Well technically for a pastor Easter isn’t quite over yet. I will be busy until about the end of April until things really start slowing down. But for most of the people in the country, Easter is done and over and all we are left with is a bunch of empty plastic eggshells. The candy that was inside of them… gone. And there is something called the after Easter depression. Sometimes we can feel like those leftovers, forgotten, empty plastic shells. We spent so much time preparing everything for Easter. Maybe some of us had family coming over, and had to prepare a lot of food, or maybe you all have a lot of activities at church that needed time and attention. We prepared ourselves well, by preparing nice clothing for yourself and your family on Easter day… and now… it is all over. Easter has passed. And initially we sigh, and say thank God, this si all over. But after the down time of relaxing and getting rest. We are left looking around wondering, now what? What are supposed to do now? Make you wonder if this is how the disciples might be feeling after Jesus has died on the cross. The disciples scattered, abandoned each other, and went into hiding. It was even after some time that some disciples heard of Jesus’ resurrection… but well... word travelled slower back then, without Instagram, social media, or even internet. But this is the problem every year we face. That is the after Easter woes. But it doesn’t have to be like that. What we felt on Easter Day, that Resurrection Day should be a feeling that continues after Easter. Christ is Risen! Right? Then why the after Easter depression? Well, maybe it’s because everything that we expected for Easter has happened. All the time and effort for what we expect on Easter is now finished. And nobody ever prepared any of us to tell us what we are supposed to do after Easter. There is no Easter after party, or nothing else “important” after Easter. It just feels over with. But there is still more to do. It is about renewal and living. Easter represents for us a resurrected life. So, we need to continue the mission that Christ set for us… well actually, that Christ is already one step, or several steps in front of us. The Gospel of John retells the resurrection story of Christ has already left he tomb and is ahead of anyone that came to see him at the tomb. Christ is gone as fast as Easter began. So, why are we still at the tomb?! What are we waiting for? Jesus isn’t there anymore! So, we better get moving! Jesus is already walking ahead of us, in front of us, showing us the way. Easter is over and done, the tomb is empty, but living does not end. The resurrection story continues. So don’t be stuck on Easter, be alive, and live a life that is worthy of resurrection. Make things happen. Keep moving. Be resilient. Be courageous.
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What does Easter mean to you? Well for us Christians it is about our beginning as Christians. Without Jesus’ death on the cross, and eventful resurrection from the grave, we would not have our Christian identity. But so what? What does that mean for all of us? It is just a story that we believe, or is the Easter mean something more? Now I am not talking about the family gather, good food, or Easter Egg hunt… that is not what really matters on Easter. Easter is about each and every one of us living a resurrected life. It is about knowing that there is nothing our God cannot do. He has shown us all through Jesus Christ. God has proven Himself to be a teacher, healer, companion, friend of the outcast, miracle worker, obedient to only God, and a resister to all oppression and oppressors. The resurrection is not just another miracle, but it is a message to us, a final message that shows God’s absolute love for us. Throughout life as Jesus Christ, he was all about people living their best life. Jesus was all about living in hope and giving that hope to others. God’s love has no boundaries in life and in death. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God, not even death itself! There is nothing our God cannot do! So, live courageously, humbly, and confidently! God is always with you. Easter is one day ahead of us, the Day of Resurrection. So live because God is living as well! Live your best life because God has given you the opportunity to live that life better! Get yourself out of the grave because Christ has rolled away the boulder so that you can step out of the shadows and into the light of Easter morning. Live, because life demands it and the world needs more alive people. Live again because you are free some guilt, shame, and sin because God loves and forgives you! The world needs people who are living. Be the proof of resurrection to a world that is in need of seeing it. Leave your burdens in the tomb, the shackles, chains, and old clothing, leave it behind, because living in the light of resurrection means you are made new. Happy Easter everyone! One of my favorite people to visit is Orchid Huff. She is 94 years old, sharp as a tack and funny. Also, whenever I see her I either find myself laughing or learning something. She has a lot of experience and wisdom to share. So, when I came to visit her, she is always peaceful. And I do not really