The new year 2008 for the skeptics can be just like any year in one's life time. I dare to disagree because I know that every day there are new things that can happen to any person. As a person of faith, I know that this new year has a lot to offer and I have to make the best out of this short life-span.
I'm quite inspired by what the prophet Isaiah said during the recovery years in Israel after captivity in Babylon:
"Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up;
do you not perceive it?
I am doing a new way in the desert
and streams in the wasteland..."
(Isaiah 43: 18-19)
The prophet is not suggesting a voluntary historical amnesia. He admonished his people to forget about the past which they can no longer undo. Instead they should focus on the future that is full of promise and hope. The dawning of another year is an opportunity for us to learn from the past and give ourselves a chance to purge ourselves of unbecoming behavior. Also we have to think of better ways to be of service to those in need.
It is important to make a mental review of the past year and weigh the positive aspects of life against the negative ones. This will help us see who we are as human beings in relationships. Oftentimes the negative things we have done predominates in our minds and forgetting the good and the best things that we have done and have been doing. Don't get paranoid with the things you consider unworthy. Nobody is perfect.
"A new way in the desert," is a metaphor of the great possibilities not just for this new year but in life as a whole. I hadn't imagine myself and my wife working abroad, living in a strange land and at the same time guiding and helping migrant workers in their problems and needs. A new way out of the difficult economic situation for migrant workers emerged. But leaving one's home and country is not at all easy. Working in foreign land is not easy. There is always contempt and discrimination of those who does not belong there. Working abroad is a new way in the desert. The desert however is everywhere. The desert like social situation in one's own country pushes people to move out and find a better way to live as human beings. The desert will remain a desert unless human and divine intervention is made. Human society has to create a new way in the desert of deprivation and oppression. Transforming deserts to oasis --an arable land that produces food and provides sustainance to its inhabitants.
I have great hopes for the 2008 not because it is a new year, but rather in God's grace I can be of service to others and use my life, skills and abilities to the utmost so that our world will be better with me and with you around.
Welcome the New Year as you would be welcomed in a friendly home.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Friday, December 07, 2007
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.
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.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
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.
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.
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
Into the Cup of Life
Sermon Title: “Into the Cup of Life”
Text: I Corinthians 10:14-22
By Rev. Frank J. Hernando
World-wide Communion Sunday
02 October 2005 Seoul, Korea
I Corinthians 10: 14-22
/14/ Therefore, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. /15/ I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. /16/ The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? /17/ Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. /18/ Consider the people of Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar? /19/ What do I imply then? That food sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? /20/ No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons. /21/ You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. /22/ Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
INTRODUCTION
I am thankful indeed for the invitation of your pastor to share with you the message on this World-wide Communion Sunday. For the ten (10) long years of pastoring a local church in my Presbytery in central Philippines, my wife Gloria and I always ensure that World-wide Communion Sunday would be a meaningful experience for the members. Even here in South Korea, my wife and I normally prepare a special kind of worship service for this very important Sunday in the life of the Church.
In our migrant workers community in Kang Nam Presbyterian Church we are celebrating World-wide Communion Sunday as well. In the light of this occasion let me share with you insights into the text written by Paul for the first century Christians in Corinth.
ONE
Into the cup of life, believers are poured in as catalysts for transforming the character of life in society. There are many people including Christians who are indifferent to the plight of the suffering ones. Thus it is not wise for Christians to maintain its bystander attitude or go on with their sheer indifference towards actual life situations in society.
Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians thinks that the worship of idols is irreconcilable with the worship of God in Jesus Christ. The idols that Paul refers to are those which demand obedience and replace God in the life of believers. These gods are not represented as sculpted images or icons in temples. These are things, spiritual and moral values that oppose God. The attitude of Corinthian Christians toward these gods is one which competes and even displaces belief in God in Jesus Christ. This is disgusting before the community of faith in the church in Corinth. Christian unity was disrupted in the Church in Corinth.
It is within this purview that Paul admonishes the Corinthian Christians to stay away from idolatry or the paying allegiance to things such as wealth, money, prestige and icons of power and politics. It is not right for Christians to be enslaved by idols, rather their life as community of faith must show forth the life of Jesus Christ. He asked them, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? “(v.16).
The point of unity of among Christians is the sharing in the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thus, every time we bless the cup and break the bread, we are reminded that we had been redeemed by the life of Jesus Christ. In drinking from the cup of blessing that we bless is sharing in the sufferings and death of many people in our world today. We bleed with those who are wounded of the wars of aggression. We are in solidarity with those who are hungry and sick in our world today, because we are all poured into the cup of life. The bread that we break today is participation in the life of Christ—the life that anticipates the realization of a peaceful and abundant life for all.
I had the chance to participate in the 90th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK) in Gwangju, Jeolanamdo. Gloria and I had the chance to chat with the Rev. Samuel Muriguh, general secretary of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa. We asked him about the extent of HIV-AIDS infection in his country and other nearby countries in Africa. He mentioned that in Kenya alone 400 people die of HIV-AIDS everyday. Life expectancy in his country is only 45 years old. He is personally saddened by the reality of this pandemic disease which has infected even his relatives.
