Being the Church: Called to Care

Preached by Michael Cheuk
January 24, 2010, Third Sunday After Epiphany, Year C
Luke 4:14-21; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

A couple of Saturdays ago, on January 16 at the State Capitol, Bob McDonnell was sworn in as the 71^st governor of Virginia.  In his inaugural address, Governor McDonnell promised that his administration would pursue a vision of “A Commonwealth of Opportunity” so that “Where opportunity is absent, we must create it. Where opportunity is limited, we must expand it. Where opportunity is unequal, we must make it open to everyone.”  In a span of 15 minutes, Governor McDonnell articulated his vision to embrace the limitless opportunities stretching out far before us to work together to create “A Commonwealth of Opportunity” for all Virginians.[1]

In today’s Gospel Lesson from Luke, Jesus returned to his home town of Nazareth and he too, gave an inaugural address that laid out the vision of his administration for ushering in the Kingdom of God. 

Being the Church: Gifted to Serve

Preached by Michael Cheuk
January 17, 2010, Second Sunday After Epiphany, Year C
1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Note:   Today, we had a “family worship service” in which all our children 4 years old and up were invited to remain in the sanctuary for the whole service.  Because I was preaching on 1 Corinthians 12 about how God’s Spirit gives us all different gifts for the common good, I thought it was appropriate that the whole congregation remain and participate in the sermon.

In my sermon, I used a version of the children’s story “Stone Soup” to get the whole congregation involved in “living out” the truth of our scripture passage.  I got this idea from my friend Bill Nieporte, Pastor of Patterson Ave. Baptist Church in Richmond, who preached a similar sermon the Sunday before.  Because the sermon was unscripted, there is no written transcript of the sermon for this Sunday.

However, you can either stream or download the audio of the sermon here.

Being the Church: Created to Journey

Preached by Michael Cheuk
January 10, 2010, Baptism of Jesus Sunday, Year C
Isaiah 43:1-7

I have an exciting announcement to make this morning.  Allow me to introduce to you the newest member of the Cheuk family, “Maggie.”  Maggie is a year-old golden retriever mix that we welcomed into our family yesterday.  She is the culmination of a persistent lobbying campaign by my kids, and after four and a half years, their persistence paid off.  On Christmas Eve, Beth and I told the kids that we would adopt a dog as their Christmas present from us.  Immediately after the announcement, Wes came to me and patted my head, and consoled me by saying, “It’s going to be OK, Dad.”

We don’t know Maggie’s history, but it’s possible she was rescued from a bad situation or just not wanted and handed over to the shelter.  When we were searching for a dog on petfinder.com, we quickly realized that there are thousands and thousands of dogs without a home waiting to be adopted.  Thea was the one who found Maggie on petfinder, and brought her to our attention.  When we met Maggie at her foster mother’s home a couple of Saturdays ago, and after spending time with her playing catch and going on a walk, we saw she was a precious dog, and we decided that we wanted to adopt her.  While that decision was exciting, we realize that it isn’t a decision we should make lightly, since adopting a dog will bring a major change in our lives and in the life of that animal.  There is cost involved in the form of adoption fees, one-time purchases like a crate, a leash, dog bowls, and on-going expenses like food, grooming and health care.  But there will also be great rewards.

Obviously, because of our family preoccupation these past couple of weeks, it is probably not that surprising that as I prepared for this homily, I saw a lot of connections between today’s text from Isaiah and us getting a dog.  Let me explain. 

Advent Conspiracy: Spend Less, Give More

Preached by Michael Cheuk
December 13, 2009
Third Sunday in Advent
John 1:1-5, 14

On this third Sunday of Advent, I’m continuing my sermon series called “Advent Conspiracy,” which is based on an idea by three pastors several years ago who wanted to help their families and their congregations do Christmas differently by worshiping Jesus first before anything else.  They wanted to push back against the hyper-consumeristic rat race that so many people, Christians included, are trapped in during this time of the year.  These past couple of months, you know that I’ve been preaching about how consumerism and materialism have defined what it means to live a good life in our culture, and how that actually takes away from our worship of the one true God.  And I’m sure most of you are tired of me beating that dead horse.  So this morning, I want to address this topic of “spending less and giving more” not by criticizing rampant consumerism, but by celebrating healthy relationships.

