One little boy received a very cute puppy as a gift.
At first, the family members were against it, but because the boy really loved the dog, they allowed him to raise it.
The mother told him that every responsibility was entirely up to him.
The boy gladly said “Yes”.
He named the dog “Happy” and loved everything about Happy.
As soon as he woke up, he would look for Happy.
Right after school, he would continue to hug Happy.
He would wash Happy’s food bowl and filled up her bowl with water whenever it was empty.
He took care of Happy with great compassion.
However, after a few days, the boy changed.
Happy was still his dog and his friend, but now, Happy’s bark became tiresome and it felt like Happy was hungry all the time.
The family members started to complain a lot more.
“Take care of Happy! It’s your dog!”
“Happy is your Dog…”
The boy didn’t like hearing those words, “your dog.”
He wouldn’t have minded the phrase “your dog to play with” or “your dog when you want it” or even “your dog when Happy is behaving.”
But they said, “Happy is your dog.” That’s it.
In sickness and in health, in hunger and in fullness, Happy is a dog that the boy always has to care for.
That’s when it occurred to him, “I am stuck with Happy…”
Happy went from an option to an obligation, from a pet to a chore.
It may not be the same, but relationships with humankind is the same.
Many of you may have been through a similar experience.
“He is your husband” / “She is your wife” / “They are your children” / “They are your parents” / “They are your sibling” / “They are your friends” / “They are your neighbors…”
Yes, you may have heard of this before.
When you hear this, what are you thinking?
Do you say “Yes Of course!!” and easily acknowledge this relationship?
Or do you get pressured?
“Intimacy…” “close…”
We sometimes think about this when we are in a close relationship with someone.
But, sometimes, such close relationship can lead to panic.
In Genesis chapters 6, there is a story of Noah’s ark.
According to the God’s word, Noah built an ark so that Noah’s family and many animals can escape the great flood.
I thought of this while reading this passage.
“How did they survive in the ark for 40 days…”
I thought of their close relationship in the ark for 40 days.
All kinds of animals were in this ark.
For 40 days, they ate, slept, fought and whined.
Think about this close relationship they had.
They had nowhere to escape even if it smelt bad, or was loud.
In addition, for 40 days, Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives were in the same place.
For 40 days as these 8 family members and many animals faced and smelt each other, do you think there would have been any hardships?
I thought of this.
Is this like a relationship when you are stuck to someone?
But, the Bible never mentioned the life in Noah’s ark in detail.
What about our reality?
There is the time when we feel stuck with someone.
Famous writer, Rev. Max Lucado called this a type of disease called, “Stuckititis.”
This is a very common disease.
Stuckititis manifests itself into symptoms of irritability and short fuses.
And it’s common symptom is the repetition of questions beginning with “Who? What? and Why?”
I am not sure if your family member or someone around you has this disease.
Maybe you have experienced these symptoms, big or small.
This is a disease that needs treatments.
What are ways to respond to this disease?
There are 3 ways.
The first way is to escape.
It is to end the close relationship and escape from it, make a new relationship.
Will running away solve this problem?
Well, maybe it will be the same experience and symptoms from the new relationship.
Escaping will not solve this problem.
The second way is to fight
It is to fight with the person that is giving you pressure and burden.
Will fighting help solve the problem?
In a husband and wife relationship, parent and child relationship, relationship among church members… will the problem solve if we fight with these people?
No, it does not.
Fighting will create greater conflict, followed by a broken relationship.
This cannot be a solution.
But there is another way to solve this problem.
The 3rd solution of this disease is as many of you may have already guessed, love.
It is to love until the end.
This is the way Jesus showed us.
Today’s passage John chapter 13 is a very well known story.
This passage is when Jesus washes his disciples’ feet.
Jesus knew the feeling of being stuck with someone.
Jesus ran with the same people for three years.
By and large, Jesus saw the same twelve or so faces around the table, around the campfire, around the clock.
Basically, all day long, they were in the same boats, walked the same roads, and visited the same houses.
There was an intimate relationship between Jesus and his disciples.
This intimate relationship might be a burden for Jesus.
Besides, these disciples were all insufficient, foolish, doubtful, and selfish.
Jesus knew well about the disciples, their insufficiency, foolishness and selfishness.
And he knew their thoughts.
Think about it.
Jesus indeed has the ability to do everything.
Jesus could hear the unspoken thoughts of the disciples.
He knew their private doubts.
Not only that, he knew their future doubts.
What would you do if you had the ability to know what your close ones were thinking and to read their mind?
How do you feel if you knew what someone is thinking about you?
What if you knew every unspoken thought that they have about you?
20190203 Sunday Worship Sermon
Loving just like Jesus (John 13:1-8)
One little boy received a very cute puppy as a gift.
