Uniting Our Storytelling with Our Story-Living

The scripture reading today comes from the book of James, chapter 5.

James 5 · chapter mention

Please read along in your bulletin.

Be patient then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord's coming.

See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop,

patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.

You too, be patient and stand firm,

because the Lord's coming is near.

Don't grumble against one another, brothers and sisters,

or you will be judged, for the judge is standing at the door.

Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering,

take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered.

You have heard of Job's perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about.

The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth

and someone should bring that person back, remember this.

Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way

will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.

This is God's word.

Good morning, Watermark.

In case you don't know me, my name is Mike.

I work with the university students here at the church.

And before Easter, we have been going through the book of James.

So in case that this is the first time

or you haven't heard the sermon series before Easter,

we'll kind of recap that a little bit as well.

But today we will actually be finishing that sermon series

with chapter 5, the final chapter of the book of James.

And kind of to ease into the topic,

I wanted to share a story,

something that I have been following lately.

And you may have been following that too.

And it was just mentioned in the prayer.

It's about the increasing tension about North Korea.

There's a lot of stuff in the newspapers that you read all over.

But there's also, on a personal note,

something that made me quite interested.

So we have some friends that work with an NGO

and they have a growing presence up in North Korea.

And just hearing the stories of what's happening in the country

and among the people,

it's been really touching and made me more interested.

And so just a few days ago, there was this documentary,

I think it was the National Geographic, about North Korea.

And what it showed was footage from a pretty strange event.

So in the footage that they showed in the documentary,

there was this room, this auditorium,

with hundreds of North Koreans gathered.

And they all had been blind.

Some from birth and some had turned blind later in their lives.

And they all had gone through eye surgery.

So the footage now showed these people after surgery

with their eyes all still covered.

So this whole room is full with people

that all have these bandages on.

And so now one after the other comes to the front of the room.

And they take off the bandages.

And what they're all facing is this huge picture

of Kim Il-sung, the first leader of North Korea,

who after his death had been declared

the eternal leader of the country.

So he established, and I just tried to confirm that

with my Korean friends, the Juche ideology,

which is basically the ideology of putting Korean things first.

So the Juche ideology is one of total self-reliance of Korea,

basically trying to, in an economic and a political way,

be independent from anyone else.

It requires total loyalty to both the country and the party.

So in the documentary, the people, as they opened their eyes,

they would take a glance of this portrait of their leader

and they would fall on their knees and cry and sob

and begin to praise and worship their great general.

And so one or the other would say things like,

my family will worship the great general for generations to come.

And under tears, they would say things like,

praise you, eternal leader.

I will work even harder in the salt mines.

And just watching that from an outside perspective,

I was wondering, do they really mean that?

Like, have they really devoted their lives to this ideology

and to the leader in that way?

Obviously, there has been some brainwashing going on

over generations about this ideology.

Any other information from the outside is kept away.

All the information that is passed on through the media is screened.

And so I was wondering whether they meant what they were saying

or whether it was more of a fear

that caused them to say what they were saying

and influence their responses.

It's like a little over a year ago

when the last supreme leader, Kim Jong-il, died,

a reporter said that was in the country

that the authorities were now handing down at least six months

in a labor training camp

for anybody who didn't participate in the organized gatherings

during the mourning period

or who did participate but didn't cry or didn't seem genuine.

And so when I read that, I felt like,

how can you force someone to be genuine in their hearts?

So seeing all this and hearing all this

brought a lot of memories back to me.

I grew up in a divided Germany.

And I was exposed to an ideological clash

between the capitalist democratic system on the one side,

the Marxist communism on the other side.

And that was something on a regular basis

that I was confronted with more in a subtle way.

But my dad actually fled from eastern Germany

on the last train out of the country

before they closed the border,

before they divided the countries.

So I grew up with this perception

that everything communist is bad.

It's an ideology not to be affirmed.

As a family, we traveled a lot,

but we never traveled to the east.

But when we traveled into communist territory

was only when we would go to the divided eastern Germany.

About once a year,

we would visit relatives and friends.