remember what we are talking about because we just talk about anything and everything. But the words she said hung in my brain for a while. That sentence is “Why make a fuss.” She reiterated that there are some things in this world that you can make a fuss about, but you really have to think about priorities, situations, circumstances, and other people. You must ask yourself, “why make a fuss?” It's a simple question or sentence. Often a statement we rarely ask because we often forget about it. But this statement will stop you in your tracks, teaches you patience, and contemplative thought. Ask yourself is it worth making a fuss about it? Life is precious and we only have this one chance at it. We have to make good decisions and fight the right battles. In the world right now, we have too many people wanting to make a fuss. We have too many people that feel that they deserve more. We have too many people who are just looking for a fight. And we do not have enough people asking themselves, “Is it worth causing a fuss about it?” You do not have to fight over everything in life. Sometimes it is acceptable to let things go and save yourself the trouble you will have to go through. Be wise and patient. This is not an advertisement for this mobile phone app game. I’d recommend people to stay away. But for the past few weeks I have been playing this game and do very much enjoy it. It kind of reminds me of the real world. After all it is a game built upon real people coming together forming alliances, helping each other out, and attacking other rival alliances. This game is kind of like the real world. Plenty of nice people, but also plenty of troublemakers, plenty of honorable folks, and many bullies. There is a community, there are alliances, and sometimes we have good relationships with some alliances and others not so much. There is a justice system in place in the case that a player is upsetting someone. Just like the real world, to find any kind of success, we need to work together, focus on our tasks, and achieve victory together. We all must have good communication and work together. In this game, you cannot find success alone. When people do not get along, because of alliance power, or alliance affiliation or the breaking of agreed amount rules, chaos can erupt. So… sort of like our world, right? So, this game certainly reminded me of how vital working together is to the success of a better world. Also, communication and understanding. But working together and good communication takes time and sometimes convincing of others. It is about putting in work to find a common goal. And that is the key… good communication and working together needs a reason a common goal so that all people can jump on board. What is our common goal? Well in Christianity the common goal for all Christians is to uphold the value and standard that was set by Jesus Christ. After all we owe it to Him, He is the one that died for us, sacrificing Himself for the sins on the world. But we owe it to Christ, not because He demands it, but because by following Christ and understanding what he did on earth is important to created peace and gentleness. Christ demands nothing from us because there is nothing that Christ really needs from us. The demand is on each other and that is what Christ revealed to us. We need each other. That is why it was very intentional that Christ gathered all His disciples together for the Last Supper. Calling each disciple to come together… even Judas. It doesn’t mean we will all behave well. We will make mistakes, we will falter and stumble, and even at times turn our backs on the world and on Jesus, just as Judas did. But we are the world, and we must come together. We must work towards that common goal. That goal that Christ sets and realizing that helping one another, sacrificing your time, resources, and behavior for one another is necessary to live in a world that can be harmonious, peaceful, and mindful. As Christians our common goal is coming together so we can find in each other, grace, forgiveness, love, compassion, and hope. That is our common goal. Simply because we all can use a little more grace, compassion, love, and forgiveness. SO may our actions reflect the attitude of Christ. Well, I thought I told my kids that Lent was about trying to give up something for God. But apparently, for them it isn’t giving up candy and sweets. But then again, it is Valentine’s Day. So, the question is… So how did we celebrate Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day? Well today we begin the celebration of Lent, and what better way to celebrate Lent by celebrating Valetine’s Day right? Lent is a day in which most people give up something to improve their life. But Valentine’s Day is a day that we receive more things. So maybe it isn’t a coincidence that the start of Lent and Valentine’s Day happen to be the same day. Maybe it is time we rethink how we think about Lent. Maybe, it should not be a day of giving up anything, but a day that we add something more to our life. That something is what will benefit our life for the better. So, let’s not make Lent something that we feel we must give up. It just doesn’t feel fun and exciting. Afterall the preparation of lent is our