Ebenezer eNews and Worship eService

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Prelude (Murphy Hung)
 
Welcome (Valerie Panisales)
 
Land Acknowledgement (Valerie/All)
We acknowledge this land on which Ebenezer United Church serves our community.  For thousands of years, this land has been on the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit River.
Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to worship, pray, and practice our faith on this land.
 
Announcements (Valerie)
 
Affirmation of Faith (In unison) The United Church Creed (Voices United 918)
“We are not alone, we live in God’s world. We believe in God: who has created and is creating, who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh, to reconcile and make new, who works in us and others by the Spirit. We trust in God.
We are called to be the church: to celebrate God’s presence, to live with respect in Creation, to love and serve others, to seek justice and resist evil, to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen, our judge and our hope. In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone. Thanks be to God.” ***
 
Call to Worship (Rev. Dr. Shin & Valerie/All)
Come, let us stand upon the mountain and wait for God to join us.
Let us stand firm, though the wind blow strong against us. Though the wind clap its hands and hiss at us, we will not be made to flee.
For behold, our God is not in the wind: This is a wind that we have sown, and the whirlwind we reap.
Let us stand firm, though an earthquake splits the rocks beneath us, and even the heavens tremble. Though the earth be utterly broken apart, we will not be made to flee.
For behold, our God is not in the earthquake: This is an earthquake we have triggered, and the havoc we suffer.
Let us stand firm, though a fire ignite the air around us, and even the rivers burn. Though the flames singe our hair and choke our breath, we will not be made to flee.
For behold, our God is not in the fire: This is a fire that we have kindled, and the conflagration we feed.
And after the fire we shall tremble, hearing a still small voice; and the voice shall cause all wars to cease – And behold, the voice shall be with us saying, “Be still, and know that I am God!”
 
Lightening of the Christ Candle – (Valerie)
Jesus came to share the good news of God. He came to share in our joy and sorrows so that we may know God more fully. Let us take a moment to share our joys and sorrows in community with God’s people.
We light this candle for the good news we shared, the good news in hearts, and the good news that wherever you go, God is with us.
 
Hymn, "Touch the Earth Lightly" - (VU 307)
                                                                       
Opening Prayer (please listen) (Rev. Dr. Shin)
Dear loving God, Thank you for gathering us today in this place of worship, whether in person or virtually. We thank you lord that you came down in Jesus to dwell among us. We thank you that although we are weak and vulnerable, you still use us for your great works. Walk with us, Spirit of Christ, on this summer season. Show us what to bring with us and what to leave behind. Give us the courage to leave the past behind, that we may see the new things that lie ahead. Then let us pick up our very best gifts in order to give them to others in your name, that our lives may be complete, and our hearts may be made whole. In the Spirit and the joy of Christ our friend, we pray. Amen.
 
Hymn, "We Are Pilgrims" - (VU 595)

Scripture Readings (Valerie)

Matthew 19:16-30 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
¹⁶ Then someone came to him and said, “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” ¹⁷ And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.” ¹⁸ He said to him, “Which ones?” And Jesus said, “You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. ¹⁹ Honor your father and mother. Also, you shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ²⁰ The young man said to him, “I have kept all these; what do I still lack?” ²¹ Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” ²² When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

 

²³ Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. ²⁴ Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” ²⁵ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, “Then who can be saved?” ²⁶ But Jesus looked at them and said, “For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.”
²⁷ Then Peter said in reply, “Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” ²⁸ Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man is seated on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. ²⁹ And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or fields for my name’s sake will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. ³⁰ But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.
 
John 14:27 NRSVUE
²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.
 
“This is the word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God!”
 
Children’s Time
 
The Lord’s Prayer (In unison)
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
 
Hymn, "Behold How Pleasant" - (VU 856)

In the Bible, there are many references to the promise of inner peace. If Jesus came to give us inner peace and freedom, and has already done so in our lives, how can we secure it and bring it into reality? If Jesus died for us on the Cross to give our hearts rest, how can we live it out? In the Bible, Jesus teaches us the first way of inner peace and freedom: “to take God’s Kingdom as the very meaning of our lives.” This is the first way of inner peace and freedom.  Number 1: To set your heart on God’s Kingdom first.  We continue this message from last week.
 
