Jonah 3:1-5, 10 and Mark 1:14-20

I give thanks today for how God has blessed this church these past 40 years. I also give thanks to God for you and your faithful witness in behalf of the Good News of the Gospel. In addition to celebrating your 40th Anniversary as a church, I ask you to make this a time to rededicate yourselves to serving Christ’s mission in the world. These are anxious times in which we live. The Gospel needs to be proclaimed; people, systems and nations are in desperate need of transformation. My sermon today is offered to help you discern where and how God’s is calling you now as you move into another decade of ministry.

Throughout the Bible God caused defining moments in order to prepare leadership to begin new chapters in salvation history. When any person is confronted with this sort of event, it is usually the time when one’s deepest values come in conflict with life situations. These circumstances give each of us the opportunity to choose a path. Over the years the cumulative effects of these decisions form character. There is no doubt that we are each the sum total of our personal decisions.
There are choices that challenge us in a deeper way by asking us to choose between two or more ideals in which we deeply believe. Character is formed in these situations because we commit ourselves to irreversible courses of action that shape us personally and professionally. These defining moments uncover things in us that have been hidden, and we discover things about ourselves and reveal them to others. It is in these times that we discover whether we will live up to our personal ideals or only talk about them. Here we discover something in a very painful way — we discover who we really are.

This has happened to all of God’s leaders. For example, Abraham had his defining moment when he heard the voice of God calling him from the security of Ur to the insecurity of the life of a nomad. Can you imagine the conversations that took place in that home and the explanations to the extended family? Abraham obviously spoke very forcefully and convincingly to those who would make this journey with him. Through his decision God began his work of salvation.

We see how Joseph, best-loved son of his father but hated by his older brothers, was sold into slavery.…

언어의 분화는 이성의 한계를 말한다. 바로 거기서 부터 이성으로는 설명안되는 우리를 향한 그리스도의 구원이 시작된다.

성경 본문: 창세기 11:1-9

Today is Trinity Sunday. Triune God be with you. Trinity is too difficult to explain. Many theologian and ministers try to interpret this doctrine but they failed to grasp it. There are two attitudes to understand Trinity. At the one hand, some delve the doctrine itself. At the other hand others neglect the doctrine saying doctrine is made by human being. That’s right. But all doctrine is developed from Bible, Church History, the context of member of early church, their suffering and their effort to keep Christianity. We can oppose a doctrine. To do so, we have to experience more deeply than every context of early church.

Today is Trinity Sunday. Triune God be with you. Trinity is too difficult to explain. Many theologian and ministers try to interpret this doctrine but they failed to grasp it. There are two attitudes to understand Trinity. At the one hand, some delve the doctrine itself. At the other hand others neglect the doctrine saying doctrine is made by human being. That’s right. But all doctrine is developed from Bible, Church History, the context of member of early church, their suffering and their effort to keep Christianity. We can oppose a doctrine. To do so, we have to experience more deeply than every context of early church.

How should we understand “doctrine”? This is the starting point of our faith not a goal. God or truth is greater than sum of all doctrine. We don’t need to say that we must believe, understand and grasp. We have to turn our eyes toward the thinking of God that want us what to do with Trinity. Never use your ability to understand it. Never show your arrogance to neglect it. Let’s see the world with our thanks for Triune God who taught the doctrine.

Why does God explain the fact so difficulty? It would be better if He talk for us enough to understand with our reason and thought. Let’s find the cause from Bebel story. Some scholars said Babel story and Trinity are related each other. That ‘s why verse 7 use plural “us” for one God. It is the assertion that “us” shows Trinity.

Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.…

[audio:2011/2011-04-24.mp3]

Acts 10:30-43

mp3

Humankind Meets The Truth

People seek the Truth in this world. Why am I in this world, and what is the goal of my life? What is right, and what is wrong? This has been the question of humankind across the ages.

Our curiosity distinguishes us from animals. Of course, animal experiments show that monkeys and animals also have some degree of curiosity. New objects pique their interest.

But human curiosity is superior to that of animals. Humans have not only curiosity towards the material world, but also towards human themselves, and towards the spiritual. That makes us human.

Biologically, we are animals. It doesn’t matter where we stand on the creation vs evolution debate. Our bodies resemble those of other animals.

However, the nature of humankind ought to be found not in our biological features, but in that which is inherent to us which makes us human. When we see people who do seem to have lost their humankind-like nature, we call them “inhumane”.

What kind of person is an inhumane person? Is it because they look different from the rest? Or sport a different attire, or skin color? No. It’s when they have lost their human touch, that we call them “inhumane”.

We can’t say the same of animals. Expressions like “un-wolf-ly”, “un-tiger-ly”, “un-dog-ly”, are not in our vocabulary. This makes humans unique.

Humans have sought the Truth in various ways. Where did Socrates seek the Truth? He said, “Know Thyself”. He believed that self-understanding was essential to reaching the Truth.

The largest streams of philosophy and literature onwards have concerned themselves with finding themselves. It’s been a very long time since Socrates’, but some still seek the Truth.

A religion that takes on a similar approach is Buddhism. Buddhism is also about finding oneself. With a small twist. Buddhism says from the onset: “there’s no such thing as ‘oneself’. It’s nothingness”.

This is very hard to grasp. I do exist, but I’m taught that it doesn’t exist. People engage in lifelong self-flagellation and meditation to understand this teaching.

One may grow spiritually through self-flagellation and meditation, but all one achieves through it is simply coming back to the answers one already knew from the onset, or at worst, dying before even reaching that point.

In contrast, what does Christianity say about humankind? It defines humans as sinners. For the proud, modern man, a religion that starts right off the bat defining one as a sinner is a tough sell.…