St Timothy Presbyterian Church

Jonah 3 Paul asked the question: what does this story point to? Very relevant question The text of Scripture always points to a deeper truth In Gospel of John, he calls the miracles of Jesus as signs In other words, the focus was not to on the miracles themselves, but what they point to Not the finger, but the finger that points to the moon Every story in the Bible points to something beyond itself   Our knowledge is like small islands in a vast ocean What we know is just a little part compared to the vastness of the ocean Stories in the Bible shed a glimpse into that broader ocean Little by little, our island grows But it will always be an island, never complete   What people do is get scared by the vastness of that ocean Take what little knowledge we have, build systems of knowledge and belief We feel safe in that Everything then gets filtered through that system of knowledge and belief It helps us make sense of the world   But stories of Bible reveal something different: Instead of fitting built up system

Scripture Passage Jeremiah 17:5-10 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Fraying the Bonds Friendship is more important than justice and the rule of law. That is what the Greek philosopher Aristotle said. When the bonds of friendship are strong, there is consent from the governed and trust in the rule of law. When these bonds of friendship break down, however, then there is mistrust in the system that governs them. We are living in a time where these bonds of friendship are breaking down. Instead of friendship, there is mistrust, suspicion and animosity. Instead of coming together with understanding and openness, people make enemies of those who are different. We see frustrations, anger, and tensions boiling over. We see this in the trucker convoys. We see it in the United States. We see it in places like Ukraine and Russia. We see it in leaders who gain power by targeting groups as scapegoats for their problems. We see it in news media that amplify divisions. We see it in social media that are echo cha

Exodus 1-2Rev. Simon Parkshare Social: jQuery(document).ready(function($) { $('#facebook-player-share-37714').sharrre({ share: { facebook: true }, urlCurl: 'https://timothypc.com/wp-content/mu-plugins/rainmaker/library/external/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php', enableHover: false, enableTracking: true, disableCount: true, buttons: { }, click: function(api, options){ api.simulateClick(); api.openPopup('facebook'); } }); $('#googleplus-player-share-37714').sharrre({ share: { googlePlus: true }, urlCurl: 'https://timothypc.com/wp-content/mu-plugins/rainmaker/library/external/genesis-simple-share/assets/js/sharrre/sharrre.php', enableHover: false, enableTracking: true, buttons: { },

Scripture Passage Luke 5:1-11 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Simon and Peter In today's Scripture passage, we heard about how Peter first met Jesus in a meaningful way. His life was changed totally by meeting Jesus. It is a wonderful story of conversion. He was a changed man. Jesus gave him a new name, Petros, Peter, the Rock. You know names are important. They tell us who we are. They give us our identity. But Simon was nothing like Peter. He was not rock. He was flimsy, emotional, impulsive and capricious. He was not at all like a solid rock. He didn't think about consequences before he spoke. A lot of times, he didn't know what he was talking about. He said he would never deny Jesus. He even compared himself with others. Even if everybody else deserts you, I will never do that. And he denied Jesus, not once, but three times. Knowing all that, Jesus still gave him the name, Peter, the Rock. That wasn't who Simon was but that was who Simon would be. Indeed, he became the rock. On him, church is

Jonah 1  Our Unique Existence V.1: Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah   Jonah received a distinct word from God. The Bible doesn't say exactly how this word came to him. Just that it did. Do you hear any such word spoken to you?  How do we know when this happens? How can we hear it?  How does God speak to us?    Today's context is very difficult to hear God's word spoken to us. So many distractions. Don't even have blank moments where we just stare at the ceiling lost in our thoughts, because we're too busy staring at our screens. Just like the theme deep calls to deep – God speaks to us in the recesses of our hearts. But to hear God's voice, we need to listen to the inner voice in our hearts.   Jonah was called to go to Nineveh. This was a unique calling just for Jonah. God did not call a whole bunch of people. This was a special calling reserved for Jonah.   Each of us have a unique life to live. Just like the DNA of each individual is entirely unique, the pattern and shape of our lives are meant

Jonah 2 Background Info on Jonah Jonah = unique book Historical figure named Jonah son of Amittai in 1 Kings. But no historical reference to story. Most successful prophet, but most scholars have thought that Jonah is a metaphorical book.   Life in the Boat vs. Life in the Ocean Thoughts from TBS Members: Jinny: was confused at first – thought the prayer related to things that happened while in the fish, but after realized that maybe the prayer related with what he experienced in the ocean. Think this is correct. He’s recounting his experience in the ocean. Rockey: asked if he felt more safe on the boat than in the fish. Daniel: feel like Jonah was more awake now than last week.   Last week, Jonah was on the boat. This week, Jonah is recounting his time in the ocean.   Compare: Life in the Boat vs. Life in the Ocean. What is the difference? What was Jonah doing in each? What’s the difference in the two scenarios? What about your life: where are you?   Boat = running away, sleeping through life Ocean = fully e

