Author: knoxchurchreddeer

Psalm 65, Luke 17:11-19, and 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

 

Sometimes I reflect on important virtues as I live my life of faith. Sometimes, humility, sincerity, courage, consideration, generosity, zeal, and gratitude are never missing. Among them, designating and celebrating Thanksgiving Sunday during the harvest season is a precious tradition of ours. Harvest simultaneously makes me think of the time when I sowed seeds. Likewise, at the beginning of 2026, we made resolutions and planned what we needed for our lives. On the one hand, I think these resolutions have planted something in our lives.

I intended to do my best in ministry this year, but I believe I need to put in more effort. Actually, the air in Alberta was really good this summer because there were no wildfires. I believe God has given Alberta’s residents and farmers a precious gift. I was very worried because church attendance dropped during the summer. Of course, this is also a cultural result of Canada’s long winters. So, looking at my own religious life, I planted hope and zeal this spring, and planted worry this summer. In autumn, I am planting gratitude.

I thank God for granting church members more time of life despite their health issues, both big and small. Quite a few things have happened inside and outside the church this year, but I am grateful for them as well. My permanent residency has had many twists and turns, but I am grateful for them, too. I have felt the need to learn the language and culture, but I am grateful to feel more at peace than I did in my first year of ministry. Every day I come to confess how grateful I am to have a place to rest and a ministry to care for. It is also a great joy for me to look at the faces of the church members and pray whenever I start work in the office. So this autumn, although I have concerns, I am planting gratitude that transcends them.

Beloved, an episode in Scripture appears only in the Gospel of Luke. Ten men with leprosy come to Jesus. Because the medical system at the time was very poor, they were religiously and socially driven out. It is similar to when humanity suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic in the early 2020s, when people were quarantined and lost their lives due to the lack of proper medicine. However, in addition to this, people with such diseases were considered impure, so they were religiously judged and could not receive food or medical treatment. Jesus met these people. This was an unconventional act within Judaism at the time. Under the purity laws, they were considered impure together. It would have made the disciples tremble even more when they faced it. Today in Canada, it is a very rare situation with fewer than 15 cases of Hansen’s disease per year, and the infectivity can be suppressed within a few days through drug treatment. However, such treatment was not available in Israel 2,000 years ago. It was a droplet-transmitted disease and, above all, frightening because its cause was unknown. However, Jesus speaks to ten lepers in a way that is somewhat difficult to understand. “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” These are the people the Priests do not want to meet. And they themselves are not happy to meet the priests. This is because the very people who turned their backs on lepers and expelled them from society were those very priests. But surprisingly, they went to the priests, as Jesus said. Jesus commanded them not to understand, but to obey. And they were cleansed. A miracle happened. Why did Jesus send them to the priests? This symbolic act restored their status. He gave them the chance to show their cleansed bodies to the priest and live in the community again. Now, they can meet the family they miss. They can now have jobs and buy whatever they want to eat. Instead of spending the night under a tree in the meadow exposed to sandstorms, they can sleep in a warm house. They can also gather in the synagogue to participate in religious ceremonies and worship God. Jesus gave them a great turning point in their lives.

However, one thing is worth noting. Of those ten, only one returned to Jesus to express gratitude and give glory to God. He was even a Samaritan. He was a person who was always regarded as a second-class citizen by the Israelites. People from this region suffered immense damage under occupation by other great powers, so they should have been pitied; instead, they were criticized as a disgrace to the nation. However, that one person came to Jesus with more gratitude than the others. Jesus’ generous love brought about a miracle. Even a person treated as a stranger and despised by his own people gives glory to God and remains a proud protagonist to this day, 2,000 years later. Jesus even praises this miracle, saying He is not the main character, but that the person with leprosy created it. “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Beloved, I hope that we plant generosity in our lives today. I also want you to remember the things you are grateful for more often. Let us spend Thanksgiving Sunday remembering God’s love, who gives abundant grace. Therefore, we hope that through us, miraculous things will happen every day, and that the families, neighbours, and local people we meet today will give glory to God and give thanks. Amen.

Exodus 20:1-4, 7-9, 12-20, Psalm 80:7-15 and Matthew 21:33-46

 

God gave ten standards to the people living on this earth. They are like guidebooks for our lives. The first four commandments define the relationship between God and humans. God commands us to serve the Creator with a sincere heart and to keep the Sabbath. The remaining six commandments are the lessons that humans must observe in their lives. They guide us to honour our parents, not to murder, not to steal, not to bear false witness, and not to commit sexual violence. These ten commandments are timeless lessons that remain valid today, thousands of years later. Conversely, why did God go out of His way to give these ten commandments to humans? It is very simple. Because the Creator knew humans would not keep those commandments well. Today, many people are needed to live faithfully and with a sincere heart. It is difficult even to mention all the numerous wars waged by the leaders of countries that claimed to be Christian nations, while disregarding the commandment not to kill.

I want to introduce you to a shameful part of my country’s history. Originally, during Japanese colonial rule in the early 20th century, the church grew most in the Pyongyang region of North Korea. However, when Japan was defeated in World War II and Korea gained independence, turmoil followed. At the time, the Soviet Union wanted to establish a communist state in the North, while the United States and the West wanted to maintain a democratic state in at least South Korea. Consequently, Japanese influence persisted in South Korea, and those who collaborated with Japan became the new power holders, harassing those who had striven for independence. Also, at that time, many Christians were persecuted by communists in North Korea and came down to South Korea. They were separated from their families and driven out, leaving their property behind in North Korea. Filled with hostility toward communism, they suppressed people with socialist or leftist ideologies. So, around the time of the Korean War, there was an incident in which right-wing Christians massacred about 30,000 people. It was 10% of the population living on Jeju Island, a large island in southern Korea. Even among the victims, there was rampant madness of violence and retaliatory massacres, even though some were not socialists. And this violence was encouraged by the pastor of the largest Presbyterian church in Seoul at the time, and the young people of that church actively participated in it. I share this shameful history with you because of human imperfection. Humans make mistakes, and throughout history, we must live wisely today. God has appointed us Christians as stewards of this era. Through the Ten Commandments, we can learn to judge right from wrong, protect the weak, not covet our neighbour’s property, and not bear false witness. Through this, we will experience the Kingdom of God, just as the people of Israel were transferred from the land of slavery to the land the Lord is giving them.