At first, the family members were against it, but because the boy really loved the dog, they allowed him to raise it.
The mother told him that every responsibility was entirely up to him.
The boy gladly said “Yes”.
He named the dog “Happy” and loved everything about Happy.
As soon as he woke up, he would look for Happy.
Right after school, he would continue to hug Happy.
He would wash Happy’s food bowl and filled up her bowl with water whenever it was empty.
He took care of Happy with great compassion.
However, after a few days, the boy changed.
Happy was still his dog and his friend, but now, Happy’s bark became tiresome and it felt like Happy was hungry all the time.
The family members started to complain a lot more.
“Take care of Happy! It’s your dog!”
“Happy is your Dog…”
The boy didn’t like hearing those words, “your dog.”
He wouldn’t have minded the phrase “your dog to play with” or “your dog when you want it” or even “your dog when Happy is behaving.”
But they said, “Happy is your dog.” That’s it.
In sickness and in health, in hunger and in fullness, Happy is a dog that the boy always has to care for.
That’s when it occurred to him, “I am stuck with Happy…”
Happy went from an option to an obligation, from a pet to a chore.
It may not be the same, but relationships with humankind is the same.
Many of you may have been through a similar experience.
“He is your husband” / “She is your wife” / “They are your children” / “They are your parents” / “They are your sibling” / “They are your friends” / “They are your neighbors…”
Yes, you may have heard of this before.
When you hear this, what are you thinking?
Do you say “Yes Of course!!” and easily acknowledge this relationship?
Or do you get pressured?
“Intimacy…” “close…”
We sometimes think about this when we are in a close relationship with someone.
But, sometimes, such close relationship can lead to panic.
In Genesis chapters 6, there is a story of Noah’s ark.
According to the God’s word, Noah built an ark so that Noah’s family and many animals can escape the great flood.
I thought of this while reading this passage.
“How did they survive in the ark for 40 days…”
I thought of their close relationship in the ark for 40 days.
All kinds of animals were in this ark.
For 40 days, they ate, slept, fought and whined.
Think about this close relationship they had.
They had nowhere to escape even if it smelt bad, or was loud.
In addition, for 40 days, Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives were in the same place.
For 40 days as these 8 family members and many animals faced and smelt each other, do you think there would have been any hardships?
I thought of this.
Is this like a relationship when you are stuck to someone?
But, the Bible never mentioned the life in Noah’s ark in detail.
What about our reality?
There is the time when we feel stuck with someone.
Famous writer, Rev. Max Lucado called this a type of disease called, “Stuckititis.”
This is a very common disease.
Stuckititis manifests itself into symptoms of irritability and short fuses.
And it’s common symptom is the repetition of questions beginning with “Who? What? and Why?”
I am not sure if your family member or someone around you has this disease.
Maybe you have experienced these symptoms, big or small.
This is a disease that needs treatments.
What are ways to respond to this disease?
There are 3 ways.
The first way is to escape.
It is to end the close relationship and escape from it, make a new relationship.
Will running away solve this problem?
Well, maybe it will be the same experience and symptoms from the new relationship.
Escaping will not solve this problem.
The second way is to fight
It is to fight with the person that is giving you pressure and burden.
Will fighting help solve the problem?
In a husband and wife relationship, parent and child relationship, relationship among church members… will the problem solve if we fight with these people?
No, it does not.
Fighting will create greater conflict, followed by a broken relationship.
This cannot be a solution.
But there is another way to solve this problem.
The 3rd solution of this disease is as many of you may have already guessed, love.
It is to love until the end.
This is the way Jesus showed us.
Today’s passage John chapter 13 is a very well known story.
This passage is when Jesus washes his disciples’ feet.
Jesus knew the feeling of being stuck with someone.
Jesus ran with the same people for three years.
By and large, Jesus saw the same twelve or so faces around the table, around the campfire, around the clock.
Basically, all day long, they were in the same boats, walked the same roads, and visited the same houses.
There was an intimate relationship between Jesus and his disciples.
This intimate relationship might be a burden for Jesus.
Besides, these disciples were all insufficient, foolish, doubtful, and selfish.
Jesus knew well about the disciples, their insufficiency, foolishness and selfishness.
And he knew their thoughts.
Think about it.
Jesus indeed has the ability to do everything.
Jesus could hear the unspoken thoughts of the disciples.
He knew their private doubts.
Not only that, he knew their future doubts.
What would you do if you had the ability to know what your close ones were thinking and to read their mind?
How do you feel if you knew what someone is thinking about you?
What if you knew every unspoken thought that they have about you?
Then what would happen?
This relationship may break apart soon.