Scripture Passage 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Division and Immaturity The Corinthian church was a metropolitan church which consisted of very capable people who had many excellent gifts. Not only were they smart but also they seemed to assume that they were very spiritual. They experienced the wonderful manifestations of the Spirit. But somehow the church had a lot of problems. There were all kinds of moral problems. There were quarrels and fights. The church was divided at least in 4 ways. In his letter to the Corinthians, right after the greeting, the first thing Paul addressed was the problem of division in the church. Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you should be in agreement and that there should be no divisions among you, but that you should be united in the same mind and the same purpose. For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. What I me

Scripture Passage 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Principle of Life We just heard a beautiful principle of life. On the contrary, the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and those members of the body that we think less honourable we clothe with greater honour, and our less respectable members are treated with greater respect; whereas our more respectable members do not need this. But God has so arranged the body, giving the greater honour to the inferior member (1 Corinthians 12:22-24) How nice it will be if our world is like this! There will be no discrimination because of who you are. Every person will be respected and appreciated. You don't need to be somebody special to be honoured. There will be caring, uplifting, forgiving, and understanding. In this principle, I see that all human beings are equally precious in God's eyes. I see that all human beings are respected and protected. That is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of UN. All hu

Scripture Passage Acts 8:14-17 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script In Our Lives 2022 did not start off the way we wanted. Back in 2021, we were looking forward to a more normal life. A life where we could do more of what we wanted, with whomever we wanted, where we wanted, when we wanted. Sadly, this has turned out not to be the case yet. The interesting thing is that the circumstances of this new year have been met with shrugs and resignation. The need to switch gears was familiar. It was no longer shocking or traumatic We're not as affected on the outside. But when we peel back the layers, the ongoing nature of this pandemic has taken something from us. We don't feel the acute emotions of these changes like they did at first, but instead, we're starting not to feel much of anything now. Instead of shock and sadness, we feel more numbness. Many people just stare at their screens all day and walk around their house in a daze, mindlessly going through the routines of the day. Somehow, the sense of joy,

Scripture Passage 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script The Work of the Spirit After meeting Christ on the road to Damascus, St. Paul realized that he was not alone. He realized that the Spirit was with him. At that time, he knew well about the law but he didn't really know about the Spirit. He was foreign to the world of the Spirit. The whole world of the Spirit opened up for him. It was the Spirit who opened his eyes and when his eyes were open, he was able to see who Jesus really was. That's why he said in his epistle to Corinthians, no one can say Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:3) Believing in Jesus Christ, knowing Jesus, and understanding him – they are all the work of the Spirit. On our own, we cannot know Jesus. We cannot know God. Unless God reveals himself to us through the Spirit. In that sense what our brain can do is limited in terms of knowing God. Knowing Jesus is not cerebral activity. Knowing Jesus is not an intellectual process. It is

Scripture Passage Philippians 3:12-14 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Getting lost I believe that life should move forward. Our life should not be just circling around, going nowhere. Once I got lost in the woods. For an hour, I walked and walked, thinking I was going somewhere. But I realized that I was circling around. I came back to the same place over and over again. That was scary. Sometimes we feel that our life is circling around, going nowhere. I am sure that was what the Israelites felt when they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Feeling stuck, feeling that your life is circling around – that is a sense of helplessness and many people live with this sense of helplessness. They feel powerless to change anything. Everything seems to be already determined for them and there is nothing they can do to change anything. Helplessness and powerlessness. It is one of the most common symptoms of modern life. No sense of direction, no sense of purpose, no sense of fulfillment. Like the myth of

Scripture Passage Colossians 3:12-17 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script The Last Sunday Today is the last Sunday of 2021. In a few days, we will enter into 2022. It was another year that wasn't easy. We expected that the crisis of Corona Virus would be over this year and go back to normal life. But the virus will not go away easily. We got the highest number of Covid infection since the beginning of this pandemic on Christmas Eve. Yesterday, it went over 10,000. I feel like this crisis is just beginning again. Also as a pastor, it wasn't an easy year. Because of the decision of the Presbyterian Church in Canada regarding the homosexual marriage and ordination, I saw many people struggling with the decision, especially the KSM congregation. Some people left the church. Even though they are here, they are not like before. They seem distant from the church. As a pastor, I know that this is an important issue but I don't believe that it is an issue that should divide the church and people's relationships

Scripture Passage Luke 1:46-55 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Who was Mary? During this Advent season, I did Advent series on Luke's understanding of Jesus' birth. To Luke, Mary was the central figure in the story of Jesus' birth. Mary was a very interesting person. She was born and grew up in a small town, called Nazareth. Nazareth was so small that it was not even mentioned in the Old Testament. Maybe a few hundred people at most. She was a peasant, poor and very low in her social status. One day, she had this divine moment. An angel came to her. The Angel's name was Gabriel. The meaning of angel is messenger. The angel gave her the message of God and the message was that she would give birth to a son. Mary was only a teenager. We have HiC with us today. Can you imagine that you would receive this kind of message? How would you feel? Scared. Won't you be? Of course you would be scared. It is a good news to all of us. We sing, Joy to the world . But not to Mary. It wasn't a simple good news to

