The 9th Sunday After Pentecost:
Scriptures: Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16; Luke 12:32-40
Key Verse: “All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them.“ (Hebrews 11:13)
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Hello, This is Jade.
Welcome to Yi.kigai
A space for all to explore the intersection between faith and daily life
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There was an annual sports day held at schools from elementary to college in Taiwan. The sports day wasn't just about having fun but winning. Winning was a way of keeping your head high and your chin up; losing brought disgrace and shame to yourself or the team or the class you belonged to. From secondary school to high school, all students experienced the same philosophy throughout our academic study. Somehow, we all were equipped to survive in this competitive society. That was how my generation was raised.
This makes me think of how we raise our future generations and pave the path for them as people of faith. We all want the best for them. But what is the best? Whatever we define as "the best" for them is the way we pave the path for them. Our dream for them could be having a decent income or a loving family, belonging to the upper middle class, achieving professional goals, becoming powerful and famous, etc. For some, there is no ‘best’ but simply ‘survival.’
Last Friday, my husband and I decided to take a little walk at Marina Beach Park. While enjoying the striking views of Puget Sound and the Olympics and seeing many people enjoying water sports and boating, I commented that the current world is just like any world in the past including Jesus' time. There are always rich and poor. Some have money for all these luxuries, and some can’t even afford to pay the cheapest rent. Many homeowner's association fees along the Puget Sound are even beyond the cheapest rent. Some have access to several options for medical care; many don’t.
There might never be any perfect solutions because we all participate and live in this unfair world. It’s like eating at a buffet. Everyone in this world is entitled and invited to join. If some decide to eat less or have just enough food, it doesn’t mean our actions can protect those who are at the end of line. There are always people who tend to pile on too much food and get a second plate or a third one. Accumulating more is the best way to expand one’s stomach. Is this ‘the best’ that we define for our future generations? What we see in our lives together right now is the result of living without intentionally controlling or disciplining oneself. The food we pile on our plates are our dreams and desires, our material possessions, our entitlements, power and money. You name it.
I recently read an online article, "Why America needs a new kind of atheism right now", by Zeeshan Aleem. While some promote or advocate what religious group or atheism group our society needs right now, I also want to boldly praise Jesus’ cross. If more can die bravely through this same cross and rise up with Jesus each day, there will be more people who have enough food on their plate each day to enjoy and to live with dignity. In this way, we are able to join those who lived before us as it was written in Hebrews 11:13 that we see and greet God’s promise by faith. That is the best!
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May your coming week be blessed by God’s grace
As together we explore the intersection between faith and daily life
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