There are many people in our world today who feel the dread of this disease, yet unable to do something to help. Rev. Samuel Muriguh has best hopes that someday healing will surely come to his own people. He believes that God has a plan for the healing of peoples. While listening to this young church leader, I was challenged. My hope is reinvigorated in the saving power of God in Christ. But neither I can hope alone nor act by myself for I need the great number of committed Christians like you to hope and act in synchronized manner to overcome difficult situations. You are part of this. If we can act for the poor family next door, we can as well act for the hungry, sick and dying in other parts of the world.
TWO
Furthermore, from the cup of life we are being poured out. We who have received the power of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are expected to serve at our best. This means that, as Paul has reminded the Corinthian Christians we are not to participate in idolatry whether to offer sacrifices to gods or to act in a ways that violate the Spirit of Christ in us.
Inasmuch that we profess the Lordship of Jesus Christ in society we are expected to live out our monotheistic belief and initiate community oriented programs that enhance our faith and witness. By giving allegiance to gods of modern times such as wealth, power, prestige and comfort we are in fact making sacrifices to them. The only possible means of restoring our affinity and identity with God in Christ is by being poured out. When our lives are poured out, we become means of inspiration to live an exemplary Christian life.
Working with migrant workers coming from different countries in Asia has given me a deeper understanding of my faith in the context of Korean society. I am saddened by the experiences of many migrants workers who have worked in factories but their wages are not paid by their employers. The phenomenon of migration is a result of uneven economic development in the world. For many migrant workers their lives are being poured out or sacrificed for the sake of their families and relatives. They continue to endure long hours of work in the factories. They let pass the demeaning remarks of their Korean managers and supervisors. There are times of homesickness but they resist it. There are many other types of unexpected circumstances like arrest and deportation which I as a pastoral counselor can only assure migrant workers that there is life after South Korea. Migrant workers’ identity is so molded by their struggle for abundant life and not by the amount of money they have earned in working abroad.
People’s identity is formed by culture and the political economy of a family, tribe or nation. For Christians their identity is grounded on their faith in Jesus Christ. This means that human constructs such as culture and political economy can be transcended when Christians live in love and unity. When Christians pour out their lives not just for their own selves but for those who are in dire need, Christian unity is not far from reality. While there remain distinct cultural heritages, we strive to live in solidarity with struggling peoples in the world.
THREE
Finally, Christians all over the world ought to have the collective consciousness of being part of the one loaf—the body of Christ. Paul said, “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (v.17). The broken bread and the poured wine are the rich theological Christian symbolism that must be never oversimplified in the nice pictures of freshly baked bread or by the advertisement of gentlemanly effect of expensive wines. What I’m saying is that even our theological symbolism such as bread and wine and the unity of the Body had been co-opted and used by the market place—and clichés of capitalist advertisements. Thus our community life has become captive of the consumerist values. I even heard people measuring love for the other person or loved ones in terms of monetary value. It is not only awkward, but shameful for Christians to think that way.
There is one loaf—the Body of Christ. As members of Christian communities we participate in the life of Christ in the world. Christian unity is expressed in various ways. Prior to my appointment as UCCP mission co-worker to PROK 2004 I was teaching the Old Testament and Contemporary Theology at Saint Paul’s Theological Seminary of the Philippine Independent Church in Iloilo City. This Christian Church has a type of Anglican tradition. Our dean Rev. Father Larry Herrera would complain to me when I would skip the Eucharist. He would remind me that I have missed half of the service because I did not take the communion. I would reply to him saying, “That’s my concern Fr. Larry, because as one coming from the Presbyterian tradition, I would only take communion once a month and not as frequent as you do.”
My dear sisters and brother in Christ: our lives are poured out for the healing of those who are sick and dying. We are poured as a balm that not only soothes the pain, but cures the disease. Our lives can truly be the cup of passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, where our lives are joined together with the Spirit. Our lives reach out to hundreds and thousands of people near or far because of the enduring faith and committed service we have to the struggling and suffering peoples. We should never take for granted our witness and service to the life of God in Christ. In doing of our Christian witness we are in forefront of the overcoming the demonic powers of our times. May God bless you all. Amen.
Text: I Corinthians 10:14-22
By Rev. Frank J. Hernando
World-wide Communion Sunday
02 October 2005 Seoul, Korea
I Corinthians 10: 14-22
/14/ Therefore, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. /15/ I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. /16/ The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? /17/ Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. /18/ Consider the people of Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices partners in the altar? /19/ What do I imply then? That food sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? /20/ No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be partners with demons. /21/ You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. /22/ Or are we provoking the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
INTRODUCTION
I am thankful indeed for the invitation of your pastor to share with you the message on this World-wide Communion Sunday. For the ten (10) long years of pastoring a local church in my Presbytery in central Philippines, my wife Gloria and I always ensure that World-wide Communion Sunday would be a meaningful experience for the members. Even here in South Korea, my wife and I normally prepare a special kind of worship service for this very important Sunday in the life of the Church.
In our migrant workers community in Kang Nam Presbyterian Church we are celebrating World-wide Communion Sunday as well. In the light of this occasion let me share with you insights into the text written by Paul for the first century Christians in Corinth.
ONE
Into the cup of life, believers are poured in as catalysts for transforming the character of life in society. There are many people including Christians who are indifferent to the plight of the suffering ones. Thus it is not wise for Christians to maintain its bystander attitude or go on with their sheer indifference towards actual life situations in society.
