Reflection September 10th, 2023 (Creation Time 1)

Sicamous United Church Posted on by

Genesis 1:1-2:2/ Psalm 8/ Luke 6:43-45

What Are We Sowing?

You Get What You Sow

There is a Korean proverb, “Where you sow beans, there, beans grow; and where you sow red beans, there, red beans grow.” You can probably guess what it means. You get what you sow. It’s about cause and consequence. If you sow beans, you get beans. If you spoil your children, they grow up with a great sense of entitlement and ego. If I practise my piano pieces very carefully and solidify my memory, I probably won’t have a memory lapse while performing them. Every action has consequences.

What we have been experiencing in recent years with extreme climate events is the same. We have exploited our earthly resources in the name of progress. We have used our position as the most intelligent creatures on earth to use nature and other animals any way we wanted to satisfy our greed.

Continue reading →

Reflection September 3rd, 2023

Sicamous United Church Posted on by

Exodus 3:1-15/ Romans 12:9-21/ Matthew 16:21-28

The Cost of Discipleship

Wham!

Do you know the pop star George Michael? He unfortunately passed away in 2016, but he was famous and popular since the 80’s. How about Andrew Ridgeley, do you know him? Not a lot of people know Ridgeley, but you will recognize the name of his musical band Wham!. Michael and Ridgeley were a pop duo called Wham! in the 80’s but few people know Ridgeley because he was overshadowed by the talent and charisma of George Michael. To be more precise, Ridgeley consciously stepped behind to let Michael shine. He was Michael’s best friend since they were 11, and the one who helped him out of his shell and gave him the confidence to shine and become a pop star.

Continue reading →

Reflection August 27th, 2023

Sicamous United Church Posted on by

Exodus 1:8-2:10/ Romans 12:1-8/ Matthew 16:13-20

Who Am I?

Self-Discovery

Do you know who you are, whom God created you to be? When someone we know acts out of character, we might say, “Why are you doing this? It’s not you!” We say this because we know them. When I was 12 or 13, I loved looking at stars so much that I entertained the idea of studying astronomy. But even at that age, I knew that I couldn’t study astronomy because I was terrible at math. So, I decided to write poems about stars instead.

Searching for our identity can be a long journey. It might take a lot of years. It definitely needs God’s guidance and discernment. God knows us best since we were created by God.

Continue reading →

Reflection August 20th, 2023

Sicamous United Church Posted on by

Genesis 45:1-15/ Matthew 15:10-28

We Are Family

We Are Family

While reading and meditating on today’s scriptures, there was a song that kept playing in my head, and I thought, ‘I might as well use this song.’ It is called We Are Family, which has been covered by a lot of artists throughout the years. It is also a gay anthem because it sings of chosen families.

“We are family. I got all my sisters with me. We are family. Get up everybody and sing. Everyone can see we’re together as we walk on by and we fly just like birds of a feather, I won’t tell no lie. All of the people around us, they say, can they be that close. Just let me state for a record, we’re giving love in a family dose.” This is the first verse.

Continue reading →

Reflection August 13th, 2023

Sicamous United Church Posted on by

Genesis 37:1-4, 12-28/ Psalm 105:1-6, 16-22, 45b/ Matthew 14:22-33

We Can Walk on Water

Sometimes, We Surprise Ourselves

Have you ever experienced doing (or achieving) something that you previously thought impossible (or improbable)? You might have heard of a mother suddenly mustering supernatural strength to save her child from something heavy, like a car.

For me, sometimes, I feel amazed at what I can do on the piano. Training all year and then intensely practising a few pieces for the performing arts festival makes my skills grow exponentially. Every year, I feel amazed at how my skills have grown and what I can play. Before meeting my teacher, especially when I was going through my piano education as a child while hating it, I had never imagined what I would be able to play on the piano at this age. Sometimes, we surprise ourselves.

