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Would it be too much of a stretch to say that God in the first lesson sounds like he's talking about the current situation of our country? The vision Isaiah receives is God’s rejection of any sacrifices of the kingdom of Judah. God refuses to accept whatever Judah does in the name of God or for the sake of God. The reason is clear. God says, “Your hands are full of blood.” We may all agree that the hands of the United States are full of blood as we reflect on the recent shootings in Dayton and El Paso as wells as the border crisis. Innocent people are murdered and treated inhumanely. Whether one is politically on the right wing or left wing, I think most people can agree to believe that something is definitely wrong in our country. We create sufferings for one another instead of working to relieve them. As we hear all these tragic and heart wrenching stories, we also suffer. In this situation of human-made sufferings, no wonder why God would not accept any sacrifices coming from the hands full of blood. And of course, many thoughts and prayers God will not listen to either.
Living in this cruel world, what are we Christians called to do? Within our church, which is quite well known and accepted as one of the liberal Christian denominations, it is not hard to hear the voices that are shouting for social justice in our country. But few seem to take any actions and more seem to not know what to do about them. I’m not saying this to blame our lack of ability or social justice strategies. Rather, I suspect we might miss something much more important in our Christian calling that can give us some clear direction on these social issues. It’s like we all know Jesus calls us to be the salt of the world, yet we don’t know how salty we ought to be in the world. When we don’t know that, we simply become too bland or unnecessarily too salty. Or to put it differently, we ourselves haven’t really experienced what it is to be the salt of the world and we have no clue what we as Christ’s followers can offer to this suffering world. We as Chrsitians should be able to say what we are recently facing in our country is a spiritual problem in that our country is spiritually bankrupt. And also we need to face that the reality in which we don’t know what to do about it is our spiritual crisis. In this midst of encountering our spiritual bankruptcy and spiritual crisis, today’s gospel is the light from God which redirects us as well as reminds us of Jesus’s gospel. Often we forget about the gospel Jesus actually proclaimed. It’s not about “Become Christians.” The good news Jesus proclaimed is rather simple: The kingdom of God has come near. The kingdom of God is within you. In today’s gospel, Jesus tells the same thing to the disciples, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” God desires to give you the kingdom. And that kingdom is already within you. (If you heard my homily last Sunday, I’m repeating the importance of the kingdom within us again.) Only after telling the disciples that God’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom, Jesus says, “Sell your possessions, and give alms.” It is because the kingdom given to us is more precious than any possessions we can have in this world. Discovering this kingdom of God within us is like having a purse that does not wear out or gaining an unfailing treasure in heaven where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. This is the kingdom in us that is eternal. Imagine when you have something so valuable. You wouldn’t care so much about anything else. Say you are given a million dollars for free in cash and you have some singles in your wallet. You see a homeless person who asks you for changes. Wouldn’t you just give everything in your wallet or your entire wallet itself to that person? And this kingdom of God is nothing comparable to money or fame or honor. What Jesus then tells the disciples or all those who have heard his message of the gospel is quite shocking and rather too radical. He’s saying that this kingdom of God which is unmeasurably precious and valuable is already given to us and is within us. Well, who would believe that? When it is too easy to get or doesn’t require any effort, it is just hard to believe its legitimacy. Now, I ask all of us the same question. Do you believe what Jesus tells you? Do you believe that the kingdom of God is already within you? Do you believe that when you say the Lord’s prayer, especially the part where you say “thy kingdom come,” it means “thy kingdom come” in your heart first? Or do you experience the kingdom of God in you from time to time if not right now? I imagine we want to say “yes” to all but our honest response would be “no” or “not really” or “are you crazy?” We want to believe what Jesus has proclaimed but we don’t know how to make sense of it or we haven’t yet experienced that kingdom Jesus talks about. I think this lack of experiencing the kingdom of God in us may explain why we feel so lost or we have nothing to offer to the suffering world. This morning, I would like us to experience this kingdom of God in us. As you all know me quite well, I won’t do anything crazy but ask you a simple question. I invite all of you to close your eyes and answer my question. “Who are you?” How did you answer? Did you simply say your name? But that’s not who you are. That’s your name that your parents gave you or how people refer you to. Who are you really? Another question. When you see, feel, touch, and think, you say, “I see, I feel, I touch, and I think.” Who is that I that sees, feels, touches, and thinks? You’re not simply your seeing, your feeling, your touch, your thinking. Who is that I? To both questions, “Who are you?” and “Who is that I that sees, feels, touches, and thinks?” the answer is “I don’t know.” Yet, you know you are there. If you don’t know who you are, you are right there and I see you. Remember the experience when you genuinely say, “I don’t know.” In the medieval tradition, it is called the “Cloud of Unknowing.” In this Cloud of Unknowing, all your thoughts and feelings are suspended and cut off. All there is in you is simply your existence. That existence you’re experiencing is where God dwells, therefore the kingdom of God within you. It doesn’t go anywhere just as we often say God doesn’t go anywhere. When we Christians say God is with you or God is in you or in your life, we rather mean it in a literal sense. God is within you. The kingdom of God is within you. But we are so caught up in our thoughts, feelings, and senses so we don’t experience God’s dwelling not so much. When you’re encountering the “I don’t know” stage, experience your existence only in which God dwells eternally. This is something every single human being shares with. In this existence, in this kingdom of God, there’s no fear or anxiety. Wherever God is, there’s peace and joy. There’s love and compassion. In today’s gospel, Jesus also urges us to be ready for his coming because he comes at an unexpected hour. This simply means to wake up, to be in touch with the kingdom of God in you, to be connected with your very existence. In other words, live out the kingdom of God which is within you. When you truly experience this kingdom in you, you will see the kingdom in others. You will see God in them. God in us and God in them are the same God whom we share our very existence with and in whom we exist. So as Christians, our calling whether lay or clergy is to bring this kingdom of God in us out to the suffering world as well as to bring out the kingdom of God hidden in others. Our Christian mission in this cruel world is then to see the kingdom of God in those who are murdered and separated from their loved ones as well as in those who are shooting and torturing others. But without first experiencing the kingdom of God in ourselves, this is an impossible task. It is my fervent prayer that we all encounter the very existence in which God dwells. This whole experience is the coming of the Holy Spirit upon us. So, may God grant us the spirit to think and do always those things that are right, that we who cannot exist without God, may be enabled to live according to the will of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. |
Paul"...life up your love to that cloud [of unknowing]...let God draw your love up to that cloud...through the help of his grace, to forget every other thing." Archives
January 2025
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