Friday, June 26, 2009

To Touch and Be Touched--Mark 5:21-43

Mark’s Gospel brings us face to face with two stories of God’s amazing healing power. We find a woman who had been sick with an incurable condition for 12 years, and a little girl who had been well for 12 years, but now at the point of death. All may come with their needs to our compassionate Lord! The ground always was and always will be level at Jesus’ feet!

Today, I would like to focus on the woman with the issue of blood and draw your attention to the different ways people responded to His presence:1. SOME CROWDED HIM. Vs. 31We get the picture of a very large crowd of people packed into a narrow street. It must have been bedlam! Folks from all backgrounds and of all ages bumping into Him and rubbing shoulders with the Master! Quite amazing when you think of it; jostling with the crowd and bumping into the One in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells! Yet no one there received a miracle, even though they touched Him and crowded Him. No really expected a miracle or asked for one. Isn’t that like many of us at times? We walk into church, sing a few songs, raise our hands and our hearts toward heaven, pray and worship in His presence.

Jesus did say that where two or three are gathered in His Name that He would be in our midst. Yet we often only rub shoulders with Him, shake hands with our friends in Christ and go out the door unchanged. Another ho-hum Sunday, "let’s have lunch!" Isn’t it incredible how we can be in His awesome Presence and be so unaware of His mighty power! Often too pre-occupied to notice that maybe God wants to speak to us or move in our midst! Let’s never become so familiar with the Gospel that we find it old or stale! 2. SOME PUSHED HIM. Vs. 24"Come on Jesus! Got to get to Jairus’ house, fast!" It was an urgent visit and time was of the essence! In one sense, this was an admirable thing! They wanted to see this little girl healed! At times like this, someone needs to get Jesus involved!What the crowd didn’t know was that He wanted to do something right here, right now. Sometimes God puts us on a holding pattern while He focuses our attention on what He wants to do in the present.

I’ve found that you can’t push God around, give Him directions or a time limit. There is a great temptation to consider prayer as the art of bossing God around. The sooner we give up trying to fit God into our own agenda, placing Him where we think He should be or trying to convince Him of what is important and what is not, the better!

I’ve noticed from my years of ministry that God will not be relegated to a program or a schedule. The best we can do is be sensitive to what He is saying, or doing or where He is going. Let us be aware of the subtle temptation to box God in. 3. One Really Touched Him. Vs. 26Out from the crowd comes a hopeless, discouraged woman. She had tried everything to become well, but her hard-earned money was wasted on the medical help available at the time. In fact, she became worse. Dr. Luke was kinder in his Gospel when he said: "None could heal her."

A word about her condition: This "issue of blood" seems to be a gynecological flow of blood. Common enough, but hard to deal with. Not only did this condition affect her health, but it also made her "unclean". According to the Law of Moses, she was to keep her distance and shout, "Unclean." She was cut off from worship and fellowship with her friends. She felt hopeless and unworthy, lonely, isolated, hurt, angry and alienated from God. Note that there are people like her all around us today as well. Maybe you’ve tried everything and nothing has helped you. Only believe!

When Jesus appeared on the scene, something began to well up within her. There was something about this preacher Who talked of God’s love.

He seemed so kind and approachable! Although the Law said "Stay Back!", this Man seemed to say, "if you are weary, come to Me!"

Perhaps this woman had listened to Him teach and wondered if this Teacher could help her in her hopeless situation. In verse 28, we notice, "For she said…" J.B Phillips renders it: "She kept on saying." Matthew 9:21 has it: "For she said to herself…" Encouraging herself in the Lord and speaking to her own spirit. That’s what faith is made of! She had "pressing in" faith. She was absolutely determined! Nothing was going to stop her! Not the crowd, not the Pharisees, not the protective disciples, not pain or weakness. "If I can just touch the hem of His garment…" A little superstitious maybe, but Jesus responded. The hem of His garment was a point of contact for her faith, but her heart was the key! Immediately, she felt in her body that she had been healed!
When Joshua was a baby he had eczema. As his skin situation got worse we got desperate as we consulted several doctors and tried every medication there is to deal with this situation but to not avail. We were beginning to loose hope. It wasn’t until we talked to one of the members of Torrance FUMC who was also Joshua’s nanny. She reminded Joy and me to have faith. She also directed us to a certain allergiologist. And so we went. The Dr. asked us to have Joshua be tested for food allergies. We agreed. On our first appointment the doctor placed several needles on Joshua’s back and we were able to discover the ones that were causing the condition on Joshua’s skin. It worked. Our faith was restored.

