St Timothy Presbyterian Church

Scripture Passage1 Corinthians 12:12-31aWorship Video Worship Audio Sermon ScriptWhen St. Paul met Christ, he became a new person.So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being! (2 Corinthians 5:17)Yes, when we meet Christ, we become a new person.But St. Paul was not only talking about himself as a person. He was thinking beyond just himself.He was thinking about our existence as people.In Christ, our whole existence becomes new. How we live together is new.Today's passage that we read is a concrete metaphor for the new kind of community that is created in Christ.He describes it as a new humanity:For he (Christ) is our peace; in his flesh he has made both into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two (Ephesians 2:15-16)A new community, a new humanity – that is what we become in Christ.In this new community, everyone belongs.You ar

Scripture PassageIsaiah 62:1-5Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon ScriptGod never forsakes you. God never abandons you. God never deserts you.But, even though God never forsakes you, sometimes you feel forsaken, abandoned, and deserted.Even our Lord, Jesus, experienced the feeling of abandonment on the cross. He cried out, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?St. Paul also experienced the feeling of abandonment.We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world right up to this moment. (1 Corinthians 4:13)That was what Israelites experienced when they lost their home. They experienced the abandonment when they were exiled.Korean people experienced this kind of abandonment when they lost their country. Many of your parents experienced that when they lived under Japanese occupation. They felt abandoned.When you lose everything, you feel forsaken.That was what Palestinians and also Israelites experienced last 15 months. They lost so much. They lost their loved ones.Finally there is a cease-fire a

Scripture Passage1 Peter 2:4-10Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon ScriptI hope that you are having a great start to 2025.Before we get too far into the new year, it's important to reflect on important things.What kind of person do you want to be in 2025?Let me share a great vision with you today: Be the rock that others stand on.Isn't that a great thing to aspire to? It's something we can all do.In 2025, we should strive to be a rock on which others stand.It brings such a nice image to me. Someone who is solid. Not easily shaken. Someone whom others can stand on.In Chevrolet truck commercials, they are built like a rock. The most dependable, longest lasting trucks on the road like a rock.We're not trucks, but we too should be dependable and lasting like a rock. Maybe good trucks, we can rely on.It's so hard to find people like that, isn't it? Whom can you really rely upon?But wouldn't it be so good to have people like a rock? People you can rely upon, depend on.I think the best kind of person we can be is to

Scripture Passage 1 Peter 2:4-10 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Happy New Year! May God's blessings be upon you and your family! God has been good in 2024. God will be also good in 2025. Let us trust God. Everything will work out for good. Even though there may be difficult times, God will give you the strength and the wisdom to deal with difficulties. Not only that, he will work out everything for good for you. This year's theme is Be the Rock. I would like to focus on two things. One: Being a Rock. Second: How to live as a Rock. In today's passage, Peter said this. like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:5) He said, Let yourself be Being the Rock is about who you are, not about what you do. You are the Rock. Nothing can shake that away. That's who you are. God made you be the rock. Your understanding of who you are is the foundation on which you can build y

Scripture Passage Colossians 3:12-17 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Last week, we talked about humility. I said, humility is not just accepting your weaknesses and shortcomings. Humility is trusting in God's power and looking to God in all your circumstances, even in an impossible situation. That was what Mary did when she said, Let it be so. Humble people always look to God in all circumstances and leave their situations in God's hand. That's why they experience the peace of God. Every problem, every challenge, every difficulty – They all leave it in God's hands instead of worrying about it. And God grants peace to those who are humble. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6, 7) Memory Card – today's passage too. Humble people are comfortable with themselves. Because they don

Scripture Passage Luke 1:46-55 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Merry Christmas! We are celebrating today as Christmas Sunday even though it is the fourth Sunday of Advent. Today, we are celebrating the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. His birth changed the way we think about our life. His birth gave us hope. His birth showed God's desire for this world. What was God's desire for the world? What did God want us to do? What message did he want to get across through the birth of Jesus? I think that message is this. Be humble! That is the Christmas message this year. God became a human being. That is the message of being humble. The king became a servant. How much more humble can you get? St. Paul clearly understood this when he said this. though he was in the form of God,did not regard equality with Godas something to be exploited,but emptied himself,taking the form of a slave,being born in human likeness.And being found in human form,he humbled himselfand became obedient to the point of death even d

Scripture Passage Luke 1:68-79 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script INTRODUCTION I enjoy buffets. There is a sequence, method. Purpose of first round: whet the appetite, get me going for the main courses and proteins. Luke is about Jesus – the main course. But Luke 1 is about things that take place before Jesus is born. The set-up to what God does through Jesus. Central character in chapter 1 is Zechariah. Today's passage – Benedictus. Last part of chapter 1. Chapter 1 begins with Zechariah and ends with him. Luke is communicating something important. Zechariah is a set-up story for the main course of Jesus. It's a substantial appetizer – so much good material. God has something amazing to say through story of Zechariah. MOVEMENT 1: ZECHARIAH'S ISSUE – BARRENNESS Luke's introduction of Zechariah and Elizabeth: In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was descended from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabet

