Author: knoxchurchreddeer

Deuteronomy 34:1-12, Psalm 90:1-6, 13-17, and Matthew 22:41-46

 

The Saturday before last, a fire started at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Wainwright on the grenade launcher range. As we all know, fire suppression was difficult due to strong winds at the time, and 4 service members died, with 27 more remaining hospitalized in serious condition. While I prayed for the victims and wondered how I could help, I saw an advertisement. I am not a healthcare professional, but I thought donating blood would still let me support them. So, for the first time since coming to Canada, I went to the Canadian Blood Service and donated mine. The strange thing is that most of them assumed I was a student and asked who recommended it. However, when I told her I was the pastor of Knox Church downtown and had come to help the soldiers, she thanked me and said his parents were also members of our church 15 years ago. I was grateful for that time, as relationships mysteriously connected one by one, and I learned more.

Beloved, how was your past week? Did you feel peaceful? Or were there many things that distracted your mind and made you anxious? Perhaps, as we go through life, not as many things go according to our plans and intentions as we think. Especially during election season, conflicts or wounds from the results sometimes surface after the announcement. This is true in both society and the church. Even when the results differ from my will, it is not easy to pray and accept them, but I hope the entire process goes well. And it would be good if we could meditate on Moses’ heart together at such times.

Deuteronomy 34 describes Moses ascending Mount Nebo and looking out over the land of Canaan. This mountain rises 700 meters above sea level and lies in present-day Jordan, east of Israel, offering a good view of Jericho and Jerusalem. Like today, Canaan was very fertile. Sweet fruits and food, including date palms, were more abundant than elsewhere. Living to age 80 with scarce medical facilities is a great blessing. However, at that age, he led over 2 million people to Canaan, 300 km from Egypt. It is about the distance to walk from here to Lake Louise. But as we all know, they marched 1,200 km over 40 years, guided by pillars of fire and cloud, with no shortcuts. It is about the distance from our church to Vancouver or Winnipeg. Walking is difficult, but enduring the time is even harder. It is a whopping 40 years. It is even recorded that all the people who came out of Egypt died, and only a new generation born in the wilderness, along with a small number of leaders, entered Canaan.

Let us meditate together on Moses’s life. He was born to Amram and Jochebed of the Levi tribe, and to escape Pharaoh’s order to kill Hebrew male children, he was placed in a basket made of reeds and cast into the Nile River, where an Egyptian princess rescued him. The name Moses comes from the Hebrew word “Masha,” meaning “to be rescued.” He was educated as a prince at the royal palace until the age of 40 and lived without want. At the age of 40, he killed an Egyptian official who was harassing the Israelites and fled into the wilderness. He went from prince to criminal and fugitive. He fled from Egypt to the wilderness of Midian in northwestern Saudi Arabia. He got married there and spent 40 years as a shepherd. God called him while he was looking at the burning bush on Mount Horeb. In that moment, the fugitive’s identity changed to that of a called-out leader of the people. Empowered by God’s authority, he opposed Pharaoh, led his people, and escaped to the Promised Land. The people were not entirely obedient. There were many twists and turns. He, too, sometimes disobeyed God, resented the Creator at the Waters of Meribah, and could not control his anger. Despite 40 years of hard work and devotion, he ultimately could not enter the land of Canaan. The Bible describes Moses’s end in this short, simple way amid the long Exodus journey. How disappointed he must have actually been? He has suffered so much and survived several near-death experiences, and has come a distance that he could reach on foot in a day, but now he must stop. Furthermore, God declares that Moses cannot go to Canaan and that his life will soon end. That is a bolt from the blue. However, he obeys and hands over the leadership to the next leader, Joshua, by laying his hands on him.

It is unfortunate if I look only at the human side. However, from the perspective of the time God granted him, the story is different. God prepared and trained him throughout his entire life. He also had signs and wonders performed before the Pharaoh. During the 40 years in the wilderness, he experienced God with him 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. It was a dreamlike time. Now, only the place where he stands has moved from the plains of Moab to God’s side. He left this earth 3,400 years ago, but he rests today in God’s Time Zone. And we can vividly remember and imagine his actions.

Beloved, we are no different from Moses. The time we have now is the time God has granted, and it is the time of life. At the same time, we are all in God’s Time Zone. The same is true of David’s confession that Jesus speaks of in the Gospel of Matthew. This passage quotes Psalm 110, in which David confesses the words God spoke to Jesus. The periods in which David, who ruled Israel around 1000 BC, and Jesus were active are distinctly different. However, in God’s time, David could meditate on and anticipate Jesus coming to earth as the Messiah. Through his poems, Jesus wisely defended against his opponents’ attacks. This was possible because Jesus, Moses, and David were all within God’s work and in the Creator’s bosom.