And it was a hustle to get the visa

and getting through the customs area.

And then we would meet our friends

and experiencing what was on the other side

was a really strange experience.

And I still remember smuggling toilet paper over

because we didn't like the toilet paper there.

And bringing paint over because they wouldn't have it.

And all the kids would complain.

So even though the government tried to control TV and media,

and they had secret police everywhere,

everyone could be a spy,

so people were afraid of who was screening who.

But still, I knew that the people in eastern Germany

largely did not support what was going on.

But they wouldn't speak out about it.

So what was in their heart was often very different

to what we would see in their action.

So the ideology they proclaimed to the outside

was not what they really believed in.

A good friend, and this is one of these examples,

a good friend of my father

had made his way up to be the general manager

of an East German construction company.

He actually had to get to that point

through pretending that he was in line

with everything the government said.

But then in 1984, he revealed his heart

and wrote an appeal to the government

to let him and his family leave eastern Germany

to go to the capitalist west.

Within a week,

he was degraded to be the caretaker of the company.

His kids were not allowed to go to university.

They had to drop out of school.

And then three years of humiliation and threats

followed situations like going to the bakery,

and in the bakery,

someone would tap on the shoulder and say,

you better follow what the government says.

But then one day, he got a letter,

and the letter said,

hereby we inform you that you have 24 hours,

and it was delivered to the door,

hereby we inform you you have 24 hours

to leave the country.

And so they could only pack a suitcase,

they had to leave their car,

their house, their families,

and within a day,

they left everything behind.

And I still remember the day

when we went to the border to pick them up.

And it was unreal.

And there are so many other stories

that two years later,

when the wall fell,

and just seeing how people started to respond

to what they had really experienced.

But all these stories of Korea

and what I've experienced back then,

they remind me a lot of what's going on

in the book of James.

It's like a reality check.

It's about uniting our faith,

that story about life and truth

that we say we believe,

with the story that we actually live out

in our lives.

The story that we believe in our hearts.

So James is asking that question.

What we proclaim as a belief system,

does it match the way we act?

Or are we pretending?

Over the past few weeks,

we have examined the first four chapters,

and we have heard James say,

faith without works is dead.

So that if we proclaim the Christian story

as truth in our lives,

if we say that we have faith in Jesus

and his story of redemption,

but then our action does not speak

the same message,

then what we say we believe

has no meaning.

It's dead.

Christian scholar James Smith

puts it in the following words.

The Christian's primary responsibility

is to live God's story for the world.

The church is a stage

where God's drama is played out.

As such, our responsibility

is to act his story out well.

Our storytelling should be supported

by our story living.

Let me say that one more time.

Our storytelling,

the story we tell what we believe,

should match our story living,

the way we act in our lives.

What we have seen in James

over the past few weeks

is that the church there

struggled with that.

They united under that calling

of restoring and redeeming the world

and each other's lives.

But when it got tough,

they kept the money to themselves.

They wouldn't care about each other.

Instead of following Jesus' example

of selflessness,

they would become selfish.

We also saw that when it got tough

to live out that story,

instead of loving each other

as a family,

they began to turn on each other.

They began to gossip,

to criticize.

So when looking at their works,

their action towards one another,

their story living,

was not consistent

with the gospel story

that they said

that they believed in.

So today's chapter

also talks about

how easy it is

to give up on the story

we say we believe,

especially when it gets tough.

Our text starts with verse 7.

Be patient then,

brothers and sisters,

until the Lord's coming.

See how the farmer

waits for the land

to yield its valuable crops,

patiently waiting

for the autumn

and spring rains.

You too be patient

and stand firm

because the Lord's coming

is near.

So that great story again

that we talk about

is God's story of redemption.

It's the belief

that God,

who created everything,

came into his broken creation

in the person of Jesus.

And that in his resurrection

that we celebrated last week,

we also see

his power

to restore everything.

We see that he comes

to redeem broken lives.

We see that

he will one day

come back

to restore all things.

And that's what

in verse 7 and 8

is highlighted twice,

that it's until

the Lord's coming

so that the Lord

will come back

to restore all things.

