July 23, 2008 + The haves and have-nots + Hayward Fong

Luke 16:19-31

There are some interesting things about this parable besides its teaching message. The first is that this parable is the only one where Jesus gives his character a name. The second is the name tradition gives to the rich man. Finally, why the named character is called Lazarus?

Custom has given the name of Dives to the rich man. Dives is the Latin word for rich, but why the name Lazarus? Lazarus is the Greek for the Hebrew name, Eleazar, which means “God is my help.” It may well be that Jesus selected the name to emphasize the truth that even if the poor righteous man has no other helper, God is his help.

The parable in the minutes of detail, emphasizes the luxurious wealth of Dives and the utter poverty of Lazuras. Dives dressed with purple and linen robes, costing perhaps $200 each, a large sum of money in those days. He “feasted sumptuously every day.” He lived the life of a glutton, a gourmet. Note that he lived this way, “every day,” not even on the Sabbath did he abstain from “living high on the hog.”

How does this life style fit in with the Commandments God gave to the people of Israel? The part of the Commandment which we know and most often quote is, “Observe the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” but there is a second part. It states, “Six days you shall labor…” This second part is just as much of the commandment as the first, “Six days you shall labor…” The Jews glorified work. For instance, no Rabbi was paid for teaching. He had to have a trade to support himself and family. Our Lord earned his livelihood as a carpenter, a trade which he undoubtedly learned from Joseph, his earthly father. Dives by this description of his everyday life was already identified by Jesus as useless and in violation of the commandment.

Let us now take a look at Lazurus. His body was covered with sores, which was probably ulcers, a common ailment in this part of the world. He was so weak and defenseless that he could not protect himself against the dogs which licked and irritated the sores. The English translations say that he lay at the gate of the rich man, but a commentary says that from the original Greek he was thrown down there. He was probably carried there impatiently by some friends and dumped at the rich man’s gate.

Lazarus lay there waiting for whatever fell from the table to ease his hunger. Probably what fell were pieces of bread that Dives and his guests used to wipe their fingers and threw away. It was the custom in rich households to set loaves of bread on the table for this purpose since people ate with their fingers.

As we have seen the contrast in their lives here on earth, let us see what the contrast is like after death. Lazarus was “carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom,” an expression describing the greatest joy of being in Paradise. It was a common belief among Jews and early Christians that Paradise and hell were within sight of each other, so the bliss of Heaven served to intensify the torment of hell and the sight of hell intensify the bliss of Heaven. There was an old belief that a sinner could, with true repentance, and by keeping all the commandments redeem himself after a year in hell, at which time Abraham would come down and bring him out.

Jesus gives us a taste of his theology of life after death.

First, this parable says that we retain our identity; Dives is still Dives and Lazarus is still Lazarus. This says that our personality survives; you will be you and I will be I and the only thing we take when we leave the earth is our selves.

The second point is that after death, memory remains. The story implies that Dives is able to look back and see the life that he had led. That to me would be the worse kind of punishment to endure, having to live through eternity with the memory of all the hurts caused and shameful things done, all of which God has seen. The hell is the memory of what was lost and what might have been.

The third point is that after death recognition remains. Heaven wouldn’t be heaven if we do not meet again our friends and family who have preceded us.

Jesus makes clear that a man can get what he wants, but must pay the price. Dives chose to set his eyes on worldly things and he got his reward; Lazarus had set his hope and thought on God, and he was rewarded accordingly. How much are we willing to pay to satisfy our wants? Do we want to grow rich at the expense of our soul?

When it is our time to face the Seat of Judgment, how will we be judged? Will we try to plead ignorance for things done that should not have been done and things left undone that should have been done? God has given us His written Word in the scriptures. He has sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in our hearts. He has given the voice of conscience to speak within us. And He has given the example of good and saintly people to emulate. How can we plead, “I didn’t know?”

One last question remains to be answered from the parable. Why is Dives so condemned without compromise? It doesn’t seem that he was a cruel or really bad person. He didn’t physically abuse Lazarus; he didn’t have his servants remove him from the gate. He seemed willing to have the bread used to wipe the fingers tossed to him. Dives sin was indifference. He treated Lazurus as a part of the scenery that had nothing to do with his sumptuous life style. He could see Lazarus at his gate, starving, with an ulcerated body and not engender any sense of compassion or pity for the man.

