first sermon this year

This morning I went for a New Year’s service in my church. It was a relay from the service led by Rev. Dr. Stephen Tong from Messiah Cathedral, Jakarta. The service started at 8am WIB or 9am SGT. I managed to wake up early today, but a bit sleepy since I arrived back at 2am last night after a new year’s countdown celebration and dinner in Effendi’s place. I would like to share some points which is mentioned by Rev. Tong during the service this morning.

Rev. Tong started the service quoting one of the parables that Jesus mentioned in the Bible. It was from the Gospel of Luke 13: 6-9:

And he told this parable: "A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, 'Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?' And he answered him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.'"

Rev. Tong relates this parable of a barren fig tree with Christians. The ground resembles all the blessings and talents that God has given to all of us. Many different interpretations exist for this parable. The Reformation Study Bible that I use, the note for this passage is like this: “A vineyard was fertile soil for a fig tree and ‘three years’ points to an established tree. It was unlikely that it would ever bear fruit, but it was given one more chance. That God does not punish sinners immediately does not mean that He approves of their sin. Rather, His patience shows He is merciful and they should repent while there is time.” A different interpretation that Rev. Tong used in his sermon was maybe because he wanted to relate it to the concept of God’s sovereignty and justice.

Rev. Tong explained that to every human that God has created, God has granted them with different talents. Some of us are given a lot of talents, but some of us maybe only have a few of them. Why? Does this means that God is unjust to His creations? No! The concept of justice that we as human have is totally different. God in His own sovereignty has the right as a Creator to create us according to His will. Rev. Tong gave one analogy related to this. He said, aluminum can be casted into a pot and something else (I forgot what is this something, but definitely something more expensive than a pot. I will just put an airplane here, as it doesn’t really change the meaning). Clearly, an airplane has a much higher value than a pot, but what can the aluminum do? One creator has decided to make the aluminum into a pot, and another one into an airplane. The creator has a so called “his own sovereignty” to decide how he wants to shape the aluminum.

But again, every of us will have the same responsibilities related to the talents that we got from God. As Jesus mentioned in another parable about talents from Matthew 25:14-30, all of those servants that had received the talents from their master should work on the talents they got with a full responsibility. Rev. Tong reminded us that those who had received more talents, more will be demanded from them; and those who had received fewer talents, less will be demanded from them. Have you work on your talents with full responsibility, or do you act like the servant with just one talent which did nothing with the talent he had received? I kept pondering upon this question, and tried to relate it with my own conditions.

Rev. Tong also quoted something from the “Analects” (论语) from Confucius. Confucius mentioned about four qualities that differ a “gentleman” from a “little man.” Those four points are: prudence, fortitude, sense of justice, and self-control. A gentleman must have all of these four qualities, and a little man lack one or more from these four qualities.

I didn’t take any note during the sermon; all that I wrote here is based on my memories. Yeah, I think I should start taking notes during every sermon that I attended so I can re-read them and reflect on them one more time. So, from today’s sermon, the most important message that I think Rev. Tong wanted to deliver is that we should use this new year wisely, to really work on those talents that God has given us with a full responsibility. What are your talents? Have you work on them responsibly? Or do you prefer to act like the servant that received only one talent? Have you thanked God for all things that God has given to you, although they seem to be less than others had received?