But in the meanwhile,

be patient.

They need to stand firm

and cling to that story

even when it gets tough.

So James gives an example

of a farmer,

a farmer who waits

on the land

to yield its crops

and patiently waiting

on the autumn

and spring rains.

Now some of you know

that I have somewhat

of a background

from a farming community

like Tobin.

My grandma,

the family,

lived at the Black Sea

and they were

in this farming community.

And so even

when they left

and moved back

to Germany after the war,

we always had

a piece of land.

they always wanted

to be somewhat

self-sustainable.

So I would spend

my time picking fruit

and we would actually

even raise ducks

and rabbits

for eating.

But then there's

this element

of farming

that somehow

clicks with me there.

Like I remember

as a 10-year-old kid

going up to my granddad

and the whole day

on a Saturday

I would plow the ground

and prepare it

to sow the potatoes

and put the potatoes

in the ground.

And if I would know

that there is

no outcome whatsoever,

like I would say,

what's the reason of this?

But you would plow the ground

and then you would sow

and then you would wait

for rain

and then you would

have to go over it

to pull out the weeds

week after week.

And after you do all that,

who would say,

hey, okay,

that's just taking too long.

I'm out of here.

I'm abandoning my field

before you got the harvest.

And so here's

what James is talking about,

that he trusted at the end

it's all worth it,

that there will be a harvest

even when the tough plowing

and the tough times go by,

that we know

what the end of the story is.

And God's story of redemption

finishes in the patient waiting

of his coming kingdom.

And in a way he says,

there's victory or a victory.

Either God will lead you

through the bad times

and you will see the harvest here

or there will be victory

when he comes again.

But so easily we lose our patience

when things don't turn out

the way we want.

I consider myself

a pretty patient person.

There's not too much

that gets me anxious or angry,

at least not in everyday situations.

as long as things

are kind of like

in my comfort zone

and go in a normal way.

But how does it look like

under stress?

Or when worries break in

and they're built up

and you just can't

really organize life.

And you probably have all

been at that place

and suddenly you see

the worst coming out

of yourself

and you thought

you're such a patient person.

And then for me

doubts come up like,

why the heck do we give up

like a job in banking

and nursing

to move to Hong Kong

to work in ministry?

Or isn't there a better life?

And shouldn't we just do that?

And so it's kind of like

you plow the ground

and you sow the seed

but then you feel like

I don't want to wait

for the harvest

because I want to look

for something better.

The French philosopher

Jean-Francois Loitar

says that today

people have what he calls

an incredulity

towards metanarratives.

Or in other words,

there is a strong disbelief

toward grand ideologies

or grand narratives.

So these claims

of universal truth.

Let me give you an example.

Over the past 50 years,

there has been

this grand cultural narrative

on Hong Kong

that has been influenced

by the handover.

A lot of people

that have been living

through these times

in the 70s, 80s, 90s

leading up to the handover,

they share that

there has been that fear

about what would happen

in 10, 20, 30 years

down the road

when the handover happens.

And so this narrative

culturally that was written

was we have to work

very hard to make

a lot of money

so that we can move

to Canada,

to the UK,

to Australia.

And some people wonder

why would you ever

move there?

So you make a lot of money

and then you move there

and then you get

citizenship

and then everything

will be okay.

But even now

after the handover,

the great cultural narrative

of Hong Kong

still seems to be

very influenced by that.

We just need to get,

like, oh, I have a job,

but three months later

I get a better job offer

so I better get to the job offer

where I make $1,000 more

so that I can get ahead

of the game.

But now,

I'm working with

university students

and what I'm seeing

is that there's

a new generation

that is not that

sold out

to that grand

cultural narrative.

Maybe

there's something

more meaningful

like my first boyfriend

or girlfriend

than living out

that great cultural narrative.

Honestly,

my parents have

enough money now,

I can do whatever I want.

I have seen,

you know,

I've enjoyed

all that freedom.

So suddenly,

that story

doesn't seem

that attractive.

Or let's look

at the grand story

of marriage.

