Tag: God

2015-11-15 Messages Received from Sermon by Tezenlo Thong “Lessons from Hannah, Our Mother of Faith”

“Lessons from Hannah, Our Mother of Faith”

(1 Samuel 1:4-20; 1 Samuel 2:1-10)

Messages Received:

  • Find God’s message in your heart
  • Share God with others
  • Rejoice in answered prayers
  • Prayer is how you live your life
  • The God in us. to share is goodness
  • We should pray not only for ourselves but for those in our lives and those in need.
  • Pray without ceasing
  • Shocking statistic about our Veterans, there are more death by suicide than deaths in war – combat
  • Shocking statistic about U.S. prisons, we have the largest prisons in all the world, mostly populated by minorities, with the prisoners feeling no future and no hope

 

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2015-11-15 Sermon by Tezenlo Thong “Lessons from Hannah, Our Mother of Faith”

“Lessons from Hannah, Our Mother of Faith”

(1 Samuel 1:4-20; 1 Samuel 2:1-10)

Today’s lection is the last of three weeks that focuses on women at the margin of society. Like Ruth last Sunday, Hannah is a woman who was marginalized and discriminated for reason beyond her control. She was barren or childless, and it was a shame for a woman not to bear a child. In the Bible, God is said to be one who opened and closed the womb, and there is no biblical story about an infertile man. So like many cultures, barrenness is considered a woman’s problem, not a man’s. Barrenness or infertility is thus construed as a divine hand or curse. Now, having a son would validate Hannah and restore her status in society.

In many male-dominated cultures, having no children, especially male children, was a sign of failure in life. It is seen as lack of a future because the “bloodline” is continued through the male child. Walter Brueggemann in The Prophetic Imagination says that barrenness is a metaphorical reference to “a loss of a future and therefore to hopelessness.” He says that “the notion of barrenness may be taken as a condition of despair in our society.” Indeed, it could be taken as a condition of our churches today. Many churches lament that they don’t have young people, youth and children. These are our future who have vanished and have very little or no interest in church. Where then is the future of the church? Hannah’s barrenness, wilderness, emptiness or insecurity of the future is perhaps a reflection of the state of the church today.

Also think of so many people who experience a deep sense of the lack of a future ahead of them. They see no way forward. Think of the veterans who suffer mental problem with no hope for future. Think of undocumented aliens who face deportation and separation from their loved ones any moment. They may be working hard, but their future is grim and uncertain. But the good news is that God “opened” Hannah’s womb and she gave birth to a son who became one of the greatest prophets. The church is called to be hope for the hopeless, to hold out hope and make a way for those who see no way.

—

Tezenlo Thong, Pastor
Simpson United Methodist Church

2015-11-1 Sermon “You Are the Church”, Tezenlo Thong

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“You Are the Church”

Acts 2:42-47

What image or memory does the word “church” evoke in your mind? I’m sure there is a whole array of things like friendship, love, meals, music, messages, prayers, mission, etc. But that’s not all. You might also think of other things like, anger, bitterness, frustration, conflict, etc. Perhaps, the one thing that resonates best with church is a building with a cross. For most people, the church is a building, a place we go to on Sundays. But is that truly the case? The church equals a building with a cross?

If we were to transport the first century Christians and take them into a modern church with lights, music and everything therein, I don’t believe they will ask, “Is this a church?” Or “This feels like a church. This must be a church, is it?” Instead, with utter confusion, they will surely ask, “What is this?” Because today’s church is not what they called church in the beginning.

The church has evolved over centuries. In the beginning, the church or Christianity was simply a way of life. There were no creeds or doctrines, no denominations or fancy buildings. It was a lifestyle, not an organized religion as we know today. In fact, the early Christians were called people of the Way (Acts 9:2). Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” Therefore, his followers were appropriately called people of the way.

Once a way of life, Christianity became an institution, eventually becoming a corporation or an enterprise. When we think of a church, our minds are so fixated on a building. However, the church is not a building. It is the people, who strive to live according to the teachings of Jesus. The church is a fellowship of believers striving to love, serve and make a difference in the world. Acts chapter two provides us with a good description of what the church was and ought to be.