The second lesson is how to live as a people who produce fruit. Jesus explains the Kingdom of God through the parable of the vineyard. It means that the one who cultivates the entrusted vineyard well, bears abundant fruit, and offers a share of the crop to the vineyard owner will receive an opportunity. Conversely, those who harbour evil greed and covet only the desire to possess the vineyard, while failing to fulfill their rightful duties, are deprived even of the right to work. Furthermore, they even receive severe punishment. They lose their lives, and even the Kingdom of God is taken away.

Beloved, this message poses a very daunting challenge even to me as a pastor. The Knox church God entrusted to me is a vineyard. At the same time, Red Deer, a little more broadly Alberta, even more broadly Canada and the world are the vineyard. I have a responsibility to make this a fruitful place, including the church. I have been called to create a dynamic community where life is revived. I want to become a servant praised by the Lord, but I am still just an inadequate servant. However, by relying on God’s mercy and grace, which continue to give us opportunities, we can start again. Today, as we celebrate World Communion Sunday, we will remember and meditate on Jesus, the Word made flesh. Let us live as good and faithful servants of God, just like Jesus, who gave everything to us, symbolizing the bread of life and His precious blood as wine. The Kingdom of God will be yours. Amen.

Psalm 18:7-14, Zachariah 8:16-17, and Matthew 5:1-11, 17-18

 

Last Thursday, the National Church Office hosted a webinar. It focused on residential schools and Colonization. In fact, Residential Schools were a result of Canadian churches complying with government policy at the time, and a tragedy occurred within a limited budget. Out of a total of 139 Indigenous residential schools, Catholics operated 64, Anglicans 36, United Churches 15, and Presbyterian Churches 12. Some people also had good intentions. At the same time, there were also groups with white supremacy. So, the government and the church forced cultural assimilation on Indigenous people. This happened a long time ago, and some of you here may not have a direct connection to them. However, the instructor claims. “All that was a long time ago, but it still continues. The wounds are still open.” In fact, Colonization issues, including residential schools, can be easily found on downtown streets today. And this was not the first time such a problem had occurred in Christian history. As European empires expanded, Christian theology and missionary activities justified colonial rule. The discovery of the North American continent, including the Doctrine of Discovery, and the invasion of Africa and Asia with armed force are a disgrace to the world Christian church. Therefore, most churches today have revised their mission policies from sending conquering and aggressive missionaries to sending collaborators to local churches and institutions. In fact, this uncomfortable reality is not easy to face. So the instructor also says that facing uncomfortable facts is not necessarily a bad thing. This is because, even though current children have not committed any grave wrongs, it is difficult to open up a better future without understanding the pain of the indigenous people living on this land. The fact that the life expectancy of many Indigenous people is 10 to 15 years shorter than that of Non-Indigenous people is a social problem and a future that we will continue to have to deal with. “Yesterday’s enemy is today’s friend, and today’s friend is tomorrow’s enemy.” Currently, the region below Canada was a friend to many countries in the past, but is now the most threatening. If Jesus were to come in this era, what would He tell us?

I tend to avoid sermons that make the audience feel guilty as much as possible. So, when I prepare a sermon or make eye contact with you while delivering the sermon, I try to avoid giving the impression that I am criticizing or attacking you. I am convinced that if Jesus comes to Red Deer in 2026, His priority will be the weakest. We will become followers of Jesus and follow Him. However, I expect that Jesus will go to the drug addicts on the streets, those struggling with identity confusion, and the countless Indigenous youths wandering after leaving the reserve. However, this ministry is truly not easy. This is because having the right direction and thoughts doesn’t mean the results will always be good. However, I would like to gain some insights from the words of Jesus.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Some people mourn due to material and mental distress. It is not easy for us to help them completely, but God will comfort them. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Perhaps this message sounds like a message directed at us. When you maintain gentleness, you will obtain a dwelling place in the Kingdom of God. However, maintaining meekness in life is not easy. Various factors disturb our peace of mind, such as encountering aggressive drivers on the road, seeing church buildings disrespected, receiving scam calls, losing our money and accounts to scam emails, news including next month’s referendum vote and USA tariffs, and so on. However, Jesus exhorts us. Be merciful, and you will be shown mercy.

Beloved brothers and sisters, unlike usual, I addressed political and social issues extensively in today’s sermon. If you felt any discomfort while listening, you are receiving the sermon well. The Gospel is inherently uncomfortable. Living like Christ is uncomfortable. How painful is it to take up the cross? How difficult is it to accept the Refuge and sometimes meet uncomfortable friends or acquaintances? It is also difficult to make altruistic decisions for our community, even if it means I suffer a loss.

But you, children of God, you know. When we strive for peace, God is proud of us. God will be pleased with all acts of bringing harmony to families, supporting the precious lives of those met on the street, caring for and restoring those who were once the masters of this land but have now been deprived of their status, and supporting decisions that bring peace in various political matters. I hope that you will continue to live as peacemakers in the coming week. May God bless all of us. Amen.