9-22-24 “You are a Chosen People”

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“You are a Chosen People”

I want to start with something funny that I found online: An elderly woman walked into the local country church. The friendly usher greeted her at the door and helped her up the flight of steps. “Where would you like to sit?” he asked politely. “The front row, please,” she answered. “You really don’t want to do that,” the usher said. “The pastor is really boring.” “Do you happen to know who I am?” the woman asked. “No,” he replied. “I’m the pastor’s mother,” she said indignantly. “Do you know who I am?” he asked. “No,” she said. “Good,” he answered.

What is your greatest passion in life? Perhaps it’s watching your grandchildren grow, spending time with your pets, being actively involved in a community club, gardening, working out for your health, or simply spending time with your family. Whatever your passion is, we all strive for well-being and a joyful life.

The reason you enjoy watching your grandchildren grow is that it brings you joy in that moment. The reason you actively participate in a social club is that it makes you feel valued. The reason you love gardening is that it inspires you. There are reasons behind the things we are passionate about.

Even though our hobbies and passions have reasons, doesn’t our life itself have a special purpose? Sometimes we wonder if we are valuable, if we are useful, or if we are loved by someone. Perhaps we all long to be great, cherished, and beloved by others.

Remember, each of us is a very important being in the Kingdom of God. The purpose God created each of us for is that we are vital parts of His Kingdom.

A few months ago, I received a gift from one of our parishioners. It was a puzzle called “Jesus and Sheep.” I don’t usually do puzzles because I feel like they take up too much time, but I enjoyed this one. It took me about a week to complete. However, I couldn’t finish it because one piece was missing. The missing piece wasn’t of Jesus or the sheep, but just a small edge near Jesus’ right elbow. Still, even that piece of background was essential to completing the puzzle. Without it, the puzzle remained incomplete.

In the same way, each of us is an equally precious part of our church ministry and, more importantly, the Kingdom of God. Nothing can replace you.

Most people want to be the greatest part of their family, the community, and anything they put effort into. Otherwise, they feel they are not an important part. In today’s scripture, we see an argument of the disciples and Jesus’ teaching regarding it. Through this story, we may get insight.

As we learned last Sunday, Jesus began to teach about his important mission project after Peter’s confession, “You are the Messiah.” It is the second time Jesus taught his disciples about his mission, saying, “The Son of Man is to be betrayed into human hands, and they will kill him, and three days after being killed, he will rise again.” The disciples couldn’t understand what Jesus was talking about, but no one asked him. Rather, they were afraid to ask. They couldn’t imagine Jesus would suffer and die because they saw the many miracles Jesus performed. They might have thought about why Jesus would die and who would dare go against him because Jesus was the person who raised the dead, scolded the storm, healed the blind and the deaf, drove out the evil spirits, and fed five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish. They were also afraid to ask him because they saw that Jesus had scolded Peter. When Peter said, “No way, you shouldn’t die,” Jesus said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things” (Mark 8:33).

Instead, they imagined a world where Jesus would become king and argued about who would be the greatest among them. Can you imagine? Jesus was preparing to suffer and die, yet His disciples were concerned about who would hold the highest position. Despite being taught by Jesus for three years, they still had a different vision from His. They remained focused on themselves, as Jesus said, “For you are setting your mind not on divine things, but on human things.”

Nevertheless, Jesus was patient with them and taught about humility, saying, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” Then, “Jesus took a little child and put it among them; and taking it in his arms, he said to them, ‘Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me’” (Mark 9:36-37).

As you may know, there were three vulnerable groups in Israelite society: women, children, and strangers. They had no voice in public decisions or opinions. Jesus used a child as an example to teach about humility and hospitality. A child represented the weak and powerless—socially, economically, and politically. By serving a child—or anyone who is weak or powerless—with humility, you are serving Jesus. And furthermore, you are serving God. Consider who the weak and powerless are today. Who needs our help?

The disciples focused on Jesus’ miracles and enjoyed the fame that came from being associated with His miraculous works. They took pride in being His followers, dreaming of gaining higher positions. But we shouldn’t follow that path. Christians are not called to privilege or power, but to serve others, as Jesus did.

We sometimes fail to remain steadfast in our faith. We may wander, seeking worldly things. We might doubt the truth of biblical stories, lacking faith. We might complain or blame God when we face life’s challenges—a bad medical report, a broken relationship with a loved one. Some of us may turn to alcohol or drugs when we feel weak, lonely, or depressed, questioning our worth. But remember, you are chosen by God and beloved.

Some of you may know that I enjoy knitting prayer shawls. While knitting, if I drop a stitch, I can’t complete the shawl. If I continue without fixing the mistake, the entire shawl is ruined. I have to go back, find the dropped stitch, and start again. In knitting, every stitch is equally important to complete the whole shawl. In the same way, each of us is a precious part of the Kingdom of God. No one is more precious than another; all are equally valuable in the unity of the body of Christ.

I’d like to conclude with 1 Peter 2:9: “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

There are three parts to our life journey: moments of darkness, moments of encountering the wonderful light, and moments of shining that light. Where are you now? Are you in darkness? Listen to God’s voice calling you out of it. Are you standing in the light? Rejoice in your life, knowing you belong to God. If the light hasn’t come yet, trust in God’s love, which will guide you to that moment of light and enable you to shine it forth. Trust in God—you are chosen by Him!

Thanks be to God. Amen!