 

Tezenlo Thong, Pastor
Simpson United Methodist Church

2015-8-23 Sermon by Tezenlo Thong “Corpus Christi”

“Corpus Christi”

John 6:56-69

“Corpus Christi” in Latin means the Body of Christ. At the continued requests of Juliana of Liege, Pope Urban IV instituted the Festival of Corpus Christi in 1264. The festival is a celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

Surprisingly, the Bible does not say much about the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Jesus said very little about it. The only imperative statement comes from Luke 22:19, “Do this in remembrance of me.” More surprisingly, the partaking of Corpus Christi has been the deepest point of division in the church. There is so much pain and discord around the celebration. There are many differing views and theological beliefs about communion, especially about the supposed nature of the bread and the wine on the table of fellowship.

The institution of Corpus Christi is not meant for theological dispute and schism. When we celebrate communion, we say, “Make them be for us the body and blood of Christ,
that we may be for the world the body of Christ.” We partake communion so that we may become for the world the hands, the feet and the heart of God. By partaking the body and the blood of Christ, we become God’s hands, feet and heart to serve, to heal and to love as God would. That’s all it is!

Our bodies have limitations. Our bodies do not look like the ones we see in magazines. Rather, ours is a broken one. It has aches and pains. It is wrinkled and worn out. But our bodies can still be the body of Christ. They can still be the hands, the feet and the heart of God in the world. The scars, wounds, pains and aches in our bodies enable us to identify with others in similar situations. Without these, we cannot empathize with the broken, the scarred and the wounded. So each morning as we wake up, our prayer ought to be “Thank you, God, for yet one more day in which I can be your hands, your feet, your heart in the world.”

Tezenlo Thong, Pastor
Simpson United Methodist Church


Sermon by Tezenlo Thong “Be Imitators of God”

“Be Imitators of God”

(Ephesians 4:22-5:2)

What conjures up in your mind when you hear the word “imitation”? Fake, phony, counterfeit, copy, bogus, etc. You have heard people say, “Be yourself. Be authentic; be real. Don’t copy someone.” So the word imitation is seldom used in a positive sense. On the other hand, we also talk of people who do or have done great things. We talk about people who are special. We try to emulate them, their sacrificial love, service and giving, because they inspire and motivate us. So in this sense, imitation is positive.

Paul challenges the Ephesians and says, “Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children.” What does it mean for us to imitate God? How can we finite beings imitate the infinite being? How can we frail and mortal beings imitate the immortal one? If God is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent, how can you and I imitate such a sovereign God? To imitate God is the ultimate ideal, but it’s an impossible task.

The Greek word Paul uses here is mimetai from which we get our English word to “mimic.” The idea is to copy closely, to repeat another person’s speech, actions, behavior and mannerisms. Paul is not speaking about imitating God’s sovereign or infinite attributes. He is rather referring to “imitable” virtues such as love, forgiveness, peace, kindness, mercy and grace. We can copy God in moral attributes. We can copy our God in justice, righteousness, truth and equality. Simply put, we walk in love as God also has loved us. Just like little children observe and imitate their parents, we do likewise. Imitation is a part of discipleship. Imitation is something we strive as followers. It is something we do daily.

Tezenlo Thong, Pastor
Simpson United Methodist Church

Sermon by Tezenlo Thong “Uncommon Community”

“Uncommon Community”

(Ephesians 4:1-16)

In the text for us today, Paul gives us his prescription for uncommon community. An uncommon community is one that is unconditional, unusual, unconventional or unlike any other in what and who we are as a people of God. Every group or community, including church, has a set of rules for inclusion and exclusion. To be an uncommon community means to be inclusive and open-minded to one and all, extending radical hospitality. It means to be unlike any other community in our attitude, behavior, acceptance and forbearance of each other. It is a grace filled community where our ability to forgive and love is unparalleled.

We see an example of such an uncommon community at the end of Acts 2, where all who believed were together and had everything in common. They broke bread and ate their food with glad hearts. They sold their possessions and goods and distributed the proceeds to all. As a result, the community enjoyed the goodwill of all the people. An uncommon community is marked by passion for loving, serving, encouraging, forgiving and other actions involved in building up one another and belonging to the body. It is a community where everyone experiences the community in its richest and most uncommon form.