anticipation for Easter. And Easter is a time of celebration. Let’s look at Lent to be a time in which we prepare for a party… that party being Easter. So let us think about something to do, something more. Do something that is not just beneficial to ourselves, but also to others. Again, think about preparing for a party and when you prepare for a party, we think about the people coming to the party and that we are to make all the preparations and arrangements for all people to enjoy. So Lent is like Valentine’s Day. It’s like a party for giving and sharing and just having a good time. Promise yourself during Lent, you will find something you can enjoy with others. This picture is of a pie. A pie which I never had before in my life. I never even heard of the name of the pie ever in my life. I bought this pie at Martin’s grocery store. This is a Wet Bottom Shoefly Pie. To me… odd name of a pie… and not even sure if the name of the pie actually describes what kind of pie you are eating. This pie… this Wet Bottom Shoefly Pie is not wet; it does not have a “wet” bottom. In fact, I would even assume that it is closer to feeling dry, than wet. So, not too sure why they call it a “Wet Bottom.” I even wonder if there is a “Dry Bottom” Shoefly Pie. Oh, and just so you all know, I have not done any research for this pie whatsoever. I am literally writing about this pie, without any knowledge about this pie... only using the powers of my observation of this pie. So… not wet at all. Also, there seems to be no shoe or fly involved. And I have no idea what a shoefly is. Is it a type of fly? Or maybe Shoefly is the name of a city or town? Or maybe it is some kind of idiom/slang that I am not familiar with. I just know, I have never heard the term “Shoefly” in my life. My Korean parents never spoken to me about a “Shoefly.” So, the only thing about this Wet Bottom Shoefly Pie I can understand is that it is certainly a pie. But it’s not wet, and it does have shoes or included flies, or whatever. I know it’s a pie because it is in the shape of a pie. This is so interesting to me because with most pies, you know what you are getting by the name of the pie. For example, apple pie… no surprise, there are apples in it. Peach pie, you can imagine what ingredient is in a peach pie. Pumpkin pie. Yup... you guessed it, pumpkin! Now… Wet Bottom Shoefly Pie. I only have questions, and zero answers to what this thing is. What is wild to me is that I ate it. As a matter of fact, I just finished the whole pie, the picture you see was the very last slice. I ate it all… all 8 slices of the pie. And I still have questions about this pie. That is what is in a Wet Bottom Shoefly Pie. I assumed that if I kept eating more, I’d nail down what kind of pie it is. But the last slice, down the gullet, and now I am writing this blog… and I have no idea what I just ate. I ate 8 slices, the whole pie on my own… today… from 9:00am till 2:05pm. I have never eaten this much pie in my life. I have no idea what I ate, I do not even know what it tastes like. Maybe figs? I don’t know. Now what is strange, is that you think, since I ate the entire pie, I must have enjoyed the pie. To be honest, I don’t know if I like it or not. It’s not bad, nor does it get the top prize of best pie. It is a pie, I ate it, all of it, and no idea how I feel about this pie. Again, I have no idea what I ate, I do not understand the name of the pie, and I have no idea if I like it or not. It is like a Trinity of questions concerning this pie. Which is probably perfect as we move in Transfiguration Sunday this weekend. The narrative in which Jesus transfigures into Three entities… kind of like the Triune God. One person in three persons. Confusing right? I know. It’s confusing like this Wet Bottom Shoefly Pie. Trinitarian God, 1 God, 3 persons, many questions… or maybe traditionally… three questions… like this Wet Bottom Shoefly Pie. Even this pie has three words… WET BOTTOM SHOEFLY. Three words, three questions, and no answers! Yep, definitely sounds like how God operates. Oh, and if you are wondering whether I read the label of the pie… I did…many times… and yet questions still exist. The label about a Wet Bottom Shoefly Pie… just lists all cooking ingredients… but there’s no main product about the pie. It’s like flour, butter, sugar, wheat flour, molasses, canola oil and a bunch of other stuff that sounds scientific. I do not understand. Maybe the closest thing in understanding our loving Trinitarian God is all found in the Wet Bottom Shoefly pie. So, this pie is the closest thing to heaven we are ever going to get. God bless you all. You heard to straight form the groundhog’s mouth! Well… sort of… I mean… it was some dude holding a groundhog telling us a really fun poem that announced that Phil did not see his shadow therefore Spring is coming soon! Groundhog Day is officially my favorite holiday. So if Spring is coming early… let’s get my bass fishing gear ready! Time to start catching big largemouth bass! I am ready! Wait… hold on… what? Wait... are you telling me that whatever they predict on Groundhog Day may not actually be a true prophecy? Are you telling me that Punxsutawney Phil is not a real predicter of weather or seasons? Well