The grand story

of love

till death

do us part.

And more than ever,

when things get difficult,

people just get divorced,

the narrative

gets too complicated.

I just actually

want to look

at a story

that gives me

what I want

right now.

So if Lloyd-Tarr

is correct,

nowadays,

we tend to pick stories

based on how we feel

in the moment,

what works for us

in the here and now.

We don't want to plow

the ground

and sow

and weed

and wait on rain.

We prefer to eat

what we want

right now.

So in his letter,

James says

that the coming

of the Lord

is near.

And he said

these words

almost 2,000 years ago.

Now,

I think

when I use

the word near,

I use it

in different terms.

No wonder

that people

get impatient.

But then I have

to admit

that I have

a hard time

to evaluating time

with an eternal perspective.

So it may be

my fault.

It's like a mom

or the moms

you can probably

relate to that.

When you tell

your kids

you need to

clean your room

and they say

yeah,

I'll do it later.

Or

hey,

supper is ready.

Come eat.

Oh,

I just need to

finish that one level.

And then one minute

can turn into eternity

and you wonder

how long

these levels

are nowadays.

And so

I'm not surprised

that the next part

that follows

says

don't grumble

against one another

brothers and sisters

or you will be judged.

The judge

is standing

at the door.

So with your kids

playing a game

it's like

you're getting frustrated

with your kids

and your kids

are like

mom,

you don't understand

I'm in the middle

of the game

and so it is

with the church.

So we look around

and we say

ah,

these are the people

that are

not running

a community group

like I do

and they don't

even tithe

and you look around

and we're starting

to look at each other

and what each other

does wrong

and what the text says

is don't turn

on each other

especially

when the pressure

is up.