Do we find compassion for the homeless and starving in far away exotic places but accept the homeless and hungry at our doorsteps as part and parcel of life at Wilshire and Berendo? Do we feel the sword of pity and love enough to do something about these conditions/ It was not what Dives did that got him into hell; it was what he did not do.

Two weeks ago, we held a dinner-dance to raise funds for scholarships to commemorate the life of Genevieve Dorbor, who served her Lord faithfully here at Immanuel as the Director of the Food Pantry for over a decade. Though she couldn’t solve the overall problem of the homeless, she did what she could…she helped ease the hunger, one person at a time. Hers was a life of loving service worthy for others to emulate. She lived these words from St. Augustine and Edmund Burke

“Since you cannot do good to all, you are to pay special attention to those who, by accidents of time, or circumstance, are brought into closer connection with you.”
-St. Augustine

“No one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”
-Edmund Burke (1729-1797)

July 20, 2008 + Elizabeth Gibbs Zehnder

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20 de julio de 2008 + Elizabeth Gibbs Zehnder

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July 16, 2008 + Who did this? + Hayward Fong

Matthew 13:24-30

What we heard is usually referred to as the parable of the wheat and the tares. The tares are a weed called the bearded darnel which in its early stages is so like the wheat that it is next to impossible to tell hem apart. Before it is headed even the most experienced farmer could not tell one from the other. After it is headed, the difference is clear. However, by that time, the roots are so intertwined that any attempt to root out the darnel would also tear out the wheat.

There are three ways in which to separate the two. When fully grown, the darnel does not grow as tall as the wheat. In a badly infested field, the wheat would be harvested over the darnel and then the whole field set afire. Another method would be to reap both, separate the wheat and drop the darnel in bundles to be burned. When the infestation was small, the seed was picked out from the wheat before milling. Though of the same size, darnel is slate gray in color so was easily distinguished from the golden wheat. It was very important to remove the darnel because it is toxic.

In this parable, as so often, Jesus was telling a story from a real life background that his listeners would understand. It was common practice for quarreling and feuding parties to infest their adversaries’ fields with weeds. This was so severe a matter that Roman law exacted penalties for this conduct.

Jesus was saying something, which his disciples needed to learn. The disciples were concerned about the kind of people Jesus was gathering around Him. They could see that there were great numbers of people crowding about Him that the world counted as undesirable. Even apart from those that society branded as sinners, there were many loosely attached to Jesus whose lives would not bear close scrutiny.

It is easy to understand this point of view by His critics considering the Jewish dream of not only a world political power, but also a morally reformed humanity. John the Baptist who preceded Jesus had preached an ethical message of repentance. He looked for the one who would come and purge the threshing floor and gather the wheat into the garner and cast the chaff into the unquenchable fire.

In face of all this background, it is easy to understand why the disciples were put out by the motley crowd around Jesus. They made it quite clear that they expected Him to do some weeding out. There was always a certain degree of intolerance in the minds of the disciples. They were jealous of others casting out demons in the name of Jesus because they weren’t one of them (Luke 9:49,50). They didn’t want to allow the Gentile woman seeking help to see Jesus (Matthew 15:23). And the thought of Jesus being a guest of Zacchaeus started the tongues wagging (Luke 19:7). The disciples were certainly waiting for Jesus to sort out the mixed crowd following Him.

If this messages was intended for His disciples, even more so for the Pharisees. It was one of their stock complaints that Jesus associated with tax gatherers and sinners (Matthew 9:11). The wide welcome of Jesus was totally incomprehensible to men with their outlook. If the disciples were disappointed, the Pharisees were fit to be tied. It was in the face of this intolerance and critical spirit in both His inner circle and the Pharisees that Jesus told this parable.

One of the main points of the subject matter is the close resemblance between the darnel and the true wheat. The parable is an extension of the commandment, “Judge not that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). It tells men that they are simply not able to distinguish between the good and the bad. If they try to, the result will most likely be that they will destroy the good with the bad. It teaches that judgment must be left to the end of time and committed to the hands of God.

