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Reflection May 15, 2022 (Korea Peace Appeal)

Sicamous United Church Posted on May 18, 2022 by Rev SunnyMay 18, 2022

Micah 4:1-4/ Psalm 11/ John 14:15-27

Peace, Overdue

Korean War

My parents were in elementary school during the Korean War. My mother’s family had to retreat to the south, and that is where my grandmother gave birth to my youngest uncle. The baby was put in a big box because they didn’t have a crib. That is how my uncle gained his nickname “Big Box.”

My aunts and uncles still call him Big Box and laugh, but when you think about it, it is no joke experiencing pregnancy and childbirth during a war. I am not a biological mother, but I know how serious childbirth is. I have watched a lot of childbirth stories on Call the Midwife. Can we imagine how scared my grandma must have been?

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Reflection May 8, 2022 (Christian Family Sunday)

Sicamous United Church Posted on May 10, 2022 by Rev SunnyMay 10, 2022

Psalm 23/ John 10:22-30

Family: Circle of Trust

Forming a Relationship of Trust

My cat Melody and I have been together for almost 10 years. She’s a shy cat. It took several months till she let me pick her up, and now, she sleeps with me with her backside exposed, which is a sign of trust. She also lets me put my hand on her neck and trusts that I won’t harm her. That trust has been earned over a long period of time.

After my best friends adopted my godchildren, it took probably 2 years for hem to be fully attached to their new parents. They trust my friends fully now, which was also earned from commitment of love and care.

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Reflection May 1st, 2022 (Mental Health Sunday)

Sicamous United Church Posted on May 4, 2022 by Rev SunnyMay 4, 2022

1 Samuel 16:14-23/ Lamentations 5:19-22/ John 13:31-35

Compassionate Circle for Healing

Yook Woo Dang’s Poems of Pain

Korean Rainbow United, a Korean group inside the United Church of Canada of which I am a part, has been working on translating the poems of a teenage Korean boy, a queer activist and poet, who killed himself close to 20 years ago. His pen name was Yook Woo Dang, which means “Six Friends” because booze, cigarettes, sleeping pills, foundation, green tea, and rosary were his six companions in life. I will read to you two of his poems.

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Rev. Juanita (April 24th, 2022)

Sicamous United Church Posted on April 26, 2022 by Rev SunnyApril 26, 2022

The Gift of Doubt
Based on Acts 5:27-32 and John 20:19-29

Mostly I want to focus on the gospel of John this morning, but I invite you to turn aside for a moment and look at this passage from the book of Acts.

Imprisoned Peter in Acts 5

Here we find Peter, in particular, speaking out and challenging the rule makers, healing people and sharing his understanding of what God has been up to in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

Peter and other unnamed apostles, have fallen afoul of the Jewish authorities by proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus, and God at work through the life and now the Spirit of a man who had been crucified about two months previously. They were imprisoned, but apparently an angel let them out.

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Reflection Easter Sunday 2022

Sicamous United Church Posted on April 19, 2022 by Rev SunnyApril 19, 2022

Luke 24:1-12/ Isaiah 25:6-9/ Psalm 118

Easter Hope: Giving Life

Secularized Holidays

Today is Easter Sunday and as usual, the internet is full of funny Easter memes. In one of them, Jesus walks out of the tomb/ cave and the disciples are busy taking photos of him on their smart phones. In another, Jesus comes out as a zombie, because, of course, he would! How else could a dead person come alive, right? (wink wink) In yet another one, Jesus comes out of the cave with a pizazz, saying “Ta da!”

But if you google “Easter”, there are more contents on Easter bunnies and chocolate eggs than anything to do with Jesus. Even those who despise Christianity “celebrates” Easter with Easter egg hunt for their children. Christmas and Easter has become so secularized that we easily suffer a collective amnesia about what these holidays are about. That is why, as a church minister, I feel compelled to focus on preaching about the true meanings of Easter and Christmas. So, here it is.

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Reflection Palm Sunday 2022

Sicamous United Church Posted on April 19, 2022 by Rev SunnyApril 19, 2022

(Luke 22-23)

As We Follow Jesus to the Cross

Death of Jesus: Traditional Theology

Today is Palm Sunday/ Passion Sunday, starting the Holy Week. Through our exceptionally long scripture reading, we followed Jesus to his cross.

Those of us who grew up in the church learned that Jesus died for our sins, which fits the ancient Jewish concept of scarifying a lamb without any blemish for atonement. This is one theological interpretation of the death of Jesus that became the main Christian idea.

Although this theology humbles us with the idea that everyone is a sinner and comforts us by the grace of God that didn’t spare God’s only Son to save us from sin, not everyone is comforted and empowered by it. Since we are already familiar with the traditional theology that Jesus died for our sins, today, I will focus on an alternative interpretation for the death of Jesus.

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Reflection April 3, 2022 (Lent 5)

Sicamous United Church Posted on April 3, 2022 by Rev SunnyApril 3, 2022

Isaiah 43:16-21/ Philippians 3:5-14/ John 12:1-8

                                      Spiritual Makeover

Makeovers

Do you like makeovers? Makeovers make us feel fresh and new. I feel like a new person when, once a year, I dress up and wear makeup for the performing arts festival. Even something as simple as getting a new haircut makes us feel good, doesn’t it? Today’s theme is spiritual makeovers and I want you to think of how you felt getting a makeover.

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Reflection March 20, 2022 (Lent 3)

Sicamous United Church Posted on April 3, 2022 by Rev SunnyApril 3, 2022

Isaiah 55:1-9/ Psalm 63/ Luke 13:1-9

                             Come to Me, Come Back to Me

Breech of Relationships

Have you ever experienced a breech in any of your relationships and you suffered both physically and emotionally? My most significant experience of this happened when I was living in Kimberley. It was a difficult time, to say the least.

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Reflection March 13, 2022 Lent 2

Sicamous United Church Posted on March 15, 2022 by Rev SunnyMarch 15, 2022

Genesis 15:1-6/ Psalm 27/ Luke 13:31-35

                                     Lamenting Our Time

Jesus the Prophet

Jesus had a lot of monikers; God in human form, Son of God, Son of Man, Saviour, teacher, preacher, and prophet, to mention some of them. Today, we meet Jesus as a prophet.

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Reflection Feb. 20, 2022

Sicamous United Church Posted on February 23, 2022 by Rev SunnyFebruary 23, 2022

James 2:1-10, 14-17/ Psalm 37/ Mark 7:24-37

                               Don’t We Deserve Justice?

Do the Right Thing Movie

In 1989, Spike Lee made the movie Do the Right Thing that proved him to be one of the greatest movie directors of our time. This movie explores the race relation in a New York City neighborhood in which the black members of the community end of rioting after being continually treated like less than human. The unbearable heat of the summer in the movie is a perfect metaphor for the rising tension between the ethnic groups in the neighborhood and the growing frustration of the black characters.

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