You may be right

but how often

do we all

fall short

of living out

the story well

so remember

that the judge

is standing

at the door

it's like

I don't know

whether you've been

in this situation

where you have

talked about

someone else

and maybe a friend

or a colleague

in the office

and just as you say

all these things

you see the boss

right there

and then you see

how embarrassed

you are

and this is

what James

reminds us

that our first

responsibility

is to how

we live out

the gospel

in our lives

how our actions

look like

how we are found

faithful

in living out

a life

that aims for holiness

because one day

God is standing

at the door

and he's not looking

at what the others

did wrong

but it is our own

responsibility

on how we live

our lives

and so what follows

in the text

is an encouragement

through examples

of those

who actually

have patiently

persevered

so verses 10

and 11 say

brothers and sisters

as an example

of patience

in the face

of suffering

take the prophets

who spoke

in the name

of the Lord

as you know

we count as

blessed those

who have persevered

you have heard

of Job's perseverance

and have seen

what the Lord

finally brought about

the Lord is full

of compassion

and mercy

so first James

gives the example

of Job

and there's

a whole book

in the Bible

dedicated to Job's

story in the Old Testament

it tells of Job

who despite

extreme suffering

losing his possessions

losing his health

losing his family

he never considers

really leaving God

and so he stayed

consistent

with what he claimed

he believed

under pressure

and in tough times

the story he said

he is telling

to the world

was also

what he lived out

and when you

look at the text

we can look into

what the Lord

finally brought about

as something

that relates to Job

but it may also be

something that is

a second story

that what the Lord

finally brought about

may be a reference

to Jesus himself

to himself

staying true

to the purpose

that he endured

suffering

that he went

to the cross

and died

that God himself

shows his faithfulness

and commitment

to a story

of redeeming

his own creation

so both the church

and individuals

have always struggled

with it

and if you look

throughout history

you see countless

examples

of this tension

of on the one hand

God's story

and then how the world

invites us

into other stories

that we are supposed

to live

for example

you look in the early church

and in the early church

for hundreds of years

we see countless

examples of people

that have been

pressured to conform

to what the authorities

wanted

leaving the gospel

story behind

and living the way

that others lived

but they would endure

even to death

and martyrdom

in the 300s

Constantine

turned the Christian faith

into a state religion

and the temptation

was just too great

to say

finally persecution

can end

maybe

the new powers

will influence

the message

but maybe it's worth it

to gain that power

finally

to not being persecuted

also during

the Nazi regime

the church largely

in my country

compromised

to saying

okay we will not

say anything

about the message

of God's redemption

we will not talk

about the injustice

that's happening

as long as you don't

hurt us

and people got quiet

and across the border

many Christians

are challenged

by openly proclaiming

their faith

in God's story

and maybe losing

their job

or worse

one of the examples

of all these people

is

a person I really like

Martin Niemöller

and you may have

heard me talk about him

Niemöller was a pastor

during that time

in Nazi Germany

and while most

of the church

stopped living out

the gospel

when under pressure

compromising their message

in their action

Niemöller decided

to stand up

and he founded

what he called

the confessing church

and he invited

people in

that said

we will not compromise

the gospel message

one of his messages

was God is my

Führer

and it was an

open public

statement

and he preached

in Berlin

for 28 weeks

knowing that

one day

they will get him

and after 28 weeks

of his sermon series

he was put

into a labor camp

he survived

six years

of being in a labor camp

but the really

remarkable thing

about him

was not that

but what

he said

after this time

after the war

was over

when he was asked

about this whole time

and standing up

for the gospel

and why he wouldn't

compromise

this is what he says

yes I could

easily say

that I have suffered

for God

and my faith

for six years

in a concentration camp

but when I'm honest

when I stand

in front of God

he will not say

how proud he is

for my sacrifice

but he will ask me

brother Martin

where have you been

from 1933

to 1939

when it all started

and I would not

have an answer

later on he says

if

when it all started

40,000 German pastors

would have stood up

in one voice

proclaiming

that their message

of the gospel

is true

and showing

the action

that justice

and God's love

are correct

maybe 40,000

would have died

but maybe

40,000,000

would have survived

he's just one

of these examples

of people

who have wrestled

with living out

God's story

out to the world

and

what about us

what about us

here today

what do we choose

as individuals

as a church

in Hong Kong

as Watermark

will we compromise

our ethics

in our workplaces

when it may cost

our jobs

will our action

be consistent

with the story

that we're telling

will we give away

freely our resources

to people in need

when we consider them

the brothers and sisters

and call them

our family by name

or will we abandon

God's story

when things

get tough

and to be honest

I sometimes find

these things

hard to answer

how I would choose

I have friends

that have been

disowned

by their families

for their faith

I have friends

who had to leave

their country

and run away

and can never go back

if they don't want

to get killed

some were put in prison

some were almost killed

by their own families

and as tough as that is

I'm encouraged

by these examples

of people around me

that say

this is a story

I proclaim to be true

how can I not

live it out

so the book of James

ends with the following

verses

in verse 19 and 20

my brothers and sisters

if one of you

should wander from the truth

and someone should bring

that person back

remember this

whoever turns a sinner

from the error

of their way

will save them

from death

and cover over

a multitude of sins

so James finishes

with a reminder

that not everyone

always perseveres