Paul in his first letter to the Corinthians thinks that the worship of idols is irreconcilable with the worship of God in Jesus Christ. The idols that Paul refers to are those which demand obedience and replace God in the life of believers. These gods are not represented as sculpted images or icons in temples. These are things, spiritual and moral values that oppose God. The attitude of Corinthian Christians toward these gods is one which competes and even displaces belief in God in Jesus Christ. This is disgusting before the community of faith in the church in Corinth. Christian unity was disrupted in the Church in Corinth.
It is within this purview that Paul admonishes the Corinthian Christians to stay away from idolatry or the paying allegiance to things such as wealth, money, prestige and icons of power and politics. It is not right for Christians to be enslaved by idols, rather their life as community of faith must show forth the life of Jesus Christ. He asked them, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a sharing in the body of Christ? “(v.16).
The point of unity of among Christians is the sharing in the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thus, every time we bless the cup and break the bread, we are reminded that we had been redeemed by the life of Jesus Christ. In drinking from the cup of blessing that we bless is sharing in the sufferings and death of many people in our world today. We bleed with those who are wounded of the wars of aggression. We are in solidarity with those who are hungry and sick in our world today, because we are all poured into the cup of life. The bread that we break today is participation in the life of Christ—the life that anticipates the realization of a peaceful and abundant life for all.
I had the chance to participate in the 90th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK) in Gwangju, Jeolanamdo. Gloria and I had the chance to chat with the Rev. Samuel Muriguh, general secretary of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa. We asked him about the extent of HIV-AIDS infection in his country and other nearby countries in Africa. He mentioned that in Kenya alone 400 people die of HIV-AIDS everyday. Life expectancy in his country is only 45 years old. He is personally saddened by the reality of this pandemic disease which has infected even his relatives.
There are many people in our world today who feel the dread of this disease, yet unable to do something to help. Rev. Samuel Muriguh has best hopes that someday healing will surely come to his own people. He believes that God has a plan for the healing of peoples. While listening to this young church leader, I was challenged. My hope is reinvigorated in the saving power of God in Christ. But neither I can hope alone nor act by myself for I need the great number of committed Christians like you to hope and act in synchronized manner to overcome difficult situations. You are part of this. If we can act for the poor family next door, we can as well act for the hungry, sick and dying in other parts of the world.
TWO
Furthermore, from the cup of life we are being poured out. We who have received the power of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are expected to serve at our best. This means that, as Paul has reminded the Corinthian Christians we are not to participate in idolatry whether to offer sacrifices to gods or to act in a ways that violate the Spirit of Christ in us.
Inasmuch that we profess the Lordship of Jesus Christ in society we are expected to live out our monotheistic belief and initiate community oriented programs that enhance our faith and witness. By giving allegiance to gods of modern times such as wealth, power, prestige and comfort we are in fact making sacrifices to them. The only possible means of restoring our affinity and identity with God in Christ is by being poured out. When our lives are poured out, we become means of inspiration to live an exemplary Christian life.
Working with migrant workers coming from different countries in Asia has given me a deeper understanding of my faith in the context of Korean society. I am saddened by the experiences of many migrants workers who have worked in factories but their wages are not paid by their employers. The phenomenon of migration is a result of uneven economic development in the world. For many migrant workers their lives are being poured out or sacrificed for the sake of their families and relatives. They continue to endure long hours of work in the factories. They let pass the demeaning remarks of their Korean managers and supervisors. There are times of homesickness but they resist it. There are many other types of unexpected circumstances like arrest and deportation which I as a pastoral counselor can only assure migrant workers that there is life after South Korea. Migrant workers’ identity is so molded by their struggle for abundant life and not by the amount of money they have earned in working abroad.
People’s identity is formed by culture and the political economy of a family, tribe or nation. For Christians their identity is grounded on their faith in Jesus Christ. This means that human constructs such as culture and political economy can be transcended when Christians live in love and unity. When Christians pour out their lives not just for their own selves but for those who are in dire need, Christian unity is not far from reality. While there remain distinct cultural heritages, we strive to live in solidarity with struggling peoples in the world.
THREE
Finally, Christians all over the world ought to have the collective consciousness of being part of the one loaf—the body of Christ. Paul said, “Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (v.17). The broken bread and the poured wine are the rich theological Christian symbolism that must be never oversimplified in the nice pictures of freshly baked bread or by the advertisement of gentlemanly effect of expensive wines. What I’m saying is that even our theological symbolism such as bread and wine and the unity of the Body had been co-opted and used by the market place—and clichés of capitalist advertisements. Thus our community life has become captive of the consumerist values. I even heard people measuring love for the other person or loved ones in terms of monetary value. It is not only awkward, but shameful for Christians to think that way.
There is one loaf—the Body of Christ. As members of Christian communities we participate in the life of Christ in the world. Christian unity is expressed in various ways. Prior to my appointment as UCCP mission co-worker to PROK 2004 I was teaching the Old Testament and Contemporary Theology at Saint Paul’s Theological Seminary of the Philippine Independent Church in Iloilo City. This Christian Church has a type of Anglican tradition. Our dean Rev. Father Larry Herrera would complain to me when I would skip the Eucharist. He would remind me that I have missed half of the service because I did not take the communion. I would reply to him saying, “That’s my concern Fr. Larry, because as one coming from the Presbyterian tradition, I would only take communion once a month and not as frequent as you do.”