Scripture Passage Zephanaiah 3:14-20 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Joy Joy is one of the most important qualities that make our life meaningful and worth living. Life is to be enjoyed. How else do you live your life? If there is no joy in life, why do we live? You don't want to just sustain your life, you want to live fully tasting and enjoy the treasure of your life. We may not be able to extend our life span too much. I know, living a healthy life is important. But we won't be able to extend our life span too much. What is important is living our every moment to the fullest with a sense of joy and happiness. How well you live is more important than how long you live. The quality of life is not just about what you do or what you have. It is about who you are and how you feel about yourself and your life. Are you comfortable with yourself? Do you feel good about your life? What you feel in every moment of your life, that matters. The Joy of Jesus Jesus saw people in his time and he was very sad

Scripture Passage Malachi 3:1-4 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Faithfulness Today I would like to reflect on faithfulness. Faithfulness is a way of life, and it is the best way to live. There is something wonderful about faithfulness, that makes life more beautiful. A faithful person is loyal, committed and unwavering, even and especially when things get very difficult.  Faithfulness brings about deep relationships and community. Faithfulness is enduring. Faithfulness is the word used very often to describe God throughout the Bible. God is faithful to his people, even when they have turned against God and done wrong. God continually forgives, takes care of, comforts, and pursues his people. God is faithful. Faithfulness grows out of love. Faithfulness is the steadfast living out of love through any circumstance. That is how people experienced God throughout the Bible. This is how we experience God too, when we look back on our lives with faith. Because of God's steadfast love and faithfulness, we

Scripture Passage 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Early Christians I am very curious about what the early Christians were like. What did they feel? What really opened their eyes to see their life in a radically new way? What did they discover that they didn't know before? What gave them the strength to go on in spite of all those persecutions? For example, what changed St. Paul and gave him this conviction? He was fine as he was as a faithful Jew. He had all the privileges he could enjoy in his life. He had enough money. He had enough clout. He was well accepted and respected. He was a good man, as good as any human beings could be before God. He even boldly said that he was blameless as to goodness under the law. What changed him? What made him so excited about his new life and Jesus that he would give his life for? I was thinking about it. I think it is LOVE. He discovered love. God he knew, before Jesus Christ, was God of law. He knew God who gave commandments. But Jesus

Scripture Passage 2 Samuel 23:1-7 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Leadership Leadership is very important in our lives. It doesn't matter what we do, we are all leaders. Leadership is not limited to certain people who have important positions. Leadership is needed for everyone. If you are a parent, you need leadership over your children. At work, you need leadership. We also need leadership over our life. We cannot let our life be influenced helplessly by our external circumstances. To live a good life, we need to have good leadership over our life. You don't need to be perfect to be a good leader. Leaders have shortcomings too. No one is perfect and flawless. Trying to be perfect may be even hindrance to good leadership. You can be easily discouraged. Or you may try to become somebody you are not. Trying to emulate a certain leader will not make you a good leader. Everyone is unique and therefore every leadership is unique. Leaders don't have to be always at the forefront and take control. Leader

Scripture Passage Hebrews 10:19-25 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Worship I want to talk about worship today. Worship is the most important thing for Christians. Since it is important, we do it every week. Many of you are very faithful to attending the worship service every week because it is very important to you. I believe that making worship as the priority of your life is the wisdom. When we make the worship at the centre of our lives, everything else will fall into its place. We will find a balance in life. We will find order in life. We are creatures we confess. We did not create ourselves. God created us. Then it is a right thing to do for creatures to worship the creator. That is the natural order. So, making worship at the centre of our lives is to find the order in our lives. When your life is chaotic, when you are not sure where your life is going, don't panic. Come back to the heart of worship and make worship as priority of your life again. You will find the order in your life. Worsh

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Scripture Passage 1 Kings 17:8-16 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Helping Others I believe that people want to help others. It's how we're wired. Helping others connects us with others, gives us purpose, meaning and joy. Helping others is a beautiful part of being human. We see this in children. Children are very eager to help out. My son was telling me this week how he and a few other students volunteered to skip recess to help out their teacher set up the classroom. We were very proud of him. When crisis hits, our instincts are to come together to help one another. Our desire to help others is a big part of who we are. But somehow, on a day to day basis, that desire to help others gets dulled or snuffed out. It's not that we don't want to help, but we feel like we don't have anything to give. We don't have time. We don't have the energy. We don't have the resources. The demands on our time, energy and resources leave us numb and exhausted. We are tapped out. The Widow This was the case of the wi