St Timothy Presbyterian Church

When life is stressful, do not run away from tension. Stay, and trust in God's plan, He will meet us here.By Rev. Simon Park

When the world feels dark and unjust, hold onto your lived experience of God and stay rooted in Scripture. God hasn't stopped caring, and in the end, God will make all things right. By Rev. Simon Park

Lay down your weaknesses to God. Let Him shape our outlook when we go through difficult things in life. The wisdom of the cross will guide us.By Rev. Simon Park

In life, we are often drawn by a power that pulls us in a certain direction. That was what the first disciples experienced when they followed Jesus. Life is not about going along with whatever happens; it is about following what we are drawn to and surrendering to God's calling for our lives.By Rev. In Kee Kim

True unity is only possible when there is amity - true feelings of friendship. Jesus brought us true amity through forgiveness. Let us receive the Holy Spirit and gain the strength to forgive.By Rev. Simon Park

Feeling meaningless in life can be painful, but finding meaning is about your mindset towards what you do. When you see your actions with meaning, you can do everything with purpose. You can live for others.By Rev. In Kee Kim

When we face fear, we tend to focus inwards on self-preservation, but this year, let us be filled with the holy spirit. It will not shrink fear, but it will help you overcome it.By Rev. Simon Park

The theme for our church this year is "Be Bold in the Spirit". God has given us this year to live a full life. It is not a year to live beholden to fear. Let us be bold with the power of the Holy Spirit!By Rev. In Kee Kim

When troubles weigh you down, don't succumb to disillusionment. Remember the times that God has been with you. God has lifted you up time and time again and will continue to do so, so do not be afraid. He is with you.Happy New Year!By Rev. Simon Park

When you encounter crisis in your life, do not let fear overwhelm you. There is always hope, even in the most hopeless situations.Merry Christmas!By Rev. In Kee Kim

God gives hope to people who are hurting. We find it in prayer, and we share it by reminding others that they are not alone.By Rev. Simon Park

Repentance is the beginning of the spiritual journey. It guides us into God's grace and creates room for forgiveness.By Rev. In Kee Kim

Being asleep is only living today without regard to tomorrow. Wake up and see God's future that is coming to you.By Rev. Simon Park

Sunday was Christ the King (or Reign of Christ) Sunday. It was the last Sunday of the church calendar year.People expect a king to have power. But Jesus had no power on the cross. What we saw was faithfulness. Jesus' faithfulness released God's power. We are saved by his faithfulness.By Rev. In Kee Kim

Joy comes when we give ourselves away for others, and we receive the power to give ourselves through the Holy Spirit.By Rev. Simon Park

Intimacy with God is God's desire. But intimacy is also the greatest challenge. What does God have to say about this?By Rev. In Kee Kim

No matter how hopeless things may seem, let us not become indifferent. Let us hold on to our faith and hope that God will answer our prayers.By Rev. Simon Park

We celebrated the 29th anniversary of our church. The passage and message is a reminder that the Spirit has been poured into us and is still on the move. Let us be God's witnesses to what the Spirit is doing!By Rev. In Kee Kim

God is there to wrestle with our negative thoughts with us. Let us allow Him in, so that we may struggle, let our negative thoughts go, and come home in peace.By Rev. Simon Park

Giving thanks for good circumstances is not spiritual thanksgiving. Spiritual thanksgiving is giving thanks even in difficult or bad circumstances. Spiritual thanksgiving is your power for difficult circumstances.By Rev. In Kee Kim

What makes faith possible is an indebted heart. The greatest temptation when things get difficult is to develop an entitled attitude. Let us cultivate our small faith with an indebted heart. God will do the rest.By Rev. Simon Park

Be content with what you have, share, and stay connected with God through scripture, then your life will become happier regardless of your circumstances.By Rev. Simon Park

Letting go of greed is one of the most difficult things to do. God gave us good things, which we should be thankful for, but share your good things with others, that is good stewardship.By Rev. In Kee Kim

When you refuse to change your mind, you remain small - you cannot grow. Do not be stuck in your own thinking, allow God to renovate your mind.By Rev. Simon Park

Happiness does not come from our circumstances, it comes from within us - it is a gift from God.By Rev. In Kee Kim

God knew us before we were even born. God has watched over us all our life. God is and will always be good to us. We are known by God. Nothing will separate us from his love. May our praise to God continually flow out of our hearts.By Rev. In Kee Kim

Our life is a race. In the face of hardship, we are often tempted to give up. Stay focused on God and keep fighting. Through this, we can persevere until the end.By Rev. Dave Lee