In verses 23-24, Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you; it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” As you know, the young officer asked how to gain eternal life, but Jesus changes the question to how to get into God’s Kingdom. The man questioned how to gain eternal life, but Jesus responded to it with God’s Kingdom. Connecting the dots, it all comes together. To help us further understand. Matthew 6:33, Jesus teaches, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
 
How is setting our heart on God’s Kingdom first related to inner freedom, peace, and change? To answer this question, an answer to another question is needed: the definition of God’s Kingdom. What is God’s Kingdom? Does it mean the world without any pain or issue? Does it mean a world where the heavenly people who have wings eventually conquer the earthly people? Does it mean a judgment day when bad people will get destroyed by good people? What does it mean? Simply put, according to the Bible, it means the present reign of Christ’s faith, love, and hope through the work of the Spirit that dwells in our daily lives.  
 
Actually, this is the fundamental reason why Christians should be enthusiastic learners, and ministers should be capable theological teachers. Many experts commonly argue that most congregation members today tend to stop growing in God since their 8th grade Sunday school. Some may say, “I don’t wanna be taught, but want to get inspiration and care.” Some may say, “I don’t need guidance, but rather want to be satisfied.” However, we should recognize that there is a huge gap between God and us. That’s why we should never stop learning from Christ. Otherwise, we become more likely to serve political ideas and social issues rather than Christ’s hope, pleasure and philanthropy. Rather than Christ’s love, self-philosophy, religiosity, and than Christ’s faith.
 
I ask you again. What is God’s Kingdom? Yes, it means the present reign of Christ’s faith, love, and hope through the work of the Spirit that dwells in our daily lives. So, it is possible that God’s kingdom can be made anywhere. If your family follows Christ’s faith, love, and hope under the light of the Spirit, God’s kingdom must be there. If our community and personal life radiate Christ’ faith, love, and hope in the full submission to the Holy Spirit, that is God’s Kingdom.
 
The interesting thing is that until God’s Kingdom dwells in our center (as the very meaning of our life), it is almost impossible for us to have true peace and freedom. Why? There are two reasons: 1) inner peace and freedom is not connected with the status of fulfillment, but with the status of heart; 2) the two main enemies of inner peace and freedom, worrying and perfectionism, can only be solved by having one single heart;
 
1) inner peace and freedom is not connected with the status of fulfillment, but with the status of heart. Inner peace and freedom has nothing to do with the number of tasks completed and out of the way. “I have done all my work. It’s time for peace and freedom.” You can’t physically plan and incorporate peace and freedom into your day’s schedule when you wish. As you probably know well our life does not work that way. Our reality is that we are constantly being surrounded by so many unfulfilled things. This being true, is it also impossible to have inner peace and freedom until we die? There are many seniors who have already retired but still are filled with the same empty inner status as before. Then does this make Jesus’s promise of inner peace and freedom a lie? Sometimes people try to make their lives busier for the sake of filling the time of their day and feeling the relieving wave of accomplishment when they finish a task. Today being busy has become a symbol of wellbeing. “I feel I am busy, so I think I am doing well.” However, living a busy life does not always mean your life is under control. You can be busy with useless tasks as well. On the contrary, we go on vacations putting our normal lives on pause, expecting to find true peace and freedom, but we subconsciously realize that these attempts aren’t truly helping our inner status.
 
The point is this: inner freedom and peace has nothing to do with the unfilled promises, unfulfilled tasks, and unrealized proposals. It also does not have much to do with the number of fulfilled things. Rather, it depends on what is inside of you as the very meaning of your life. If we do not realize this, our lives are prone to becoming easily fragmented.
 
Jesus’s life was very busy. His life was occupied with so many fulfilled and unfulfilled tasks, but he was always in inner freedom and peace. How was this possible? Because his single heart had God’s Kingdom as the center of life. Because he set his heart on God’s Kingdom first.
 
