The yikigai2021‘s Podcast

The Light of Christ shines through us and moves us.

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January 7 Podcast: Baptism of ou Lord, Year B
Scriptures: Genesis 1:1-5  God creates lightPsalm 29  The voice of the Lord is upon the waters. (Ps. 29:3)Acts 19:1-7  Baptized in the name of the Lord JesusMark 1:4-11  Revelation of Christ as God’s servant
Key verse:“On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Acts 19:5

Journey from Advent to Christmas

December 24 Podcast:  Journey from Advent to Christmas Eve
Transcript: Podcast | Yi.kigai (yikigai.info)
Year B
Scriptures: Psalm 96; Luke 1:46-55; Romans 16:25-27Key verse: Luke 1:50“God’s mercy flows in wave after wave on those in awe before Him.”

Pave the Way

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December 10 Podcast: You  Are Messenger2nd Advent Year B
Scriptures:Isaiah 40:1-11 Good news of God’s coming to a people in exilePsalm 85:1-2, 8-13 Righteousness shall prepare a pathway for God. (Ps. 85:13)2 Peter 3:8-15a Waiting for and hastening the day of GodMark 1:1-8 John appears from the wilderness 
Key verse: God is coming! You are a messenger of God’s good news.“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way.” (Mark 1:2b)

Deep Cleaning for Christ the King

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Date Podcast:  Deep CleaningThe th Sunday after Pentecost, Year A
Scriptures:Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 God will shepherd IsraelPsalm 95:1-7a The Lord is our GodEphesians 1:15-23 The reign of ChristMatthew 25:31-46 The coming separation of sheep and goats
Key verse: “God has put all things under his feet and has made Jesus Christ the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of Christ Jesus who fills all in all.” Ephesians 1:22-23

