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…)

Come celebrate the birth of Jesus!

Lessons & Carols…

Preservice music by Bethany children

Hymns by Don & Ann Jenkins w/John Hardt.

Meditation by Reverend Angela Ying.

“the True Light that gives light to everyone has come into the world”

Please download our Christmas Eve flyer! See you there!

Sunday, December 5, 2010
The Reverend Angela Ying
Bethany United Church of Christ
6230 Beacon Avenue South, Seattle WA 98108
At the corner of Beacon and Graham

Given to a packed, overflowing sanctuary following speakers:

King County Councilmember, District #2, Larry Gossett
Rabbi Jim Mirel, Temple B’nai Torah
Michael Ramos, Church Council of Greater Seattle
Dustin Washington, People’s Institute
Judy Chen, Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Linda and Tony Robinson, former Senior Minister of Plymouth Congregational Church, Seattle
Brandon Duran, Pacific Northwest Conference
Dorothy Bell, former Beacon Avenue United Church of Christ member in her nineties who named the new church, Bethany

What do you want to hear on this our Tenth Anniversary?

What do you need to hear? (more…)

Psalm 137: 1-4
The Reverend Angela L. Ying
Bethany United Church of Christ

Countercultural

Not just a different culture, but one where people name the problems they face in the dominant culture that need to be countered — changed.

The people of the wilderness created a Biblical creation story countercultural to the Babylonian creation story of violence, genocide, and hate. A creation story of God’s love and God as Creator of the heavens and the earth in Genesis 1 — written at the same time as today’s lectionary text from Psalm 137, by the waters of Babylon.

What would you say is countercultural from our American society’s “norms”? [Listen for responses from the people]

Would you agree with me that countercultural from our society’s norms would be a community that seeks to follow Jesus and what Jesus had faith in by becoming:
-Multi-racial and Anti-racist
-Nonviolent
-and where the children, youth and young people are to be Christ’s Ambassadors

Would you agree that being normal is not the same as being healthy and life-giving?

For who sets the norms in our society? White people.

Exactly. (more…)

Exodus 16
The Reverend Angela L. Ying
Bethany United Church of Christ
Inspired by the teaching from “Manna and Mercy” and the 2010 WNBA Champs – the women of Seattle Storm

Most every week, I wake up and tell our daughter to Dream big.

Not this week. From the collective wisdom and encouragement from mothers in this faith community — this week, the lesson a mother needed to share with her daughter (or son) was different …

With Atlanta Dream and Seattle Storm in our hearts vying for the WNBA Championship — The words that kept coming loud and clear were now “Bring It!”

In other words, beautiful child of God, “Bring It!”

Bring You, Bring Us, Bring Community and raise your voice … for we are going to be taken by Storm!

You thought it was just a weather report.

You thought it was the usual “cloudy with a chance of showers.”

No! We are being taken by Storm — with Manna and Mercy.

And that is how it happened.
Listening at our Manna and Mercy all church retreat last week, I knew something was taking us by Storm.
(more…)

Luke 18:15-17
The Reverend Angela L. Ying
Bethany United Church of Christ
Celebration of the Sacrament of Holy Baptism

People were bringing even infants to Jesus that Jesus might touch them …

What kind of people?

Who were they?

Where did they come from?

Why Jesus?

People were bringing even infants to Jesus that Jesus might touch them …

Were they sick? Did they need healing?

Could their mothers and fathers not console them?

Perhaps, there was no doctor who would take them in because they did not have the right documentation, the right health insurance card.

Perhaps, there was no clinic nearby to look into the child’s fever, stomachache, growing pain, nightmare.

Perhaps, so isolated and lonely, no one but the caring adult out of a job, attempting to make ends meet had dared touch the child.

Perhaps, the family had been turned away, time after time, because of the lack of health care, and they feared infant mortality, even in the most wealthiest of lands.

All we know from scripture is that these people, for the love their child, were willing to go to whatever lengths it took to travel any amount of distance … to bring their children to a complete stranger named Jesus … IN HOPE …

Get this — IN HOPE …that Jesus might touch them.

So, we know first thing that the people: mothers and fathers, mothers and mothers, fathers and fathers, aunts and uncles, grandparents and neighbors were bringing their children … IN HOPE … in hope that Jesus might touch them.

