Preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco<\/p>\n\n\n\n
November 8, 1998<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Scripture for this morning describes the Thessalonian Christians anxious and fearful. They thought that the \u201cDay of the Lord\u201d which refers to the Second Coming has already come. Convinced that the events of the apocalypse were exploding like popcorn all around them, they saw every tragedy, every hardship, every phenomenon as evidence of the last days. Every anxiety caused their blood pressure to skyrocket. They couldn\u2019t sleep at nights fearing that the Lord will come. They couldn\u2019t wait for the daylight of the Lord\u2019s return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Thessalonian Christians had a \u201cWhatever\u201d attitude. Believing that nothing matters now because the Lord will return, they stopped working. Some could not think or talk about anything else. They were so shaken up by their anxiety of what was about to happen that they said, \u201cWhatever.\u201d They didn\u2019t care anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few years ago, our daughter Lauren\u2019s generation flocked to watch the movie, \u201cClueless.\u201d The story was about a Valley Girl and her friends whose response to any kind of concerns, was \u201cwhatever.\u201d This is pure indifference. We don\u2019t know, don\u2019t care, and don\u2019t care to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometimes, the attitude of Whatever is harmless:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you want to go to the 1:00 or 4:00 matinee? Whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you want thick crust, thin crust, stuffed crust or no crust on that pizza? Whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Do you want chow mein, chow fun, my fun, or Hongkong style? Whatever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But sometimes, the attitude of Whatever costs us:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The attitude of Whatever can happen on Election Day allowing those voters who did come out to express an opinion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There can be the attitude of Whatever when we watch news reports that 11,000 people in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and Honduras have perished from mud slides this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The attitude of Whatever happens every night when a million children go to bed hungry and homeless in America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the Thessalonian Christians were in a frenzy about the pending Second Coming, Paul intervenes.\u00a0 He counsels his Thessalonian brothers and sisters to calm down, to not be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed.\u00a0 \u201cLet no one deceive you in any way,\u201d he writes, because the \u201cday of the Lord\u201d will not come until two decisive events occur: 1. a \u201crebellion\u201d and 2. \u201cthe lawless one is revealed, the one destined for destruction.\u201d\u00a0 They will know when this \u201clawless one\u201d is here because he will exalt himself as God and make that claim in the temple.\u00a0 And since that has not happened, they need not to worry.\u00a0 And even when it does happen, Paul said the Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath out of his mouth.\u00a0 Instead of a Whatever attitude, Paul says to the Thessalonian Christians, \u201cWhatever It Takes.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paul was a \u201cwhatever it takes\u201d kind of guy. Before he experienced the presence and power of the risen Christ, Paul was a \u201cwhatever it takes\u201d zealot stamping out Christians. After his personal encounter on the Damascus Road and his transformation, Paul became a \u201cwhatever it takes\u201d zealot to spread the gospel to the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As Paul preached and taught in an increasingly hostile and dangerous world, he became keenly aware that there were powerful forces of evil lurking in the background and sometimes in the foreground. Facing hardship and opposition, Paul didn\u2019t shrug his shoulders and mumble, \u201cWhatever.\u201d When the world shrugs its shoulders and says, \u201cWhatever,\u201d the church responds by saying, \u201cWhatever It Takes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For the past two weeks, we have all been ecstatic about the response to the Stewardship Campaign pledging results. We are so excited about the results that we can easily become fixated on counting our \u2018turkeys before they hatch!\u2019 The Thessalonian Christians were fixated only on one part of the gospel message that they lost sight of what was happening in the present. We are so happy that so many have pledged toward the Faith Goal that others may find themselves saying, \u201cI don\u2019t need to pledge that much because others have done so already!\u201d A \u201cWhatever attitude\u201d can begin spreading in our church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Paul confronted the Thessalonian Christians to not be fearful and worrying about what the future may be since the \u201clawless one\u201d is not here yet. We must also remember that our work is not done yet as long as there are still pledges that need to come in and the hard work is ahead of us!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Today we received our \u201cFirst Fruits Offerings\u201d as a part of our larger three-year pledge toward the Faith Goal. In the Old Testament, the first fruits were the first of the crops or fruit that ripen and therefore are gather to be eaten. These represent the best that we have because they are given sacrificially before the first of the year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Paul was writing to the Thessalonian Christians, he reminded them that they are chosen by God from the beginning for salvation.\u00a0 They are also first fruits, saved by God and presented to the world to glorify God.\u00a0 Therefore, we too are first fruits for today.\u00a0 We are saved \u201cthrough sanctification by the Holy Spirit and through belief in the truth.\u201d \u00a0What does this mean?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First of all, our salvation comes from God\u2019s decision. God chose us from the beginning as his \u201cfirst fruits\u201d for salvation. When we receive Christ into our hearts as Lord and Savior, there is no other choice but to live lives of faith that are manifested in good works. Sanctification is a process by which the Holy Spirit makes us whole and holy, transforming us into the image of Christ. As God\u2019s first fruits, we are gradually weaned from the passions of this world and becoming filled with the Holy Spirit. Sanctification is a continuous process moving us closer to the image of Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