Now for the second reason. 2) the two main enemies of inner peace, worrying and perfectionism, can be solved only by having one single heart; According to many experts, there are two main enemies of inner peace and freedom: worrying and perfectionism. Henri Nouwen says, “More enslaving than our occupations, however, are our preoccupations. To be preoccupied means to fill our time and place long before we are there. This is worrying in the more specific sense of the word. It is a mind filled with “ifs.” We say to ourselves, “what if I get the flu? What if I lose my job? What if my child is not home on time? What if there is not enough food tomorrow? . . .”
 
Another enemy of inner peace is perfectionism. In the scripture, the young officer probably wanted to be perfect. Today, we tend to hold perfectionism up as an insignia of worth or the emblem of the successful, but the truth is that according to many scientists such as Social psychologist Dr. Thomas Curran, perfectionists who want to be good at all are not usually astoundingly successful compared to “normal” people. They also feel discontented and dissatisfied for much of their life. Perfectionism very often prevents us from having inner freedom and peace. It blinds us from seeing the good aspects of life, enjoying and cherishing living.
 
The important thing is that those two enemies, worrying and perfectionism, can only be solved by having one single heart. “A single heart” means having only one focal or central point that guides your actions and motivations. That is why Jesus asked the man if he can take God’s Kingdom as the very meaning of his life or not. In many parts of the Bible, Jesus promises that setting one’s heart on God’s Kingdom first is the best way to gain more. Again, Matthew 6:33 says: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” In Mark 10:29-30, Jesus says in teaching his disciples to seek God’s Kingdom first, like this: “I assure you that anyone who has left house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or farms because of me and because of the good news will receive one hundred times as much now in this life and in the coming age, eternal life.”
 
Again, worrying and perfectionism cannot change our lives and never give us inner peace and freedom. However, Jesus tells us that having one single heart is enough. What is “one single heart” searching for? Yes, God’s Kingdom. Jesus guarantees that setting our heart on God’s Kingdom first will give us more than what we do, what we are able to do, and even what we want.
 
Have you ever heard this before? “What is in your wallet?” Since 1999, Capital One has used this question as a commercial campaign slogan, "What's in your wallet?" However, I would like to ask you a question. What do you live for? What is the (real) meaning of your life?
 
 Kelly Cree says in her research, “Meanings are at the core of our experience and also at the core of whatever we do. It is only through meanings that we make sense of our existence. In life, we find meaning through a sense of purpose which makes life worthwhile. A firm sense of meaning is essential for optimal human development. Without meaning systems “we would be lost in a murk of chaotic experience and probably would not have survived as a species in any case.” In a nutshell, MEANING SHAPES LIFE.  
 
Meanwhile, the object of meaning is also important. It actually implies what you rely on for your existential possibility. You can rely on your financial status as the source of meaning in life. You can rely on your youthfulness as the meaning in life. You can rely on your social success and business as the source of meaning in life. You can take your kids and your family heritage as the very meaning in your life. However, Jesus is saying to us, “they cannot make your life different and free.”
 
Here is a question: what was the main topic of Jesus’ teachings? What was the main reason for his ministry? What did he want to show us through his life and the Cross? Yes, God’s Kingdom. According to Luke 23:45, when Jesus died on the Cross, the curtain hanging in the Temple was torn in two. Why was this an important detail? This was a symbolized action that showed us the wall between God and us has been broken. The barriers between us and God’s Kingdom have been removed. God opens his arms to all his children, accepting every single person who accepts him first. The barrier is gone and now it is our turn to cross the line and enter the Kingdom for ourselves.
 
Therefore, Ebenezer families! set God’s Kingdom on your heart first. Desire God’s Kingdom. Crave it like everything else that satisfies you in your life. Learn to chase after it like money, a vacation, or a delicious treat. Let all things in and around you be the ways to live out Christ’s faith, love, and hope in the power of the Spirit.
 
I pray that is true in your life and mine.

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