{"id":103,"date":"2000-07-09T13:10:47","date_gmt":"2000-07-09T13:10:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/?p=103"},"modified":"2020-11-22T13:13:31","modified_gmt":"2020-11-22T13:13:31","slug":"a-hard-question-will-soft-pews-resolve-conflicts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/a-hard-question-will-soft-pews-resolve-conflicts\/","title":{"rendered":"A Hard Question: Will Soft Pews Resolve Conflicts?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Mark 6:1-13<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

July 9, 2000<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus\u2019 Origin<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Among his own people, in his hometown, Jesus encounters rejection and conflict. Mark suggests that they rejected him because he was an unimpressive, \u201chome boy.\u201d We like this passage because it tells us something about Jesus\u2019 personal life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to archeologists, Nazareth was an agricultural village with about 500 people. Jesus was trained as a carpenter who made yokes, plows and other things for the farm and home. In Jewish Palestine, carpenters were well paid so Jesus wasn\u2019t really poor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus is referred here as the \u201cson of Mary.\u201d This is a bit strange because people are usually labeled as a member of the father’s name. This may be referring to the belief that Jesus was illegitimate\u2014miraculous conception. It may also mean that by this time, Joseph had died.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four brothers are named. And there are at least two or more sisters. They are not named probably because of the patriarchal culture or that they have already been married to others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While we prized the story because it gives us a picture of Jesus\u2019 origins, the main point of this account is that Jesus was rejected by his own people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rejection<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

We know that the religious authorities, the Pharisees and the scribes were hostile toward Jesus. But here Jesus was rejected not by religious leaders but by ordinary folks. They are astounded at Jesus wisdom and mighty deeds, yet they cannot acknowledge that these come from God and especially from a hometown boy, son of Mary, Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They watched him grow up and learned to be a carpenter and they knew his family well. But they couldn\u2019t believe it. They were conflicted over how Jesus, the son of Mary, can be the Son of Man. The town people were mumbling Nathanael\u2019s estimate of their village, \u201cCan anything good come out of Nazareth?\u201d (John 1:46<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next section of Scripture presents an even more troubling story about rejection. Jesus calls the twelve disciples and commissions them to go out two by two to cast out unclean spirits. Jesus said that if they come to any house and they do not welcome them and refuse to hear them, just leave. Not only take off but \u201cshake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the people in the homes reject the disciples, the disciples reject them in return. And in public protest, shake off even the dust from your feet because those people are not worth their time. Amazing!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Luke 10:11<\/a>, it reads, \u201cEven the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the Kingdom of God has come near.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One thing is clear. Jesus provoked controversy and conflict. And his disciples did the same. We like to think about Jesus as someone who brings peace and love to his people. But this passage tells us that even his own hometown people saw him in the center of controversy and he told his disciples to reject others if they reject them. There\u2019s something about Jesus, something in his teaching or in his person that turned away more people than he attracted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acceptance<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

One of the worst fears of a preacher is to have his sermon rejected by the congregation.  I think I have 20 minutes of your undivided attention to preach. I can see who\u2019s listening or dozing off! You know how to tell me that it\u2019s boring! And at the end, when I\u2019m standing in the back, a sure rejection is when someone says, \u201cPastor, that\u2019s the best sermon I have ever heard!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As preachers, we think that if we are really adept in what we want to say. We can find some way of saying anything about Jesus that would lead you to accept what I have to say. No controversies here!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then I listened more carefully to stories like this one. Jesus was willing to suffer rejection, was quite content to be misunderstood. Jesus preached away more people than he won. What Jesus was saying was not dependent, for its validity, on our acceptance. What Jesus taught was truth from God and regardless of what we may feel about it, it remains God\u2019s word for us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meeting Our Needs<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

We live in a day when many are convinced that the church should meet our needs. Why not? As consumers, we go shopping expecting a variety of choices so that our personal needs are met. So why not go around and visit different churches to see if one will meet our needs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, the church wants to meet people\u2019s needs, but which ones? Who determines which needs the church will not attempt to meet? Does the church\u2019s meeting of specific needs serve a larger goal even more important than people\u2019s needs?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people have said that with our \u201cconsumer oriented\u201d society, we should get into marketing and take our cues from the business world. Pastors want \u201cuser friendly\u201d worship in which the worship service meets your needs. One way of doing this is to devise programs after we have surveyed your felt needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this way, worship is a product that the church offers for consumption, with the primary concern being how to attract and satisfy more customers or how to keep the ones you\u2019ve got. So when you are shopping on Stockton Street, you return to the same stores to buy certain products because they\u2019re fresh and good. When we plan worship to meet your needs, the experience is fresh, inspiring, uplifting, relevant, and you want to come back for more next week! We want you to come back next week. So we avoid conflict. We want you to feel comfortable and not feel rejected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Soft Pews<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