according to the naysayers…. You know… the weather reporters… Phil might not necessarily be correct. That is that winter could be longer than we expect it. Man… I just got all my gear out because of Phil’s prediction! I don’t know… Since Punxsutawney Phil predicted an early Spiring…. The weather in the past 36 hours has been looking like Spring is creeping in! This has been the most sunlight I have seen since November! It’s sunny…I saw the sun rise at 7:00am… I can’t remember ever seeing that in this winter season in central PA. I feel like every day since December has been so cloudy in the morning. Right now… it’s February… and it looks nice outside. It’s unusually warm and sunny. It’s… quite eerie how well Phil knew what was going on! But wait… now I am confused…. So, the legend says that if Phil sees his shadow and he gets scared, then it is a longer winter. But if he doesn’t see his shadow, then hello spring. That doesn’t make sense… not the legend, but the reasoning of interpreting Phil’s action. Don’t you think it would be the opposite? You know. Phil sees his shadow because it must be sunny… and nice… hence the signs of Spring’s arrival. Who cares if he gets scared and goes hiding? I’m I right about this? I think we had it all backwards. Anyways… Phil is right! Spring is coming soon. The evidence is clear. It is sunny, surprisingly warmer than usual… the bass fishing gear is going to stay out! All jokes aside, nobody knows when Spring is really going to come to arrival. Nobody, not even the weather reporters, can truly predict when Spring weather will start its arrival. Weather patterns can change, and it’s impossible to see what the weather will be like at the end of February or the beginning of March or April! It is just too early to know anything! But I sure like preparing for spring! It will arrive sometime… hopefully earlier rather than later. So, that is it… your theological answer for today. I know… you didn’t have or ask a question… but your answer to whatever is about God and His plan in your life is all about our patience and hopefulness. I know we wish that whatever we need in our life right now, would just happen now, just as if Phil said it’s going to be Spring, and poof next 24 hours is like the magical groundhog was right... sunny and warm. But Phil just gives us a bit of hope of what will come… sometime. And God, and how God operates in our life and how God answers our prayers, wants, and needs, is all about us being patient, waiting on His clear answer. But since we don’t know when God will show us the answers to our needs, al we can do is prepare and get ready. Never know when God answers our needs, but we might as well be ready for it when it happens. And at the same time, be prepared to wait for a while. So, in the meantime… Phil… we love you and I believe you! The bass fishing gear is going to stay out but at the same time I will stay close to the snowblower. Never know what tomorrow is going to bring. Not a bad time to go fishing…. Well, I dunno, for me, I guess there really isn’t a bad tie to go fishing when you can. Yesterday was a nice warmer winter day and all the snow is melting. However, finding a suitable spot to creek fish was hard to find. Most of the waters were flooded and my normal spots were too dangerous to wade or too dangerous for Suzie to go running around. But after some searching… new spots were discovered, and fish were found. But I couldn’t help getting this image out of my head. And I can’t show it on here because I don’t want to get fined or sued for sharing a portrait, I have no permission to show, but I encourage people to google it and find the painting. The painting is called “Scene from the Great Flood” by Joseph-Desire Court in 1826. You can find the painting at the Museum of Fine Arts in Lyons. You see while I was out and about yesterday, all the rivers and creeks flooding just reminded me of this painting. Now in this painting shows a man trying to save his father who is drowning, while this man seems to ignore his wife and baby, who is also drowning and is much closer in proximity than the man. It is a devastating painting that is inspired by the Biblical story of Noah’s flood. So, what does this painting mean? Well, the grandfather represents the past, and the baby represents the future, and the wife is the present. The future and present are easily connected because only what happens in the future is dependent on the present, while the past is nothing that we can change or affect, since it is already finished and done. The only thing we can do is focus on the present and build for the future, while we should be able to let go of the past. Yet in this painting the man is saving the grandfather meaning that he is clinging on to the past and cannot see the present or future that is in his midst, or the man is simply ignoring the present and future. Does this painting sometimes sound like us? Sometimes, when we do not realize it, we are clinging on to the past, and cannot live or choose not to live in the present and therefore cannot cultivate the future. Last Sunday at church we talked about Jesus calling out to His first disciples, and the disciples’ response was to drop their nets and follow Christ. Unlike these