SERMONS

The Reverend Angela L. Ying
Mark 2:1-12
October 2, 2011

Have you ever needed to be healed?

Have you ever needed healing, but you knew you could not do it on your own? Perhaps, a healing that called for more than pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps.

A healing that called for a physician – body, mind and spirit.

A healing that called for Jesus.

Now there was a paralytic. He does not say anything. He does not do anything, until the end of the passage.

He comes to recognize that he needs healing.

(more…)

By Rev. Stephen Gituma

August 14^th, 2011

Text:  John 5: 1-18

Intro: Without healing there can be no peace, joy or happiness! For this reason People will do anything to get well. In our today’s text, John  tells  the story of Jesus going to the holy Temple in Jerusalem for the feast of the Jews. Near the entrance (sheep gate) there was a pool, known as Bethesda in Aramaic.

A great number of people with different disabilities used to lie at that pool. People who were blind, lame, and paralyzed. Jesus noticed one particular lame man who had been lying there for 38 years. And Jesus asked him, “Do you want to get well?” (ver.6-7).

For this man, the situation was hopeless, without knowing who Jesus was and stuck in self-pity, he responded by giving excuses, saying, “Sir, I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes ahead of me.” The good news for us this morning is that when Jesus laid eyes on that man, his life was changed forever. (more…)

“We Are The Body Of Christ”
I Corinthians 12
The Reverend Angela Ying
Do you know Worship requires preparation?

I am not talking only about sermon preparation. What I mean is preparing ourselves for worship.

We may think we can walk in and be present with God without much preparation. And yet, to experience God’s presence within, above, below and all around involves preparation.

For some, it is opening your eyes and being aware of God in and around you as in the poor peasant girl, Mary “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices.” (Luke 1)

For some it is closing your eyes and being aware of the silence as in “Be still and know I am God” as the prophet Elijah discovers God — not as Moses before him experienced God in the great wind, nor in the earthquake and not in the fire, but rather in “the still, small voice.” (I Kings 19) (more…)

May 29^th, 2011,

Guest Preacher:  Rev. Stephen Gituma

Scripture: John 14: 15-21

In today’s text, Jesus is sharing with his disciples his departure and how he was going to prepare a place for them. Then, he surprises them by saying, “if you love me, you will keep my comman­­­­­­dments.” As you all know, none of us like decisions made for us, so you can be sure that Jesus’ use of the word “IF” made the disciples’ hair stand up!  I can imagine them being frustrated and questioning Jesus in their minds, asking “IF we love you?”

And I bet you and I too could have said something to that effect. Maybe even now you are wondering as to how on earth Jesus could use the word “IF” to his disciples who had been with him since the beginning of his ministry.

Let me ask you; as a Christian and a faithful member of the Church; would it be fair if Jesus use the same word towards you? And what would your response be? (more…)

The Reverend Angela Ying

John 20

Imagine yourself in a garden.

What do you see?

What do you hear?

How does it smell?

What’s in the garden?

Mud, water, fruit, stones …

Is there anyone in the garden with you?

I am thinking of a garden — one that goes back a long time ago.

When God planted a garden…

brought forth new life in the midst of the garden, a river would flow out to water the garden and branch out into four more.

God breathes on each creature and says “Live!” (more…)

The Reverend Angela L. Ying

Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me!
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me!
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me!

I wonder how long Bartimaeus had to cry out? Ten minutes? Ten days? Ten months? Ten years? Somehow, I have a hunch, it was more than ten years. Blind beggar Bartimaeus cried long and hard. I am sure he cried out before, but to no avail.

Perhaps, for some time, he stopped crying out — too ashamed, too embarrassed, too beaten down. But this time, for some reason, he knew it was different. For some reason, Bartimaeus knew this time he had a real chance. Something so deep, deeper than words, was calling out … (more…)

The Reverend Angela Ying
Bethany United Church of Christ

What image comes to you when I say the word “Snow!” For some of us, it may be the dazzling cover of the ground when the snow first comes down or the thought of skiing or sledding or missing school. For some of us, it may be the fear of getting from one place to another —traveling with caution — wondering if we will meet icy conditions on the road. For some of us, it may be that we see we are in for a journey that may ask us to slow down while taking us through roads and crossroads we never imagined.

Whether the image of making a snow angel, snowman or snow ball comes to mind — we each have an image in our mind that provokes something dazzling, something we fear and something to keep us on the journey for the long view as we seek signs of spring.

You ever wonder if there was snow on the mountain that Jesus went up that day with three disciples, Peter, James and John? The text does not say. But what it does share with us is this …With Jesus, the disciples experienced — something dazzling, something they feared and something that made them realize they were on the journey for the long view. In other words, the disciples were about to discover the gift of human relationships.
Dazzling
Feared
A Journey for the Long view (more…)

The Reverend Angela Ying
Bethany United Church of Christ
Matthew 5:38-48Let’s refresh our memory as a congregation of Jesus’ lessons for life from what the gospel of Matthew (and more concisely, Luke) calls “The Sermon on the Mount.”
Jesus’ lessons for life begin, not surprisingly with Blessedness.
And yet, what the world might call blessed, as in – having power, prestige and privilege, Jesus turns the tables of the world’s standards upside down and says:
In the kingdom of God, why it is
The poor in spirit, the meek, the ones who mourn, those who are hungry and thirsty to do what is good, those who are stay on task with God’s vision, the peacemakers, and even those who are persecuted for doing the will of God.
And then Jesus looks at you and me and the people of Egypt and Tunisia and says,
You are the salt of the earth!
You are the light of the world! (more…)

Matthew 12:46-50
The Reverend Angela Ying
Bethany United Church of Christ

It is hard to get into the pulpit after last week. It really is. And yet, I could imagine as I prayed — that minister and brother, Martin Luther King, Jr. probably at times had a hard time getting into the pulpit – with death threats and naysayers heavily scrutinizing his personal life. But brother Martin Luther King, Jr. did get into the pulpit.

I know this because as a pastor, Brother Martin knew it is not about how you are feeling on a particular day. It is not what you want for the congregation or even trying to make everyone happy.

For we have some difficult days ahead.

Brother Martin knew so deeply that the reason he was in the pulpit was to preach the Gospel. And that everything he did was for and about God and doing the will of God. And when you have that kind of hope in God — you are not afraid. (more…)

Matthew 2
Rev. Angela Ying

In the time of King Herod…

We live in the time of King Herod. King Herod was also know as King of the Jews. Did you know that? King Herod was the King of the Jews. So when some outside foreigners known as the wise men seek to pay homage – not to King Herod but to a child who has been born King of the Jews – King Herod is fearful. And not just King Herod – Matthew, the writer tells us – “and all Jerusalem with King Herod.” And where/what does Jerusalem represent? The very plan of power, prestige, prosperity, and privilege.

So when King Herod and the whole Herod family is found fearful – it is no surprise all of Jerusalem – the city of power, prestige, prosperity, privilege, is fearful with him…and it is the very PEOPLE who pay …
For as the saying goes – when two elephants fight – the ground pays! Are you following … And so, what does King Herod do in his fear – why – he secretly calls a meeting of the chief priests and scribes? – religious leaders who confuse the lines of church and state. Leaders of fear who rulers meet with negotiate with, make treaties with — behind closed doors And through Matthew – we get a Wiki-leaks. (more…)