and is patient

to the end

that sometimes

people get discouraged

and sidetracked

and if we are honest

that's true for all of us

so many times

the reality is

like in that Christian hymn

we are all prone

to wander

and leave

the God

we love

the story of God

is a story

of God's creation

and the fall

and exile

and recreation

and we don't see that

just in the big story

of God creating everything

and the fall of mankind

and then

his restoration

through Christ

and then the return

to the coming kingdom

we also see that

in all these stories

in Noah

the people rebelling

things being devastated

the flood

and then we see

in that story

the new beginning

in a new land

we see it in Christ's coming

we see him coming

to the world

we see his suffering

his death

him being separated

for three days

from the father

and in his resurrection

everything is being redeemed

and we see that

all over our own lives

we fall

we feel abandoned

and shattered

we fail

we are lonely

but in the tough times

we find a new dependence

a new strength

in God

and that's when

we come back renewed

and throughout our lives

there is a multitude

of this cycle

a multitude

of us wandering away

a multitude

of our sin

but James reminds us

that what a blessing it is

to help someone

back on track

so as we finish

the sermon series

on that book

what do we do

our challenges

does James leave us

for today

here in Hong Kong

so I want to actually

look at these

three core values

that we have

at Watermark

and just revisit that

and the first value

that we always talk about

is the gospel

and we have this first banner

because the gospel

comes from that English

old word

meaning good news

and the good news

refers to that great story

that we've been talking about

that story

of Christ

redemption

so in light of all

what we have heard

the question that arises

is the one for us

now is here

where are we

today

in that story

maybe you are here

and you are visiting

maybe you have been

visiting a few times

you may not be

walking with Christ

and say

oh this is my story

my storytelling

is that Christian story

then I encourage you

to examine

that claim

maybe ask the friends

that you have met here

in your community groups

if you are in one already

or just anybody

that sits around you

and figure out

where are they

in the story

that they tell

but if you are here today

and you are a Christian

then the question is

how are we doing

in our story living

are we like

the people

that come

to the front

to the big portrait

coming to church

on Sunday

and we raise our hands

and we worship

and we say the things

that we are supposed

to say

but when we go home

when we are

in our families

in our workplace

in our own thoughts

are our actions

speaking another message

are our

is that message

that in our heart

we truly believe

is it consistent

with the story

that we are telling

to the others

in the gospel

we see Christ

in his love

and grace

constantly

calling us back

so if you are here today

and you are going

through a rough time

there is this

as I was preparing

this passage

of Ezekiel 37

that just came to me

and in Ezekiel 37

there is

this

this prophecy

about the valley

of dry bones

and sometimes

when you look around

or you look at your own life

and you see your life

or people around you

spiritually dried up

like in that phrase

that it says

in verse 20

whoever turns a sinner

from the error of their way

will save them

from death

and cover over

multitudes of sin

and that death

is the death

our real death

but it is also

that spiritual death

and so

that valley of dry bones

reminded me

of how God

in his grace

and his love

he takes dry bones

and he puts flesh

on them

and it is

the living water

that brings

to life

what is dead

so if you are here today

and you have been

struggling

with the journey

of

losing your track

and feeling lost

that you have been

wondering

where am I

if I look at my action

I am not living out

that story

that I say

to everyone

that I am a Christian

then be encouraged

that it is not

just about

your action

but about Christ's

action on the cross

that he is the one

that brings new life

that he brings new hope

and that he is the one

that restores you

and that leads me

to our second banner

to community

if you are

at that place

it is not just you

alone wrestling

with the gospel

but God has placed us

in community

that in our lostness

that we are there

to tell that story

to each other

to remind each other

that Christ's

story of restoration

is still true today

and to persevere

till the Lord's coming

so if you are here today

and you think about

where you are

in the community

maybe you realize

am I really

in my action

following through

in everything

that I am called to

do I live out

that story

do I love

the people around me

in the way

that I am called to

and that leads us

to the third part

our mission

our third value

is a mission

that if we believe

in the gospel

to be true

that if Christ

died for us

to reconcile us

with God

that he will come again

and that

in his story

that there is

eternal life

if we really believe

that

if the story

that we tell

is true

why would we not

go

and share

that message

both in our story

living

and our storytelling

to the people

around us

James leaves us

with a lot of challenges

and he leaves us

with examining

our hearts

but ultimately

you know

where you are at

and so I want

to pray with us

as we just take

this challenge

out

into this week

and into

our own lives

and just to see

what God

continues to do

with his word

in us

let me pray

Father we

just come before you

just realizing

that sometimes

the story

that we confess

may not be

the story

that we live

in our everyday

action

and that we get

sidetracked

and discouraged

and so Father

let's pray

that today

we would just see

that in your love

and grace

you call us back

to you

let's pray

that we as a community

would live that story

well to each other

remind us

and tell the story

to each other

again and again

Father let's pray

for everyone

here today

that as they look

into the story

of their lives

that they live out

that it is one

of the stories

of the world

that

where they try

to cling to meaning

I pray that you

would just open

the eyes of everyone

here

just make your story

known

show the truth

of who you are

and the power

that is in your

gospel message

we pray all this

in Christ's name

Amen