I want to ask you a question this morning.  During this season, why we are drawn to following elaborate rituals in decorating the house, in hosting and attending parties, writing and sending cards, having family get-togethers, cooking big meals, and buying lots of gifts for ourselves and for others?  Why?  I ask this question because, if you truly had your way, would you freely add these tasks to your already hectic month, or would you welcome the opportunity to either forego some of these rituals, or at least to scale them down?  If I truly had my way, I would forego or scale down many of these rituals.  Now, I have to say that I’m an introvert, so constantly being around a lot of people is not exactly my cup of tea!  And I must confess that when it comes to decorating the house, writing Christmas cards and buying gifts, I’ve abdicated most of those responsibilities to Beth, my wife, which isn’t exactly fair.  I acknowledge that in terms of all the other things surrounding the celebration of Christmas, I do them from a variety of motives, the best of them being a way to show people that I love and care for them, to affirm our connectedness and to celebrate our present relationship.

But many times, it is my insecurity about my present relationships that drives me to stress out about family gatherings and rituals, and about buying and receiving gifts.

Advent Conspiracy: Worship Fully

Preached by Michael Cheuk
November 29, 2009
First Sunday in Advent
Matthew 2:1-12

Today is the first Sunday of the Advent season, a time when Christians prepare for the coming of Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world.  This Advent, I will be preaching a series called “Advent Conspiracy,” which is an idea that three pastors, Rick McKinley, Chris Seay and Greg Holder, came up with in trying to help their families and their congregations celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.  Several years back, these three friends were lamenting about how much they dreaded pastoring during Advent.  They felt the tension of trying to prepare, proclaim, celebrate and worship Jesus, while at the same time, their families and their congregations were lost in crowded malls, mired in financial debt, tired of buying gifts people didn’t want and in receiving presents they didn’t need.  They were afraid that on Christmas day, God would come near, but they would miss it in the midst of their busyness, their exhaustion and their material consumption.  So they decided to try an experiment.  What if, they asked themselves, instead of acting like bystanders to the nativity, what if they led their congregations into the nativity story as participants?  What if they entered the story of Christmas by seeing the birth of Christ from inside the stable instead of inside the mall?  What if people entered the story of Christ’s birth by focusing less on consumerism, and focusing more on giving relational gifts to their loved ones and using a little of the money they didn’t spend to support organizations that are helping people in need both locally and globally?  It was out of those questions that Advent Conspiracy was birthed.  When I heard about this, I knew I wanted to learn more about it and then share it with you.  So, my messages during these Sundays in Advent will be heavily borrowed from Advent Conspiracy.

I’ve got a question for you this morning.  What or Who do we worship during Advent?  Of course, for long-time Christian churchgoers, the right answer is “Jesus.”  But is it the truthful answer?  Does the way we spend our time, our money, and our energy testify that we worship Jesus, God in human flesh?  It is easy to say the right answer, but do we know how to live that right answer out in our lives, in our families and in our church?  I must admit, this is a hard question for me to grapple with, because I am scared to look into my own life to see what my check book, my credit card bills and my calendar have to say about what I truly value and desire.

