The 3rd Sunday of Epiphany, Year A
Scriptures: Psalm 27:1, 4-9; Matthew 4:12-23
Key Verse: “My heart speaks your message, “Seek my face.” Your face, O Lord, I will seek.” (Psalm 27:8)
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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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‘Hide and Seek’ was one of my favorite games to play when I was a child. About 10 years ago during the summer, we hosted a party to introduce our immigrant friends to each other. They all brought their kids who indeed entertained us during our time together. While the adults were enjoying getting to know each other, the kids were busy playing games, one game after another. The longest game they played was Hide and Seek.
“Mrs. Yi,” the kids yelled. The kids came to me and asked me to take a look at a child whose hair and face were covered with dust. The kids told the adults how hard it was to find this kid and how they had eventually given up looking for him. While laughing, we tried to wipe away all the dust from his hair and his face since he was sweaty. So, I asked him, “Where did you hide? I think I didn’t clean the house well.” Everyone laughed. He looked at me and said proudly, “Your walk-in closet.” Then, I asked him to show me where he hid since I couldn’t understand how he was able to get so dusty.
When he led us to the walk-in closet in the master bedroom, he pointed at several piled-up boxes under the winter jackets. Seeing his flushed skin, I asked him, “How long did you hide there?” He said, “From the very beginning of the game. And they kept playing and didn’t know I was there. Am I good at hiding?” So, I asked, “Did you get bored hiding by yourself all this time?” He thought a little bit and replied, “Yes. I got so bored, so I came out.”
This Sunday’s reading from Matthew 4 reminds me of that boy’s hiding. Have I hidden from challenges and chaos in my life? I have. There were a few times when I was hiding not from other issues or people but from God. Wouldn’t God know where I was? God did, of course. Despite my hiding, God saw me, loved me, and forgave me. The dust covering me was my own distrust, insecurity, and shame. I thought that the best way out at the time was hiding. After hiding long enough and getting suffocated, I heard God saying, “My child! I didn’t create you and redeem you for you to hide. And always remember the little light of Christ is in you for a great purpose!”
Our hiding can be either meaningless or purposeful. I don’t need to say more about how meaningless hiding can lead us to be. And I think that you will agree with me that our purposeful hiding can bring God’s comfort, self-actualization, and our repentance. Like Johan running away and hiding from God, our coming out from hiding can be a powerful and impactful faith testimony for the kingdom of God. Why? Just picture all the lights in us get brighter and brighter when we come out and gather at places where we live, work, study, and visit. Our lights are like a sacred blanket covering our neighborhoods to bring God’s comfort, self-actualization and repentance. The lights are astounding and breathtaking.
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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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The story of hiding goes back to Genesis whe God wlaks in teh gardin and seeks Adam. God seeks us and finds us. Is many cases hiding is teh result of our self-perception of ineadequacy and shame caused by a sociatey that make us belive that we are not worth. It also has to do with teh idea that Gos seeks te perfect , clean, and upstanding. Jesus reminds us that he came to make a new peerson out of us, no matter where we are in our faith journey, and where we como form. The promise is that Jesus wil not leave us in teh same plavce wher he finds us.