The Message of St. Timothy

1 – A Prophetic Community

What makes St. Timothy Presbyterian Church unique and distinct as a community of faith? What would you say?

The answer would be: our focus on the critical study of Scripture as the foundation of a ‘good’ life.

In our 25-year history, this focus has been the hallmark of St. Timothy’s and what we stand for as a community of faith. In the first of our four mission statements, we proclaim ourselves as a ‘Prophetic Community’ that seeks to share and live by the truth of the Word of God. This is reflected in the countless Bible studies we have throughout the year, catered to different age groups and life stages. We allow God’s life-giving word to constantly shape who we are and how we live as God’s people. Scripture is at the centre of our existence.

But why? Why does St. Tim’s uphold Scripture and the study of God’s word so strongly? Others might see it as important, but not the most important thing. Fun, exciting church programs and fellowship events might be deemed more integral and necessary to growing a community of believers.

Beneath what we practice and how we live, there is always a guiding philosophy. Yet, most of the time we rarely articulate what it is for ourselves. We simply know by feeling, but rarely by word. The same can apply to our approach to Scripture as a church.

So, on this 25^th anniversary, we reflect on the theology that informs our relationship to God’s word, and how it has shaped the life of our multi-generational, Korean-immigrant church as a whole.

2 – The Word Became Flesh

‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.’

The Gospel of John begins this way. And this is also where we begin with our reflection.

Contrary to what we might think, ‘Word’ here does not refer to Scripture. The Word is God himself. God is the Word that was there, right from the beginning. Not only was God the Word, but God created by God’s own word: “Let there be light” (Genesis 1:3).

Then later in the same chapter, the writer of the gospel tells us more about the Word:

‘And the Word became flesh… and lived among us.’

These words vividly paint the picture of something invisible and abstract becoming something visible and concrete. God, who is the divine Word, does not remain far off and distant but comes to us concretely in Jesus Christ. Jesus revealed God to us in the flesh by living in our midst, as one of us. Through Jesus’ life and ministry, God revealed the transformative power of the living Word that brings light into darkness, saves and heals, and creates new and abundant life. The gospels were subsequently written to reflect this reality in human words. Now, the written words of Scripture bear witness to the Word incarnate, Jesus himself.

Right from the early years of his ministry, this understanding profoundly shaped Rev. In Kee Kim’s relationship and approach to teaching Scripture. Rather than the unique and vibrant spirit of Christ being reflected in the teachings of the church, he witnessed the opposite of what Jesus had intended: the reality of Scripture not connecting with the reality of people’s lives in a meaningful way; and people’s understanding of faith remaining at an individualistic and sentimental level.

In response to such institutionalized, dogmatic teachings of Scripture, he sought to return to the beginning: that is, to the “most original document” available on Jesus. For him, it was the gospels (and all of Scripture). He desired to see the Word in a new light, in its essence, as if for the very first time. He believed the spirit of Jesus’ teachings on life had to be reclaimed for our own time and context. This became the guiding principle for all the Bible studies and preaching at St. Tim’s, and consequently shaped people’s perspective and understanding of life for the better.

3 – Freedom from Bondage

Over the last two decades, what has the ongoing study and reflection on God’s word revealed to the St. Tim’s community? What has been the ‘core’ message for us?

The message can be summed up as: only the Word, our real and genuine encounter with the Word, can set us free from our bondage. Only the living Word of God can help us see the things that hold us back from living full and abundant lives, and give us the power to live in a new way, just as God had intended. Without this Word that exposes what is hidden from our naked eye, we can never be rescued from our own darkness. We cannot live the good life we desire.

The story of the healing of the man with an unclean spirit (Mark 1:21-28) illustrates this message. Jesus’ act of healing is directly connected to his teaching, which the onlookers see as a “new” kind of teaching: a teaching with authority. His teaching is shown to have the power to drive out what is dark and oppressive in our lives and beyond our own power to fix. As a result of his encounter with Jesus, the man with an unclean spirit experiences liberation from his bondage and the gift of a new life.