Remember again the close similarity between the wheat and the darnel. Rhetorically, how many of us would be prepared to say, “This person deserves to go to heaven but that person is fit only to go to hell”? Or in another way, “How many of us would dare to say without misgiving, ‘I am of the wheat’? How many would care to say, ‘I am of the tares’?” I think the answer is that we cannot do other than leave the matter of judgment up to God. It has been said, “God Himself does not propose to judge a man ‘til he is dead. So why should I?” To God only are known all the facts and God only can be the judge.

Though the parable counsels patience and asks us to leave judgment to God, it includes the absolute certainty that someday selection will come. The darnel and wheat may be allowed to grow together for many days but in the end there will be the harvest and the time of separation. So the parable says to us, “Be patient in your judgments; but remember that some day God’s judgment inevitably will come.”

Finally there is one last point and a very important one. When told of the darnel in the field, the owner replied, “An enemy must have done this.” Here we are brought face to face with the fact that there is in the world a power that is hostile to God. We may call that power Satan. The Devil, the Tempter, whatever, but it is there. There are times when an evil power seems to assault us and draw us away from God. The why and wherefore of this is not the point. Jesus spent little time speculating where evil came from, but He recognized it because He had experienced it. He told men that the way to safety is never to walk alone but to always to walk with Him.

We now come to the contemporary message to us. It lies in the last verse. The disciples were saying in effect to Jesus, “You say that the Kingdom has come. How can the Kingdom possibly have come when there are still so many bad people in the world.”? To that question, the parable says the following. “No farmer would delay his harvesting just because there are some weeds about. He knows there are weeds; there never was a harvest without weeds. Therefore, weeds or no weeds, when the harvest is come he reaps.” So then, sinners or no sinners, the Kingdom is here and God’s reaping has begun.

Jesus, because of His total acceptance of God’s will, was the embodiment of the Kingdom. Because of that, a man’s reaction to Jesus demonstrates unquestionably what kind of man he is. Therefore by his acceptance or rejection of Jesus a man has automatically placed himself among the wheat or the tares. It is not so much that God has judged him but rather he has judged himself. In that sense the harvest has come.

July 13, 2008 + Elizabeth Gibbs Zehnder

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13 de julio de 2008 + Elizabeth Gibbs Zehnder

Immanuel Mensaje 13 de julio de 2008



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July 9, 2008 + Fill the new vessel with goodness + Hayward Fong

Matthew 12:22-32, 43-45; Luke 11:14-26

Today’s study of another of Jesus’ parables deals with the realm of evil spirits. Belief in evil spirits was common among the ancient world. To a certain degree, cultures of today with ancient origins still believe in evil spirits of a sort. Acupuncture medicine deals with the c’hi of the various body parts as sources of illness. Yin – Yang deals with “spirits” of opposite natures. As a child, my father referred to certain illnesses as having a type of c’hi, which to me meant “air.” The adjectives used were words of temperature sensation…cold, tepid, warm, hot, etc. It seemed funny to say “I had hot air,” so for lack of a better term, I would think in terms of “evil spirit.” To this day, I still think like this.

In the ancient world, spirits were supposed to lurk when a man was eating and got into his body with the food. It was held to be especially true that they lurked in crumbs of food which had been lying around. They were also believed to lurk with unwashed hands and if a man ate with unwashed hands there was a great likelihood that evil spirits would enter that person’s body. They were also believed to be in the water drunk in strange places or given by a stranger. The lonely places were believed to be favorite hiding places. They believed that there was only one way to dispose of them and that was drowning them in deep water. Recall how the Gadarene demoniac was healed by drowning the swine where the evil spirit was believed to dwell.

Over and over, we read about Jesus healing people with evil spirits by commanding them to come out. These incidents present real problems to people who think of evil spirits as matters of superstition. There are many views on these reports of Jesus’ method of healing.

It may be held that Jesus was, in scientific matters, a child of the age and knew no better. It may also be held that Jesus was a wise psychologist and although He knew there were no evil spirits, He also knew they were real to people who believed possessed by them. Therefore, He treated them as real in order to cure the afflicted. Then finally, it may be that evil spirits do exist.

It would be hard to justify that Jesus was ignorant and didn’t know any better. For one thing, He did not attribute all the sicknesses to evil spirits. Further, He did not share the common ideas of where the evil spirits stayed.