The Good Life: In the Checkout Line But Not of It

Preached by Michael Cheuk
November 22, 2009
Christ the King Sunday
John 17:13-19

Today, I’m concluding my sermon series on “The Good Life – At Least According to Walmart.”  In this series, we examined the check-out line at Walmart—or really any grocery store—to observe and reflect on what the check-out line is trying to teach and sell as the good life.[1] Throughout this series, we examined how things such as physical health, beauty and sex, wealth, celebrity and convenience can become false gods that can take us away from the worship of the one true God.  As I was working on this series of sermons, nagging tensions kept resurfacing again and again.  It’s easy for me to preach and warn about those false gods, but how can God help me and others in the congregation live the good life that God has intended for us to live and not fall into the idolatries that the checkout line offers?  I know that in my own life, it is so easy to be sucked into living a lifestyle promoted by the checkout line magazines and by other media outlets like television and the internet.  So is God calling us to totally boycott the checkout line just as certain Baptist groups have boycotted Disney?  But it’s not like we can totally avoid going to Walmart and the grocery stores; nor can we avoid the checkout lines once we get there.  Is it possible to participate in our economic system without falling victim to its power to take over the values of God’s kingdom in our lives and in our churches?  In other words, can we as followers of Jesus Christ be “in the checkout line, but not of it,” so to speak?

“In the checkout line, but not of it.”  This is really not a new challenge for followers of Jesus Christ.  I just happen to rephrase it for the purpose of this sermon series.  Any of you are familiar with the phrase, “being in the world, but not of it”?   How do we live in this world and within its structures and systems without being totally sucked into the values, beliefs and behaviors that those structures and systems demand from its subjects?  How do we live first as faithful subjects of the Kingdom of God and Christ the King, and then live as subjects of the present world order – whether it is the Roman Empire or the American Empire?  Followers of Christ have struggled with this challenge from the very beginning.  As a matter of fact, in our Gospel lesson from John this morning, Jesus addressed this very issue in his prayer for his disciples hours before he was betrayed, arrested and questioned by both the high priest and by Pontius Pilate.

The Good Life: Convenience

Preached by Michael Cheuk
November 8, 2009
Luke 14:25-33

Today, I am continuing my sermon series on “The Good Life – At Least According to Walmart.”  In this series, we will examine the check-out line at Walmart—or really any grocery store—to observe and reflect on what the check-out line is trying to teach and sell as the good life.[1] The past several Sundays, I addressed the issue of health, beauty and sex, wealth and celebrity.  Today, I want to talk about convenience, which is a very important value in contemporary America.  If we look at the magazine racks at the check-out line, we see headlines such as “Jump Start Your Weight Loss” and “Speed through Your To-Do List.”  Most of the magazines themselves are convenient in that they are easily accessible, offer quick tips, and give instant access to “life-transforming” information.  In addition to magazines, the checkout line also stacks all kinds of candy and soft drinks, all within easy reach—especially for children.  The sheer volume of choices encourages impulse spending and the instant gratification of our desires.  Seeing our checkout line, a visitor from Mars might assume that Snickers bars are a major food group.  Also, the sheer ubiquity of breath mints at the checkout line might also lead a Martian to think that bad breath runs rampant among humans!

We as a society value convenience. We have drive-through restaurants, banks, pharmacies and even wedding chapels.  We own cell phones to contact anyone, anywhere.  We use computers that allow us to shop, to do our banking, our shopping and to communicate with others online.  We have all these time-saving devices like dishwashers, washers and dryers, and microwave ovens.  In a world of movies-on-demand, five-minute meals, and even instant Starbucks coffee, we are trained to expect instant gratification.  A good life by this definition is having things quick and easy, when and how we want it, with a minimum of work, fuss and cost.

Our expectation of convenience sometimes spills over to our Christian faith. 

The Good Life: Celebrity

Preached by Michael Cheuk
October 25, 2009
Matthew 6:1-6

Today, I am continuing my sermon series on “The Good Life – At Least According to Walmart.”  In this series, we will examine the check-out line at Walmart—or really any grocery store—to observe and reflect on what the check-out line is trying to teach and sell as the good life.[1] The past several Sundays, I addressed the issue of health, beauty and sex, and wealth.  Today, I will examine an area of the good life that the checkout line particularly worships: celebrities.  The majority of magazines portray celebrities as the “saints” of the checkout line.  They embody the “good life” because they are often portrayed as healthy, beautiful, sexually fulfilled and, of course, wealthy.  They wear stylish clothes, drive new convertibles and look, even their pets are beautiful!  Because of all these qualities, they are often venerated, if not outright worshipped.

