Mark 9:30-37, Psalm 1:1-6, and James 3:13-4:3, 7-8a
If we could know what would happen in a month, a year, or 10 years as we live, our lives would be very different. But we know that this is impossible. On the other hand, you may have already known two months ago that you and I would be here now. But we couldn’t have predicted this three months ago, a year ago, ten years ago.
None of us can predict the future, but we live in a world without these abilities. Even though we may not have the gift of prophecy, we do know God’s way of living. I hope to share two of those secrets with you today.
Today’s psalm is about blessed people. They do not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers. They also meditate upon His Law, day and night. The Lord watches over the way of the righteous. Blessed are those who know and meditate on the law of Jehovah, who walk in Jehovah’s ways and do Jehovah’s will. You and I are blessed because we know God and the gospel. What is Jehovah’s will and teachings? It is a simple and straightforward command to love God and love one’s neighbors.
We love God. And God loves us very much. We love our neighbors. We worry about the homeless. We feel sorry for them. When I come to church during the week, our members often come to church. And they tell me this story of Red Deer and other stories. Then, I think, “Our members love Red Deer and are doing a good job of fulfilling the trust God has given us as stewards of this area.” That’s right. God has a will and plan for us to live in Red Deer. It means cultivating and preserving this area according to God’s will. However, it is not easy to solve any of the problems I mentioned, such as homelessness, poverty, and drug addiction.
However, last week, I continued to meditate on God’s perspective. In today’s Word, God gave me this heart in Jesus: to serve our neighbors and the world with wisdom and humility.
Today’s verse from James 3:13 expresses this well. “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.”
The humility that comes from wisdom. And the service of love through this enriches our lives. It further makes the world beautiful. Giving them money directly and putting my heart at ease is not simply a good deed. Instead, it is to create a wiser plan. The problems of poverty, drugs, and homelessness are not just Red Deer’s problems. In particular, the problems of Indigenous families and refugees are also issues in Canada and around the world. Fortunately, in this unfortunate time, the government and all related organizations are seeking cooperation. And we pray and support materially for them. We do our work, politicians do policy work, and police, firefighters, and medical staff do their jobs responsibly. Of course, it is difficult for us to achieve positive results quickly.
What struck me when I studied Canadian society was First Nations life expectancy. Between 2015 and 2021, the life expectancy dropped a shocking seven years for First Nations men and women living in Alberta due in part to drug poisoning deaths.
In 2015, the average life expectancy for a First Nation man was 67 – today, that has dropped to 60. For First Nations women, it’s gone from 73 in 2015 to 66 years in 2021. The life expectancy of a non-First Nations man is 79. For non-First Nations women, it is 84. According to data from First Nation’s health statistics from the Alberta First Nations Information Governance Centre, the rate of opioid poisoning deaths is seven times higher for First Nations people compared to non-First Nations people.
Dear brothers and sisters in faith, we are all peacemakers. We must plant and create peace in the face of the pain and issues of society. James 18 says, “Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” As this verse says, we must plant peace and harvest righteousness in every corner of this land. This righteousness is the righteousness of God. We need to look at them as God looks at Indigenous people. When we look at the homeless through God’s eyes, we can plant peace in this land. And I believe that we will reap the fruits of righteousness.
Finally, we can see that this service is revealed more clearly through Jesus’ teachings. As told in Mark 9:37, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.”
We are optimistic about the world and welcome our needy neighbors. But we will welcome and embrace them wisely. In the church I served in the past, church members served meals to the homeless twice a week. Because it was a church in metro Seoul, the homeless often came to the office during the week. It was heartbreaking just to let them go. So ministers gave them a dollar or two. However, the problem was that they went to other churches to collect money and drank a lot, and the situation worsened. Some drunk people even committed violence in the church. Therefore, wise service is needed. We also need to delegate this role to those who are more professional than us. And there is a role that our church can play in unity with the entire denomination. And just by welcoming and smiling at a young child around my house and yours, the kingdom of God begins in our lives today. Also, as we all serve the Disadvantaged People with wisdom and humility, as Jesus Christ said, we will all accept Jesus and the God who sent him.
I hope we will all receive God and experience the joy of heaven through loving service during the week ahead.