Preached by Rev. Donald Ng on 9/27/1998
First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco
Beginnings.
How do we measure success?
For some it may be the makes of cars they drive; or the size of the houses they live in. In my previous position in Valley Forge, some have said it is the number of “windows” one has in the office. More windows, the more successful you are!
In our responsive reading for this morning, Paul was teaching Timothy that those who want to be rich for the love of money, can fall into temptations of only thinking about themselves and forgetting that God’s measuring stick of success is different.
An old Jewish tale tells about a cranky and miserly rich merchant who mentally affixed a price tag to everything. One day he visited a Rabbi, a kind and wise man who had distilled a great deal of wisdom from his years of experience. The Rabbi desired to help the merchant realize the error of his way. After the two men have visited for a short time, the Rabbi hit upon an idea. He took the merchant by his hand and led him over to the window. “Now, look out the window and tell me what you see,” he charged.
“Well, I see some children playing with a ball, I see a woman hanging out her wash, and a man working in his garden,” the merchant observed.
Then the Rabbi took him by the hand once more and led him across the room to the mirror and asked him, “Now look and tell me what do you see.”
The merchant a bit confused replied, “Obviously, I see myself.”
“This is very interesting,” the Rabbi observed: “In the window there is glass and in the mirror there is glass. But the glass in the mirror is covered by a bit of silver. And no sooner is the silver added than you cease to see others, except yourself.”
Halls of Fame.
There is probably a hall of fame for anything you can think of. For sports, I’ve been to a few myself: the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, the Soccer Hall of Fame in Hardwick, New York, and the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA. Then there’s the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. And I suspect you can name a few more yourself. And if you are like me, we have been following the home run derby between Sammy Sosa and Mark McGuire knowing that all those baseballs hit over the fences will eventually end up in Cooperstown. Is being inducted into some hall of fame a measure of success?
CBC’s Measuring Stick
When I moved into my office upstairs, I found this old yard stick. Will I be able to use this yard stick to measure how successful we are as a church? Perhaps I can use it to measure how tall the children have grown, (not how old we have gotten); the number of people who come and join; the size of our budget; or how far or near our members live from the church. These may be fun and interesting statistics, but they don’t necessarily tell us whether we have been successful.
Continue the Legacy.
In the coming weeks and months, we can imagine a lot of “yard sticks” around our church. There will be one to see how we measure up to the Faith Goal in our stewardship campaign. There is another one on the 1999 annual budget. When the architects and construction workers are here, they will have yard sticks to measure where the retrofit work will begin and where the second and third floor renovations will happen.
Even now, we are measuring, keeping track of where we are in the 40 Days of Prayer and Fasting (Day 13) and anticipating the 24 Hour Prayer Time on October 9-10. These emphases will help us to direct our attention to God’s plan for our lives and ministry together. They can help transform our faith from measuring for success according to human standards to God’s.
I have often said, that I am merely a youth, like Jeremiah, who can’t speak eloquently. My father, a very traditional first generation Chinese American, encouraged me to major in electrical engineering like so many other Chinese American youth did in my days. Here I will become successful. The companies on Route 128, the Silicon Valley around Boston, were always hiring engineers. The path to success was laid out for me. But God had other plans for me. There was God’s measuring stick. His measuring stick didn’t have fancy cars, or big homes, or three window offices. I knew only that if I was humble and faithful, God provides. And today, once again, I can testify to you that God is blessing my life to be with you.
On Thursday, I prayed and fasted more intentionally on the Friday English Night School and the ministry of Suzanne Mak. I became aware of how hard it is to measure success in working with new immigrants to America. Moreover, I felt from God that the goal is not only to count the number of people who might eventually come to our church, but that it is enough to share Christ and let God’s measuring stick take over from us. This past Friday night, I was privileged to see briefly the tremendous ministry that is happening in our church through the ministries of our members. I saw Amy Lo teaching in the nursery. I was touched by how Warren Lee was running off worksheets for his students about a story of another woman’s experiences coming to America. I sampled the tasty dinner of cream corn and pork that Steven and Anna Ng prepared. I saw Victor Low getting set up early to anticipate what new learnings will occur. I felt the rthymn of songs and the happiness in Brutus Lo’s voice as he led the group in singing and praises.
Truly, it was God’s measuring stick that was present on Friday night.
Jeremiah 32:1-3a, 6-15
The Scriptural text for this morning comes from Jeremiah 32. We see that the situation was grim. Jerusalem was under siege from Babylon. The prophet Jeremiah was imprisoned. Branded as a traitor and despised by the king and the court, Jeremiah received a message of future hope. The Lord told him to buy this already besieged field in Anathroth from his cousin Hanamel. As you can guess, Jeremiah was ridiculed for investing in doomed land.
Jeremiah’s action was not intended to represent the prophet’s optimism about Israel’s future. It was intended to symbolize the redeeming purpose of God. Even though the people have broken their covenant with God, even though the land may pass into foreign hands, God maintains the right to act as the people’s Redeemer, reclaiming them and their homeland at a future date.
I don’t really know how wide and deep our church building is. I can probably take this yard stick and begin measuring from the corner of Waverly and Sacramento and after some effort, I will know. (I’m sure Nelson and Clarence can tell me too!)