Remember after the feeding of the five thousand, He ordered the disciples to gather up all the fragments. This negates the idea that He believed that evil spirits were lurking in the crumbs. He had no faith in ceremonial washing of hands which repels the notion that spirits rested on unwashed hands. He asked for a drink from the Samaritan woman at the well and afterwards entered the city, again negating the common beliefs. He retired to the desert and fasted in the wilderness, again rejecting the notion of where evil spirits lurked.

It seems quite clear that Jesus did not share the common beliefs in evil spirits and yet He treated many sick people as if they were possessed by them. So, is it really necessary to answer the question of whether demons actually exist to understand the parable?

Jesus told of an evil spirit who had been ejected from the personality of a man. The spirit wandered around seeking rest and then came back. He found the man’s personality swept and cleansed but empty. So he went and got seven spirits who were worse than himself and took over the empty personality again; and the last state of the man was far worse than the first.

Here Jesus is telling something very vivid to His audience because empty houses were suppose to be the abode of demons and no one would enter a house that had been vacant for a long time if it could be avoided. Such beliefs still exist today in a modern society such as ours.

What did Jesus mean by this Halloween story? He meant that it is no good cleansing a man of evil things without putting good things in its place. It is not possible to leave a man’s heart or mind empty. We must fill the void with good things or the evil things will come back with more force than ever.

Jesus was undoubtedly thinking of the Pharisees. All their religion was built on commandments which start “Thou shalt not…” It was a religion of not doing things. It tried to empty men of evil things but it did not tell them what the good things were. If I clean my back yard of the weeds and leave it there, what is going to happen? The yard will soon be covered with weeds again. I need to plant grass, flowers, so many that there won’t be any room for the weeds to come through. It is never enough to try to clean up our lives and merely hate evil; we must love goodness.

This has some very practical consequences. If we want to beat a bad habit the best way is to acquire a good one. Psychologists tell how our thoughts work. The substance of that part of the brain with which we think is soft. If we think a thought once, it leaves an infinitesimal scratch; if we think the thought twice, the scratch deepens; and if we go on thinking that thought, it literally runs in a groove and we cannot get it out. If we find a questionable interest getting too strong a grip of our minds and lives, the way to conquer it is to acquire another interest strong enough to drive it out.

Often when we think the wrong things, we say to ourselves, “I’ll not think about this.” The effect is usually our fixing our thoughts upon it. The real way to escape is to think on other things, to work in new activities, to gain other interests. We cannot simply drive out badness; we must eject what is bad by the power of what is good. There is only one fool proof way to do this. The Apostle Paul tells us, “For me to live is Christ” (Philippians 1:21); and “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). What Paul meant was that his love for Jesus has driven the lesser things out. When we find ourselves giving such love and loyalty to Jesus that He comes first, we shall find that evil things has lost their power.

Let me close with these words of Cherokee Wisdom.

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.

“One is EVIL. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.

“The other is GOOD. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about this for a minute or so and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf wins?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

July 6, 2008 + Samuel Chu

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6 de julio de 2008 + Samuel Chu

Traducción para Frank Alton.



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July 2, 2008 + Happy Birthday America! + Hayward Fong

Psalm 133; Hebrews 10:1-10

Next Friday, July 4th, we celebrate the 232nd birthday of our country, The United States of America. Since the date falls on a Friday, many people will make it a three day holiday weekend. With the price of gasoline as it is, I suspect many families will be staying close by home. There will undoubtedly be the traditional picnics and perhaps some patriotic parades. I do hope there will be some observances in recognition of what the Day stands for. With the tinder dry brush conditions, I also hope people will realize the high danger of wild fires associated with neighborhood firework displays.

On July 4, 1776, there was signed in the City of Philadelphia one of America’s historic documents: The Declaration of Independence. It marked the birth of this nation which, under God, was destined for world leadership.

We often forget, in declaring independence from an earthly power, our forefathers made a forthright declaration of dependence upon Almighty God. The closing words of this document solemnly declare: “With firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”

The fifty-six courageous men who signed this document understood that this was not just high sounding rhetoric. They knew that if they succeeded, the best they could expect would be years of hardship in a struggling new nation. If they lost, they would face a hang man’s noose.

It is important to remember certain facts about the men who made this pledge; they were not poor men by any stretch of the imagination. Most of them enjoyed much ease and luxury in their personal lives. They were wealthy landowners, respected men in their communities.