The power of this encounter, in which the teachings of Scripture go beyond our intellectual understanding and transform us from within, has also been present in the life of St. Tim’s community. It has not only helped each generation identify their own bondage, but also experience freedom from it. This slow and gradual process of reflection, sharing, and healing, one that took many years for our members, still continues to this day.

4 – Identifying Our Bondage

What, then, has been the ‘bondage’ for the people of St. Tim’s? In our context, what has held back the first as well as the second generation from living full and abundant lives?

Each generation has had their own unique source of bondage and struggle. At the same time, however, the two generations also share a common bondage that connects them together:

For the first generation, most of whom comprise the Korean-speaking ministry (KSM), their bondage has been one of RELIGIOSITY.

In a faith-based context, being ‘religious’ is often viewed as a good and positive thing. It is inspiring to see people’s zeal, passion, and unwavering commitment to their faith. In a faith community, it can help generate a certain energy, positivity, and excitement for others.

But there is also a flip side to this religiosity to which we are often blind. At the expense of religious piety, we seldom tend to the growth and maturation of our own faith. We overlook the importance of studying and reflecting on God’s word, and tend to confuse emotionalism for authentic spirituality. We live our lives mindlessly without much insight. Consequently, the ways in which we look and understand God, life, faith, and ourselves remain formulaic and simplistic.

Our blindness to religiosity was what Jesus addressed during his life and ministry, particularly in his conflicts with the religious leaders and authorities. On the outside, they led pious and exemplary lives; but on the inside, they were devoid of much depth or insight about who God is and how we are called to live. Whenever Jesus exposed their ignorance, they refused to be confronted with the uncomfortable truth.

Without the zeal, dedication, and sacrifice of the first generation, St. Tim’s would not be the community we are today. As immigrants in a foreign country, it was by faith alone that they toiled and persevered in even the most dehumanizing situations. They gave themselves completely to build up the church in ways that are almost unfathomable to us today.

At the cost of such sacrifice and devotion, however, the faith of the first generation did not mature as deeply. With no adequate space or time for study and reflection, their reading and understanding of Scripture were often literal and without depth. They often relied on the minister to provide them with clear and logical answers to questions.

As a young minister tasked with overseeing the first generation ministry, Rev. Kim saw Bible study as the opportunity to put into practice what he envisioned: to offer a safe space for the members to pause, think, and reflect critically on their lives; and in so doing, recognize their own biases and assumptions about God and faith.

This proved to be a challenging process, particularly for those who were so accustomed to receiving ‘answers’ from their minister. Instead of answers, they were given more questions. Although some found Rev. Kim’s unorthodox approach frustrating and difficult, the constant and diligent study of the Word over the years gradually opened up their world in unexpected ways. They learned to look at Scripture not merely through a ‘religious’ lens, but through a more holistic lens. They gained confidence to face their own vulnerability and brokenness in a healthy way. Their understanding of faith was stretched far beyond that of personal salvation to the pressing issues and concerns of the world at large. This ‘opening up’ of life was, in essence, their freedom from the bondage of religiosity.

In contrast, the bondage of the second generation—or those of the English-speaking ministry (ESM)—has been that of PREJUDICE:

The so-called ‘prejudice’ of the second generation was their prejudice toward the faith of their parents’ generation. One source of this prejudice was the hypocrisy which they witnessed in the church growing up. The life of what was supposed to be a peaceful and harmonious community of faith often consisted of conflict and division amongst the members. Churches split from fights and disagreements. There was an evident lack of willingness to discern a way forward together. Witnessing this firsthand, those of the second generation internalized the feelings of hurt and resentment towards people of the older generation. Such experiences shaped their understanding and relationship to faith community in a negative way.

