They Shall Know Me

”They Shall Know Me”
Jeremiah 31: 27-34
By Frank J. Hernando
19 October 2007
PROK Dong Gwang Church
Kang Nam-gu, Seoul, Korea

This occasion is indeed rare and I’m grateful to the Rev. Jang Bin for generously giving the University of the East Chorale the chance to sing and for giving me this opportunity to preach in this worship service. Most of my preaching time for the last three years and ten months work in South Korea was spent with the Filipino Migrant Workers Community in Shin Weol Dong. Due to lack of Korean language facility, I did not have many opportunities to preach in PROK churches, but I have a very intensive teaching experience in English Church School and learning facilitation in the Peace School of the PROK Peace Community Movement Centre. I’m more of a teacher than a preacher. This is the very reason why I have chosen the text from prophet Jeremiah for tonight’s meditation. The catchy phrase from the text is “No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, “Know the Lord,” for they shall all know me, from the least to the greatest…(v. 34).

This text has inspired me since I started my pastoral ministry in 1991. Instead of intensive theologizing in this meditation, I would rather use an illustration. Listen to this: There is a young boy who have just entered his age of puberty and learned about God in his experience of storms in life.

“When the typhoon comes tomorrow morning,
Don’t forget to take care of your younger siblings.”
“Yes, mother,” the boy replied.
At dawn the following day the waves roar from the nearby shore.
The wind wasn’t whistling, it’s howling. Dark clouds covered the horizon.
He wasn’t terrified, but seems helpless as he stood at one corner of the house that has been rocking at the tumultuous force of the storm. “Where are your younger siblings?” his mother yelled contesting the sound of the angry wind and the pouring rain.
“They have left for the community hall, they’re safe,” he answered his mother in a timorous voice.
The boy looked up to see the color of the wind,
He gazed on the ceiling,
He saw the thatch palm leaves roofing dancing in the wind.
Some parched palm leaves that were once part of the roof were blown away,
Patches of skylight appear from where it once a dark brown roof.
Oh God, why should there be typhoons!
Why are they so destructive?
He was standing in that corner not just for a minute or two, but for a while.
His dry throat has been soaked by the rain that drips from his hair.
His brown skin covered with bits and pieces of the roof.
His mind soared while standing in that corner;
As if that corner was a safe haven for a fragile and faltering body.
Whoooz…! whoooz…! The wind was blowing hard on the house.
Lightning cuts jigsaw lines into the dull gray sky. Thunder released its fury, the ground trembled.
Still standing there in the corner of the house,
He was waiting for the final collapse of their house.
He wished the house could stand the storm.
But his mind entertained the idea of a total collapse.
Why should I wish for this house to collapse? He asked himself.
No, I should not, he reasoned, my parents are poor.
But, we need a new house, a much stronger one.
A house that is safe even in the midst of storm,
We need a home where our young lives can grow freely.
It was late afternoon when the storm finally left the island.
There was calm. The dark clouds have dissipated.
The voices of worried men and women calling out their children can now be heard.
The boy has tamed the storm.
His body is once again animated.
He walked down and made ready to extend his hands for the repair of their house that must be done immediately, for all his brothers and sisters to have a dry bed for the night.

Jeremiah is a prophet of doom and hope. He prophesied about the eventual collapse of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, the time when they will be under the control of powerful Babylon. He repeatedly told the people and the kings for 40 years that unless they truly repent and change their attitudes toward God, they would not survive as sovereign kingdoms. What he prophesied about Israel and Judah finally came and it made a great blow on their life and future. It was on this crisis situation that Jeremiah uttered vivid messages of hope. In the mouth of Jeremiah God said, “The days are coming when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah.” Following the old covenant through the letter did not make Israel and Judah a covenant people, and rather than living out God’s salvation and peace they preoccupied themselves offering sacrifices to the gods of war and destruction. Their captivity in Babylon was a result of their lack of faith and failure to show kindness, justice, love and mercy. The two kingdoms were desperate during their captivity in the land of Babylon. Israelites were conscripted into the labor force of Babylon. Hence God offered them a second chance through the new covenant which will no longer be written on papyrus but in their hearts and minds. This is a new relationship between God and his people whereby leaders administer justice; each and every person internalizes and lives out compassion and love, and acts out solidarity.

