Towards Gracious Community

The Lord be with you! [and also with you], the Lord be with you [and also with you]. The Lord be with you [and also with you]. Amen. This is it, good Anglicans.

Study at TTC is not an easy journey or smooth sailing, yet it is one of the rewarding journeys that I ever experience. And I 'm sure that we all agree with it.

Some of us here have to juggle between be homemaker or full-time mother and full-time students. Some are full-time pastoral workers. Some would be juggling between father to toddlers and writing papers, preparing for the quiz and exam. Some newlywed couple, starting a new family while studying.

Some have to commute from Sengkang to TTC quite early in the morning which reminds me of the traffic in Bangkok, just to come for morning prayer and attend the morning class on time, and it even harder, if they have to send their children to school.

It is tiring and consumes all the energies, and most of the time, use up most of the resources that we have, just to come here to study. And praise the Lord, by the grace of God, we are here today and still survive.

One of the skills that I think most students especially mature students need is multi-tasking skill. The ability to hold the tensions that pull us in different directions.

I wish I could work on three papers at the same time. I wish I could facetime with my wife, listening to her day and at the same time, continue my reading.

Well, talk about the multitasking skill, I know a guy who good at multi-tasking skill. It reminds me of my dad. My father is good at multi-tasking skill. He can brush his teeth, while at the same time he can whistling, making whistling noises. Can you do that?

We all have so much shared memories here in this community; a good one and NOT so good one as no one here is perfect. I hope that we do cherish the good shared memories that we have together after graduation. For year one students, I hope that we do create good shared memories together. When we have lunch, dinner together, enjoy the hot pot party and also clean the common areas together; toilets, library, lounge; well whether how clean it is, is another story. We use these common areas together at the end of the day anyway, whether how clean or "not" so clean they are.

And living together in the community of "saints" is the beginning of how to "living out" that reality, through the sanctification process. As I mention, no one is perfect. There are times of trials and testings sometimes. We still have hope in one another because Christ is in us. We are united in Christ. We can go through all these trials and testings together when we gracious to one another, as the gracious community.

Scripture reading today is found in Luke 15, a parable of the prodigal son. Some commentators suggest that the proper name of this parable should be the parable of two sons. I prefer to call it, the parable of the father and his two sons. There are good lessons that we can learn from this text on how to be a "gracious community."

Multi-tasking skill in Theology is also important, by now, TTC students should be able to hold the tensions theologically. The most common one, we learn to hold the tensions between the mercy of God and the judgment of God at the same time. between God is gracious, yet God is holy and just. What does it mean to be a gracious community?

Timothy Keller wrote a book of this parable and called his book "The Prodigal God." He put it nicely in the introduction, in this way, and I quote

"The word “prodigal” does not mean “wayward” but, ... It means to spend until you have nothing left. This term is therefore as appropriate for describing the father in the story as his younger son. The father’s welcome to the repentant son was literally reckless because he refused to “reckon” or count his sin against him or demand repayment. This response offended the elder son and most likely the local community." Unquote.

Keller reflects and hits the high point for the parable. “This response offended the elder son and most likely the local community.”

Are we a "Prodigal Community" the same as our God who is the Prodigal God?

Are we the gracious community the same as our God who is the gracious Father?

Can SPH be a gracious community?

In the book, "the case for Christ, Lee Strobel wrote this; "most Christians understand God’s grace on a grand scale."

Growing up, we learned from Sunday school, a pulpit about the grace of God, the doctrine of Justification by Grace. The Bible teaches us that My grace is sufficient for you. God's grace is for all people. God demonstrated His grace to us by sending His only son, Jesus to die for us while we still sinners, not worthy for the gift of salvation (Romans 5:8).

For many of us, it’s easier to comprehend and accept this grand-scale grace than it is to grasp the fact that He loves us at the personal level.

His grace is for you and me. Let's put it in this way, when is the last time, that we realize the grace of God in our life, the moment that warm our heart, tears in our eyes?

The journey from the head to our heart is only possible through the revelation from God who works through reflection, meditation, and contemplation. Without reflection, meditation and contemplation, there is always "no space" for God in our heart because the bowl in our heart always occupied with something else. There is no room for God to speak, to reveal to us. And this is dangerous. When we do not reflect regularly, sometimes God uses the difficult circumstances in our life, to force us to reflect and we learn it the hard way. The same as the younger son in this narrative. The younger son never realizes how gracious his father is. For him, he received gifts from his father and takes it for granted.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor-theologian, calls it "Cheap grace." When we enjoy all the good gifts and do not care for who provide all these good gifts for us. King David in Psalms 51, he possesses all the good gifts from God and takes it for granted, the same as the younger son. He enjoyed the good gifts from God as the king and abused it. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband.

Because of the text today is Luke 15, so I can’t withhold my testimony from you. This parable is dear to my heart.

I became Christian when I was sixteen and backslid when I started working in the market place pursuing a good career, further education, and money. I got a good education, a good job, yet I take it for granted. I pray to God asking for a good job; God answered my prayer. I pray for a scholarship for overseas study. God also did answer my prayer. Whatever considers good things for me, when I ask him, He never withholds from me. God is so gracious.