But they considered liberty much more important than the security they enjoyed, and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor. They fulfilled their pledge. They paid the price. And freedom was won.

Of the fifty-six, five were captured by the British and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes, from Rhode Island to Charleston, sacked, looted, occupied by the enemy, or burned. Two lost their sons in the army. One had two sons captured. Nine of the fifty-six died in the war, from its hardships or from its bullets. It has been said, “To be born free is a privilege. To die free is an awesome responsibility.”

Freedom is never free. It is always purchased at a great cost. On the signing of The Declaration of Independence, John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, “I am well aware of the toil, and blood, and treasure, that it will cost to maintain this declaration, and support and defend these states; yet, through all the gloom I can see the rays of light and glory. I can see that the end is worth more than all the means.”

I have often wondered how the course of history would have changed if King George had been more understanding of what the colonies were seeking.

In the name of preserving our freedom and bringing freedom to people living under totalitarian rule, President Bush ordered military invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. Over 4,500 of our nation’s finest have made the supreme sacrifice in the name of freedom. Five hundred of these were from the State of California. Tens of thousand more have been wounded. Many will never be restored to full health, physically or mentally. Countless families have been destroyed by divorce as a result of this war. On top of this have been ten-fold civilian casualties and billions of dollars in destroyed infrastructure in the two nations.

However ill-advised this and other pre-emptive military actions may prove to be, our government tries to console those who sacrificed for our freedom that the end was worth the painful means. So their sacrifices may not have been made in vain, we, as citizens of the United States of America, have the solemn responsibility to elect to positions of leadership men and women who will assure that the sword we draw will ever be the sword of righteousness. Only then can we expect men and women of integrity to come forward and pay the price to preserve our America.

As I look about this chapel on Wednesday mornings, I can sense what America stands for. We exemplify brotherhood and religious freedom. Though we try to see ourselves as “one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all,” some of our citizens have not yet fully attained those rights and others who have, do not appreciate what a privilege it is to live in a land where it is possible to reach for an ideal like that.

Where would we, who are citizens of the United States of America, be today if there had not been those who counted the cost of freedom and willingly paid for it? To them who sacrificed for our freedom through the years, the end was worth the painful means. Where will we be tomorrow if men and women of integrity do not come forward and pay the price to preserve our America?

Earlier this month in our Wednesday Service, I lamented the fact that I don’t see our nation’s flag displayed prominently in my community even on National holidays and felt that the finest place to plant our flag is in the schools where the little ones first learn what it means to be an American.

I have told this story before, but it is well worth repeating.

Several years ago, I attended a Neighborhood Council meeting conducted by Councilman Eric Garcetti at the Micheltorena Elementary School. Since I arrived early, I wandered in the hallway and looked at essays posted on the bulletin board…essays written by 5th graders on the American flag in observance of Flag Day, June 14th. Tears welled in my eyes as I read what the American flag meant to these pre-teen age children. From their names, I concluded that most of them were from Latino and Asian families. They were learning their first lessons in what it meant to be an American with a flag standing for a heritage of courage, liberty and loyalty which we’ve been given and a future they will be making.

Freedom. The very word stirs the blood. Freedom to assemble, to speak out, to vote, to choose without coercion among different religions and denominations, and within a religion our place to worship. As we approach another Independence Day, let us resolve with God’s help to work together with courage and determination to make freedom more than merely a word.

Picture the prayers of men like Washington, Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and Patrick Henry rising up through the dark skies of uncertainty until they “came up to His holy dwelling place,” exploding there before God’s throne like a shower of golden stars. They knew that there would be differences among the leadership in the years to come, much like that which they experienced as they embarked on this journey. Having witnessed tyrannical rule by the crown of England, these men, in their wisdom, formed this nation to be ruled by constitutional law, not by men. We have seen in recent years challenges to our basic human rights in the name of national security. If our nation is to survive as a bastion for human dignity, freedom, and justice we must never forget the sacred words of this document which gave birth to our nation, The Declaration of Independence.

On this nation’s birthday, let us offer up to Almighty God our prayers of thanksgiving for our forbearers, but more importantly to seek strength to stand up and be counted when circumstances require. We can do no less for the legacy we have received.