My dear sisters and brother in Christ: our lives are poured out for the healing of those who are sick and dying. We are poured as a balm that not only soothes the pain, but cures the disease. Our lives can truly be the cup of passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, where our lives are joined together with the Spirit. Our lives reach out to hundreds and thousands of people near or far because of the enduring faith and committed service we have to the struggling and suffering peoples. We should never take for granted our witness and service to the life of God in Christ. In doing of our Christian witness we are in forefront of the overcoming the demonic powers of our times. May God bless you all. Amen.
Monday, July 18, 2005
YOU SEARCHED ME AND KNOWN ME
“YOU SEARCHED ME AND KNOWN ME”
Psalm 139
17 July 2005
1. In so many ways we are confronted by the question “why is God so powerful that even my inmost thoughts he knew?” For sure it’s not good to be scrutinized all the time by someone who is not even human, a God who is spirit and it looks like there is no escape from God’s confronting presence in our lives. Alam ko na nakakatakot ang ganitong sitwasyon na walang kang mapagtagu-an sa pagsusuri ng Diyos.
2. Psalm 139 gives a vivid description of God’s omnipresence in our lives and that whatever we do and will do God knows. This Psalm has body imagery and that it is one of the Old Testament meaningful presentations of the human body as one coherent and interrelated body. In having this, it is important that we should miss the prerequisite theological understanding, namely to understand the body as a psychosomatic unit, can help to qualify the sometimes dualistic concept of humankind in the Christian tradition. It can thus counteract a devaluation and disdain of the body on the one hand, and its spiritless fragmentation on the other hand.
3. In so many ways the human body is described in the Bible both the OT and NT as a weaker part of the human being. The soul/spirit is the higher part that animates the body. This kind of dualism is very prevalent in the NT especially in St. Paul’s theology. But this body imagery in our text shows that our human body is an integrated one and thus it is a total whole in relation to God. Thus, the Psalmist believes that God searches and knows every human being not just as spirit or soul but as a psycho—mind and soma-body unit. God is well acquainted with our mind, heart, body. That makes God’s concern overwhelming and God’s care and love empowering. On other hand many people would tremble at the though that ever second of the day, he/she is being judged by God and that an act of disobedience or the thing we call sin is absolutely known by God.
4. Cristl Maier a woman German theologian has this to say about 1-5 of Psalm 139:
Up to the present, verses 1-5 have been interpreted in two opposite ways. Does the close relationship between the person praying and God express a feeling of security and divine protection? Or is it proof of a fundamental despair of God which provokes thoughts of escape? Due to the parallel with Deuteronomy 6 and the use of the adjective “wonderful” in verse 6, the psalm is very often interpreted as a hymn celebrating God’s closeness. However, the evaluation of a life which is completely open to God’s scrutiny is negative from the point of view of the person praying: the phrase “you hemmed me” used in verse 5 is normally only used for warlike surrounding and besieging, the “behind and before” makes it impossible for the psalmist to move horizontally, renders him incapable of going on, to go on his way, and to rest as he sees fit. The laying on of hands in this context is not a gesture conveying blessing, but prevents the psalmist’s movement in vertical direction: YHWH’s hand rests heavily on him, even presses him down. Human as well as divine actions are concentrated in the hands.
They can be creative and destructive, powerful and violent. In the Old Testament the hand is thus very often a symbol for power and its literally shattering effect is clearly emphasised in verse 5.
It thus becomes inevitable that we think that God’s hand is always here with us.
3. Moreover, Psalm 139 shows that it is not just the body as such that matters, but that relationships are described with the help of physical phenomena. On the one hand, a person is determined by his or her situation in place and time. Our human existence can be very significant because of the place we occupy and the kind of life we live. Relatively speaking those who are acclaimed leaders and “stars” both in the context of cinema and politics have gained their prominence because of the physical existence.
On the other hand, one’s bodily existence is defined by a person’s relationship with God and with fellow human beings. In the relationship with God, one’s physical, sensible and sensitive side cannot be excluded, for how else can we praise God but with a body and reference to our affections? We cannot separate our physical body from what we do in worship. Our emotions and physical movement such the clapping of hands, swaying in praises to God and other meaningful movements are in concrete relationship with the one we worship—God. Perhaps I am saying this self-critically as a person who grew up with much formality in Protestant attitude which, due to its stress on listening to God and the intellectual debate about God, is in danger of neglecting essential dimensions of human existence. Meaning there is a tendency that we intellectualize our faith rather than live as integrated human beings.
3. Finally, body imagery can be an intermediary with regard to the concept of God. In the psalm, God is presented – with the help of physical aspects – as a living force, and at the same time as an acting personality and the dynamism in this concept of God cannot be overestimated. By stressing God’s omnipresence, Psalm 139 also shows that speaking of God in relation to human activity has its limitations. We know that God in relations to us human beings maintain God’s unique qualities in contrast to human beings. God’s mind is not like our mind, God’s thoughts are unreachable.
Verses 13-17 of Psalm 139 gives us a clearer picture of the Psalmist belief that even when we were still in our mothers’ wombs God has already known us and even knitted our bodies as they are.
13 For it was you who formed my kidneys,
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; that I myself know very well.
15 My bones were not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written all the days that were formed for me,
when none of them as yet existed.