The boy in our story grew up a few more years and he realized that there is so much in him that he may be able to share with other boys and girls of his generation.

It was the beginning of the long vacation from school:
“I wanted to teach children in the Vacation Church School,” he unwaveringly told his parents, brothers and sisters.
Encouragement was not found wanting for the eager boy.
In the volunteer teachers training, he studied the Vacation Church School (VCS) manual carefully.
Every word in the manual stuck in his brain.
The training was very short for a neophyte volunteer teacher to master every bit of detail of the lessons.
Yet, the boy was determined to actualize his potential.
Before the sun rose on sixth day of the teachers training, the departure day for all the Vacation Church School teams, he was all set for the four- week long teaching engagement in the hinterland villages.
The boy lodged his back pack on his shoulders ready for the journey.
Like a first time missionary he’s ready for any eventually on the road.

The jeepney ride was over an hour and reached the jumped off station.
The seven-hour walk has begun.
The sweltering heat of the sun was severe.
Perspiration dripped unceasingly from his forehead to his body,
Climbing the rugged mountainous terrain, complaining neither for sweat nor for aching legs, he tagged along with his teammates.
Stopping on some cool spring for a drink to relieve his dry throat; short stops on shady areas to reinvigorate his lungs and preventing total exhaustion.
It was almost the seventh hour of the journey when one of his teammates shouted, “we’re almost there.”

On the small village of Protestant Christians the boy’s team finally arrived.
The night welcomed them together with a group of children and some women.
Steaming boiled bananas, hot coffee and roasted peanuts were offered on metal plates pushed by some generous hands on the cool and shiny bamboo slats floor. The food served was like heaven.
The boy taught children in this hinterland rural village with confidence. His voice was melodious and the group of fifteen kindergarten kids could hardly follow the rise and fall of the musical notes, but he patiently sang with them, and told them to follow the song through hand and body movements.

The fourth day came in a very unusual way.
At dawn it was not the sound of migrating birds he heard.
The crickets were silenced. The crowing of rosters was drowned by the weeping of two or three women.
That very dawn a child died of German measles. That was the third death during the month.
The boy asked God why on earth in this place surrounded by beauty and grandeur of the mountain ranges; where mountain peaks reaching the clouds, and heaven is on earth; the cool winding rivers seem to lead to eternity;
but some children are unable to see the sun at noontime.
He believed in his heart that this is not a God forsaken village,
This people are God fearing. They pray to God for good harvest, for health, for prosperity and for peace. But certainly, there are a lot of things missing here!

Think of cable cars traversing the Swiss Alps, or the helicopter riding medical doctors that visits remote mountain villages. Think of self-sustained mountain villages where doctors, midwives, pastors and teachers serve the people.
The boy verbalized his thoughts to his friends, and one of them said,
“Unless our political leaders repent from their sins of corruption, selfishness, love of money and prestige, greed and violence, our people will never have a better chance for life and peace.”
The boy absorbed what he heard.

We know that it is not God’s intention that human beings whether in their persons or in society lead a destructive life or fortress social injustice. In the history of Israel and Judah, God saw their kingdoms collapsed. God was not a party to their idolatry or the worship of human power and wealth where human lives were sacrificed to satisfy their greed and ambition. Much more, inter-tribal solidarity which was the best expression of God’s providence was neglected and diminished. God witnessed how Israel and Judah were plucked up from their homeland and their kingdoms overthrown by foreign powers and their land was laid desolate. On the other hand God, as Jeremiah pointed out will witness how they would rebuild their nation, plant their land and produce a bountiful harvest to satisfy the needs of all people and not just a small segment of society. Their life as a nation will be one that truly resembles God’s kingdom, where people will no longer be taught how to do what is just and loving for they know it from heart.

Endowed with the love and compassion of Jesus Christ, Christian Churches all over the world have realized that God’s deep concern for the poor and the marginalized cannot be taken for granted. We are challenged to make known the love of God in Jesus Christ in ways that will not only alleviate the economic impoverishment of people in poor countries, but to help transform structures that prevent God’s love and justice to take root in society. This local church, Dong Gwang Church of the PROK has been supporting the life of Light house Church in Coronadal, South Cotabato, the Philippines extending spiritual and material assistance so that this congregation will become a channel of God’s love, solidarity and peace. I share your best hopes for this congregation in Mindanao and for the whole Filipino nation to become what God intends them to be.

