declining and losing members. A crisis, it is. And here’s what I want you to do this week. I want you to take a moment and think about the challenges that may keep you from this faith community and keep you from God. And I want you to pray honestly, find some hopes you may still have for the church, and hold on to them. 
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By God’s grace through faith, we are called out from darkness into the marvelous light. No matter what these challenges are, they cannot change our sacred worth and beloved-ness. Look around, look at one another’s face, because of you, there’s an undeniable hope for the church. There’s no cliff steep enough, no bridge rickety enough, no ledge narrow enough to keep us from climbing up the mountain with Jesus and to be the church with one another. So let us continue to trust God who is our shield, to focus on our heavenly citizenship, and to put our best effort to be on our way and to build a loving, forgiving, and life-giving family of God, here and now. Amen. 

One of the biggest joys for me as a United Methodist pastor is that I have good colleagues. Through our connectional church system and our clergy small groups, we get to know one another quite well. When we meet, honestly, we don’t always spend time praying or meditating on the Bible, but we always eat, and we talk and talk and talk…and talk too much. Yes, because we are preachers, I guess, it’s quite natural for us to talk and share stories. Among those chatty meetings, there was one that was exceptionally chatty meeting I remember. It was filled with stories after stories; we were so into them that we didn’t even recognize how fast the time passed. Can you guess what kind of stories we shared that day? Believe it or not, they were the stories about our funeral experiences. 

As you can imagine, these stories were quite heavy. One of the stories I can’t forget came out while we were talking about the smallest funeral we’ve ever officiated. A very seasoned pastor said that he officiated a funeral with only one person. One day, he got a phone call from a funeral home in town urgently asking him to officiate a brief funeral. Fortunately, he was available so went there right away. He didn’t know anything but the name of the deceased. As soon as he entered the room, he was quite surprised that there was nobody but one person sitting in the room. The person was the daughter but she seemed not to care that much about her father’s funeral. Then, the pastor got even more surprised as he looked at the casket. That casket was just a pure plastic box. He said, even the word casket felt too luxurious for such a thing. It really was a shabby box made with thin plastic panels. Composing his mind, he somehow finished that funeral. But he said, that experience was deeply engraved in him. And as he recalled the experience, he again and again asked one question on “how to live and how to die.”

How to live and how to die? This fundamental question about human life is always before us, even though we usually ignore it or we are too busy to reflect on it. But here we are, today, in the Season of Lent. We are in an opportune time to ask this question in all seriousness. How should we live and die? What would be a Christian answer to this question? As our way of looking for an answer, I invite you to see Jesus Christ once again. Especially today I invite you to the all-too-famous story about his temptation in the wilderness once again on this first Sunday in Lent. And it is my hope and prayer that from this short story, we find the way of salvation.  

In today’s Gospel story, we see Jesus walk into the wilderness. Following his baptism, Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit to the wilderness where he goes through three temptations. You remember, every time the devil tempts Jesus, he turns it down with such inspiring words. This conversation between the devil and Jesus clearly depicts the contrast between our human way of life and Jesus’ way of salvation. Let me tell you about these temptations and Jesus’ answers one more time. The first temptation is targeted at Jesus’ hunger, his human desire. To Jesus who is so famished, the devil says, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Then, Jesus answers the devil, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’” Here, the devil’s word sounds obvious, “A typical way of human life is to strive for satisfaction of their hungers and desires. And for this, you use whatever means at your disposal.” But Jesus teaches us, “The way of salvation is to find the lasting joy and fulfillment in God. And for this, we shall empty our hunger and desire to give room for the Holy Spirit.”

The second temptation is targeted at Jesus’ ego, his human will. The devil shows Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and promises that if Jesus worships him, all the glory and authority will be his. Then, Jesus answers the devil, “It is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.’” Here, the devil’s word sounds sweet, “A typical way of human life is to worship and seek power, authority, wealth, and fame—something that inflates your ego and inflames your will.” But Jesus leads us, “The way of salvation is to follow and carry out not my will but God’s will. And for this, we shall humble our ego and surrender our will to give ways to God.” 

The third temptation is targeted at Jesus’ fear, his human nature for survival. The devil places him on the pinnacle of the temple and says, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, God will commend angels to protect you.” Then, Jesus answers the devil, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” Here, the devil’s word sounds so enticing, “A typical way of human life is to ensure safety amid fears even by taking extreme measures.” But Jesus guides us, “The way of salvation is to hold on to faith in God’s steadfast presence in our lives, to believe without doubt, we are beloved children of God no matter what.” 

These temptations show us the contrast between human life and the way of salvation. Through the devil, the story reveals the nature of human life—hunger-driven, ego-driven, and fear-driven. But here we gathered to find and live the way of salvation as Jesus proclaimed. We want to empty our hunger and desire, surrender our ego and will, and trust God’s steadfast presence more and more so that we can be more like Jesus. How to live and how to die? On this way of salvation, we live our new life as we die to ourselves and live only with Christ who leads us into everlasting life. We struggle to make our small victories over the constant temptations, on our journey through the wilderness of life. Then, someday, we will die. But we will die to be alive evermore in peace of Christ.