—

Tezenlo Thong, Pastor
Simpson United Methodist Church

2015-5-31 “The Mysterious Divine” Sermon, Tezenlo Thong

“The Mysterious Divine” Sermon, Tezenlo Thong

(Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 29; John 3:1-17)

Who or what is God? Is it/he/she God, YHWH, Wakan Tanka, Eshwara, Allah, Dark Energy, Gaia, etc.? Throughout human existence, human beings across the universe have been seeking to understand “GOD”. Hence, so many names of God and religious traditions.

Have we understood the Mysterious Divine? Do we know who or what God is? Someone said, “A comprehended God is no god.” That is comforting, because we have the tendency to comprehend God completely, fully to our satisfaction and liking.

For this Trinity Sunday, the lectionary texts portray a mysterious God who is awe inspiring, fearsome, and beyond description and comprehension. In the words of Amy Jill Levine, “God is free to be; God is a verb; God is being.” God is free to be what God is and wants to be. Conversely, that mysterious Divine, we believe, is not only majestic, but also loving and gentle like the wind; transcendent, yet immanent; mighty, yet graceful; and most importantly, calls or invites us to know, feel and share with others.

In the end what is important is not how much we know or how we know; what is truly important is how that knowing of the mysterious divine changes us, shapes us and make us to be better persons in the world.

Tezenlo Thong, Pastor
Simpson United Methodist Church

2015-5-10 Sermon “Chosen for a Purpose”, Tezenlo Thong

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Chosen for a Purpose

(John 15:9-17)

Life is made up of choices.

 

For high school graduates, it’s time to choose which school to join. Every two years, there are major elections in this country when citizens get an opportunity to choose politicians. Out of so many people, you chose your husband or wife to live and love for life. I can go on, but the point is that life is made up of choices. In this today’s passage, Jesus says, “You did not choose me; I chose you for a purpose.” We are chosen for a greater purpose.

1. We are chosen for love and to love

Paul says, “Faith, hope, and Love. These three outlast all other things, but the greatest of these is love. Love is superior to knowledge, it is more fruitful than understanding all mysteries, it is above all prophecy and more powerful than the faith that can move mountains.”

We live in a culture that uses the word “love” a lot – a culture that overuses love and under employs it in practice. Jesus says, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” We are called to love because of the love of God.

2. We are chosen to bear fruit

“Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take with you nothing that you have received–only what you have given: a full heart, enriched by honest service, love, sacrifice and courage” ― Francis of Assisi.

Again Jesus says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.” We are chosen to bear fruit – fruits that will last forever. If love will remain, then whatever we do in love will also remain. Bear fruit – fruit that will last. Gal. 5:22 tells us that “the fruit of the Spirit is love….” Love is one of the fruits of the spirit. So if we have love we have the fruit of the Spirit. We have all been touched by someone’s love. We all have experienced what it means to be loved. The good things that we do out of God’s love are the fruits of the Spirit. Bear fruit – fruit that will last.

3. Chosen or called into friendship

Jesus says, “I no longer call you servants. Instead, I call you friends.” In the Old Testament, Abraham is called God’s friend. Jesus has called his disciples students, followers or disciples. But here during the last supper, he calls them friends for the first time. I’m sure many of you have experienced losing a friend to death. We grieve for lost friends because we love them. Also, part of friendship is allowing our friends to help us. And we have a friend who always walks with us in all the ups and downs of life. Proverbs 18:24, “…there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” In our moments of trial, temptation and hardship, we have a friend who is always there.

We are called to extend that friendship to others. You may have heard it often said that people are not looking for a friendly church; they are looking for friends in church. Extend friendship, fellowship and human connection to those who are lonely and seeking for a human connection and community.

Tezenlo Thong, Pastor
Simpson United Methodist Church

2015-5-3 Messages received from Sermon Fear Factor vs. Love Factor

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“Fear Factor vs. Love Factor”

(1 John 4:7-21)

Messages received:

  • Are you driven by fear or love?
  • Are you serving God with fear or love?
  • Fear means no joy
  • Can acting in fear make your service harmful?
  • Love means welcome
  • Can acting in love make your service more effective?