June 29, 2008 + Samuel Chu

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29 de junio de 2008 + Honesto con Dios + Frank Alton

Salmos 13



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Elie Wiesel, un sobreviviente del Holocausto en Auschwitz, cuenta la historia de un incidente que observó en el Campo de Concentración: “Observé un juicio extraño. Tres rabinos, todos hombres bien educados y pietistas, acusan a Dios por haber permitido a sus hijos ser masacrados. Es una escena increíble, ya que sucedió en un campo de concentración. Pero lo que pasó después fue lo más increíble. Después del juicio en que encontraron a Dios culpable, uno de los rabinos miró el reloj que había logrado preservar y dijo: ‘O, es la hora para las oraciones.’ Y con eso los tres rabinos inclinaron sus rostros y oraron.”

¿Cómo oramos cuando nuestros corazones están quebrantados? Cuando nuestras vidas se han volcado, y Dios no ha hecho nada para prevenirlo? ¿Cómo podemos orar cuando estamos enojados con Dios? Cuando uno en quien hemos confiado ya no parece confiable? Son las preguntas que surgen al escuchar la historia de esos rabinos. ¿Cómo pueden juzgar a Dios en un momento, expresar su dependencia de Dios y ofrecer alabanza y gratitud el siguiente?

Quizás lo pueden hacer porque han orado los Salmos tantas veces. “¿Hasta cuándo, O Dios, me seguirás olvidando? ¿Hasta cuándo esconderás de mí tu rostro? ¿Hasta cuándo he de estar angustiado y he de sufrir cada día en mi corazón? Saca tus manos de los bolsillos y sálvanos.” Este es el lenguaje de oración que aprendemos de los Salmistas. Es un lenguaje de lamento y de queja. Casi la mitad de los Salmos hablan palabras de lamento. Pero esta forma de hablar a Dios es a la vez un dialecto del lenguaje de fe. La oración no termina en lamento. Precisamente porque el Salmista se atreve quejarse, puede seguir pidiendo que Dios responda: “Dios mío, mírame y respóndeme.” Puede negociar con Dios: “Ilumina mis ojos. Así no caeré en el sueño de la muerte.” Y después de quejarse y pedir puede alabar y agradar a Dios: “Yo confío en tu gran amor… Canto salmos a Dios, quien ha sido bueno conmigo.”

¿Cómo explicamos el cambio en tono en los últimos versículos? ¿Qué ha pasado? Puede ser un cambio en circunstancias. Pero más probable es que no hay ninguna explicación. El cambio no resulta de un fórmula, como si fuera automático. Viene como una sorpresa, un regalo, la única manera en que viene la gracia de Dios. No lo controlamos. Solo sucede cuando estamos dispuestos arriesgar, ofrecer nuestro ser verdadero a Dios en oración. En medio de las tragedias de la vida, una aleluya surge de las almas de aquellos que lloran, y de los que lloran con los que lloran.

¿Podría ser relevante esta forma de oración para nosotros? Ustedes saben igual que yo que hay miembros de esta iglesia que están enojados o tristes o miedosos o resignados por alguna tragedia que han experimentado.

Una persona ha perdido tres miembros de su familia a cáncer en el mismo número de años. ¿Hasta cuándo, O Dios?

Una madre recientemente tuvo que mirar sin poder hacer nada mientras la migra llevó a su hijo para deportarlo. ¿Hasta cuándo, O Dios?

Una mujer sufre abuso de su pareja y pide ayuda de Dios, pero el abuso sigue. ¿Hasta cuándo, O Dios?

Otros padres y madres están tan alienados de sus hijos que ni se hablan. ¿Hasta cuándo, O Dios?
Algunos miembros lamentan los cambios incómodos en los valores en la sociedad y en la iglesia, mientras otros se decepcionan que los cambios sucedan tan lentamente. ¿Hasta cuándo, O Dios?
Algunas de estas personas ya ni pueden hablar con Dios. Otras viven con depresión porque se sienten tan solas y abandonadas, aún por Dios. Otras sufren ataques de ansiedad y pánico porque viven pensando que otra tragedia va a suceder en cualquier momento. Todavía otras parecen muy fuertes manteniendo su fe en medio de la tragedia.