In this season of Lent, Jesus calls us to the forty-day journey on the way of salvation. Jesus calls us to a spiritual wilderness, a time of solitude and a space away from our familiar routine to see God and see our life more clearly. He calls us to an intentional time of prayer, listening to God as we search for guidance and direction. He is sending us a wake-up call. We are asked to take the journey leaving where we stand and write our own stories of victory with Jesus. How would you live and how would you die? Are you ready to take a step on his way of salvation today?

July 23rd, 2018 was one of the saddest days in my life. On that day, I was on my vacation in Acadia National Park in Maine until I got the shocking news. The news was about a South Korean politician and activist whom I had admired for a long time; he took his own life. I was devasted. I couldn’t believe it. He was a person of integrity who dedicated himself to making a better society for the working class, for the poor, and for the marginalized. He graduated prestigious schools; in the past, it was a ticket to an affluent elite-class life. But he chose to live as a welder in a steel factory sharing his life with manual workers until he became a politician. I deeply respected him. I even met him a few times as a member of his party. He was my hope for South Korean politics. But that hope was completely lost that day. 

Broken hearted and saddened, I went out to Cadillac Mountain in Acadia next morning. I just tried to compose myself watching over the sea from the summit. But the mountaintop was surrounded by thick cloud and fog. So as getting to the top, I couldn’t see anything. It was frustrating. But as soon as driving down the mountain, I could see some sunlight gradually coming through and the cloud and fog began to clear away. Right then, this wonderful view caught my eyes. The cloud was passing by the islands around Bar Harbor. To me, it felt like the cloud was comforting the islands struggling in a sea of suffering. It felt like the cloud was consolingly patting the islands on their shoulders and saying, “it’s alright. It’s okay. Carry on.” While I was looking at the view, there was one Taize song playing in my car. It was Da Pacem Domine, which means, “Give peace, oh Lord.” The song played, “Da pacem domine…give peace, oh Lord, give peace, oh Lord…” At that moment, I felt the Spirit moving in my heart and mending my wound. It was an extraordinary moment of profound comfort and peace beyond words.

As we live our lives in faith, we sometimes experience small extraordinary moments when we feel God is with us, comforts us, and guides us. We may sense this presence of God in our prayers or worship services, when reflecting on the Scripture and having holy communion, in the love and care from our family and friends, or at some unexpected events. Life sometimes knocks us down on our knees like it does to anybody else. But we Christians can somehow muddle through sufferings and pains in our lives and keep on living in faith, because we have those inspiring and spirit-filled moments, and because those small extraordinary moments lead us to this simple assurance: our living God is with us always in our ordinary lives. 

From today’s Hebrew Bible and Gospel stories, we see Moses and the disciples experience not just small but huge extraordinary moments on the mountaintops. They directly encounter God and the divine epiphany. Moses was on his way down from the Mount Sinai after he personally met God and received the two tablets of the covenant. His face was shining because he was with God and in the direct presence of God’s glory, so he had to put a veil on his face. It’s incredible.
 
How about the disciples of Jesus? Peter, John, and James went up to the mountain with Jesus. While Jesus was praying, they were sleepy but suddenly, their eyes got opened up wide. They saw the appearance of Jesus change and his clothes become dazzling white. And they saw Moses and Elijah talking to Jesusabout his upcoming passion. Peter, trying to stay in this ecstatic moment a little longer, said he will make three tents for them. But then a cloud came and overshadowed the disciples. And from the cloud, they heard a voice saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” (Luke 9:35)

The mountaintop experiences of Moses and the disciples…these are truly extra-extraordinary moments of divine wonder. Although they are so amazing, Moses and the disciples cannot stay there forever. They need to come down from the mountaintop. And they have to go back to their ordinary lives and face their reality full of challenges. When Moses comes down from the mountain, the people of Israel are waiting for him in the valley with weary and tired hearts. On their long journey to the promised land, they have been complaining all the time and recently, they even made an idol, a golden calf, and worshipped it. Moses knows well. Still, it’s going to be hard to lead them. 

When the disciples of Jesus come down from the mountain, they face a great crowd in the valley with a child seized by an unclean spirit. The disciples struggle and fail to cast it out. So Jesus has to do it. Even it is right after they experienced the divine glory revealed in Jesus on the mountaintop, the disciples are still unable to bring good news to the crowd in the valley. They still are the same humans with doubts and fears. And the reality before them is still tough to deal with. 

The mountaintop experiences were of divine majesty. But as soon as Moses and the disciples come down, they face their mundane reality. But, needless to say, that’s where they belong to and that’s where their lives and ministry go on. So what should they do? They should keep on muddling through the valley of agony with the assurance they have from the mountaintop of glory. Our Christian life is exactly the same. We should keep on living our lives in faith, keep on our journey of salvation through our messy ordinary life as we faithfully remember small extraordinary moments that we experienced our God of Immanuel, God with us. Then, only then, we will be gradually transformed and transfigured by the Spirit and become more like Jesus day by day. 

Sisters and brothers in Christ, today, I hope we may remember and even newly experience another small extraordinary moment of God’s presence here and now. Therefore, as we continue to worship and share holy communion, it is my prayer that we may be deeply mindful of the Spirit moving in our hearts and filling us with the grace and glory of the mountaintop. So as we leave this place, we may be inspired and empowered to keep muddling through the valleys in our lives. Until we reach the glory of Jesus through our journey of transformation and transfiguration, may the light and joy of Christ be in our hearts always and enable us to keep on muddling through any shadow or brokenness of the world. Amen.