Loved & Chosen by God

Oct 22 Podcast: Loved & Chosen by GodThe 21st Sunday after Pentecost, Year A
Scriptures: Isaiah 45:1-7 An earthly ruler as the instrument of God’s willPsalm 96:1-9 [10-13] Ascribe to the Lord honor and power.1 Thessalonians 1:1-10 Thanksgiving for the church at ThessalonicaMatthew 22:15-22 A teaching on giving to the emperor and to God
Key verse: Good News“For we know, all siblings in Christ, you are beloved by God who has chosen you.” (1 Thessalonians 1:4)
<music><Intro:> 
Hello, This is Jade. Welcome to Yi.kigaiA space for all to explore the intersection between faith and daily life.In this podcast, you will find that the gospel reading is the main context, and the Good News is identified with a chosen biblical text from this week’s readings.
Opening Meditation:Let us take a moment to prepare our bodies to be refreshed, our hearts and minds to be saturated and nurtured through the Good News from our savior, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Let us take a deep breath, breathe in God’s Spirit and breathe out God’s Kingdom. Let us take another deep breath, breathe in God’s love and mercy, and breathe out our worries and fear that drain us. Let us take one more deep breath, breathe in God’s healing power and breathe out God’s peace that grounds us. Thank you, O God, for your holy presence and your holy Word. Amen. 
Message:Today’s gospel reading is like a drama to me. It usually isn’t hard to identify the main lead and the supporting character in movies or TV. In Matthew 22:15-22, who is the main protagonist? And who are the antagonists? What were Jesus’ disciples doing? That’s right! Jesus’ disciples were not even mentioned in this passage. 
It seems to me that the Pharisees and the Herodians wanted to play the main lead, the protagonists. In Jesus’ time, the pharisees represented the main Jewish religious party, and the Herodians represented the main Jewish political party who supported the Jewish politician, Herod Antipas. And Herod Antipas had a good relationship with the central Roman government. And Caesar was the emperor of the Roman Empire. 
The Pharisees and the Herodians didn’t get along with each other; both parties were hostile to Jesus. Why is that? For the Pharisees, they believed that Jesus' teachings were too loose and didn't align with what they preached. For the Herodians, they believed that Jesus’ identity and his teaching on the coming of God’s Kingdom threatened their political power and stability. To sum it up, Jesus wasn't their ideal leader and savior, for he wasn’t qualified. What God has called and chosen didn't count; what they wanted to believe mattered the most. 
What was Jesus' answer when they asked, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to the emperor or not?” If Jesus said that it wasn't lawful to pay taxes, the Herodians could charge him with opposing Caesar. If he said that it was lawful to pay taxes, the Pharisees could charge him with opposing the Jewish law and God. Jesus said, “Give to God the things that are God’s and to the Emperor the things that are the Emperor’s. 
Jesus called them “hypocrites” for he knew that they intentionally put him to the test. Do you know how many times Jesus used the word “hypocrites”? Eighteen times! In Jesus' time, this word “hypocrites” referred to a stage actor, someone who pretends to be someone that he or she is not. The fact is that Pharisees couldn’t observe all the law themselves, and the Herodians compromised their observance of the law. They either consciously or unconsciously wanted to play the righteous ones but forgot who was the one making them righteous. They might have also forgotten that it was God who chose them out of love and made them righteous.  
There is a story about a woman. We can learn from her what it means to honor God and let God be God, be the main lead in our lives together. She was known as a faithful believer and a generous giver by her pastor. She gave all her possessions and all her money away.  All she had were her two wedding rings. She prayed to God that no matter what God did please let her keep her two wedding rings and let her die with her wedding rings. 
An evangelist came to her town with a plan to collect money to build a church in Iran. When it came time for offering, the woman felt God saying to her, “Put your wedding rings in the offering plate.” And she did since she wasn’t burdened by material and physical things. 
After the service, the evangelist and the pastor were sorting out the offerings at the back of the church. Some were cash, some were checks. Then they saw the two wedding rings. The pastor knew exactly whose rings they were. He went outside the church and saw the woman who hadn’t left yet. 
He brought the rings to the woman and said, “I know these are yours. I know your situation. I also know how much you have given. And I just can’t let you give these rings.” And she said, “Those are not my rings.” The pastor said, “I saw you wearing these rings.” She said, “No, they aren’t my rings. I gave them to God. You can do anything with God’s rings. But I am not going to take these back.” The evangelist took those rings with him. He shared that story wherever he went. And there is a church in Iran built based on the story of her faithful and generous giving.  
When she gave her offering to God, she didn't question how God was going to amplify and use it. She trusted that the purpose and the meaning of that giving are in God’s hands. And once the act of her giving was done, it was done. And it was done by God’s grace through faith for God who is the main lead in her life, the protagonist in the human history.
Now, let’s look back at the story of the Pharisees and the Herodians on giving. What might be their understanding of giving? For them, it seems like the act of giving can prove one’s loyalty to either the government or God. It’s all about themselves, their status, their power, their knowledge, and their reputation by using the name of God. By doing so, they missed the opportunities to trust and honor God who was leading them.
We give because we know that we are loved by God who has chosen us to be the vessels of God’s mission. We give ourselves to God as an offering not to prove how faithful or how good we are, but because of what God has done for us. I encourage you to find someone this week and say to that person, “I know that you are loved by God who has chosen you to amplify the purpose and the meaning of your life that God has given to you.” 
Closing Meditation:Let us take a moment to feel our hearts and our minds that have been saturated and nurtured by the Good News from our savior, our Lord, Jesus Christ. Let us take a deep breath, breathe in God’s Spirit and breathe out God’s Kingdom. Let us take another deep breath, breathe in God’s love and mercy, and breathe out our worries and fear that God is going to take care of. Let’s take one more deep breath, breathe in God’s healing power and breathe out God’s peace that grounds us. Thank you, O God, for your holy presence and your holy Word. Amen.
<Music>  <Blessings>May your coming week be blessed by God’s graceAs together we explore the intersection between faith and daily life
<Outro:>Thank you for listening. Please subscribe and follow yi.kigai.<music>
 

Digging for Hope

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April 9 Podcast: Digging for HopeThe 1st Sunday of Easter, Easter Sunday, Year A
Scriptures: Jeremiah 31:1-6; Psalm 118:1-2, 14-24; Matthew 28:1-10; Colossians 3:1-4
Key Verse: “When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:4)
 

Life is like...

