![]() 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.
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![]() 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
December 2024
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