“¿Hasta cuándo, O Dios, me seguirás olvidando? ¿Hasta cuándo esconderás de mí tu rostro? ¿Hasta cuándo he de estar angustiado y he de sufrir cada día en mi corazón?” Este lenguaje de oración que aprendemos de los Salmistas es un recurso para la vida de todos los seres humanos. Todos sufrimos tragedias. Todos pasamos por periodos cuando nada parece tener sentido. Todos hemos clamado alguna vez, “No es justo.” En esos momentos el lenguaje de lamento y de queja nos ofrece una opción saludable- saludable porque a la vez es un dialecto del lenguaje de fe.

Pero casi nunca escuchamos esta voz en la iglesia. ¿Por qué? Será que hemos abandonado los Salmos en nuestra adoración y que ya no estamos convencidos que es apropiado orar así? Queremos ser respetuosos con Dios. Siempre nos han enseñado respetar a nuestros mayores: “No hable así a Dios. No cuestione a Dios.” Pero los salmistas no están de acuerdo. Nunca dudan en expresar su decepción con Dios. Hablan la verdad, y llaman a cuentas a Dios por lo que les ha pasado en la vida. Y terminan expresando su fe en Dios antes de los que no se atreven quejarse.

Algunos dirán que así hablaron en los tiempos antiguos, pero que los seguidores de Jesús se condujeron en otra manera. Pero encontramos la misma dinámica en los Evangelios. ¿Recuerdan la historia de la muerte de Lázaro? ¿Recuerdan la pregunta de Maria y Marta a Jesús? “Jesús, si hubieras estado aquí mi hermano no habría muerto.” A mí me suena muy parecido a, “¿Hasta cuándo, O Dios?”

Muchos cristianos modernos hemos aprendido otra forma de oración. Si fuéramos Maria o Marta hubiéramos dicho algo como: “O Jesús, estamos tan agradecidas que llegaste. Es una bendición, ¿verdad? Lázaro ha muerto, pero está en un lugar mejor” – todo el tiempo quemando con furia por dentro. Pero Maria y Marta llaman a Jesús a cuentas en su cara: “¿Dónde estabas? Te necesitamos; pero decidiste esperar tres días antes de venir. Si hubieras venido cuando te llamamos, nuestro hermano estaría vivo.”

¿Cómo se atreven hablar con Jesús en esa manera? Pueden hablar así porque su queja – igual que la de los Salmistas – es una queja entre personas que se quieren.

La queja no solo funciona cuando se trata del sufrimiento de uno. Personas de fe tras los siglos han cuestionado a Dios en su tratamiento a otros – los pobres, los oprimidos. “¿Hasta cuándo estarán los indefensos sin un defensor, enjaulados con tal que todos les señalan y miran. Imperios de muchachos del barrio. Imperios de familias y naciones. Con astucia los poderosos ofrecen la manzana amarga de promesas vacías cubierta de miel, desnudando al huérfano de su última esperanza.”

¿Cómo podríamos usar este Salmo en las situaciones que vivimos como personas, y como miembros de una congregación donde nosotros y otros sufren cosas semejantes?

“¿Hasta cuándo, O Dios? Nos sentimos olvidados, O Dios.” El abuso rompe nuestra fe. La víctima, nuestra hermana, está sola en su desesperación. ¿Cuánto tiempo tiene que seguir?

O Dios, mírame y respóndeme. Que no diga me enemigo: “La he vencido.” El abusador está ganando. Detenlo, O Dios. No soportamos ver al enemigo de nuestra hermana y de nosotros creer que va a tener éxito.

“Pero yo confío en tu gran amor.” Anhelamos cantar alabanzas y que nuestra hermana vuelva a sentir tu bondad. En lo más profundo confiamos en tu bondad.

June 25, 2008 + The Kingdom of God 101 + Hayward Fong

Luke 12:32-34; 13:22-30; 17:20-21

As one studies the parables, we come across time and time again the phrase, “the Kingdom of God.” It occurs so often and is so important a concept, that it seems worthwhile to spend some time studying the subject.

From the beginning of their history, the people of Israel had the conviction that they were, in some unique sense, the people of God. This was so ingrained that the thought of an earthly king was deemed an affront to God.