Another source of prejudice was the sense of disconnect which the second generation felt between the teachings of the church and the complexity of life they faced in the world. This proved to be the case even for those who had been regularly involved in the church as youths. Growing up and becoming exposed to the more complex and nuanced issues of life forced them to question the teachings of faith they had taken for granted. Yet in the church, especially in Bible studies, their questions were often put down and looked upon as a sign of having ‘weak’ faith. Thus, no adequate space or opportunity was given to explore the tension between the faith they grew up with and the influence of the secular society was given to the young adults. This ultimately led to what became known as the ‘Silent Exodus,’ the departure of second generation Korean-North Americans in the church. The failure of the Korean-immigrant church to meet the needs of the second generation left them without deep, spiritual roots; even though many were well-established in their careers and in the wider society, they remained disillusioned, confused, and lost.

Ironically, it was a re-engagement with Scripture that ended up bringing some of the second generation back to faith. In 2009, a small cohort of second generation Koreans, none of whom were attending church, started a weekly Bible study (known as ‘Tuesday Bible Study’) with Rev. Kim. There was still a deep yearning amongst the second generation to explore the Bible in a new way, and TBS served as the space where they could freely—and safely—ask questions, dialogue together, and approach the Word with a fresh perspective.

Under Rev. Kim’s guidance, the participants’ encounter with Scripture helped them recognize and unpack their prejudice towards the Bible and the Christian faith. It also empowered them to take a greater ownership of their life, their faith, and their community. Through TBS, some members started attending St. Tim’s regularly and later went on to serve as Elders (Grace Bai, Michelle Kim), and the Associate Minister (Simon Park) of the English-speaking congregation.

A similar phenomenon occurred with the Women’s Bible Study (WBS) around the same time as TBS, with a group of women beginning to study the Bible with Rev. Kim. Their understanding of Scripture also deepened over time as they gained greater insight into their lives. Quietly, they became the bedrock of the ESM congregation, and a few later became Elders (Kris Jun, Veronica Park). Their renewed understanding of the Word, coupled with their subsequent experience of the harmonious and co-existent community of St. Tim’s, freed them from their own bondage of prejudice toward faith.

Lastly, the common bondage which the first and second generations share runs much deeper than what can be seen on the surface. It continues to shape and direct the lifestyles and choices of both generations—and if not, the current generation as well. It is the bondage of FEAR:

This fear—namely, of survival—has been the most common and recurring theme in sermons and Bible studies at St. Tim’s. It concerns our innate response to life’s uncertainties: a particular attitude, posture, and perspective we adopt as we navigate through life. This fear is what the second generation inherited from the first generation. We see this in the emphasis placed on carving out a secure and comfortable existence by the means of good, well-paying jobs; and the importance of providing a secure foundation and future for one’s children in return. The notion of ‘good’ life is thus understood as being synonymous with having financial security, rather than cultivating a good, life-giving faith.

While such a notion comes across as logical, sound, and even practical, it has greatly diminished the quality of our life. Rather than expanding our life for the better, the innate fear of survival has shrunk it even more. With our own and our children’s well-being the most pressing sources of concern, it has shaped how we engage with our community of faith. Many people are constantly driven by this sense of scarcity—of not having enough—and the effects of the fear which govern our lives are now being reflected in the current generation. Most of our young people today struggle to articulate why they themselves are so fixated on the idea of getting a stable job and earning enough money to live.

For St. Tim’s community, the sole antidote to this fear has been the Word of God. We believe that it is only through the word that we can encounter the living God—the “God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob” (Luke 20:27-40)—and that God’s love ultimately saves us from our fear of death.

When we are no longer controlled by fear, anxiety, or greed, we can begin living the good life by God’s power. God’s power is the source of our vitality and inner confidence. This message has been a constant reminder for all the generations at St. Tim’s; it has empowered people to live with confidence and to grow steadily in thankfulness for the precious gift of life. It has opened and changed the hearts of those in our midst, and inspired the theme of our 25^th year as a church during the pandemic: ‘Open Wide’.

As we look ahead to the next 25 years, God’s word will continue to be at the centre of our existence as a prophetic community. We seek to be opened and transformed by the living God who speaks to us through the Word and let our lives be a blessing to those around us—just as God had intended.