Pastor’s Message “Move On” Mark 6:6-13 As I am writing this, the “US Open” has come to town. During my commute, the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing looks ready to go. Despite the images on screen, tennis is not an easy sport to master. The top professional tennis players make hitting the ball and dashing around the court look almost effortless. However, when novices stand on the court, they hit more errors than good shots. Even between intermediate players, wins and losses are determined by errors, not wins and aces. Along with technique, fitness, and strategy, mental tenacity is a key factor. You must learn good stress management skills in order to be a good player. When things are not going their way, many get upset and angry and lose control of their temperament. They throw a tantrum as if they were little children. All players must learn how to deal with mistakes, failure, disappointment, and heart-breaking defeat. When we fear losing, playing games is no longer fun even though they are supposed to be. Of course, if college scholarships, career ambitions or money is at stake, understandably, players can lose their perspective on the most fundamental aspect of the sport: play for joy. I have worked with some young players who stopped playing competitively because they were afraid to lose. They figured the easiest way to avoid loss is by not competing. No game to play, no game to lose. Frustrated parents asked how their children could eliminate errors and keep winning. I replied, “If s/he plays in the lower level tournaments and hits the safest shots all the time, s/he would win tournaments more easily, but such experience would not satisfy her/him. S/he needs challenges and needs to learn how to overcome fear instead of avoiding it, in order to grow to be a better player.” Kei Nishikori was the runner-up of the 2014 US Open. His career win and loss record is 235 wins and 115 losses according to the official statistics of ATP: Association of Tennis Professionals. He must have moved on after many difficult losses before reaching to his current world ranking of #4. Success in challenging situations requires all of us to learn how to MOVE ON. Jesus was rejected by his hometown of Nazareth. Jesus knew about how to succeed and how to deal with failure in ministry. He gave his twelve apostles clear instructions how to do their missions: work as a team, travel light, persevere, and not to be discouraged, even if people didn’t welcome or listen to you. Dust off on your feet, and MOVE ON. No fear of failure. There is no time to waste in self-absorption when things don’t go as planned. The history of Christian missionaries is the history of the unexpected. All missionaries have a strong desire to proclaim the gospel in new lands. However, the fruits are often not exactly what they hoped. We do our work to share the good news faithfully and perseveringly, and accept humbly and gladly the fruits that God’s plan brings to us even though we don’t know what it is. Recently a seminary friend shared with us, at the annual conference, a simple definition of Christianity that he learned where he serves: “Christianity is about fixing you and helping others”. We sometimes see some passionate Christians mistakenly practice the other way around: trying to fix others’ faith, while helping themselves by a sense of self-righteousness. When we recognize our weakness, insufficiency, and shortcomings as Christians, we can think of how to fix it, how to improve our weaknesses, how to be better Christians. We can focus on our own repentance in order to help others. 2 Corinthians 12:9 gives us great encouragement and assurance. “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness. So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” Power is made perfect in weakness. Weakness can be transformed into the mighty power in Christ. Jesus was crucified as if he was helpless and powerless, but his crucifixion was a part of God’s Great Plan called God’s glory. When our lives are not going well, there is a temptation among us to point our fingers at others. It is an easy shortcut for us to blame somebody else. We sometimes become discouraged and less inspired to do our work for God’s glory to become better Christians. Even worse, some give up making an effort because of the magnitude of challenges we face. Don’t jump off the ship at the first sign of difficulty, disagreement, and disappointment. Just MOVE ON. We shall keep our eyes on Christ, the light; keep on walking, keep on knocking on the next door. 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