Scripture Passage John 18:33-37 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script I don't like the term, king or queen. The image of king or queen – it doesn't mean much to me. It rather gives me a negative image. Power, Privilege, Entitlement, Domination, and even Corruption. These are not the words I am not so attracted to. Especially when they use this term for Jesus whom I love, I feel uncomfortable. King is a political language. Isn't there a better word than king to describe Jesus? But when you read today's passage, Jesus clearly said he was the king. You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I came into the world (John 18:37) This statement is so strange. Because we all know that Jesus was never the king while he was on earth. He didn't become the king. He was simply a carpenter. And he became an itinerant preacher. Then he died as a criminal. Never the king. Why did he say that he was born to be a king. And for this he came into the world? That was exactly what they wanted Jesus to say. T

Scripture Passage 1 Samuel 1:4-20 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script The sermon script is currently unavailable. We are sorry for the inconvenience! The post Waiting and Prayer appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.

Scripture Passage Mark 13:1-8 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Nowadays we use GPS, before we used to look to the stars. Stars that orient you. The terrain changes, but you know where you're going. We have foundational things that anchor our lives and give direction. They give shape and direction to day to day life. We don't even have to really think. For me, it is my kids, church, family. Seasons, details change, but the general shape of my life doesn't. What happens when any of these things are taken away? There are foundational changes taking place in the congregation. Aging parents, looming loss of loved ones. Some are already grieving the loss of loved ones. Retirement and loss of anchor that gave shape to life for years and decades. Transition from school and anchored life to new routines. Your own health. If stars you relied on for direction were to disappear, you would feel lost, disoriented. We wouldn't know what to do or where to go. Likewise, when these things that anchor our lives chang

Scripture Passage Mark 12:38-44 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script When life is not on your terms, how do you respond? That's an important question we must ask ourselves. It has implications for your life and those around you. We all try to do our best to make a good life. We understand the rules of the game and work hard to do well within them. But sometimes, even if you follow all the rules, things don't turn out the way you expect. Sometimes, life is not on your terms. No one likes that. No one wants to lose control over the terms of your life. Jesus makes a contrast between the rich people and the poor widow. He sees the rich people put in large sums of money into the treasury. He then sees the poor widow put in two copper coins. He says this in response to what he saw: Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had

Scripture Passage Mark 12:28-34 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script When I was in University, Mother Teresa once came to U of T to speak. It was outdoor and so many people came. Like Zacchaeus, I tried to go near to the front and so I could see her. With excitement, I was waiting for her. And finally she came out. She was small and her face was full of wrinkles. But she had a charisma. She came to the mic and she started speaking. All she said was, love God and love your neighbour. That was exactly what Jesus said. People saw Jesus' miracles. They saw how profound he was when he argued with Pharisees and Sadducees. Chapter 12 of Mark – various groups of people came to Jesus and challenged him. They were so called important people. First, Pharisees came and asked about whether to give taxes to the emperor or not. Then, Sadducees came and asked about the resurrection. They all asked these questions not because they were really interested in what Jesus had to say but they wanted to trap him. Jesus was

Scripture Passage Mark 10:46-52 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Happy anniversary! Today is the 28th anniversary of this church. Once a year, we remember how faithful God has been to this church. Another year, God has been with us. God has been with our children. God has been with our youth and young adults. God has been with all of you. On this anniversary, it is good to remember God and give thanks. God has given us a Word from the gospel of Mark for us today. On this anniversary Sunday, let us hear what God has to say to us. The whole gospel of Mark is about the journey Jesus takes from Galilee to Jerusalem. Along the way, Jesus calls his disciples. He teaches and he heals people. Others begin to follow. While he teaches and heals, the destination is always Jerusalem and the cross. The passage today begins with Jesus and the crowd in Jericho. Jericho is the last stop on the way to Jerusalem. It begins with a scene of Jesus, his disciples and a large crowd departing from Jericho. You can envisio

Scripture Passage Mark 10:35-45 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Jesus summarizes the purpose of his life: For the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life a ransom for many. (Mark 10:45) He came to restore the essence of life. We are at our best when we put others first. Life comes alive and flourishes when we do that. This applies to all of your relationships. Whether it's your marriage, friendships, workplace, community or geopolitics. US President John F Kennedy had a famous line: Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. Joonie played house league baseball this past summer. He had a great experience. Because coaches were willing to offer their time for the kids. All busy (with their work and family lives) but put in time to develop the kids. Summer was so much fun. Joonie had fun and improved so much that they put him on a rep team. Joonie's cousin also played house league baseball, but had a terrible experience. Because no one w