So, I am praying for these. I hope you will live in holiness within the Lord’s time today as well. I also pray for generous Christians who care for the weak as they spend this time with God’s perspective. May God give eternal peace and comfort to Private. Shaun Farrell, Private. Aidan Goulding, Private. Hayden Lykkemark and Sergeant Morgan Wong. Amen.

Psalm 96:10-13, Matthew 22:15-22, and 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

 

The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the church in Thessalonica. Thessalonika is now in the Thessaloniki region of northern Greece. Although North Macedonia and Greece are currently separated, 2,000 years ago Thessaloniki was the capital of Macedonia and a large city with over 200,000 inhabitants. Thessaloniki was an important transit point for travel from the Roman Empire to eastern Turkey and Asia. As a result, it became a center of trade and an administrative capital. Paul established a church here after Philippi. Many people accepted the gospel through Paul’s preaching. However, the majority of the existing Jews persecuted him, and he could not stay here for long and left. The Jews were so aggressive at the time that Paul and his companions had to flee to Athens, 500 km away. Ultimately, Paul saw the beginning of the church community, but he did not see it grow or become stable. I can imagine how worried he must have been. He must have been anxious. He was very curious about the church in Thessalonica. However, despite the hardships, there was also good news about the Thessalonian church. So, Paul sent Timothy to Thessalonica to encourage the church members and promote their spiritual growth. He then moved to the Corinthian region and preached the gospel. Later, Timothy came to Paul and brought news about the Thessalonian church. Paul was deeply moved upon hearing the news from Timothy. So he wrote this letter to encourage the members of the Thessalonian church. If you look at the content, it praises various excellent aspects. Unlike Paul’s concerns, they worked by faith, laboured in love, and endured in hope. Faith and love were abundant, and they spent a difficult day in hope while waiting for Jesus to come again. Their steadfast faith grew amid the tribulation.

Beloved, as I read the letters, many passages challenge me and bring me joy. The members of the Thessalonian church received the gospel powerfully through the Holy Spirit, with deep conviction. Meditating on the situation of many churches in North America today challenges me. Rural areas no longer require a large workforce. Many places in the Prairie now cultivate and harvest several times more crops than previous generations did, using a small workforce with combine harvesters, tractors, and trucks. As a result, it is no longer easy for many churches in rural areas to operate. With major shifts in labour, population migration, and culture, the acceptance of the Gospel has changed. The younger generation acknowledges God’s existence, but the intensity of their faith in the Creator has weakened. A generation has emerged that asks AI search engines like ChatGPT or Gemini rather than God, and trusts them even more. Although the environment is not easy, I am grateful that our church continues to try new things. If various requests arise in the Sunday School and Youth Group, the elders and teachers respond accordingly. The board manager, who oversees the church building, wisely plans and completes financial matters. The Cardmaking Group and the Pastoral Care Team visit church members and continue to show love and care. The Mission Committee supports local and global needs through cooperation within the church. The Worship and Music Support Team organizes bell choirs and musicians, including our pianist, to deliver abundant grace. Most church members actively participate in various church events and provide support, including the coffee fellowship. So, I am grateful, and I am grateful again.

These are the words of verses 7 and 8: “So you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. ⁸ The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia—your faith in God has become known everywhere.”

The phrase that you become models for others and that the news spreads everywhere gives me great motivation. I want to be that kind of person to someone, and I want our church to receive such evaluation and praise. Furthermore, I hope that the Knox congregation will continue to grow with stronger faith and hope, just like the Thessalonian congregation.

I know that it is not easy. Being a model of faith in the church, at home, and at work is not simple. When I was ministering in Korea, pastors often said things like this to each other. “Pastor’s kids are usually either angels or troublemakers; there’s no in-between.” Although no one in our church is like that, I can understand if you make the same mistake with me five or ten times. However, there are many times when I cannot easily tolerate my child making the same mistake even if they do it only three times. Perhaps I may be a generous pastor, but I still lack as a generous father. So, I have a long way to go to become a model father. Conversely, someone might be excellent at church but receive a harsh evaluation at work. This could be because of the nature of the work or the environment. The Pharisees’ tax question in the Gospel of Matthew, which puts Jesus in a difficult position, poses an even greater stumbling block for modern Christians. Of course, in Canada, the federal and provincial governments take a very transparent and large portion of the tax collection. However, in countries where this is not the case, it causes conflict for believers. How much tax is honest to pay? Also, how much is an appropriate offering to give at church? Should you pay tithes based on pre-tax earnings or offerings based on after-tax income? There is no right answer. I invite you to pray and decide what you can live joyfully on, based on your faith and living conditions. However, as a pastor, I always want you to receive the Good News with joy in the Lord. I also hope that you will be praised when Jesus Christ comes again. Amen.