For over 120 years, First Chinese Baptists have sat on hard wooden pews. And for the past twelve months, the Lau school has graciously continued our tradition by giving us a hard seat to sit on to worship. But this will all change next Sunday!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After our joint worship service at the Lau school, we will processed back down to Waverly Place and celebrate the Lord\u2019s Supper in our newly retrofitted and renovated sanctuary. And we will be sitting on padded pews and chairs. We know that you love the Lord, but there\u2019s no reason to hurt for an hour while doing so. Right? We want to meet your needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Padded church seating was almost unheard of 50 years ago. And historically, many churches didn\u2019t even offer seating except to the sick and elderly, until the 1500s. Before that, most people stood and kneeled on the floor at worship services. And they didn\u2019t have carpets in those days either!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t get me wrong, we are very excited about our new pews and for those who gave generously to purchase them for us. And I know that when you are sitting on the new padded seats and listening to my sermons that you will be more attentive because you will be more comfortable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But let\u2019s not allow our new \u201cuser-friendly\u201d pews tempt us into consumerism in the church. We don\u2019t come to church because the pews are comfortable. We come to church to know God\u2019s plan for our lives. The hard question for us today is that with a newly retrofitted and renovated church with padded pews, what is our new mission?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Does God Want?<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes we think about church in a way that suggests that \u201cI give so that you will give back to me.\u201d The real question is \u201cWhat does God want?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What if the church serves people, not as a market transaction, but because it is the people of God?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What if our choir works hard on their anthem, not because they hope you will like it and be inspired by it but because they know that we are called to be a sign, a signal, a foretaste of God\u2019s kingdom in the world?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What if I\u2019m preaching this sermon, not because I think that the message is on your list of things you want to hear, but rather because I believe this is what God wants?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What we do here as a church is not as much to do with us as it is to discover the peculiar nature of God\u2019s kingdom. Instead of trying to figure out what the world wants from the church, we are called to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to be in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what about us as individuals? We have personal needs we want met, don\u2019t we?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            *When the rich young man asked Jesus, \u201cWhat good deed must I do to have eternal life?\u201d This young man had followed the commandments but wanted to justify his sizable financial holdings. Jesus told him the truth, \u201cGo, sell your possessions, give to the poor, have your treasures in heaven, and follow me.\u201d Although the young man went away sad, Jesus was truthful and honest with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            *When scribes and others found Jesus speaking to their hearts, they wanted to follow him wherever he went. But their personal needs required them to first bury his father and to say goodbye to his family. Jesus told them honestly that the kingdom of God is near and they need new priorities if they want to follow him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            *When the disciples were worried about where they will get their next meal or what to wear, Jesus taught them not to worry. God takes care of the ravens that neither sows or reaps. He takes care of the growing lilies in the field that neither toils or spins. Don\u2019t worry because we are more valued than the birds and the flowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus hears our personal needs and rearranges our needs giving us needs that we wouldn\u2019t have had, had we not come to him. You see, we think that we have needs of possessions, chores, and food and clothing. But Jesus confronts us and helps us to see that what we thought we need is not what we need all along. Jesus honestly and pointedly takes what we think we need and rearranges new priorities for our lives for God. Jesus is now only the Prince of Peace but he also comes into our lives and rearranges our needs to become God\u2019s will in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Does the Lord Require of Us<\/h6>\n\n\n\n

In my experience, most of us come to church for the wrong reasons. That is, we come seeking confirmation of our preconceptions, help with our problems, fellowship with people like us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of us can testify to that. But thank God, our church often turns out to be more interesting than our expectations. In worship, God tends to take our wrong reasons and reform them, redirect our desires to meet our personal needs, gives us more than we would have known to ask for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In reading and preaching God\u2019s word, our preconceptions get challenged and changed. What we thought were our problems are revealed to be trivial and we are given new problems we would never have had before we met Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We come seeking mere fellowship with people who share the same interests that we have and are astounded to receive friendship with God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rest assured that as a church we are committed to provide you with comfort, reassurance, and a sense of peace. We are doing this with the soft padded pews! But the soft padded pews must not lull us to believe that our needs are of foremost importance. But rather as a church that proclaims Jesus Christ, we will find ourselves doing God\u2019s will and not ours. We must not place too much confidence in consumers\u2019 ability to determine for ourselves what we really need. Do you think we can be trusted to know what is best for ourselves? It was God who graciously gave us something that we could not have by our own devices, namely salvation in Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we do God\u2019s will and not our own, we too may find rejection and conflicts. Just like Jesus was rejected by his own village people, we may be rejected by the world. Just like the disciples were rejected by the homes they entered, our message may be rejected when we speak the truth honestly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Jesus was rejected by his own towns people, Mark wrote, Jesus \u201ccould do no deed of power there\u201d apart from a few healings. Jesus is God\u2019s agent and God\u2019s power is unlimited. But the expression of God\u2019s power is correlated with our response of faith. It is when we get out of our soft padded pews and believe in Jesus Christ, that God\u2019s mighty acts of healing and love will be unleashed in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The hard question is \u201cWill our soft pews resolve our conflicts with the world?\u201d Let\u2019s hope not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let us pray.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dear Lord, help us not to have our new soft padded pews prevent us to see how you are powerfully changing our lives to follow your ways. The cost of discipleship requires us to tell the Good News of Christ in the world even in the midst of conflict and controversy. In the name of Christ, we pray. Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mark 6:1-13 July 9, 2000 Sermon preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco. Jesus\u2019 Origin Among his own people, in his hometown, JesusContinue readingA Hard Question: Will Soft Pews Resolve Conflicts?<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[11,22],"class_list":["post-103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-donald-ng-sermons","tag-fcbc","tag-mark"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103\/revisions\/104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.followgreg.com\/revdonaldng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}