In Zechariah 2:1-2, we read that a man was taking a measuring stick to measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is. Just think of it! Measuring Jerusalem, the city of the living God! One cannot set down in inches and feet how big Jerusalem is. One can’t measure all the tears that have been wept in it; all the songs that have been sung in it; all the praises to God that have been called out in it. There are some things in life you cannot measure. Their meaning and their value are immeasurable. You can tell me their area in inches and feet and you have told me nothing. Their value is not of space but of the spirit.
How will we measure FCBC? Some may say that it is like the doomed and besieged field that Jeremiah bought from his cousin. Why invest so much in an old building? The value of FCBC is not of space in inches and feet but of the spirit. It is the:
Thousands of people whose lives were transformed because they have come to know Christ.
Thousands of children who studied their Bibles and the hundreds who learned their Bible stories from Mrs. Chu.
Thousands of youth who spoke new words and sang new songs in praises to God in every generation as they learned to own the faith for themselves.
Thousands of eager newcomers to America whose hope for a better living became true because of the acts of hospitality and education they received from this space.
And the millions of memories of sacrifices of time, deeds, and resources that trusted God to work miracles through us and among us.
I was told that Shakespeare’s home in Stratford-on-Avon is very tiny. The whole house can probably fit into some of the bathrooms that we build today. And yet, Shakespeare said, “it is a larger space than many drawing rooms where there is watered tea, and watered cleverness, and everything watered but the heart.”
Some have said that the postage-stamp house where John Wesley lived makes Shakespeare’s house look like a castle. But we can see that some of the most beloved hymns of the church were composed by Wesley in this postage-stamp house. Look what God did through the tiniest people like you and me, the tiniest plots of land like our building, the tiniest group of people like our congregation, the tiniest places. The Bible teaches that God’s love transforms the tiniest spaces into the largest lots.
God’s Measuring Stick
How do we measure success in the days ahead? For God, it is always measured on a divinely calibrated sliding scale in our favor! God refuses to measure in inches and feet.
God’s measuring stick is high enough to call us into discipleship and low enough to invite everyone into Christian fellowship.
God’s measuring stick lets the weight of 10 righteous men outbalance all the sins of Sodom.
God’s measuring stick chose Moses, a stuttering sheepherder, a fugitive murderer, an outcast from Pharaoh’s house to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
God’s measuring stick selected David, a scrawny, dreamy-eyed, harp-playing youth as the new king of the newly united nation of Israel.
God’s measuring stick multiplied “second chances” into an unending series of prophetic words of repentance and forgiveness to a wayward people.
God’s measuring stick takes one occasion of repentance to cancel out a lifetime of sin.
God’s measuring stick weighs a single confession of faith more than a dozens acts of faithlessness.
We thank God for God’s measuring stick in the love and gift of his son, Jesus Christ, our Savior to take away all of our sins so that we may have eternal life.
God’s measuring stick is divinely calibrated on a sliding scale in our favor so that you, and I, and our whole church, and all of God’s children are successfully a part of God’s plan and family.
Let us pray.
O Gracious and merciful Father God. Enter our lives so that we may know you. Continue to measure our lives according to your will; always with grace and forgiveness. Be with us as we participate in the joy of Christian living in spiritual renewal, stewardship, and discipleship. In the name of Christ who gave his life so that we may have life, we pray. Amen.
Prayers
Call to Worship
This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.
Invocation
Like empty jars, we have come to be filled.
Like worship candles, we have come to be set ablaze.
Like aged wine in a cask, we have come to be poured out.
Like weary travelers, we have come to find rest.
Like lovers drifted apart, we have come to be reconciled.
Like little children, we have come to be surprised.
We have come to hear your word, work in our lives so that we may become new persons in Christ. In his name we pray. Amen.
Prayer of God’s People
O Mighty and Gracious God, we come this day with the yearning to feel your presence in our lives. During the long past week, we have felt alone at times. We turn to you for acceptance and to belong. Help us to feel welcome when it is us that usually refuse your hospitality. Help us to know your love when it is usually us who reject you for other loyalties. Come and stay with us so that we may feel at home.
O God, we ask you to bless those for whom there will be no sleep tonight …
Those who this night will not sleep because of the pain of their bodies or the distress of their minds or the fractures in their relationships; those in misfortune, who will lie down in hunger and cold, be with them tonight, dear God.
Those who are far from home and far from friends and who are lonely as the shadows fall. Grant that in our own happiness and comfort, we may never forget the sorrow and the pain, the loneliness and the need of others.
We pray for the many who are praying for the ministries and mission of our church during these 40 days. May these efforts of faith lead them and our entire church family to know your will for us more clearly in the days to come. We pray for the church visits as we learn from each other and become excited about the wonderful possibilities of programs in the future.
Thank you God for the many blessings and opportunities we do have at CBC. We celebrate the growth that we are seeing in our worshipping congregations in Sunset and here at Waverly. We praise you for Jeffrey Tong, Melissa Lau, Donald Chau, Arnie Ong, and Sandra Eng who will be joining our church through the Sunset Ministry. May their lives be rich in meaning and that you will use them as your new disciples.
As we cast our vision into the new year at our Membership Meeting this afternoon, continue to bless us, continue to empower us, continue to grant us wisdom to do your will in the name of Christ who taught us to pray…
Benediction
Loving God, yours is the beauty of creation and the good things you have given us. Help us to go forth this day joyfully in your name and to spend it in loving service of you and our neighbor. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.