Faith is amazing stuff! It pre-disposes us to receive His blessing! It dispels fear, doubts and unbelief! It drives us into His Presence and it’s the only thing that really impresses God! Faith opens the door and gives permission for God to respond to our heart’s cry! There is a wonderful principle through-out the pages of the Bible: Seek and you’ll find ME, draw near to Me and I’ll draw near to you, call upon Me and I will answer you, humble yourself and I will lift you up!Jesus asked, "Who touched me?" Soon His focus was on the frightened and trembling woman. She hadn’t planned on being found out. Just a touch and she would sneak away. Of course He knew who touched Him. He wanted to complete this miracle by speaking assurance and love to her hurting heart: "Daughter," (a beautiful term of endearment, by the way) "Your faith has made you whole. Go in peace and be well of your illness."Do you need a special touch from the Lord today? Has illness or trouble or circumstance beset you and you feel hurt, lonely and hopeless? I pray that between the lines of this message, you will hear the loving voice of the Master calling you into His Presence. Don’t be satisfied to "rub shoulders" with the Lord! Reach out and touch Him! Amen

Annual Conference Bible Study


Rev. Randy Maddox led this year's Bible study at Annual Conference at Redlands. His passages were 1 Samuel 3:1-10 and Luke 2:25-32. When we discussed the 1 Samuel passage in our respective Wesley Circles our group noted several key words from the pericope. They were the "responsiveness" "openness" "obedience" and "readiness to serve" of Samuel. It was also noted from the passage that children were not heard in those days and that the Word of the Lord was rare in those days. There was the thought that maybe one of the many reasons people didn't hear the Lord's voice was that they were not "consecrated for the Lord." Furthermore, it was also said that listening and participating are all part of being in the Body of Christ.

The other passage was Luke 2:25-32. This passage features Simeon who was waiting his entire lifetime for the coming of the consolation of the Lord. Here is someone who is waiting for something to happen. His waiting here is somewhat different from the way we wait today. Today we only wait for the "next big thing." For the most parts we don't get too excited because we know the feeling is not going to last. We will always be waiting for the next one...the next big thing. But Simeon knew this is different. Simeon knew this is the One. That his wait was over. The question now becomes what priorities are we willing to spend time on? Have we found God? Have we found the One, or are we still searching?
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Thursday, June 18, 2009

Memorial Service at Annual Conference


Last Wednesday night the Cal-Pac Annual Conference held a memorial service to honor the lives of those fellow United Methodist (Bishops, Clergy, Clergy Spouse, and Lay Members) from within the conference and beyond who died this past year. Among them were the Rev. Kathleen Ross who served Walteria United Methodist Church and retired pastor Rev. Dick Edgar. Bishop Swenson was joined by fellow bishops Charles Welsey Jordan (Retired-Iowa) and Beverly Shamana (Retired-Cal-Nevada) in doing the memorial and communion liturgy.
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Monday, June 15, 2009

Israel's Next King Is...

