Are you a runner?

Dr. Sangyil Park, Associate Professor of Preaching

Are you a runner? What would happen if you slowed down?

Are you a runner? Then, how fast can you run? 9.58 seconds– that is the world record Usain Bolt holds. You may recall how popular the world’s fastest man was during the world championships a few months ago in Korea. People value those athletes who run fast, high, and long. That is where the money is; and that is where many people want to be.

In India there is a different kind of race called “the slow cycling race.” You have to come in last if you want to win the race. If you go as fast as you can, leaving everyone else behind, you will not win.

It’s like what Jesus says: “The last will be first, and the first will be last.” In God’s kingdom, there is a different rule of winning; it is the rule of love and care.

The parable of the laborers in Matthew 20:1-16 challenges our modern understanding of fairness. Everyone knows we are entitled to hourly minimum wage and it is fair for us to be paid based on the hours we work. Yet the farmer pays all the laborers exactly the same amount. Those hired in the early morning complain that this is unfair because they were paid the same amount as the late comers. But for those who only worked one hour or two, it was undeserved grace for them to receive this full wage!

God’s love goes beyond our expectation and understanding of fairness.

It is interesting to see a similar story in Exodus 16:2-15.

When God provides Israelites with manna and quail in the wilderness, He does not allow some fast runners to go ahead of other people, getting more to save up for the future while some slow people lose the opportunity for their daily bread. Everyone deserves and gets their daily meal, not more, not less. Each day, God provides enough for that day. They are not to worry about tomorrow; God wants them to focus on today. All they had to do was trust the Lord. I wonder what the world would look like if today’s economy were just like that. 

In our life, we must be smart and fast in order to move ahead of others. We think we can’t afford stay behind. But Jesus always paid attention to those slow walkers. When Bartimaeus, the blind man, shouted, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, wait!” the disciples said to him, “Hey, be quiet, he is busy.” But Jesus did stop. He not only stopped, he paid attention to this poor man. He had compassion on him.

We need to walk slowly in life, to look around and see who is there, to listen and talk with them, and to make some eye contact.

People complain. “The whole congregation complained,” the Exodus text says. And it was the same with the laborers who worked in the vineyard. With life the way it is, we’re always tempted to join those complainers. And complaints always come when we raise the idea of fairness. But God isn’t too interested in fairness. He is more interested in loving and caring for His people, especially those slow walkers. Truth is this: had the people of Israel gotten what they deserved, they would still be in Egypt. Had the vineyard workers gotten what they deserved, some people wouldn’t have enough to live on. God is more interested in generosity than fairness, especially when it comes to the people who are in need. For God, there is real fairness only when there is love and care for undeserving people.

I don’t know about you. I always see myself as a late-comer. I do not deserve what I have. I do not deserve what I have received from God. But to God, love always goes beyond fairness; that is God’s way of being fair.

So, my question for you is: “Are you a runner?” How fast do you run?

God wants us to slow down a bit and look around. Look around and see who is behind you. Let’s see if we can walk together with them. “The first will be last, and last will be first.”

Reflections on 9/11

 

God's love is present, even when the world is darkest.

 

Dr. Sangyil Park, Associate Professor of Preaching

“Owe no one anything, except to love one another,” Paul says. “Love does no wrong to a neighbor.” (Romans 13:8, 10)

On September 11th, we observed a special Sunday called Patriot Sunday, first to worship God and to commemorate those victims of 9/11, and then to remind ourselves of who we are as Christians and citizens of this wonderful country; we also asked ourselves what we are to do together to be agents of hope in this world.

As you many of you do, I remember clearly what happened ten years ago. I still recall the frustration and anger I felt when the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center were clouded with dust, smoke, and debris. I also remember how people responded to Islamic communities throughout the nation.

Since 9/11, Muslims in America have been living in fear. But it is not just Muslims. The life of everyone in this country has changed forever: people live with more fear than hope. And it affects every aspect of our life. I am not sure if it will ever change.

And today’s text clearly gives us the important message:

It is love that heals our wounds. Love never hurts anyone. Love does no wrong to a neighbor. No, only love can bring us together, nothing else. Paul says, we need to put on a right cloth, and the cloth is the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus is the king of peace; he is the symbol of love.