17 How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Cristl Maeir has this explanation:
By verse 13 at the latest we notice a change of mood: mentioning the kidneys of all organs – which to us today seems very strange and which is unique in the Old Testament – makes sense if we look at the relational function of this organ. The kidneys, whose existence as a pair was familiar from the slaughter of animals are the seat of affections (Psalm 73:21; Proverbs 23:16) and of conscience (Psalm 16:7; Jeremiah 12:2). This association is based on the experience that the area around the kidneys is particularly sensitive to heat and cold. As the creator of the kidneys, God is described in verse 13 metaphorically as the one who makes his people’s affections and their ability to relate with one another possible. The idea often found in other prayers, namely that God tests hearts and kidneys (Psalm 26:2; Jeremiah 11:20; 20:11; Revelation 2:23) – most translations speak of “heart and mind”, omitting the concrete organ – shows that the relationship between those praying and the deity is being comprehensively tested.
Psalm 139 combines the formation of a human body in the womb, which can be physically experienced, with the theological tradition of God’s primeval creation known from Genesis 1-2. The divine creation of an individual here is defined metaphorically as weaving; the parallel metaphor of being woven in the depths of the earth (verse 15) contributes a variant of this idea that has a cosmological and even mythical background. The verbs “creating” and “weaving” also denote divine actions in the primeval creation of Lady Wisdom in Proverbs 8. The reference to the psalmist’s bones (Mc() again links the mythical concept with the individual’s body.
Through its communication structure Psalm 139 expresses the close relationship between the psalmist and God and this is emphasized by its body-related language. The body imagery stresses the fact that the psalmist is a creature, i.e. created by somebody else and in this respect the prayer is related to many other psalms. The emphasis on the individual, on the other hand, is un-typical since the majority of Old Testament texts stressed the social integration of the individual. However, physicality, being a created body, is a prerequisite for social relationships even in Old Testament thinking and in a biblical context the relationship with God is part of this.
We are integrated human beings and that our being creatures of God, we are endowed with great possibilities of wholesome life lived in peace. The very consciousness of God’s omnipresence assists us in our faith and action towards a renewed understanding of total existence under the reign of God in Jesus Christ.
Psalm 139
17 July 2005
1. In so many ways we are confronted by the question “why is God so powerful that even my inmost thoughts he knew?” For sure it’s not good to be scrutinized all the time by someone who is not even human, a God who is spirit and it looks like there is no escape from God’s confronting presence in our lives. Alam ko na nakakatakot ang ganitong sitwasyon na walang kang mapagtagu-an sa pagsusuri ng Diyos.
2. Psalm 139 gives a vivid description of God’s omnipresence in our lives and that whatever we do and will do God knows. This Psalm has body imagery and that it is one of the Old Testament meaningful presentations of the human body as one coherent and interrelated body. In having this, it is important that we should miss the prerequisite theological understanding, namely to understand the body as a psychosomatic unit, can help to qualify the sometimes dualistic concept of humankind in the Christian tradition. It can thus counteract a devaluation and disdain of the body on the one hand, and its spiritless fragmentation on the other hand.
3. In so many ways the human body is described in the Bible both the OT and NT as a weaker part of the human being. The soul/spirit is the higher part that animates the body. This kind of dualism is very prevalent in the NT especially in St. Paul’s theology. But this body imagery in our text shows that our human body is an integrated one and thus it is a total whole in relation to God. Thus, the Psalmist believes that God searches and knows every human being not just as spirit or soul but as a psycho—mind and soma-body unit. God is well acquainted with our mind, heart, body. That makes God’s concern overwhelming and God’s care and love empowering. On other hand many people would tremble at the though that ever second of the day, he/she is being judged by God and that an act of disobedience or the thing we call sin is absolutely known by God.
4. Cristl Maier a woman German theologian has this to say about 1-5 of Psalm 139:
Up to the present, verses 1-5 have been interpreted in two opposite ways. Does the close relationship between the person praying and God express a feeling of security and divine protection? Or is it proof of a fundamental despair of God which provokes thoughts of escape? Due to the parallel with Deuteronomy 6 and the use of the adjective “wonderful” in verse 6, the psalm is very often interpreted as a hymn celebrating God’s closeness. However, the evaluation of a life which is completely open to God’s scrutiny is negative from the point of view of the person praying: the phrase “you hemmed me” used in verse 5 is normally only used for warlike surrounding and besieging, the “behind and before” makes it impossible for the psalmist to move horizontally, renders him incapable of going on, to go on his way, and to rest as he sees fit. The laying on of hands in this context is not a gesture conveying blessing, but prevents the psalmist’s movement in vertical direction: YHWH’s hand rests heavily on him, even presses him down. Human as well as divine actions are concentrated in the hands.
They can be creative and destructive, powerful and violent. In the Old Testament the hand is thus very often a symbol for power and its literally shattering effect is clearly emphasised in verse 5.
It thus becomes inevitable that we think that God’s hand is always here with us.
3. Moreover, Psalm 139 shows that it is not just the body as such that matters, but that relationships are described with the help of physical phenomena. On the one hand, a person is determined by his or her situation in place and time. Our human existence can be very significant because of the place we occupy and the kind of life we live. Relatively speaking those who are acclaimed leaders and “stars” both in the context of cinema and politics have gained their prominence because of the physical existence.
