St. John's United Methodist Church

-St. John’s Pulpit (July 5, Sixth Sunday after Pentecost)-
“Overcoming No Response Culture” Matthew 11:16-17, 25-30

16 “But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
17 ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.’
25 At that time Jesus said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; 26 yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. 27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Sermon Note:
No Response Culture
Recently, I had a chance to read an article about the future of Korean immigrant churches in the U.S. It stated that 50% of all Korean immigrant churches will close within 10 years. The primary reason is a trend of declining immigration to the U.S. People either no longer wish to immigrate, or they face strict immigration rules from the U.S. government.
As it is the first Sunday of July, this month is typically a very busy time for Korean immigrant churches as they prepare to welcome international students. While students don't actually move into their dorms until August, local Korean churches near college campuses begin outreach to new students from Korea around this time.
Certainly, this method worked very well 10 to 15 years ago when international students needed significant support from churches. But it is doubtful whether this strategy is still effective today.
In the 1960s and 1970s, there was a massive boom in immigration from Korea to the U.S. Chasing the American Dream, many people decided to move to America for greater opportunities. At that time, Korean immigrant church pastors would often wait for arriving Koreans at the airport. With no internet, no smartphones, and no messaging apps, new immigrants were literally strangers in a strange land. They were anxious and stressed about where to settle down. Because of this, one of the most critical ministries for Korean pastors was welcoming arrivals at the airport. They provided airport rides, guided them to social security offices to get their SSNs, and accompanied them to hospitals when translation services were needed.
To express their gratitude, these immigrants would visit and join the churches served by the pastors who helped them. This is how Korean immigrant churches grew. The point is this: the Korean immigrants of the 1960s and 1970s were highly responsive to the invitation of the church. They were faithful, and they had little choice but to rely on churches for encouragement and information through their challenging journey in this new world.
In the summer of 2011, when I served at a Korean immigrant church in Minneapolis, I personally picked up 40 Korean students from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport to give them rides to their dorms. Through that ministry, over 50% of those students joined my church!
However, immigrants today are not like their predecessors. They don’t seem to need our practical help at all! For an airport ride, they can simply call an Uber. To set up their cell phones, they just need to swap out a SIM card. And, of course, their smartphones support seamless language translation and interpretation. All of these advancements have fundamentally changed immigration ministry. Immigrant churches now seriously worry about how to reach out to new people who no longer need physical assistance from a church.
This is the root of the "no response" culture we see in churches today. But here is a question for us: Do you think this "no response" culture belongs to immigrant churches alone? Or is this culture à la mode—the current reality—for all churches today?
Challenges for Churches Today
It is surprising to see that Jesus faced this exact same dilemma in his days. Verses 16 and 17 of Matthew 11 show his concern clearly:
16 “But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another,
17 ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ Matthew 11:16-17 NRSV
Don’t you think these verses resonate with us right now? To reach out and invite new people, churches are doing their absolute best with their resources. Yet, the harvest doesn't always seem to match the effort we put in.
A month ago, Paul (our Music Director) and I had a virtual meeting with a neighboring church pastor and their youth staff. They requested the meeting because they have been struggling heavily with a lack of youth students. At the same time, frequent staffing changes have become a major stumbling block to their ministry's fruitfulness. Recently, this church received a grant from the Conference to enhance their youth ministry and tried to initiate a joint youth program with several neighboring churches.
But the response from the other churches was inactive. We can assume a couple of reasons for this: either they felt they didn't need a joint ministry, or they simply couldn't participate because their own ministries were already struggling to survive.
With that context, St. John’s Kids Kamp this year should be highly valued. In the midst of this widespread "no response" culture, St. John’s received an incredibly active response from many people. I was surprised and overjoyed to see so many volunteers step up to serve at Kids Kamp. During the week of the Kamp, I saw beautiful, welcoming smiles and a deep passion for teaching the children. From the registration desk to the kitchen crews, all our volunteers showed incredible teamwork.
One thing we must praise God for is the presence of our young adult volunteers. We all know that young adults face different life demands than our senior congregation members. They are busy with their careers and often overwhelmed by raising their own young children. Yet, these young adult volunteers did a phenomenal job making Kids Kamp successful. They are proof of St. John’s active response culture. It was a beautiful reminder that there are still people who deeply desire to be disciples of Jesus.
One More Kid Who Joined Later
Originally, we had ten kids registered for the Kamp. Among those ten was Henry, who first joined St. John’s music camp in 2023 under the leadership of Dr. Yang. This year, Henry brought his sister, Hailey, to Kids Kamp, and they enjoyed everything alongside their friends. This is a wonderful sign for St. John’s, showing that people want to visit and engage with our church's mission and ministry.
We saw another beautiful example of St. John’s potential to reach our neighbors this week. It was a wonderful reunion to welcome back Linda Cason, the former director of St. John’s Preschool (CECE). Linda joined us for the week with her grandson, Leo. Although she retired as director several years ago, St. John’s has clearly remained in her thoughts and prayers. What a beautiful connection we share in Christ!
Our final exciting fruit came from a child who joined us a little later. Jhazmin’s mom is a staff member at Lucas Rainbow Bilingual School, St. John’s mission partner. Her mother had been observing what we were doing through Kids Kamp, and wanting her daughter to experience it, she knocked on the church door. We warmly welcomed Jhazmin and helped her to enjoy the camp with her new friends.
Don’t you think these stories are the best evidence that people still want to come to the Lord? Although we live in a world consumed by a "no response" culture, people are still searching for a church home and wanting to join in mission and ministry. Why? Because in Jesus Christ, we find true joy and freedom. This perfectly echoes Jesus’s special invitation in our scripture reading today:
28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NRSV
Churches today are certainly being challenged by a culture of indifference. But we must not be discouraged. There are still many people who need to hear the Good News and who want to join in Christ's mission. We are witnessing people come to the Lord right here. The primary thing the church must do is to keep moving forward, consistently living out our ministry and mission.
As I mentioned earlier, our Kids Kamp began with 10 children and ended with 11. That number reminds me of the eleven disciples who received the Great Commission from Jesus in Matthew 28:
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. Matthew 28:16 NRSV
Here is the grand mission before us: it is time for us to think about how we can build these children up as disciples of Jesus, and eventually send them out to share the Good News with the world.