I’m also aware that the Rev. Jang Bin is the chairperson of the Board of Management of the PROK centre for prostituted women called “My Sister’s Place” or Durebang located near a US military base north of Seoul. Lately the PROK National Church Women’s Association and the United Church of Christ in the Philippines have agreed to construct and support a women’s counseling centre in Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines. This project is an expression of your deep concern and solidarity with Filipino women that are victims and survivors of prostitution and other kinds of abuses. As members of this local church, you have been at the forefront of Christian mission in many frontiers, always praying and acting for the development of the marginalized people.

Finally I would like to thank you all for hosting the University of the East Chorale and for the chance to preach on tonight’s service. Indeed, we all share Jeremiah’s vision of the time when God’s people will know him from the least of them to the greatest and God will forgive our iniquities and live as God’s forgiven people. May the God of peace sustain you in every good work that you do. Amen.

When Temptation Comes

It has been a while that I haven't entered a blog on my theological reflections. Perhaps the many changes in work arrangements and preoccupation with various kinds of work load have somehow prevented me to sit down and write. Anyhow, I am indeed grateful to God for the changes that are taking place in our lives.

Last Sunday is the beginning of the Lenten Season and the Gospel reading was in Luke 4: 1-13, where Jesus went to the wilderness and fasted for 40 days. It was also the time when he was there on the mountain that the devil came and tempted him three times. The first temptation is to turn stones into bread, next is to pursue glory and authority through political power and the third is jumping from the pinnacle of a building. It is indeed amazing to note that Jesus, human as he was, hungry, tired and lonely was able to respond to the tempter in a way that gets into the roots of the both the earthly and eternal realities.

On the first he responded, "It is written, human beings do not live by bread alone." It goes straight to the heart and mind that in life we go hungry and crave for food, but food and other material provisions could not satisfy the hungering of human being. This does not mean however that food is non-essential in life. Jesus emphasized that his mission is wholistic and that feeding the hungry would not solve the spiritual problem of greed. The insatiable craving for food for those who have enough reosurces is symptomatic of psychological disturbance such as depression and other mental disorder. "Bread" in this context would also refer to money or economic resources such as land, houses, etc. If we may infer from Jesus' response human beings do not live by bread alone, means that human society must be organized in a manner that primarily attends to physiological needs of people and matched it with ethical nurture.

Secondly, Jesus responded to the temptation of having great political power in the world saying, ..."worship the Lord your God and serve him only." In our contemporary history, we have witnessed how political leaders have been tempted to hold on to power even if they do not serve the interests of the people who put them into power. Worshipping or giving honour and allegiance to the tempter was not Jesus' way to prominence. Well, this is a bribery test for Jesus, but he did not gave in. The worst wars occured and are occuring in the world because political and religious leaders continue to pretend that they're representing the democratic institutions of their nations, however their actions are totally opposite to the very principles that they stand for.

The truth is, this kind of contradictions are not only present in the political arena, there are even worst situations in the homes and work places. There are disgruntled families resulting from parents overpowering each other through use of domestic violence or verbal abuse. There are businessmen who exploit migrant workers in order to gain more profit so that they can be "someone" or outsmart others through their fat bank deposits and investing in China or Vietnam or India.

Thirdy, Jesus replied to the tempter saying, ..."do not put the Lord your God to the test." It is possible that someone may attempt to test another who is far greater than he is. Thus asking ourselves, "can we manipulate God?" or that making God fit into our shoes or personal mould. I have read in the English daily here in Korea that South Korea is the number one in terms of suicide incidence in the world. A social scientist has commented on the high suicide rate in Korea and that she believes that one of the causes of suicide in Korea is depresssion and other mental problems which are not considered as diseases in Korean society. With this youth and adults decide to end their lives. Jumping from a pinnacle of a building is suicide. The tempter would want human beings to follow him, Jesus resisted dying for nothing for that is depreciating life itself.

Every moment of our lives we need to fight these temptations. With God's love and compassion we can surmount the difficult times of our lives.