In history, however, Christians also made many mistakes. During the Crusades between 11th and 13th century, Christians waged wars to drive out the Muslims from Palestine, the Holy Land. And hundreds of thousands of people died in that efforts. Catholics killed Muslims in the name of Jesus, and Muslims killed Catholics in the name of Allah.

But that was not all. Christians killed each other too; there were many wars between Catholics and Protestants. But we know it is not what Jesus taught us to do. We know it is not what the Bible says to us. Jesus never supported violence.

“Owe no one anything, except to love another,” says St. Paul. “Love is the fulfillment of all the teachings of the Law.”

Love comes in many different forms. A few nights ago, I happened to watch Kitchen Nightmares. In the show, Chef Ramsay is invited to fix the problems of this French restaurant in Southern California. This French-born father opened the restaurant in 1972, and the place became a huge success. But not anymore; the food is not that great, though the chef of the restaurant thinks everything is fine. No one seems to be listening to anyone’s comments and ideas. The business is in terrible situation. Now, the father brings in Chef Ramsay to see if they can make any change.

Of course, the episode has an happy ending. The question is how? This is what happens. Chef Ramsay tells them that unless they make any change in relationships between the daughter and son of the owner, nothing will ever happen to the quality of the food they serve. Yes, the food was the problem; their business was not that great. But the bigger problem was this: once-close siblings now have a troubled relationship, thanks to constantly butting heads over how to run things in the restaurant. Chef Ramsay brings the family together; they make reconciliation. They realize they need to work together. The father cries as his son and daughter kiss and hug each other. After the big breakthrough, they join together to make changes in the menu, decorations, and all. The business has a turn-over. So, it is the love that makes a difference in people’s lives, nothing else. When we love each other, when we show our love to one another, there is nothing we cannot do together.

The world is darker than ever before. Although we may eat better food and wear better clothes than before, there are too many conflicts between family members, between people of faith, between people of different religions. The world is definitely getting darker each day. Because of this, our life seems to be tougher than ever before.

But here is the good news. God still loves us. The love of God that was shown through the teachings of Jesus Christ is still speaking aloud to us. And Paul said, “We need to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. We need to put on the cloth of love.”

Love wins; love heals; love restores; love brings us to light; love keeps us in hope. Love is the right outfit for every occasion in our lives. Amen.

Sharper than a Sword?

As preachers we all believe that the sermons we preach carry the words of God; but what do we mean when we say ‘the words of God’? What makes our words ‘the words of God’ in preaching?

As a way of answering this question, I would point to Hebrews 4:12 which says: “The word of God is sharper than any double-edged sword; it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow.” What about the word of God makes it appear to be sharper than a sword? Can we have an example or two that exemplifies how a word could divide soul and spirit, joints and marrow?

In Mark 10:17-31, a rich man comes to Jesus asking this huge theological question, “Teacher, what should I do to have eternal life?” Jesus says to him, “You know what the Bible says: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not lie, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” Hearing all this, this young man did not think a second and said, “Teacher, I did all.” Jesus looked at him and said, “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor. Then come, follow me.” The text says this man was shocked and went away grieving. To the man, what he just heard from Jesus was like a sword that pierced through his conscience.

In John 8:1-11, a group of people brought in a woman. They said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery.” What would you do? Jesus said, “If any one of you is without sin, let him throw a stone at her.” Hearing this, the text says, everyone went away ashamed. It was a moment of spiritual surgery to those whose hearts were hardened. The word was nothing but a sharp sword.

In a Discovery Channel documentary, I saw this Japanese family that has been making sushi knives for many generations; all that the featured man does is put his sweat and soul into a piece of metal meticulously every day. After the entire process, they eventually showed us his art work; the blade was dazzling! Now, they took this knife to a sushi restaurant to see how it worked; and I could not believe my eyes—the knife was so sharp that the sushi man was able to make slices of fish look like sheets of paper. They said that they had to wash the blade each and every time they cut a slice; otherwise, the blade would rust.

What makes our words the words of God, which are shaper than a sword, so that our audience may be shocked, grieving, rejoicing, or even transforming in their hearts, minds, and lives? Simply raising your voice or citing different texts from here and there will only make sermons dull. Sharp sermons always need new insights to break the spiritual numbness of this age. For that, good sermons need the same diligence, meticulous skills, and artistic craftsmanship a good sushi knife requires.

Sangyil (Sam) Park, PhD
Associate Professor of Preaching
and Director of D. Min Program
American Baptist Seminary of the West