I enjoyed all the good gifts from God, yet take it for granted, the same as the younger son. Long story short, I came back to God through the alpha course, and I remembered during the weekend away, the holy spirit week. When the alpha team laid hands and prayed for me, some started to pray in tongue. Then in my heart, I heard the small, gentle, fatherly voice saying "welcome home. I love you, my prodigal son. Luke 15." That night when I came back home, I opened my old, dusty Bible and I read through Luke 15.

God is so gracious. He probably thinks that this is not enough. God did more than that, to make sure that this beloved son hears His voice loud and clear with the right understanding. A week later, during the Sunday service, Rev Peter Cook at that time, he was Vicar at Christ Church Bangkok, preached Luke 15 - the prodigal son. And we all know that he preaches very well, the way he brings out the text and makes it comes alive. I was listening to his sermon with tears, reflecting all the past and realize how gracious God is in my life.

The younger son came to the father and realized how gracious his father is. Instead of demanding the younger son to do all the good works to proof for his repentance, he forgives and receives his son unconditionally. This grace is radical grace, hyper-grace. God's grace is mind-blowing. Indeed our God is radical. The Pharisees and scribes could not take it as well as the older brother in the narrative. They expect God to react in a certain way, according to their worldview. Like what Bishop Kuan says human tries to domesticate God. Dr. Tan Kim Huat says God is unpredictable, yet God is consistent. We all need hyper-grace, and we respond to God's hyper-grace with costly grace, not cheap grace. Because this is costly, it cost God's son, Jesus Christ to die for our sins on the cross. It is costly and priceless. "good works do not save, and the saved do good works."

In this narrative, we usually preach from the prodigal son perspective, but what else can we learn from the elder son and from the father. The second lesson that we can learn from the elder son is "do not too quick to judge" When we too quick to judge we tend to be like the elder brother, overly critical. He indeed is overly judgmental on his younger brother. Verse 30 the elder son said "But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with "prostitutes."

verse 13-14

13 Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. 14 And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.

the younger son indeed did spend all the money that he had, and the text is silent whether or not the younger son spent all the money with prostitutes. It might be living in luxury, fun party every night or spent money on gambling. Here the elder brother assumed, the younger son devoured property with prostitutes, additional charge.

Once we are prejudice with our presupposition, we tend to be overly critical to that person. Brothers and Sisters, towards the gracious community; do not quick to judge, or else we will fall into this trap.

Not only be overly critical to his brother, but the elder son also does not recognize the younger son as his younger brother.

30 But when "this son of yours" came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’

It is the father who reminds the elder son that this is your brother.

31 And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. 32 It fitted to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost and is found.”

To make it a complete picture, do not quick to judge, does not mean not rebuke what is wrong. From today reading in Psalm 51, King David repents from his great sin, because of Nathan who risks his life to rebuke King David. We are accountable to one another in this community. And we should be able to rebuke one another in love and wisdom. Nathan uses the story to rebuke King David by asking him to judge from the story that he told him. Some scholar says that the moment that King David realised his sins, it is the imagery that he sees himself in the mirror - he sees himself in Nathan's story. We learn to speak the truth to one another in love and for some situations, we need wisdom like Nathan :)

We can learn from our liturgy. Thank God for our Anglican liturgy. In Holy communion service, before we greet with one another, the celebrant says

"we are the body of Christ. In the one Spirit, we were all baptized into one body. Let us then pursue all that makes for peace and build up our common life."

What a beautiful liturgy, from the word of God!!! To pursue peace means reconciliation and build up our everyday life, for the good of the community. No judgmental act found here, because, in the end, we are one body in Christ.

What else can we learn from the father, "always keeps the communication channel open." Even though the chance for the repentance or reconciliation is very slim, this father has two wrong sons, and he loves both sons dearly. For those who are parents would understand this very well. No matter how difficult or rebellious our children are, never, never, to shut the door completely to our children. Keep the communication channel open even though the gap is very narrow. Our children know that there always be an open door for them to return to their parents who genuinely love them. the same as the younger son in the narrative. There is always a "way back" to God. The door always opens and never shut entirely.

Towards a Gracious community, we learn three things today (1) it starts with each one of us, be gracious to one another, the same as our Prodigal God. "A gracious act is always the best policy." (2) Do not too quick to judge. Speak the truth in love. (3) always keeps the communication channel open.

I am coming to the end of sharing, as we are entering into a season of Lent and today is Ash Wednesday. We give thanks for our Anglican heritage, the liturgical calendar. I want to invite us to use this Lent season, not only mourning for our sins but also to slow down and reflect on our journey at TTC and here at SPH. At least each one of us, thinking of one thing; only one thing that we could do or to change to be more gracious. It may be simple as praying for one another. Some may need reconciliation. Some might have to forgive, and some say sorry, I am wrong. Let us enter this season of Lent with humility and ask God to help us, to make this community be a gracious community.

Amen.