On the other hand, one’s bodily existence is defined by a person’s relationship with God and with fellow human beings. In the relationship with God, one’s physical, sensible and sensitive side cannot be excluded, for how else can we praise God but with a body and reference to our affections? We cannot separate our physical body from what we do in worship. Our emotions and physical movement such the clapping of hands, swaying in praises to God and other meaningful movements are in concrete relationship with the one we worship—God. Perhaps I am saying this self-critically as a person who grew up with much formality in Protestant attitude which, due to its stress on listening to God and the intellectual debate about God, is in danger of neglecting essential dimensions of human existence. Meaning there is a tendency that we intellectualize our faith rather than live as integrated human beings.
3. Finally, body imagery can be an intermediary with regard to the concept of God. In the psalm, God is presented – with the help of physical aspects – as a living force, and at the same time as an acting personality and the dynamism in this concept of God cannot be overestimated. By stressing God’s omnipresence, Psalm 139 also shows that speaking of God in relation to human activity has its limitations. We know that God in relations to us human beings maintain God’s unique qualities in contrast to human beings. God’s mind is not like our mind, God’s thoughts are unreachable.
Verses 13-17 of Psalm 139 gives us a clearer picture of the Psalmist belief that even when we were still in our mothers’ wombs God has already known us and even knitted our bodies as they are.
13 For it was you who formed my kidneys,
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works; that I myself know very well.
15 My bones were not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written all the days that were formed for me,
when none of them as yet existed.
17 How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
How vast is the sum of them!
Cristl Maeir has this explanation:
By verse 13 at the latest we notice a change of mood: mentioning the kidneys of all organs – which to us today seems very strange and which is unique in the Old Testament – makes sense if we look at the relational function of this organ. The kidneys, whose existence as a pair was familiar from the slaughter of animals are the seat of affections (Psalm 73:21; Proverbs 23:16) and of conscience (Psalm 16:7; Jeremiah 12:2). This association is based on the experience that the area around the kidneys is particularly sensitive to heat and cold. As the creator of the kidneys, God is described in verse 13 metaphorically as the one who makes his people’s affections and their ability to relate with one another possible. The idea often found in other prayers, namely that God tests hearts and kidneys (Psalm 26:2; Jeremiah 11:20; 20:11; Revelation 2:23) – most translations speak of “heart and mind”, omitting the concrete organ – shows that the relationship between those praying and the deity is being comprehensively tested.
Psalm 139 combines the formation of a human body in the womb, which can be physically experienced, with the theological tradition of God’s primeval creation known from Genesis 1-2. The divine creation of an individual here is defined metaphorically as weaving; the parallel metaphor of being woven in the depths of the earth (verse 15) contributes a variant of this idea that has a cosmological and even mythical background. The verbs “creating” and “weaving” also denote divine actions in the primeval creation of Lady Wisdom in Proverbs 8. The reference to the psalmist’s bones (Mc() again links the mythical concept with the individual’s body.
Through its communication structure Psalm 139 expresses the close relationship between the psalmist and God and this is emphasized by its body-related language. The body imagery stresses the fact that the psalmist is a creature, i.e. created by somebody else and in this respect the prayer is related to many other psalms. The emphasis on the individual, on the other hand, is un-typical since the majority of Old Testament texts stressed the social integration of the individual. However, physicality, being a created body, is a prerequisite for social relationships even in Old Testament thinking and in a biblical context the relationship with God is part of this.
We are integrated human beings and that our being creatures of God, we are endowed with great possibilities of wholesome life lived in peace. The very consciousness of God’s omnipresence assists us in our faith and action towards a renewed understanding of total existence under the reign of God in Jesus Christ.
Sunday, July 10, 2005
Embattled Good Soil
EMBATTLED GOOD SOIL
Matthew 13:1-8; 18-23
July 10, 2005
1. Every time rainy season comes to the Philippines, I am reminded of the planting season in the rural areas. In the many years that I have worked as pastor in the island of Panay and Guimaras, I viewed agriculture—plowing the fields, sowing rice seeds, and harvesting crops as God’s own way of sustaining Cod’s creation especially human beings who depend on the good soil for life. In human history, the fertile soil had been coveted by individuals, tribes and classes in society. There have been situations where fertile and arable lands are embattled—that is, the land is the object of conflict.
Out text in the Gospel of Matthew is a parable the sower who went out and sows seeds in the field. In his attempt to harvest double and triple from what he sowed, he sowed abundantly on every square meter of the field. The parable as interpreted is about the characterization of receivers of the message of the Kingdom of God. The seeds that fell on rocky ground, those that fell along the road, are those that fell among the thorns are the receivers of the message of the Kingdom who somehow due to prevailing situations, fail to hear, accept and live out the message of the Kingdom of God. While the seeds that fell on good soil had delivered plentiful harvest. The good soil is known as those who willingly and openly received the message of the Kingdom of God. They have heard of it, understood it and produced crops yielding a hundred, sixty of thirty.
2. The good soil can be inferred as those who followed Jesus’ message of the Kingdom of God or the Christians, while those who did not listen, accept and live with it are considered indifferent people who refuse to listen and do something of the message of the Kingdom of God. Christians who are considered the “good soil” is now embattled, that is, they live in social situations which confuse their minds and twist their Christian values. We live in situations where there are ambiguities in our claims as Christians. And oftentimes these ambiguities have semblances of the work of the indifferent ones.