Israel’s Next King Is—I Samuel 16:1-16:13
I’ll never forget the feeling. You’re standing on the sideline of the basketball court or the baseball field or the playground as teams are chosen. You never get the chance to be the captain and so you try to play it cool as you stand in line with the rest of your peers. But today is no different than any other day. This game is no different than the last. You know who will be chosen first. He’s the biggest guy here not to mention the fact that his team always wins! As the teams are chosen, members are picked according to their appearance and ability. The biggest and fastest kids are chosen first and then come the kids that no one really wants but someone will take. Somewhere down the line you know you’ll be picked, you just hope it won’t be last… again.It’s this childhood practice of choosing teams that implants within our minds the idea that appearance and ability are everything! And while it would certainly be nice to grow up and realize how false that notion is, the reality is our culture does everything to reinforce that image. Why is that American icons, superstars, those who are the wealthiest and most well known, are almost exclusively those with the best appearance or most ability? Gone are the days when character and lifestyle were valued above all else. Heroism today is all about who others think we are and has very little to do with who we really are. And yet in the emptiness of our appearance driven society people are hungering for something deeper. We’re looking for someone who stands out not because of their ability to act or play ball or sing well. Remember from a few seasons ago, American Idol Reject William Hung is a case in point. This young man auditioned for the reality television show “American Idol” and was kicked out of the audition after his horrendous rendition of Ricky Martin’s song “She Bang.” Despite his horrific voice, or perhaps because of it, he has quickly become an American Idol of another sort. He’s got his own website and has made appearances on the Tonight Show and Good Morning America. An album is being released and this less than attractive little guy is receiving marriage proposals from all over the country! Why? Because people see in him something we all desire: sincerity and authenticity. The reality is people are looking for someone to look up to. Someone who stands out as being different than the rest of the crowd not because of their glitz and glamour but because of what’s on the inside. We’re looking for someone who stands heads and shoulders above the crowd not because of their appearance but because of their heart. It’s with that need in mind that I was convicted to preach this sermon. Over the years the lives of great Biblical characters have been taught from pulpits and Sunday School rooms across the country. But somewhere along the line many of these “saints” have been elevated to such a point that they are untouchable. What we all to frequently fail to realize is just how human they were. Rather than their humanity and faults being a discouragement or a deterrent from emulating them they should in fact be an inspiration to us allowing us to recognize how much like ourselves they are. Before we get into the life of David I felt that it was important that we step back and set the stage for what will be taking place in our scripture readings in the week to come. Understand that the Israelite people lived in a day and age in which they were governed directly by God. They had prophets who served as God’s mouth piece to the people and priests who made sacrifices for the people. But they had no great ruler, as we know, at least not on this earth.As they looked around at neighboring countries they became envious of them because they all had kings that they could see and they could approach but the Israelites’ King was in the Heavens. If you’re following along in your outlines you’ll see that the people wanted a king. In spite of their prophet Samuel’s warnings about all the problems a King would cause them, the people insisted and so God gave them Saul. Saul was what you would expect in a King. The scriptures tell us that he stood heads and shoulders above everyone else. He was a handsome man and very strong. He was the kind of person who demanded your attention and your respect. He was an obvious choice and the people were excited to have him. We’ll learn more about Saul in the weeks to come but in order to understand our scripture reading today the next point in setting the stage is that…Saul failed. It didn’t take long for Saul to begin screwing up. He stopped seeking God’s direction and began taking things into his own hands. The very last verse of I Samuel 15 says that “The Lord was sorry that he had made Saul king.” God literally regretted his choice. And so the final point as we set the stage is that…God chose a replacement. That’s where our story picks up today. We’re told that god spoke to Samuel, the very prophet who had anointed Saul as King and told him to get up and go to the house of Jesse in the town of Bethlehem. If you’re listening you’ll immediately recognize the name of that town because it’s where Jesus was born. Later on in the Bible we discover that Jesus was a descendant of David.
Imagine Samuel’s fear. What if Saul heard that he was anointing the next King? So God works out a plan whereby it will appear that the reason for his visit is to worship and offer a sacrifice. Samuel gets up and fills his horn with oil which he would use to anoint the new king (the same thing the prophet had done for King Saul) and heads to Bethlehem where he’s greeted by the town fathers who are worried because the visit of the prophet often brought a word of admonition or punishment from the Lord. But Samuel assures them that he’s come in peace. And invites Jesse and his sons to worship with him. We’re not told exactly where this worship occurred or even if Samuel told Jesse and his sons why he was really there but there’s a strong possibility that he at least told Jesse because he had Jesse present his sons one at a time to him. The text tells us that the Samuel was sure that first boy that was presented, Eliab, was the one. But God said, “Don’t look at his appearance or his height, because I’ve rejected him. For I don’t see as mortals see, you look on the outward appearance, but I look on the heart.” One by one Jesse presented his other six sons and somehow God communicates the same message to Samuel about every one. I can only imagine Samuel’s confusion as the last was presented and God said “no”. He turned to Jesse and said, “Is this all?” There was one more; he was out in the fields taking care of the sheep. Notice that Jesse hadn’t even thought to bring him in. He certainly wasn’t king material. His dad and brothers knew that. But Samuel was insistent and so he was brought into the house and suddenly this young nobody became somebody. It’s hard for us to understand exactly why David would have been an unlikely candidate for king, but let me give you three reasons to help paint the picture. First of all, David had an undistinguished family tree. His grandmother was an immigrant and among his ancestors was a woman almost executed for adultery and a prostitute. What kind of kingly lineage was that? His bloodline just wasn’t right. The second thing that made him such an unlikely candidate was that he was in the wrong place in the birth order. He was the youngest son. How many youngest children do we have here? You know what it’s like to live in the shadow of your older siblings. Realize that in David’s day and age your birth order determined your lot in life. The youngest child was a very unlikely prospect for success.And finally, David already had a job. The oldest son when he was of age would begin working with his father on the farm as soon as his younger brother was old enough to tend the sheep. This succession would continue until the last son would ultimately become the family’s shepherd. David’s place in life was already determined. He had a job and apparently was good at that job from what we’re told later on in his life.
The fact is if we had been living in the farmhouse next door to David’s family on the Judean hillside, we probably wouldn’t have even known the name of David’s youngest son. His dad didn’t even think of including him until Samuel asked him if there were any more. Jesse rubbed his beard and said, “Oh, yeah, there’s my youngest. Almost forgot about him.” The story of David is a story of right seeing. It’s a story which challenges us to look beyond outward appearances to a person’s heart and character. God saw something in David that no one else had seen. The Hebrew word that is used when the text tells us that Samuel looked at Jesse’s sons implies that he looked but didn’t really see. There’s a difference you know? Samuel, Jesse, and Saul all missed what was ultimately important to God. Unlike the qualifications we look for when we choose teams on the playground or in the gymnasium God looks for something completely different. God looks at character not appearance. The text tells us that God doesn’t see as we do but God looks right through our facades and our pretense to see our heart. That should both inspire and frighten us. It should inspire us when we feel that we are judged by others according to our abilities or our appearance to remember that it’s what’s on the inside that counts. And it should frighten those of us who have survived by pretense when we know that what’s on the inside doesn’t match what we claim to be. God also chooses certain people for certain tasks because God values the will not ability. God isn’t interested in how much you can accomplish, in how talented you are, what God’s most interested in is whether you’re willing to do whatever it takes to serve him.The truth is, God delights in taking those who have the will, but lack the ability in and of themselves, and using them to bring about the miraculous because, finally…God sees possibilities when others do not because we confuse appearance with reality. The sad reality is we confuse appearance with reality. We don’t see what really counts because we don’t take the time to look beyond the beauty or lack there of that is skin deep. But we serve a God who sees possibility in us when everyone around us tells us we can’t!As David was in the fields tending the sheep I’m sure he had no idea what his future would bring. The reality is the same for us: The future is seldom clear to us. If it were life wouldn’t be any fun, would it? If I knew what next month would bring then I’d have to worry about it today, and I have enough to worry about today. The story of David, I believe, points to the truth that God has a plan for our life no matter your (You fill in the blank). You know what it is that is preventing you from being the person that God wants you to be or fulfilling the dream that God has given you. It maybe your family. Perhaps it’s your past. Or maybe it’s the way you’re living now. If you’ll place yourself in God’s hands God can and will do great things through you. The Key to fulfillment and contentment in life is being who God wants you to be. The key to fulfillment is not money or possessions or good looks. It’s what’s on the inside that counts. When we realize that and open ourselves to what God wants to do in and through us we can find the abundant life that Jesus promised us. Amen