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April 2 Podcast: Life is like...The 6th Sunday of Lent, Year APassion/Palm Sunday
Scriptures: Isaiah 50:4-9a; Psalm 31:9-16; Matthew 27:11-54; Philippians 2:5-11.
Key Verse: “They saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!” Mattew 27:54
 
 

Dry Season

Transcript is at: https://www.yikigai.info/post/march-26-podcast-dry-season
March 26 Podcast: Dry SeasonThe 5th Sunday of Lent, Year AScriptures: Ezekiel 37:1-14; Psalm 130; John 11:1-45; Romans 8:6-11Key Verse: “I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your own soil; then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act, says the Lord.” Ezekiel 37:14
 
 

Followed by God’s goodness and mercy

March 19 Podcast: Followed by God’s goodness and mercy The 4th Sunday of Lent, Year AScriptures: Psalm 23; John 9:1-41Key Verse: “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Psalm 23:6)
 Hello, This is Jade. Welcome to Yi.kigaiA space for all to explore the intersection between faith and daily life
Is being followed a good thing? It depends. Rather than being followed on social media or by strangers in person, how about being followed by God’s goodness and mercy all the days of our lives and dwelling in the presence of God forever as it says in Psalm 23:6? What is it like, being followed by God’s goodness and mercy?  
There is a benediction that fills my heart, my mind, and my soul whenever I hear it. It gives me hope and reminds me of the assurance of God’s full presence in my life. It goes like this: May God go before you to lead the way, behind you to support you, beside you to befriend you, above you to watch over you, and within you to give you peace. As I said, it is a benediction, an invocation for God’s blessing, help, or guidance that is desired to be received or accepted well by grace through faith.
In which way do you sense or experience God’s presense in your life? If we choose to engage with God before every decision we make, God’s presence before us, behind us, beside us, above us, and within us certainly can be experienced. Nonetheless, when we prioritize our own belief or preference at the expense of others either intentionally or unintentionally, we exclude God’s being and doing entirely from our life.  
The story of the blind man who received Jesus’ healing in John 9 is a great examle. Not everyone could see God’s works revealed in their lives together. For Jesus’ disciples, sin is a precondition for seeing God’s works. For the Pharisees, obeying laws is a precondition for seeing God’s works. The lack of compassion and empathy for others blinded Jesus’ disciples and the Pharisees. They all acted like judges, judging who was a sinner and who broke the law.
After two thousand years, a belief of God’s works revealed through a prosperous life with good health or through practicing rigid faith is still very common. It's no wonder that the question of why bad things happen to good people is one of top topics for discussion.  
We all could be blinded from seeing God’s goodness and mercy. God is good not becasue we are sinners. God is merciful not because we failed to obey the laws. Our behaviors don’t get to define our God but allow us to see God’s goodness and mercy. Jesus said, “I came into this world for judgment so that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind. And those who do not see wouldn’t have sin but those who see, their sin remains.” 
Does Jesus’ words remind us of the story of Adam and Eve whose eyes were opened after consuming the forbidden fruit to be like God knowing good and evil in Genesis 3:5?  Whenever being tempted to play a judge as if we were God, we surely will miss seeing God’s goodness and mercy. Let us focus on living a life that is followed by God’s goodness and mercy all the days of our lives and dwell in the presence of God from this day on.
 May your coming week be blessed by God’s graceAs together we explore the intersection between faith and daily life
Thank you for listening. Please subscribe and follow yi.kigai.

A Beautiful & Gentle Soul

Transcript is at https://www.yikigai.info/podcast
March 11, 2023
A Beautiful Gentle Soul: A Celebration of life and faith in our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ
In Memory of Anne Marlene Munger: January 20, 1937 ~ February 12, 2023
Scriptures: Ephesians 4:1-13, Matthew 10:40-42