Russel Pregeant in his meditations on Matthew 13 says that:
The interpretation of The Sower in 18-23 makes clear that the various seeds in the parable itself represent varying responses to the “word of the kingdom,” and the image of the harvest in both The Parable of the Weeds and its explanation make clear that wrong responses are subject to God’s eschatological judgment. Both the Parable of the Net and the identification of the sower with Jesus in vs. 37 show that the judgment involves not only the world at large but the church itself. Thus the seeds treated negatively in the Parable of the Sower include members of the church, and the parable and explanation serve as a warning to Christians and encouragement to hold fast to their commitment to the word. Even those who once received it with joy can fall away in the face of trouble, persecution, worldly cares, and “the lure of wealth.”
(Cite instances when Christians are too busy to hear the message of God’s kingdom, when they can’t accept the truth about God and about life in its fullness)
3. Moreover, the good soil has been differentiated from the barren soil. The latter is referred to as those whose hearts have become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. However, in our modern tines, this characterization can’t be limited to those who are considered “bad apples” but may also refer to the Christians themselves. In this situation Paul in his letter to the Romans chapter 11 tells of the difference between “life in the flesh” and “life in the spirit” which gives a better understanding of the life of Christians in contemporary society. Russel Pregeant has this point:
For an examination of Paul’s usage of the Spirit/flesh dichotomy shows that the latter term does not refer to sheer material reality. Both flesh and spirit are powers according to which one can live. To live according to the flesh is to live within the field of force of an alien power, a power that denies the realm of the Spirit altogether. It is to live as if material reality were the only dimension of existence. To live according the Spirit is, by contrast, to live within the sphere of influence of God’s empowering presence. Thus, if we think of the action of the Spirit in process terms, we can envision it as the agent of God’s luring us toward the good in every moment of our lives. We can interpret it as God’s persuasive influence in every decision we have to make. And this insight can help us with the Parable of the Sower. It is not easy to resist the desire to seek safety in a time of persecution or the seductive lure of material comforts and luxuries. Paul’s image of the Spirit, however, encourages us to be attentive to another set of lures and another field of force that offers a fundamentally different mode of fulfilling our human nature.
4. Finally, Jesus mentioned that those who listen to his words, those accept it willingly and live up to the expectations of the Kingdom of God are called “blessed”. For they have continued in the life which God intends for God’s children. And even if they live in difficult situations, they are able to hear, see, accept and bear witness to the power of God in the world. Amen.
Matthew 13:1-8; 18-23
July 10, 2005
1. Every time rainy season comes to the Philippines, I am reminded of the planting season in the rural areas. In the many years that I have worked as pastor in the island of Panay and Guimaras, I viewed agriculture—plowing the fields, sowing rice seeds, and harvesting crops as God’s own way of sustaining Cod’s creation especially human beings who depend on the good soil for life. In human history, the fertile soil had been coveted by individuals, tribes and classes in society. There have been situations where fertile and arable lands are embattled—that is, the land is the object of conflict.
Out text in the Gospel of Matthew is a parable the sower who went out and sows seeds in the field. In his attempt to harvest double and triple from what he sowed, he sowed abundantly on every square meter of the field. The parable as interpreted is about the characterization of receivers of the message of the Kingdom of God. The seeds that fell on rocky ground, those that fell along the road, are those that fell among the thorns are the receivers of the message of the Kingdom who somehow due to prevailing situations, fail to hear, accept and live out the message of the Kingdom of God. While the seeds that fell on good soil had delivered plentiful harvest. The good soil is known as those who willingly and openly received the message of the Kingdom of God. They have heard of it, understood it and produced crops yielding a hundred, sixty of thirty.
2. The good soil can be inferred as those who followed Jesus’ message of the Kingdom of God or the Christians, while those who did not listen, accept and live with it are considered indifferent people who refuse to listen and do something of the message of the Kingdom of God. Christians who are considered the “good soil” is now embattled, that is, they live in social situations which confuse their minds and twist their Christian values. We live in situations where there are ambiguities in our claims as Christians. And oftentimes these ambiguities have semblances of the work of the indifferent ones.
Russel Pregeant in his meditations on Matthew 13 says that:
The interpretation of The Sower in 18-23 makes clear that the various seeds in the parable itself represent varying responses to the “word of the kingdom,” and the image of the harvest in both The Parable of the Weeds and its explanation make clear that wrong responses are subject to God’s eschatological judgment. Both the Parable of the Net and the identification of the sower with Jesus in vs. 37 show that the judgment involves not only the world at large but the church itself. Thus the seeds treated negatively in the Parable of the Sower include members of the church, and the parable and explanation serve as a warning to Christians and encouragement to hold fast to their commitment to the word. Even those who once received it with joy can fall away in the face of trouble, persecution, worldly cares, and “the lure of wealth.”