brave disciples, we have a hard time letting go of our nets. Like the painting, this story has a great image of using nets. The nets were the first disciple’s life, their livelihood, and in a way their connection to the world and society, it was their identity. But also, the nets are a point of entanglement and immobility. Jesus is present among the disciples and Jesus’ voice calling to them is the future. The disciples, if they want to be in the present and look towards the future, they must let go of their nets, and follow Jesus’ command. Let the past live in the past. Let it go. Do not miss out in what is presently before you, and do not ignore the possibility of a greater future. Jesus once said, “let the dead bury the dead.” Your past represents “the dead.” It is no longer present, real, and here… it is gone. You have today to worry about and by focusing on the moment, the present, the now, you can prepare and cultivate for the future. I urge you all… don’t be like the foolish man in Joseph Desire-Court’s painting, “Scene from the Great Flood” who is trying to save his past while sacrificing the present and future. Be like the disciples who is called by Jesus Christ, the disciples that let go of their nets, let go of the past, just so they can find a better future, by never ignoring the present. Wait! Aren’t we only just a couple of weeks into the 2024 year? Well… yes, we are… it’s only January 17th and yeah… I am already ready for this year to end and start new with 2025! So far…. 2024… has been busy, frustrating, and just rough! It is just one thing after another! I am just calling out to God saying. “Hey! Give me a break would you!” I mean the weather it’s the most cooperative… the last couple of Sunday’s we had trouble filling the sanctuary because of the snowstorms or snow squalls. A lot of snowy and icy precipitation so far, and it doesn’t look like it is going to end soon. Afterall it is winter and cold and its only January. I believe that February is Central PA is the time we are supposed to get the most amount of snow… so I better buckle up! And so far, this year (2024) it’s not just about the bad weather, it’s also about all those little things that just effects everyday life and messes with my schedule. For example, just in time to kick off the new year, our church computer broke down on Dec. 27th. This should have been a good indication that 2024 might start out rough! Now it is Jan. 17th, and the computer is still broken because of the weather preventing me from getting out to do this and mixed that in with doing visitation to shut in folks to give communion. Next week I really hope to get this computer fixed! Cross my fingers. Now on top of computer issues… my kids have barely gone to school. One kid gets sick, and then the other one gets sick. Or when they can go to school… it’s a snow day. And snow days aren’t what I thought would be snow days when I was a kid. I remember when I was a kid and that school was closed because of snow, it was sitting in your pajamas watch the family feud, or whatever, eat cereal for breakfast and lunch, and maybe go outside and play in the snow. Not anymore apparently. Now I got two kids working on computers, in the same room competing in focusing and listening to their teachers… so volume is on max on both computers… less than a peaceful time for me. And a friend told me Well just let them use headphones… I wish that was possible, but I must listen to both teachers as well to make sure my kids stay on schedule. So far Ben skipped class sessions because he thought break time was school is finished for the day. He missed class sessions, because while they are in school… because the weather is not just snow… but also snow is followed by rain and well the rain makes the snow slushy and very heavy... nearly impossible to shovel or use the snowblower…. So better get than snow off as soon as possible! Once again... weather really makes many things in life complicated! So, I need to stay at home to either monitor kids on snow days or sick days. And normally, the kids getting sick hasn’t been a big deal… but Norah… has a swollen and sore throat that has prevented her from eating well, talking, and breathing…. Yeah… its not COVID or Pneumonia or Strep throat… its just some virus… just some whatever virus…. Nice. Now… 2024 are we done? Not at all…. Apparently because of the high velocity winds and bad weather… the glass on our outdoor church bulletin board has shattered in many different little, large pieces of shard spread all over the white snow and ice. Let me tell you… its challenging picking up glass pieces in the snow… not only are they hard to find, especially when they get slightly buried, your hands keep getting sliced by the tiniest of glass shards…. Makes me wonder how in the world did John McClain in the first Die Hard movie roll on all that broken glass untouched and run barefoot on broken glass to save the day? I guess some people are just built different… Anyways… 2024… oh there is more? Right… another snowstorm, another in home school day for kids, another day of me being unable to do some other work I have to do, and another day of shoveling and cursing. Thanks… and I am sure this might not be the last one of these. So… that’s me ranting and complaining and that is what 2024 is so far feeling to me… just tough, disappointing, busy, and immobilized. And all this time in church I have been preaching about being a person of hope as we begin 2024. So, I better practice what I preach! Walk the walk and talk the talk. Or better yet, replace all the verbs in the last sentence with the word “shovel.” 