Life is very unpredictable and that can make us feel vulnerable. However, we can get ready for life's chaos through faith in God. Let us be spiritually ready for God. God will come to us in unexpected times.By Rev. In Kee Kim

Peace is being in the right mind and free from the powers that often control us negatively. Jesus came to give us peace by freeing us from our bondage and pain. From our recent visit to Sioux Valley, we believe that with God's love, healing and hope are possible.By Rev. Simon Park

Call on God and he will answer you. Seek God, and you will find him. Ask God, and you will receive his Spirit. Knock on the door of God's heart, and he will open it. Cry out to God in faith. Our souls will be strengthened and uplifted.By Rev. In Kee Kim

Serving others is an important part of a good life, but you are not alone.By Rev. Simon Park

Only attending to your own needs shrinks your life. Eternal life comes from something much deeper, more fulfilling. It comes from joy and full hearts.By Rev. Simon Park

Fulfillment does not come from external achievements or possessions, but from offering your true, flawed self to the world. Jesus sends us, empowered by grace.By Rev. Simon Park

Jesus' life was one of rejection. Do not fear being rejected, because God sees you, and he knows you.By Rev. In Kee Kim

The only way out of our despair is to restore hope within us. Hope is a gift from God, it will bring us peace and make us whole.By Rev. Dave Lee

Your life is glorious - that's how God created it. Don't stay too focused on your problems and circumstances, look up to the God who created the universe and let your soul expand.By Rev. Simon Park

Sometimes, life puts you in places or situations you didn't expect. Whether or not you're ready, sometimes it's time to take your place.By Rev. Simon Park

The words you live by shape your life, so it's important to discern whose words you're listening to.By Rev. Simon Park

Scripture Passage John 13:31-35 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Jesus said, I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. (John 13:34) Jesus said he gave them a new commandment. But it was not a new commandment. Already, in the […] The post Love One Another appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.

Jesus gave a new commandment, to love one another. It is a very simple and yet very difficult to do. What did Jesus mean by loving one another?By Rev. In Kee Kim

Scripture Passage Revelation 7:9-17 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script You have one life to live. Therefore, I think you should pursue the best things in life. Don't chase the things that don't matter. Don't waste your time on trivial things. Pursue the best things. That's what makes life worth living, isn't it? The thing […] The post Pursue The Best Things appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.

We should pursue the best things in life, but we know that they don't come easy. Don't take the easy way out. Persevere and pursue the best things in life. Faith is the best thing.By Rev. Simon Park

Scripture Passage John 21:1-19 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Feeling guilty is a common response of all human beings. We are not perfect. We all make mistakes. We don't always follow the good we aspire; we follow the evil we despise, sometimes. We don't always stand up for what is right. We compromise with […] The post Guilt Hides Hope Within It appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.

Resurrection is the creation of new heavens and a new earth. It is hope. Hope is not hope when things are good and positive. Hope is hope when there is no hope. May you live with true hope made possible by the resurrection of our Lord!

Reflections by Alan Liu, Grace B., John Chung, & Rev. In Kee Kim from St. Tim's recent mission trip to Cuba.

Scripture Passage Isaiah 65:17-25 Worship Video Worship Audio The Sermon Audio will be available soon! Thank you for your patience. Sermon Script Today's message begins with this. For I am about to create new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind. (Isaiah 65:17) Isaiah […] The post Resurrection: New Heavens and A New Earth appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.

Scripture Passage Isaiah 50:4-9 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script Our mission team is in Cuba right now. For their trip, we asked for support from all of you. The response was incredible. Many backpacks and items. And cash amounts that exceeded what we asked for: almost $30,000. I reflected on what that means. The […] The post Take On Your Righteous Suffering appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.