How do we live as \u201cfirst fruits\u201d Christians today? These come right out of Paul\u2019s writing to the Thessalonian Christians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What I love about living on Arguello and Balboa is that there is no yard work. For over 20 years around this time of the Fall, I am out there raking leaves from:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4 dogwood trees<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A massive maple tree<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Needles and cones from at least five 30ft. fir trees and a white pine tree<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1 magnolia<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1 holly tree and countless holly bushes<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and worst of all, the millions of red maple leaves, oak tree leaves, and other maple leaves from our neighbors!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My hands would blister and I would hunt for that tube of BenGay used only during the Fall season.\u00a0 My annual ritual before the winter solstice, reminds me of a story that Robert Fulghum told.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fulghum\u2019s wife believes that leaves should be raked. There are rules. Leaves are not good for grass. Leaves are untidy. Leaves when wet are moldy and slimy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Fulghum says \u201cThere is a reason for leaves. There\u2019s no reason for mowed grass.\u201d He thinks that trees are there because of the leaves. With unbridled extravagance, zillions of seeds helicopter out of the sky to land like assault forces to green the earth. The leaves follow to cover, protect, warm, and nourish the next generation of trees. Even though stony ground, birds, squirrels, bugs, and people may intervene, some of these seeds for dear life make it. In the silence of winter\u2019s night, some seeds plant themselves and survive to become the next generation of trees. To prove a point, one half of the yard is raked clean of leaves, his wife\u2019s side and the other half is covered with leaves, Fulghum\u2019s side. Come summer, they will see which side of the yard will do better.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s a rap on Fulghum\u2019s front door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy name is Donnie. I will rake your leaves. $1 a yard. I am deaf. You can write to me. I can read. I rake good.\u201d He holds out the pencil and paper with patience and hope and goodwill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are times when the simplest of events call all of one\u2019s existential motives into question. What would I do if he wasn\u2019t deaf? What will it do for him if I say no? If I say yes? What difference? We stand in each other\u2019s long silence, inarticulate for different reasons. In the same motion, he turns to go and I reach for the pencil and paper to write solemnly: \u201cYes. Yes, I would like to have my leaves raked.\u201d A grave nod from the attentive businessmanchild. \u201cDo you do it when they are wet?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes,\u201d he writes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDo you have your own rake?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is a big yard\u2014there are lots of leaves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI think I should give you two dollars.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A smile. \u201cThree?\u201d he writes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A grin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We have a contract. The rake is produced, and Donnie the deaf leaf-raker goes to work in the fast falling November twilight. In silence he rakes. In silence I watch\u2014through the window of the dark house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Carefully he rakes the leaves into a large pile, as instructed. (Yes, I am thinking I will spread them out over the yard again after he is gone to continue with my experiment. I am stubborn about this.) Carefully he goes back over the yard picking up missed leaves by hand and carrying them to the pile. He also is stubborn about his values. Raking leaves means all the leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Signing that he must go because it is dark and he must go home to eat, he leaves the work unfinished.\u00a0 Having paid in advance, being cynical, I wonder if he will return. Come morning, he has returned to his task, first checking the previously raked yard for latecomers. He takes pride in his work.\u00a0 The yard is leaf-free.\u00a0 I note his picking up several of the brightest yellow leaves and putting them into the pocket of his sweatshirt. Along with a whole handful of helicoptered seeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Donnie raps on the door. He signs that the work is done. As he walks away up the street I see him tossing one helicoptered seed into the air at a time. Fringe benefits. I stand in my own door in my own silence, smiling at his grace. Fringe benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tomorrow I will go out and push the pile of leaves over the bank into the compost heap at the bottom of the ravine behind our house. I will do it in silence. The leaves and seeds will have to work out their destiny there this year. I could not feel right about undoing his work. My experiment with science will have to stand aside for something more human. The leaves let go, the seeds let go, and I must let go sometimes, too, and cast my lot with another of nature\u2019s imperfect but tenacious survivors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hold on, Donnie, hold on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Donnie has that \u201cWhatever It Takes\u201d attitude. He went about his work focused and committed to getting it done. You can say, he believed in what he was doing and stood firm and held on fast to his values and beliefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Joy and I visited Gordon and Anita Chan in Milpitas during one of the Emmanual Family Group meetings, we learned about the Chans\u2019 cut flower nursery. We heard about how growing long-stemmed roses required pruning and tying them along a trellis to develop those long stems. My guess is that you would also need to spray and fertilize them in order to grow beautiful flowers\u2014first fruits. Just like long-stemmed roses need spraying, we as \u201cfirst fruits\u201d need sanctifying!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chosen from the beginning, we are \u201cfirst fruits.\u201d We need to live lives of faith and manifest good works with a \u201cWhatever It Takes\u201d attitude. And when we actively participate in the church\u2019s ministries, we go beyond the initial decision to accept Christ to continuously reaching to become persons trusting God with our lives. We are to be holy and happy in Spirit of Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Joy and I met at a small Christian college near Boston, Gordon College, named after a Baptist minister, Adoniram J. Gordon. He says,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is a great work of nature to transmute sunlight into life. So it is the great<\/p>\n\n\n\n
end of Christian living to transmute the light of truth into the fruits of holy<\/p>\n\n\n\n
living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let Us Pray<\/p>\n\n\n\n
O holy Father God, we come with the commitment to finish the task of discipleship as you have taught us through Christ. Guide us with the convictions to do whatever it takes to make a difference of peace, justice, and wholeness in the world. In the name of Christ our Lord, we pray. Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Preached by Rev. Donald Ng at the First Chinese Baptist Church of San Francisco November 8, 1998 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17 Second Coming The Scripture for this morning describes the