2024 you seem to be unkind… but I know that this is just the beginning. Afterall all beginnings can be tough. And every beginning has its struggles. I guess that is ok! As much as I do not like how I feel and all the stuff that I must do, that I couldn’t do, because of the weather situations, which affect the homelife situations, which in turn effect the work life situations. But sometimes everything that you plan on wanting to do or needing to do gets delayed. So what? Instead of feeling frustrated, and exhausted… its time to get up and do what needs to be done. Stay home, take care of kids, monitor their schoolwork, listen carefully to both teachers’ instructions, help the little ones at home, cook and feed them, and in between and whenever… pick up a shovel and work, lift, push, and clean. Get outside, and pick up the broken pieces of glass, grit and bare the blood from the shards…wounds heal, its ok. Life is never going to be smooth. Life is about adapting to change, working hard to do what the task in front of you requires. It’s about never working on the do to lists, its about doing the tasks that interrupt your to do list. Life will have its challenges and I do believe that our resilience and faith in God does go a long way. God is your backbone, foundation, and hope. So… don’t let the rough start of 2024 ruin the year for you. God knows that there are good things around the corner… it’s ok to have rough winters… Afterall… spring is coming sometime! We are fresh into the new year, 2024, and many times repeatedly the big talk is about making resolutions. Which is great to do. That is to make a resolution that would better your life and the life around you. But I think far too often, these resolution talks get a bit old and redundant. Because sometimes we make a resolution that will get broken, and the need of the commitment gets ignored as the year progresses. But I want to offer a change, a challenge, and ask you all to do something different. Instead of making New Year resolutions, how about making New Year reconciliations. Now the big difference to me about resolutions and reconciliation is that often resolutions offer an escape from last year, or the past and that we try something never done before in the future. For example, I didn’t work out at all last year, gained some weight, so this year I am going to work out and lose weight. But reconciliation is about revisiting the past, remembering it, and finding peace, a solution, and a path towards ultimate forgiveness. That is forgiveness of the self and of other people. So, reconciliation would be something like, I had a fight with my friend, I lost touch with them, and instead of just getting over it, and letting it go, how about looking at ways to mend the relationship. Both resolutions and reconciliation are the same in a way that it offers everyone a second chance. But I think resolutions are far more about the self, while reconciliation can be about other people and the community. So, I like using the word reconciliation better than resolutions. Because I think reconciliation is more about other people than yourself. And I just feel that our world today needs more reconciliation than resolutions. It’s very difficult to watch anything on social media or television when all I see are people pointing fingers at each other and everyone is trying to hurt or destroy each other. When as Christians we are taught about God forgiveness of sins and that God loves us no matter the circumstance and that Jesus Christ taught us that we should do the same to others as God has done the same for us. Reconciliation does not mean that we accept bad behavior or turn a blind eye on injustice or moral and ethical issues. It just simply means that we recognize that we are living in a very broken world that is in need of admitting sinfulness (which we all should do…nobody is perfect, and nobody lives perfect lives), instead of judging someone, we show kindness and compassion even if we still find ourselves in disagreement and recognize that all people need and deserve forgiveness and a second chance. Now, let us begin 2024 by mending our broken hearts. Now even if there is a relationship that you had that is broken, it doesn’t necessarily mean we have to repair it… sometimes it is about letting go and finding peace with ourselves just so that the next person we meet (friend, family, or special someone) we can treat them with dignity, respect, and compassion. 2024 is all about reconciliation and finding peace. May that be our mission. |
AuthorHey this is Rev. Brian Choi's random thought throughout my week. Most of this stuff, will probably be about family, church, fishing, music, movies, food, whatever I think of, hopefully it will have some sort of theological reflection (maybe). Archives
April 2024
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