People reach the status of a “celebrity” when their lives are constantly on center stage in the theater of life, their every move watched, photographed and filmed.  It’s almost as if their lives have become a product for people like us to consume by purchasing magazines at the checkout line, and by watching Entertainment Tonight and “reality” TV shows.  They allow themselves to be placed on a high pedestal as models—or dare I say, idols—of the “good life,” where they are admired, desired and glorified from a distance.  While celebrities certainly benefit from all this adulation, there is a huge price to be paid in the form of the loss of privacy.  Their lives are no longer their own, and the same media that anoints celebrities into the pantheon of cultural gods is the same media that relishes in knocking them off that pedestal.  That’s why the checkout line is lined with tabloid magazines and newspapers that relish exposing celebrities of every foible, examining every pound of weight gained or lost, and every romantic relationship blossoming or blown up.  They play into our morbid curiosity over the tragedy of others.  The same lives that were charmed with the stuff of dreams can quickly become charred with a horror worthy of a Halloween nightmare.  All of that gets played out in a public theater generated by our media.

The Good Life: Wealth

Preached by Michael Cheuk
October 25, 2009
Matthew 6:19-24

Today, we are continuing my sermon series on “The Good Life – At Least According to Walmart.”  In this series, we will examine the check-out line at Walmart—or really any grocery store—to observe and reflect on what the check-out line is trying to teach and sell as the good life.[1] The past two Sundays, I addressed the issue of health and also beauty and sex, and today, I will examine what the checkout line has to teach us about wealth.  If we browse the magazines on display at the check-out lines, we see pages and pages of advertisements and articles that tell us that we are not living the good life because the clothes that we have are out of style, the house we live in is too small, the car that we drive is too dull, the computer we use is too slow, and the cell phone we carry is not smart enough.  The message is that if we acquire those things, we will live the good life.

At first glance, this vision of the good life is attractive and enticing.  Who doesn’t want to live in a mansion, drive a new BMW, wear trendy fashion and play with the latest electronic gadgets?  But upon closer inspection, living the good life this way exacts a price. 

The Good Life: Beauty and Sex

Preached by Michael Cheuk
October 18, 2009
1 Corinthians 6:15-20

Last Sunday, I started a new sermon series called “The Good Life – At Least According to Walmart” and in this series we will examine the check-out line at Walmart—or really any grocery store—to observe and reflect on what the check-out line is trying to teach and sell as the good life.[1] Last Sunday, we explored the matter of health, and this Sunday, I would like to explore what the check-out line is trying to teach us about beauty and sex.  So, I went to Walmart and picked up the current issues of two magazines, “O” the Oprah magazine for women, and “GQ” or Gentlemen’s Quarterly for men.  There’s no mistaking what GQ is selling on its front cover, and the cover of “O” touts a headline: “Instant Beauty Boosters.”  In both magazines, there are ads and pictures of attractive people calling us to “Live Your Best Life,” and showing images of what it means to be “Beautiful,” at least according to Estée Lauder.  In both magazines, page after page, we see pictures of slim, young models with buff bodies and flawless complexions in romantic settings, selling various products like makeup, perfumes, clothes and cars.  Who can measure up to these body images throughout the course of one’s life?  As Dallas Willard once observed: “As you encounter advertising and other media at supermarket checkout lines, newsstands, and bookstores or on television, you might think that the most unfortunate people in the world today are fat, the misshapen, the bald, the ugly, [and] the old.”[2]

What these magazine ads and articles and media messages teach us is actually a story of salvation.  Just as in the Christian salvation story, the check-out line teaches us that we are lost in a fallen world, but we can live the good life if we buy newer and better products.