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Celebrating Philippine Heritage Sunday

Long time ago Filipinos came to this country full of hopes and dreams. Poor and with little education, they came to America aspiring for better lives and a better future. Several of them barely spoke English and had little money in their pockets. Coming to this country they knew America as an upholder of democracy and as a land of opportunities.

America early on was not fully accepting of diversity and racial equality. Filipinos worked low-paying jobs and suffered racist attacks. They worked in fields, factories, restaurants, hotels, farms and canneries – any place where they could find decent jobs. The injustices and economic hardships they experienced. However they persisted and later on became successful.
Such experiences are being re-lived by immigrants who come to this country in search for a better life. Regardless of the debate about immigration, it remains a fact that this nation was built on the toils, sweat and blood of immigrants from all over the world including the Philippines; and America will continue to grow and prosper as it draws its strength from diversity.

Someone once said: "America is not a land of one race or one class of people. We are all Americans…those of us who have toiled and suffered and known oppression and defeat… America is not merely a land or an institution. America is in the hearts of men (people) that (who) worked for freedom and equality; it is also in the eyes of men (people) who are building a new and better world.

All of us, from the first Adam to the last Filipino, native born or alien…We are America!" Indeed, this celebration of Filipino heritage is not uniquely and solely Filipino. This celebration is not just about the Philippines, but also about America – a nation founded on the notion that all men (people) are created equal and that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

We sincerely thank all of you for coming today as we celebrate Philippine Heritage at Wilmington First United Methodist Church and as we celebrate one of the pieces that will make America’s future bright once again. Mabuhay ang Pilipino. Long live the Filipino.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Philippine Heritage Sunday 2009



