The 7th Sunday of Epiphany:
Scriptures: Genesis 45:3-11, 15; Luke 6:27-38
Key Verse: “Come closer to me!” (Genesis 45:3:4)
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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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Happy Epiphany. It is the 7th Sunday of Epiphany, which is the last week of this glorious season that you and I have walked together through faith in Christ and by God’s grace.
Last Sunday afternoon, my husband and I took a walk while the sun was still out. As we were walking and chatting, I asked, “What if God has intended for us to stay here but we insist on relocating to Taiwan?” We have been talking about relocating for years. He said, “God will always make it all work out.” I asked again, “You think so?” I continued, “Remember when I was miserable during the year I served as a mission developer for the Chinese speaking mission?” Then he responded, “Didn’t God make it all work out?” Right before we entered the house after our walk, he concluded, “It doesn’t matter where we go, we will always be treated like foreigners.”
He is right. I was born and raised in Taiwan. Even though Mandarin is my first language, it doesn’t mean it is easy to minister to the Chinese speaking communities. I’m among the few Chinese speaking ministers who disagree with the theology and the scripture interpretations that are used against the LGBTQIA+ communities. If you are not familiar with this term and definitions, please visit glaad.org “G-L-A-A-D” to learn more. (https://www.glaad.org/reference/lgbtq.)
During the year of ministering to the Chinese speaking community, I was criticized and bad-mouthed to the point that I had a hard time processing how different scripture interpretations and theology could make kind people so judgmental. And that all the trust and relationships that I thought I had could vanish instantly. It was like we were never siblings in Christ. Even though I took time to explain the original meanings of scriptures in biblical Hebrew and Greek, they chose to stand up for what they believed in.
It is a reconciliation call for me when I read chapter 45 in Genesis, especially with these words that Joseph said, “Come closer to me!” He had gotten over his trauma and forgiven what his brothers had done to him. The most stunning ability of his was to see God’s manifestation throughout those harsh years. He initiated the reconciliation by asking his brothers to come closer, to see what God had done through him and in him, for God had been behind him all those years.
It is time for me to get over my own trauma and to forgive. It is the only way I am able to move forward to minister beyond. If you are going through trauma right now or are trying to cope with a trauma that left you struggling with upsetting emotions, memories, and anxiety, please know that reconciling your past with your present, a new chapter God has given to you to live fully, is waiting for you. May Joseph’s story encourage you just like it did for me.
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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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