Scripture Passage Matthew 6:25-33 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Happy Thanksgiving! As soon as I walk into my house, I see this sign: Be Thankful! Whenever I come in, I see that and remind myself to be thankful. We often forget to be thankful. Being thankful is not a natural thing to do. We have to constantly remind ourselves. Be thankful because God takes care of you. No matter what you may go through, God will take care of you. No matter how big the challenges may be, there is no challenge too big for you to overcome with God's help. So there is nothing for you to worry about. You will be all right because God takes care of you. God will provide you with everything that you need. That is what our Lord Jesus teaches us in today's passage. Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. (Matthew 6:25) God will take care of you and so don't worry about anything. You are in God's good hands. And yet we worry. Worrying is ingrained i

Scripture Passage Psalm 8 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script It is a beautiful psalm. It starts with this. How majestic is your name in all the earth! And it ends with this. How majestic is your name in all the earth! Where was he when he wrote this psalm? Was he in front of Grand Canyon or Rocky Mountain or Mount Everest? Probably Not! But definitely he discovered the majestic world God created. And he saw the majestic power of God. I shared with you once. I used to take young people every year to Algonquin. At one point more than 30 people. We had a night hike. We went through the woods. It was pitch dark. We couldn't see anything. Even a person right in front of me, I couldn't see. And then we came to an opening. All of a sudden, the sky opened up and we were surrounded by millions of stars. So bright and majestic. Nobody spoke. We were just there in complete silence. That was what David experienced. He was in darkness. His life was in darkness. He couldn't see anything hopeful. He was so surround

Scripture Passage James 5:13-20 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script The prayer of faith is powerful and effective. That's what I want to reflect on today. Today's passage begins with this sentence: Are any among you suffering? They should pray. (James 5:13) If you have the answers for your problems and challenges, then you don't need prayer. You can figure it out. But there are times when you can't figure it out. There are challenges that are beyond your capabilities. The prayer of faith happens when you know you need God. The Canaanite woman came to Jesus, begging him to heal her sick daughter. Jesus said that he had come only to save the lost sheep of Israel. She persisted in asking for his help. This is what happened: He answered, It is not fair to take the children's food and throw it to the dogs. She said, Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters' table. (Matthew 15:26-27) She was desperate. She would not give up. She knew she needed Jesus' help and would take

Scripture Passage James 3:13-4:3, 7-8 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Today's passage begins with this question: Who is wise and understanding among you? Everyone on the internet and social media has something wise to say. Everyone's an expert. But who is truly wise among us? The Scripture says this: Show by your good life that your works are done with gentleness born of wisdom. (James 3:13) A good life is rooted in wisdom. We need wisdom to live a good life. But the passage today talks about two different kinds of wisdom. Depending on which wisdom you have, your life will be very different. There are two wisdoms, two paths. There is wisdom that comes from above, and wisdom that is from below. Wisdom that comes from God, and wisdom of the world. The passage says this about the wisdom of the world: But if you have bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not be arrogant and lie about the truth. This is not wisdom that comes down from above but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. (James 3:

Scripture Passage James 3:1-12 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Language is God's precious gift for human beings. Because we have language, we can communicate with each other. We can express our sorrow, our joy, our dreams, our appreciation, and our love. How wonderful it is to be able to do that. My sister came from Korea in August. She doesn't speak much English. My nephew Peter and Annie invited her for lunch. Annie's mother came out too. She doesn't speak English at all – Only Chinese. My sister only speaks Korean and Annie's mother speaks only Chinese. So, they just sat there for the whole time not being able to speak at all. Just look at each other with smile. And just eat. That's how I survived when I first came to Canada. I was 19 when I came to Canada. I couldn't speak a word of English. In the bus, people talked to me and I could not understand a word of what they said. If they smiled, I smiled. If they were serious, I was serious. But I didn't know what they were saying. Sometimes I get

Scripture Passage James 2:1-10, 14-17 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Faith is complete trust in God. It is your heart's loyalty to God and God alone. Faith begins when you recognize your need for God. Faith was a powerful presence in the lives of second generation Koreans because we needed God. We needed something the world wasn't giving – love, acceptance and a community. But as time goes on and life's challenges continue to come, faith gets tested. Instead of trusting God through tough times, many people start looking elsewhere for help. That's when faith begins to die. This was the issue that James' community faced. They used to be a tight community in Jerusalem. They discovered the good news of Jesus Christ. That faith gave them life. But persecution scattered them away from Jerusalem. They became immigrants in the diaspora. Out in the diaspora, they were poor. They were oppressed and taken advantage of by rich and powerful people. They were a minority with a strange faith and belief. They sa