It's also interesting that the sermon was delivered by Mrs. Kang, wife to Paster-in-Charge Rev Dr. Kang. It was during her trip to China when she heard this story from a certain old Mr. Chen.
The idea of a loving Father in God is a powerful concept in replacing what we don't have in our earthly father. The draw towards Christianity...
Perhaps the underlying reason is that all earthly fathers are ultimately humans at the mercy of changes and flux of the world. There is little they can do but everything they do have a huge impact on their families, especially their children. Mr Chen's father may not have a choice, but Mrs Kang's father arguably has one. In any case, it was definitely lucky of Mrs Kang to have found God and Reverend Kang, and eventually allowing her dad to find God.
I would say that everything starts in the mind...and constantly adjusting one's actions and affirmed by God's provisions in cases beyond one's capacity. Perhaps it's really divine intervention, more often than not, this leads to better lives and eventually changing lives of others. Of course that's if you believe in the faith of the One God, be it Christianity, Islam or Judaism.
Finally, coming back to the theme of the Sermon on this Father's Day. A father is the head of the household, a role decided for him by the patriachial society we live in, whether he likes it or not. So he has to choose his actions carefully. That is why a proven code is so important and Mrs Kang's advice is to first develop a relationship with God and seek His guidance.
"Old Mr. Chen was a kid during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. As his family was considered to be educated, they suffered a lot during those days, especially at the concentration camps. All these left an indelible mark on his mind and life. His father had a chance to escape but due to circumstances, only brought away with him the youngest of 8 children." When asked how he felt now about this, old Mr. Chen has nothing to say, and his eyes betray nothing of the sufferings he had gone through during his ordeal.
After this, Mrs. Kang brought up verse 24:14 of the Book of Joshua, which talks about how Joshua proclaimed his servitude to the Lord, no matter what the others might do:
14 "Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your forefathers worshiped beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. 15 But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."
For a while, I really cannot understand the relationship between the anecdote about Mr Chen and the story about Joshua? Is it because the elder Mr Chen does not have a good relationship with God? Made wrong choice in selecting the youngest child? Maybe because he cannot afford all 8 of them? As Mrs Kang went on to talk about her childhood relationship with her father and how she found her Heavenly Father, I think I began to see....just a little.
The idea of a loving Father in God is a powerful concept in replacing what we don't have in our earthly father. The draw towards Christianity...
Perhaps the underlying reason is that all earthly fathers are ultimately humans at the mercy of changes and flux of the world. There is little they can do but everything they do have a huge impact on their families, especially their children. Mr Chen's father may not have a choice, but Mrs Kang's father arguably has one. In any case, it was definitely lucky of Mrs Kang to have found God and Reverend Kang, and eventually allowing her dad to find God.
I would say that everything starts in the mind...and constantly adjusting one's actions and affirmed by God's provisions in cases beyond one's capacity. Perhaps it's really divine intervention, more often than not, this leads to better lives and eventually changing lives of others. Of course that's if you believe in the faith of the One God, be it Christianity, Islam or Judaism.
Finally, coming back to the theme of the Sermon on this Father's Day. A father is the head of the household, a role decided for him by the patriachial society we live in, whether he likes it or not. So he has to choose his actions carefully. That is why a proven code is so important and Mrs Kang's advice is to first develop a relationship with God and seek His guidance.
Do you have a code?
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