Scripture Passage Philippians 3:4b-14 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script What do people value the most? A recent Reuters poll says that American people value time the most. Then career , success , and money come in as close seconds. I think that is so true. What good is money when you have no time to spend it? What good is all the power and success when no time is left for you. It is like a parable of a rich fool that our Lord Jesus taught us. Then he told them a parable: The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops? Then he said, I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry. But God said to him, You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be? (Luke 12:16-21) He had all the riches but he didn't have time. What's the use? Time is the most valuable, the most important, and the most practical. So, appreciate your time. Cherish it. Don't waste it away. It is free but priceless. Once you have lost it you can never get it back. There are different ways of thinking of time. Different aspects of time. The Past, the Present, and the Future. Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. Of these three, I think the future is the most important. If there is no future, our past and present become meaningless. You reflect on your past to make a better future. You work hard today so that you can have a good tomorrow. So your past and your present should ultimately work for your future. Because your future is the most important. The interesting thing is: The future is not here yet but it is the most important. In our hands, we don't have the future yet, but it is what determines the quality of your life. When you have no future, you will be devastated. So life is very interesting and strange in that way. What we don't have, what we don't see, what has not happened yet, – that controls and determines the quality of our life. So don't tell me that I can accept only thing that I can see, I can touch, and I can feel. You are controlled by what is not here yet. Your future. The future – It is interesting. People have different attitudes about their future. I don't think many people are comfortable with their future. Is your future your friend or your enemy? Do you love to think about your future or you try to avoid your future as much as possible? The future can be scary because it is unknown. It is uncertain. These days, the uncertainty of our future has become very real. Because of US policy, the whole world is wondering what their future may be. Uncertain, unknown, unpredictable. The future is not just uncertain and unknown – It is uncontrollable. The future is not in your control. You don't know what tomorrow holds for you. In Myanmar, close to 3,000 people died because of earthquake. Nobody knew that it was coming. Recently in LA, and also in Korea, so many people lost their homes because of fire. Nobody expected that. The future just comes without warning. What are human responses to the very nature of the future? Worries and anxieties. That is what a lot of people have about the future. University students – What if I can't get into the program I want. People who are working, especially in the auto industry – What if I get laid off because of this new tariff. Old people – What if I get sick, who will take care of me? Worries and Anxieties – A very common attitude towards their future. Another human response is – You become helpless and hopeless. You can do nothing about your future. So, just passively receive your future. Que sera sera – whatever will be, will be. The future is not ours to see. But Paul showed a different attitude towards the future today. but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead (Philippians 3:13) He didn't worry about his future. He didn't just passively take whatever future that came to him. He strained forward to what lied ahead. He put away his past. He didn't dwell on it. Our past can be a good teacher for us. But at the same time, our past can haunt us. Our past can drag us down. Not just your painful past but even your glorious past can drag you down. What good is your glorious moment in the past? It's gone. No use. You have to cut it off. St. Paul considered his past as rubbish. Rubbish is a very toned down translation. The Greek word Paul used, skubalon – means “dung,” “excrement,” or “refuse . He cut it off. Forgetting what lies behind me, I will strain forward to what lies ahead. A very future oriented mentality. How could he have this very strong future-oriented mentality? Because he saw what most of us don't see. He clearly saw what was ahead of him. He clearly saw the end. He was able to see the goal. Verse 14. I press on towards the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:14) What do you see in your future? Do you see only dark, gloomy, and ominous clouds? In the same letter St. Paul said this. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6) What does he see in his future? The good work that God began will be completed. The good work God began in you will be completed. He saw what was in his future with the eyes of faith. He saw the power that moved and propelled him into the future. He did not just wait passively for the future to come to him. He entered into the future with boldness. There was power within him and this power propelled him into the future. His attitude towards future is very different from most common attitudes of people: like worries and anxieties, or hopeless submission. He knew that his future was not in his hands. BUT He believed that his future was in God's hands. He believed that death is not the final station of his train. My friends, death is not the final station of your train. Don't get off there. St. Paul believed that the resurrection is his final station. I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the sharing of his sufferings by becoming like him in his death, if somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:10, 11) The power of the resurrection was what propelled him to take on his future. The resurrection was what he saw in his future. Even suffering could not stop that future. Death could not stop that future. If somehow I may attain the resurrection from the dead. (Philippians 3:11) What do you see in your future? Believe in your future. When faith dances with the future, it becomes hope. Live with hope. Believe in your future. At the end of your journey, there is the resurrection. See that. And boldly take the challenges that come to you. And build your beautiful future. The post Look To the Future appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.

Scripture Passage Philippians 3:4b-14 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script What do people value the most? A recent Reuters poll says that American people value "time" the most. Then "career", "success", and "money" come in as close seconds. I think that is so true. What good is money when you have no time to spend […] The post Look To the Future appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.