When Gideon, after his mighty exploits, was asked to be their king, his reply was, “I will not rule over you, and my son will not rule over you; the Lord will rule over you.” (Judges 8:23), expressing his conviction that the kingship belongs to God and cannot be given to any man.

When the people came to Samuel asking him to give them a king, he was displeased and greatly upset. When he took counsel with God, God said to him, “They have not rejected you; they have rejected me from being a king over them.” (1 Samuel 8:6, 7)

Even though this conviction, that the kingship was God’s, did not last, the idea that they were a chosen people remained indelibly fixed in the minds of the people of Israel. The dream the Israelites had was that because they were the chosen people it was their destiny to rule the world. This often happens when a nation has some great period in history to which they look back as the golden age. To Israel, that time was the era of David and they looked forward to the day when some great king from the line of David would sit upon the throne again and lead them back to the greatness they once enjoyed.

Isaiah and Jeremiah are familiar prophets who addressed the coming of a light to the nations. However, human nature being what it is, the Jewish people did not see God’s kingdom except as a physical one for them to rule. The failure of the Jewish people to see their destiny as a spiritual one led to their history of disasters and centuries of enslavement in turn by the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks and the Romans.

In the old days when they were still a nation they looked to their restoration to greatness through some son of David’s lineage. That hope never completely died, for it was the “Son of David” that crowds called Jesus as he rode into Jerusalem. But there was a major change in their dream. It was evident that they were unlikely to achieve greatness by human means so they began to dream of the day when God would intervene directly into history and fulfill their destiny by supernatural power.

Into this scheme of things was introduced another dominating concept. To the Jewish people, all history fell into two ages. There was the present age under Roman rule that was altogether bad and lost; and then there was the age to come that would be the age of vindication, of glory and of God. In between there would be the day, called the “Day of the Lord,” a day of world upheaval and of judgment. So we have the setting of a people sunk in material and national disaster, but clutching to their undefeatable hope and waiting for the sudden breaking of the “Day of the Lord” that would be the birth pains of the glorious age to come.

It was into this setting that Jesus came onto the scene as “The Son of Man,” the almighty deliverer promised by God. We can be quite certain that Jesus never thought of the Kingdom of God in terms of a physical empire, but He never left any doubt that He regarded Himself as God’s chosen instrument in the bringing of God’s Kingdom, a condition of heart and mind and will where God is Lord of all.

In Jesus’ teaching about the Kingdom, He speaks of the Kingdom as being three things at the same time.

(a) In Luke 13:28, He speaks of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God. If patriarchs and prophets are in the Kingdom then it must have long existed.
(b) In Luke 17:21, He says, “The Kingdom is within you.” In Luke 11:20, speaking of His miraculous cures, He says, “If it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, the Kingdom of God has come upon you.” Jesus was speaking about the Kingdom as here and now.
(c) Often, Jesus spoke of the Kingdom as something in the future. In Luke 12:32, He tells His disciples that it is God’s good pleasure to give them the Kingdom, which implies an event whose time is yet to come.

How can the Kingdom be past, present and future all at one time? The key to the answer may be in the Lord’s Prayer. In it, two petitions come in tandem, “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” This is a common way of expression by the Jewish people, saying things in two different forms side-by-side. Thus, if these two phrases in the Lord’s Prayer are to explain each other, it means “the Kingdom of God is a society on earth where God’s will is as perfectly done as it is in heaven.” That is how the Kingdom can be past, present and future.

Any person in any age and generation who has perfectly done God’s will was in the Kingdom; those who do God’s will are in the Kingdom; but the final consummation when the whole world will do God’s will is something which is still to come.

So, when Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God He thought of doing God’s will as perfectly on earth as it was done in heaven. He Himself always did that, not just sometimes as others had done, but always. That is why the Kingdom perfectly begins with Him.

He thought of how happy all peoples would be if only they did that; of what a wonderful world this would be if it were ruled by God’s will; of how God’s heart would rejoice when people accept His will. Truly, when that happens, there would be heaven on earth.

That is why for Jesus, the Kingdom was the most important thing of all. And that it why for so long people did not understand Him. When they spoke of the Kingdom, they were still thinking of the old nationalistic dreams of world power and they would have liked to make Him a king like that. But He was thinking of doing the will of God and it was in their hearts and not on the early thrones He wished to reign.