(Cite instances when Christians are too busy to hear the message of God’s kingdom, when they can’t accept the truth about God and about life in its fullness)
3. Moreover, the good soil has been differentiated from the barren soil. The latter is referred to as those whose hearts have become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. However, in our modern tines, this characterization can’t be limited to those who are considered “bad apples” but may also refer to the Christians themselves. In this situation Paul in his letter to the Romans chapter 11 tells of the difference between “life in the flesh” and “life in the spirit” which gives a better understanding of the life of Christians in contemporary society. Russel Pregeant has this point:
For an examination of Paul’s usage of the Spirit/flesh dichotomy shows that the latter term does not refer to sheer material reality. Both flesh and spirit are powers according to which one can live. To live according to the flesh is to live within the field of force of an alien power, a power that denies the realm of the Spirit altogether. It is to live as if material reality were the only dimension of existence. To live according the Spirit is, by contrast, to live within the sphere of influence of God’s empowering presence. Thus, if we think of the action of the Spirit in process terms, we can envision it as the agent of God’s luring us toward the good in every moment of our lives. We can interpret it as God’s persuasive influence in every decision we have to make. And this insight can help us with the Parable of the Sower. It is not easy to resist the desire to seek safety in a time of persecution or the seductive lure of material comforts and luxuries. Paul’s image of the Spirit, however, encourages us to be attentive to another set of lures and another field of force that offers a fundamentally different mode of fulfilling our human nature.
4. Finally, Jesus mentioned that those who listen to his words, those accept it willingly and live up to the expectations of the Kingdom of God are called “blessed”. For they have continued in the life which God intends for God’s children. And even if they live in difficult situations, they are able to hear, see, accept and bear witness to the power of God in the world. Amen.
Friday, July 08, 2005
GIVE ME LIGHT IN MY SOUL
JUNE 26, 2005
A MEMORIAL SERVICE FOR EDISON LAPUZ
Texts: Genesis 22:1 -14; Psalm 13
“Give me Light in my soul”
1. A life threatening situation will not find you sitting back and relaxing in the comfort of your home, it gives quivers and sleepless night and groping in the dark corners of life questioning your faith and even your philosophy in life. Then in the process of reflection you see a spark of consciousness and you say “give me light in my soul or I will sleep in death.”
2. We do not know exactly what troubled the Psalmist when he wrote the 13th Psalm which captures the immensity of the trauma he’d been going through. In many circumstances in life we have had inquiries into the divine will, “how long must I wrestle with my thoughts and everyday have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?
3. Since childhood I have not know an enemy worst than institutionalized violence, poverty cause by unequal distribution of wealth and oppression brought about by those who wield power in society. Those I can consider enemies were actually bits and pieces of the larger social evil in the world. Yes, these institutionalized violence cause deep emotional distress, person can even kill another person because one can not longer think and see clearly. For one who has this, persons become things and things are objects adulation for the owner.
4. Persons of faith turn to God for help, appeal for God’s justice and asks for light in his/her soul. The very consciousness of the divine will of God for life assists persons of faith in their unreserved service to people whom they considered as underdogs of society. However those who remain in their emotional distress and social alienation go down to the dark pit of selfishness and godlessness. Those who experience this depravity has the tendency to appeal to God as well, but in the process, distorts the ethical and moral meaning of faith in and obedience to God.
5.Distortion of faith can be seen in the co-optation of the religious symbols and rituals such as in the case of sacrificial blood offering. They who distort the message and co-opt the Gospel with their selfish interests think that it is possible to manipulate the divine will, like siding on them even if what they are doing are morally absurd.
6.The story about Abraham offering his son Isaac as the sacrificial offering is an anthropological evidence that blood sacrifice was practiced by the tribes during that time. The substitution of Isaac with a ram preludes that Yahweh would no longer require human sacrifice as proof of obedience and faith, rather, moral and ethical values are far more important than sacrifice.
7. In Christian Theology, the initiative for redemption of humanity from sin was taken over by God. It used to be that human beings make sacrifices to God, now God has willfully offered the Son as the living sacrifice for the redemption of the world. Thus the once and for all sacrifice of the Son of God on the cross is enough for the world. It is there for our taking, it is there for our commitment and obedience. With this, we therefore resolve that human sacrifices should never be used to please one’s God or deity. If ever there is we should exert our effort to stop them.
8. Even yet, in our world today, there are persons like the Rev. Edison Lapuz who was made a human sacrifice for the well pronounced “Strong Republic” of the Philippine government. Because of the inability of the agricultural, export oriented and import dependent Philippine economy to substantiate equality, opportunity and stability, the Arroyo government in connivance with the military name their “enemies”. Unfortunately, the UCCP the CBCP and other churches and peoples organizations were tagged as “enemies of the state”.
9. Edison Lapuz and I were contemporaries at Silliman University Divinity School in the Philippines. I was a year senior of him, yet we shared common interests like music, theatre arts and activism. While attending the seminary in the late from 1986 to 1991, I realized that this young man from the Island of Leyte was gifted, the moment he take hold of a guitar, he will sing for not just a song but would hold a concert, in which other students would love to sing with him. I thought he will not become of good pastor because he was too jolly and not so formal in so many ways.
10. Tell story about our attendance to the inauguration of the Center for Development Education and Training.
11. Edison and I did not know that he’s dear friend Pastor Dikoy will die of cardiac arrest two weeks after our cabinet meeting in Tacloban city in Leyte, which showed the sorrowful Edison Lapuz.
12. The Bishops of the UCCP know Edison so well, not just as an activist pastor, but is more well known for his singing talent.
Like the Plsamist….(refer to Psalm 13)
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