Last June 7 Wilmington First United Methodist Church celebrated Philippine Heritage Sunday. Among the many highlights of the event were starting the service with Pandango Sa Ilaw to light the altar candles, singing of both national anthems by Olivia Hulett and Maridette Rasing, Glimpses of the Philippine Culture by Dr. Art Abella, Romi Funiestas, Amy Manacop, special music by the Heritage Choir, the United Methodist Men, and Jenine Cadlaon, and a tinikling dance by the youth group. In addition, Elito Santarina of the Carson City council gave a certificate to the church for sponsoring a Philippine Heritage Sunday event.
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Thursday, June 4, 2009

Church Doctrines on Christ and the Cross

Over the years humankind has tried to comprehend Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross. Despite this, there are certain things that are quite clear, according to Barclay 1) Jesus went willingly 2) He also voluntarily accepted the Cross and looked at it as a necessity, and 3) It is his own choice.

Furthermore, Barclay introduced several doctrines pertaining to Jesus and his sacrifice on the Cross. The first one is the docrtrine of Atonement. Atonement is the doctrine where Jesus' death on the Cross enabled humankind to be "at one" with God (at-one-ment).

Another doctrine is re-capitulation. Re-capitulation is the thought that Jesus recapitulates, re-enacts, reiterates the whole course of human history in himself, however, with a huge difference--without sin. Where the first Adam failed in Genesis, the Second Adam in Jesus redeems it by living a life successfully without sin.

In addition, Barclay also mentioned the doctrine of incarnation. Incarnation is the embodiment of John's the "Word" being made "flesh" and "dwelt" (or lived) among us. This act of God became His ultimate revelation to humankind.

More so, Barclay mentions the act of Jesus on the cross served as a ransom for us all. This is because Adam and Eve's actions in the Garden of Eden caused humankind to dishonor God. God's honor had to be restored. So Jesus paid the price with his blood. He ransomed us from the penalty of sin. He took our place on the Cross by being a substitue. With Jesus' sacrifice on the Cross he satisfied this requirement.

Looking at all of this I can't help but think about the words ransom, sacrifice, satisfaction, and substitution. Nowadays we don't normally think about these words. We don't know what it means to be ransomed. We don't know what it means to live sacrificially as we get things easily these days. We don't know what it means to satisfy God as we only want to satisy ourselves and no one else. We also don't know what it means for someone to take our place (be our substitute) on the Cross. These and many more Jesus did for us. He gave his life and shed his blood so that we can be partakers of eternal life. In a sense, he gave us the ultimate bail out from sin, through his death on the Cross, by taking our supposed punishment.

Question now becomes, does this change the way you look at life? What about the way you live your life?

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Pastor Latonero Visiting Wilmington FUMC

In Summer of 2008 Pastor Latonero of the Philippine's Annual Conference East visited Wilmington First United Methodist Church. The former Pastor of Kamuning First United Methodist Church in Quezon City was then a clergy delegate of the 2008 General Conference held in Dallas, Texas before visiting our church. Pastor Latonero is also a relative of one of our member Priscilla Dayrit.
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At the UMC Annual Conference at Redlands



I am with Dr. Arturo and Pura Abella at the Filipino Caucus booth at the annual conference in Redlands. During this time of the year clergy and lay from all over Southern California, Hawaii, Guam, and Saipan gather at the University of Redlands to discuss matters affecting the California-Pacific Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. This year our conference is scheduled June 17-20. This year our church will be represented by yours truly, Dr. Mar Tacadena, and Mr. Isaiah Dacio (replacing Dr. Arturo Abella). Please don't forget to visit my blog for annual conference news and updates.
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With Former Bishop Solito Toquero

In 2004 former Manila Area Bishop of the United Methodist Church Solito Toquero was in Southern California and visited the Filipino Caucus to share with the group some of the latest news in Philippine Methodism. This picture was taken at Mission Community United Methodist Church in Rosemead, California. Among those who were present were Pastor Eric Terrado (Rosewood UMC, LA), Pastor Neil Platon with Joshua (Wilmington FUMC), Pastor Mike De Guzman (Mission Community UMC, Rosemead), Pastor Mark Marcos (Rosewood UMC, LA), Ding Lapus (Rosewood UMC, LA), Dr. Ben Vinluan (Retired), Pastor Manny Orio (Retired), and Pastor Steve Calma (Retired).
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With Mr. Anthony Castelo at PF Chang

In September 2007 I had the priviledge of organizing an Anthony Castelo concert at Covina United Methodist Church. The event is to benefit the 2008 Philippine mission of the Filipino Caucus of the California-Pacific Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church in the Mindanao area. This picture was taken in January of 2007 at the PF Chang Restaurant at the Del Amo Mall in Torrance, California.
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