Scripture Passage Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script This is a very famous story. I am sure most of you have heard about this story and are very familiar with it. This is one of the most famous parables Jesus left behind for us to remember. What we read today is the last one of three stories. All three stories have the same theme. The first one is about a shepherd searching for one lost sheep, leaving 99 in the wilderness. The second one is about a woman searching for one lost coin. And today's story is the last one about a father who lost a son. All three parables are about losing something and finding it back. But the third story has its unique message that is not in the first two. The shepherd and the woman were actively searching for their lost one. The shepherd went out and went through all the troubles to find the lost sheep. The woman lit a lamp and swept through the whole house to find the lost coin. But the father didn't do anything to find the lost son. He didn't go out to search for him. He didn't send people to find his son. Was it because the father did not love the son? Was it because he was upset at the son? Or was it because he didn't care? I don't think so. I see two images of God in these three stories. The first one is the image of God who actively goes out to search for the lost. The second one is the image of God who waits. The lost sheep and the lost coin could not come back on their own. That's why the shepherd and the woman actively searched for it. But the son – he was different. He chose to go out. He didn't want to stay home. The Scripture doesn't tell us why he wanted to leave the house. Maybe because of his self-righteous brother? Maybe because he felt stuffy at home? Maybe because he wanted to see the bigger world? Maybe because he simply wanted freedom? We don't know why. But he wanted to leave home. He wanted his inheritance. The father didn't die yet. But he wanted his portion anyway. That doesn't sound nice. But strangely, the father was silent. He just gave it to him. The father let him go. He didn't tell him to stay. He didn't tell him to reconsider. He didn't threaten him not to give him his portion. He simply divided his property between two sons and gave his portion. The father might have been disappointed. The father might have been angry. The father might have been concerned. But the Scripture doesn't express any of his emotions. The silence of the father speaks volumes. The father knew exactly that his son needed to do that. He needed to leave the house. He needed to go out and experience the world. He needed to find his own life. He needed freedom even though the father knew that freedom was costly. That is the kind of God we have. God allows us to go. God allows us to have freedom. God allows us to have our own choice. You have many young children. Now they are cute and adorable. But there will be a time when they want to leave you and leave home. They want to make their own choices. They want to have their own freedom. Letting them go is hard. There is pain in letting go. Sometimes going out and actively searching for them is easier. But human beings are not like a sheep or a coin. The image of God this parable portrays to us is the pain of God who lets his son go. The pain of God who lets his son reject him. Asking for his inheritance while the father was alive was the greatest insult and disrespect. And yet the father doesn't say anything. His silence delivers his pain. That is the kind of love Jesus showed. Jesus allowed people to reject him. I could see that very clearly in his last supper. He knew that Judas would soon reject him. And yet he gave the bread to him. Then he said, Do quickly what you are going to do. (John 13:27) John described the scene in this way. So, after receiving the piece of bread, he (Judas) immediately went out. And it was night. (John 13:30) And it was night. This was a symbolic expression. He left Jesus who is the light and entered into darkness. Jesus allowed Judas to betray him. Jesus allowed Peter to deny him. Listen to this conversation. Peter said to him, Lord, why can I not follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.' Jesus answered, Will you lay down your life for me? Very truly, I tell you, before the cock crows, you will have denied me three times. (John 13:37, 38) Jesus allowed Judas to betray him and Peter to deny him. Jesus allowed people to reject him. That is the message of the cross. Today's story shows the agony of the father who allows the son to reject him, disrespect him, and leave him. But that is not the end. The story also shows the image of God who is waiting. The father let him go even though it was painful but deep inside, he was hoping that he would come back. This is well captured in verse 20. So he set off and went to his father. But while he was still far off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion; he ran and put his arms around him and kissed him. (Luke 15:20) I have an African Bible. It is in English but there are commentaries about how Africans may read a particular passage. On this passage, it says, African elders will never run. Same with older Korean custom. They never run. While he was still far off, the father could recognize his son. It gives me the image that he was waiting every day for the son to return. That is the kind of God we have. Not only he allows son to go but he waits for the son who rejected him, insulted him, and left him. That is the gospel. That is the good news. Waiting is much more difficult than doing something for your son. Waiting is much more difficult than searching. The third parable is the climax of God's love. It shows the epitome of God's love. My friends, our God is not God who forces you to stay home. Our God is not God who justifies his righteousness by punishing us. I told you so is not God's attitude towards us. Our God is not God who is forcing you to follow his command so that he could claim his authority and ownership. Our God is God who wants you to be free and experience the world. Our God is God who even allows you to reject him and leave him. But our God is God who waits for you and is always ready to embrace you when you return. This new image of God is what Jesus showed to all of us. This new image of God is what St. Paul discovered. This is the image Pharisees did not understand and could not accept. So they rejected Jesus. My friends, God is always waiting for you. Come home! The post Pain of Letting Go appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.

Scripture Passage Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32 Worship Video Worship Audio Sermon Script This is a very famous story. I am sure most of you have heard about this story and are very familiar with it. This is one of the most famous parables Jesus left behind for us to remember. What we read today is the […] The post Pain of Letting Go appeared first on St Timothy Presbyterian Church.