Squeak! Now that's what I call confidence! I'm stealing this one. 😂

-St. John’s Pulpit (June 28, Fifth Sunday after Pentecost)-
“Let Our Kids Store God’s Stories!” 1 Samuel 17:34-40

34 But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father, and whenever a lion or a bear came and took a lamb from the flock, 35 I went after it and struck it down, rescuing the lamb from its mouth, and if it turned against me, I would catch it by the jaw, strike it down, and kill it. 36 Your servant has killed both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 David said, “The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.” So Saul said to David, “Go, and may the Lord be with you!”
38 Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 David strapped Saul’s sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I am not used to them.” So David removed them. 40 Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in his shepherd’s bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine.

St. John’s Kids Kamp 2026
As we wrap up the first six months of this year—which is still hard to believe!—I am so blessed to see the wonderful success of St. John’s Kids Kamp this past week. On the very first day of camp (June 22nd), our church’s new kitchen stove finally began to show its strong flames! Every program for the camp was well-organized, and our volunteers did a magnificent job serving at each of their stations.
Beyond all these wonderful logistics, simply welcoming children to our church brings such a profound joy. Enjoying lunch with the kids made everyone happy. Plus, this camp encouraged all of us to remember exactly why we do mission work. Every single day, the participating kids joined special mission projects to serve our local neighborhood. I am confident that these children will treasure St. John’s Kids Kamp 2026 in their hearts and practice what they learned in their daily lives. What a beautiful fruit for our church as we celebrate our 70th anniversary this year!
David’s Stories vs. Saul’s Sword
Today’s scripture is a story known to almost everyone; I believe all children love it. It is the story of the battle between David and Goliath. Today, I want us to focus on two specific characters who shape this narrative: David and Saul.
Saul was the first king of Israel. David would later become the second. Both were people of faith. Both faced Goliath, the legendary giant of the Philistines. King Saul and David stood in the exact same place, looking at the exact same enemy. Yet, we see one clear, radical difference between them.
To fight against Goliath, David and Saul took totally different approaches. David relied on his stories—his memory of personal encounters with God. Saul relied on his sword—and his military weapons broadly. Now, we can understand why King Saul relied on weapons; he was the commander, in a position to deploy an army and utilize military power.
David, however, was not in that position. Do you know why David was even on the battlefield? He was just there to check on his brothers and bring them some snacks! Simply speaking, he was not here to fight Goliath. He had no idea who this giant was.
17 Jesse said to his son David, “Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers; 18 also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See how your brothers fare, and bring some token from them.” 1 Samuel 17:17-18 NRSV
Here is the question: What made David face the giant Goliath so boldly? What weapons did he carry?
Our story today tells us that David’s true weapon was his story with God. Prior to facing Goliath, David had built up a collection of stories—victories in both big and small battles. He had faithfully stored up memories of every victory God had given him. All of those past victories became David’s ammunition for this single combat with Goliath.
36 Your servant has killed both lions and bears, and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be like one of them, since he has defied the armies of the living God.” 37 David said, “The Lord, who saved me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, will save me from the hand of this Philistine.” 1 Samuel 17:36-37a NRSV