Now the fact that the people did not feel entitled — that the people were not completely sure it would happen — that the people had to prepare themselves for disappointment tells us something about these every day people, as you and me, who loved their children.

That even in the midst of Jesus, these people were humble enough to know — that in their lives, there are no guarantees and no sure bets.

BUT … the beautiful thing is this — they bring their children to Jesus nonetheless.

I don’t know about you, but that takes faith!
(more…)

Exodus 1:8-14; Deuteronomy 17:14-20
Jeremiah 23:5-6; Romans 8:18-24

The Reverend Angela L. Ying

There once was a bear so filled with love that whenever he roamed the forest and came across another living thing, he would give it a hug.

Everywhere he wandered, the bear shared his love – hug by hug.

He even hugged creatures that bears have been known to eat.

This bear could meet the roundest little rabbit, and he would just stop, smile and give it a great big hug.
No creature was too big…
Too small…

Too smelly…

Or too scary to hug.
But what this bear love to hug most were trees.

The bear never met a tree he did not like.

Big trees…

Little trees…

Apple trees…

Pear trees…

Peach trees…

This bear hugged them all.
One day while the bear was trying to hug a beaver and a tree at the same time — he noticed a man with an axe walking into the forest.

The bear followed the man until he stopped at one of the tallest, oldest and most beautiful trees in the forest.

The man spent so much time looking at this magnificent tree that the bear thought the man must love trees, too.

But to the bear’s horror, the man started to chop the tree down…

For the first time in his life, the bear did not feel like hugging at all.

Then, just as the bear was about to sink his teeth into the man, the bear stopped.

The bear realized that no matter how angry he was, the bear simply could not eat the man.
It just was not in his nature.
The bear sighed…
And then he decided to do what he did best…

He gave the man a HUG!
The man was not used to getting real big bear hugs, so once the bear let go, the man dropped his axe and ran far, far away.

And do you know what the bear did next?
The bear smiled and gave the tree a great big hug.

The tree felt much better.
[from Big Bear Hug by Nicholas Oldland]

As you listened to the story, who are you more like?

The bear so filled with love…
The creatures and trees being hugged…

The tree, which has taking time to grow for years and yet finds it can still be vulnerable…
The man with the axe…
And what would happen if I told you:
Love is in YOUR nature.
Love is in YOUR nature.
Love is in YOUR nature.
Would you believe it?
Love is in OUR nature.
Do we trust it?
(more…)

I Samuel 24: 1-7; Romans 12:9-18
Reverend Angela Ying

How often in your life have your been asked to choose sides?

Pick a side, we are told.
Between one friend and another.
Between one child and another.
Between one team and another.
Between one race and another.
Between one country and another.
Pick a side, we are told.
Or you are not patriot.
Or you are not faithful.
Or you will not belong.
It is tempting for any church to work in absolutes.

For we in community need to be able to see and be comfortable with the grey and even with not knowing — to be able to embrace a both/and.

It is tempting for any congregation to work in either/or.

For we in the community need to be able to confess the complexity of not being able to see the whole picture, only a part, our part of the puzzle — to be able to embrace a both/and.
(more…)

Luke 24:1-12, 13-35
The Reverend Angela L. Ying
Bethany United Church of Christ
Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010

Bread

You Knead it.

You Bake it.

You Toast it.

You Add to it.

Butter it up.

Watch it rise.

Bread

You can smell it from afar

You can leave it out and it hardens
Bread

When our ancestors Abraham and Sarah were barren in their old age hoping to give birth — let alone be ancestors to a multitude of nations — it was in offering Bread to three strangers — that Abraham and Sarah were told it would be so.
Bread of birth

When Jacob wanted to trick his elder brother, Esau out of his birthright and blessing, he fed him bread.
Bread of betrayal
When the Hebrew people fled to be free and had no time for the bread to rise, they took and received the unleavened bread of Passover.

Bread of freedom
When Moses brought his people out of the Pharaoh’s empire, crossing the Reed Sea — and instead of going the simplest route, took the way of the wilderness — God provided the people each day with manna.

Bread for the journey
Bread

When David was hungry, he and his people ate bread from the temple even on the Sabbath.

Bread of God that breaks from conventional ways.

(more…)