Continue reading →

Reflection August 6th, 2023 (Emancipation Sunday)

Sicamous United Church Posted on by

Isaiah 41:10, 43:1b-2/ Galatians 3:29-29/ Acts 10:34-43

No Longer Jew or Greek

Disney’s Misjudgment and the Challenge of Racism

Recently, Disney has made a live action remake of their animated movie The Little Mermaid from the 1990’s. This movie was so hated that Disney lost a lot of money. The most infuriating thing about it is how Disney called Koreans and Chinese racists just because they didn’t like the movie featuring a black mermaid. I do not deny that there is racial bias among Koreans, like any other people, but my people rejecting the black mermaid was only the tip of the iceberg. People keep saying how bad this movie is.

Continue reading →

Reflection July 30th, 2023

Sicamous United Church Posted on by

Genesis 29:15-28/ Romans 8:26-39/ Matthew 13:31-33, 44-50

Great Things in Small Packages

Where Our Heart Is

In Matthew 6:21, Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also,” but I say, “Where your heart is, there your money, time, and energy will be also.” We spend our money, time, and energy on what we value or want; where our heart is. I chose to spend my money, time, and energy training in classical piano because that is where my heart is. Korean children receive money and blessing from parents and adult relatives on New Years Day. When my brother was in middle school, he used his New Years money to buy our first guitar. Some people invest in buying RVs or boats (or both) to enjoy the nature, because that is where their hearts are.

Continue reading →

Reflection July 23rd, 2023

Sicamous United Church Posted on by

Genesis 28:10-19a/ Romans 8:12-25/ Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Good Seeds Living by the Spirit

Problems With Christmas Carols

Do you like Christmas carols? I only like the traditional ones. I don’t like the songs that today’s pop starts record. But some old songs feel uncomfortable to our contemporary sensibilities. For example, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” might make us feel uncomfortable due to the “Me Too” movement and date rapes. Today, we say to our children, “No means no,” to teach them the importance of consent in the dating context. It was written by a married couple, and although it might have been conceived as whimsical at the time, it doesn’t feel the same way today because we believe in the importance of consent in a relationship and the empowerment of our daughters. Things that the male character says to the female character in that song is coercion. He needs to learn that no means no.

There is another one that makes me laugh; “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” Blackmailing your children with Santa’s “naughty or nice” list is one thing, but the idea of Santa watching them while they are sleeping and awake is just creepy. The thought of Santa watching us while we are sleeping is creepy, but how does the idea that God watches us all the time makes you feel?

Continue reading →

Reflection July 9th, 2023

Sicamous United Church Posted on by

Roman 7:15-25a/ Psalm 45/ Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30

Lean On Me

Weary and Traumatized

This is a rhetorical question, but do you ever feel tired but not physically? There are a lot of things in life and in the world that make us feel weary and stressed out. The biggest cause of my weariness is bigotry. For me, a queer woman of colour, there are so many encounters or stories that stress me out, and even traumatize me.

When I was living in Kimberley and didn’t have a family doctor, there was a time I needed some medical care. I went to the medical clinic and asked if I could be assigned a doctor. The first thing the receptionist said was, “the medical services are for residents of this town only.” I felt like someone wacked me on the head. I replied, “I am a resident of this town.” Then, and only then, did she tell me that, due to the shortage of doctors and one having recently retired, they are not able to accept new patient at the moment. Why couldn’t she have started with that? In fact, that was the only information she had to give me. I was shaking inside.

Continue reading →

Reflection July 2nd, 2023

Sicamous United Church Posted on by

Genesis 22:1-14/ Psalm 13/ Matthew 10:40-42

To Love and Welcome God

Henry Nouwen’s Choice

Henry Nouwen, who is my favorite Christian writer, was a Catholic priest and a theology professor. However, living a comfortable life as a professor made him feel gradually uncomfortable and dissatisfied as a Christian and priest. He ended up quitting his teaching job and moved to Ontario to live and work in a community for disabled people, L’Arche, where he served for the rest of his life.

For this priest with great spiritual thirst to serve God in meaningful ways, this was a great place for him to experience and share God’s love, and serve. He met and had a special relationship with a severely intellectually disabled young man called Adam, which inspired him to write a book about him. While reading and meditating on his writings, I can imagine him experiencing God through his relationship with the members of the community, seeing the face of God in them. He loved them like God loves all of us.

Continue reading →