For all the children who attended our Kids Kamp this past week, my prayer is that they will save up many wonderful stories with God in their own lives. From singing and dancing with friends, to studying the Bible and doing various mission projects day by day, I believe they have already received invaluable lessons. They learned how to live together, and how to love God and their neighbors—lessons that Artificial Intelligence (AI) can never truly know or give.
What AI Can Never Replace
The most urgent task for the church today is to give the younger generation true joy in Christ. This is not the fleeting joy found on social media, tablets, computer games, or cell phones. It is the joy that comes from God! It is the joy found through sharing real life with real friends.
As the younger generation is expected to use AI more and more, there is a crucial lesson we must learn: AI can give you knowledge, but it can never give you a story.
We cannot beat AI when it comes to information or data retrieval. As AI develops, we will quickly realize that human data knowledge is very limited. But human experience has no limit! In other words, we need to build more stories by actively experiencing God's faithfulness day by day.
When David stood before Goliath, he brushed up his memories with God. But what was Saul’s choice? King Saul relied on human armor. He believed physical weapons were the only things that could protect David, so he urged David to put them on.
38 Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. 39 David strapped Saul’s sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. 1 Samuel 17:38-39a NRSV
Why do you think Saul valued weapons more than God? Because in Saul’s eyes, Goliath looked bigger than God. This fear made Saul cling to human weapons.
Likewise, when we face troubles and challenges, if we focus entirely on the problem without thinking of God, we are tempted to resolve them purely through worldly, human means.
But what about David? In David’s eyes, God looked bigger than Goliath! This perspective allowed David to recall his history of God’s victories. Those who see God as greater than their giants will naturally call on God for help. This is the very essence of living by faith.
Thus says the Lord to you: Do not fear or be dismayed at this great multitude, for the battle is not yours but God’s. 2 Chronicles 20:15b NRSV
The Calmness of a God-Centered Life
Joseph in the book of Genesis is famously known as a dreamer. Like David, he had a life full of stories. And like David, his stories included immense challenges and sudden changes. He was thrown into a pit by his own brothers. He was sold into slavery. He was falsely imprisoned. Eventually, he was appointed Prime Minister of Egypt.
When you read Joseph’s story, you can't help but be surprised by the sheer calmness and stability of his spirit, his emotions, and his faith. His faith did not fluctuate wildly, even though he faced massive giants throughout his life. Why? Because Joseph saw God as bigger than his circumstances.
Later, when he stood before Pharaoh—the most powerful ruler in the world, symbolizing the height of worldly power—Joseph didn't hesitate to boldly proclaim his God.
14 Then Pharaoh sent for Joseph, and he was hurriedly brought out of the dungeon. When he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came in before Pharaoh. 15 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” 16 Joseph answered Pharaoh, “It is not I; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer.” Genesis 41:14-16 NRSV
If Joseph had focused only on his trauma, his troubles, and his challenges, he would have been tempted to solve the problem using his own cleverness. He might have answered Pharaoh arrogantly: "Yes, you are right. Look how smart I am, I can interpret your dream!"
Instead, his unshakable faith allowed him to rest in God's peace under any circumstance. When God looks bigger than our problems, we find authentic peace and hope.
So, as we successfully wrap up this year’s Kids Camp, what is our biggest takeaway? It is the refreshing of our vision: To see God as greater than any Goliath. I pray that all of our children caught this vision during the Kamp, and that they will grow to be courageous, wonderful children of God.

Well Done! Thank you all for your prayers to make St. John’s Kids Kamp successful! Click the below.

St. John’s Kids Kamp 2026 St. John’s Kids Kamp 2026June 22 (Mon) - 26 (Fri)