We Asian-American Christians aren’t as keen as our liturgical siblings on following the Christian calendar. But I encourage everyone to try to do so. Why? Because it re-orients our year in a way to say, “Yes, we are citizens of a different kingdom. We live in a different timeline.” It is also a good way for us to connect to the events of scripture. We continue to live out the story of the kingdom today, as was also evident in the pages of scripture.

Today we celebrate Jesus’ Ascension (or exaltation) to the realm of his father. This day is important because not only does it seal the resurrection in its life-giving power, but it gives us hope for the return of our Lord. The two angels told the disciples, “You Galileans!—why do you just stand here looking up at an empty sky? This very Jesus who was taken up from among you to heaven will come as certainly—and mysteriously—as he left.”

NT Wright, in a sermon he gave at Ascension Day in 2007 says, “…heaven and earth are designed to overlap and interlock, and one day they will do so fully and for ever, as the New Jerusalem comes down from heaven to earth.” That is, Jesus didn’t go up to heaven. Jesus went “up” to heaven. Jesus has left our world as the incarnate God and now dwells with the Father. How that works out is a mystery, and should remain forever a mystery. I like to say that, rather than Jesus coming back down to earth, he will reappear to us. This next time, however, will be much different. And so we wait.

Let’s not think that our goal is be up there with Jesus. Our goal is to prepare the way for Christ’s return here on earth. What does it look like, then, to prepare? What does it look like to manifest the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven? What are the ideals and principles of the kingdom of God? What has so shook God’s heart through the ages and stirred Jesus’ being while on earth? Let’s ask ourselves these questions today.

As we celebrate Jesus Christ’s Ascension, let’s celebrate the glorious, yet humbling work we have been called to do, till he comes again…

…in Glory.

Peace be with you all.

• 2:44 PM dpark75 - gideon: posturing of langauge is important when we have this dialogue. empathy is the goal in that we actually understand, not us vs. them.
• 2:46 PM dpark75 - agenda: describe our experiences in dysfunctional households.
  positive expressions of the household of God.
• 2:47 PM dpark75 - how do we make this distinciton between ppl returning to ANA churches vs. those who are starting new churches that trend more toward multi-ethnic? but still similar situations, issues. address these differently or is there overlap?

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• 1:07 PM dpark75 - Disillusioned generation = de-churched next generation ANAs
• 1:09 PM dpark75 - keeping it real specific
• 1:11 PM dpark75 - bolim: jeffrey arnett’s “emerging adulthood”; wish someone would do sociological data analysis that this group exists, that would really be helpful.
• 1:12 PM dpark75 - rah: our goal is not to be normative – as in a narrative for everyone; we’re acknowledging that the data isn’t clear on this, more anecdotal…

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• 5:00 PM dpark75 - intros – more of a consultation than conference. soong chan rah, paul tokunaga…
• 5:04 PM dpark75 - what is your experience with the disillusioned generation? save definition of disilusioned for later
• 5:05 PM dpark75 - reason for definition later is that learning together means we hear experiences first.
• 5:07 PM dpark75 - rah: while pastoring, felt 20something angst, more pronounced among ANA’s. even though they had “everything going” for them. why are they not happy with their lives? disillusionment not only with the church…is that pronounced more in ANA community?

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Linda Cannell led an exercise entitled “World Cafe”. Here are some of the questions that the various tables came up.

Why the Exodus and Why the Return?

How do we grow healthy churches as ANA? Is it related to ethnicity/ identity formation? Or are there other critical factors?

How do we raise healthy leaders who are true to the gospel and to their ANA identity?

How does our ANA identity and the gospel relate to one another?

We are seeing a reversal of the “silent exodus? but need to better understand what is driving it.

How does our explicit theology become aligned with our implicit theology?

Is there a distinct ANA theology? How does that affect people who are bi/multi cultural?

What are the implication of what 2040 will look like?

Is there a correlation between identity and mission (or is it past experience?)

Challenge the assumption that the movement of 2nd+ generation to go from ethnic church to Anglo church back to ethnic church is uniform.

What is our working definition of “household” and “family” because there are aspects of ANA understanding of “household that need redeeming.

What is Asian Identity?

Just a few initial thoughts.

Peter Rollins’ latest book, “The Orthodox Heretic” arrived on my doorstep just last week and I have to say, it’s a brilliant and practical piece. While his previous books have been sophisticated works giving language and nuance to the Emergent movement and theology, this book is a collection of parables, which make deep and profound matters accessible for conversation and meditation. As Jesus himself often spoke in parables, there are multiple levels at which truth is acting and it really is a magnificent way to “tell it slant”. Definitely worth the buy. I plan on using it often and have already dog-eared a dozen or so parables for future use.

Back in December, I asked Peter if I could modify one of his parables into a skit and he graciously agreed. In the process of re-writing the parable into a more dramatic form, it became clear that certain changes needed to be made in order to capture the tension of a courtroom setting. So I sought legal counsel in the writing process and my good friend from Hispanic Nashville, John Lamb, lent a great hand in the writing/editing process (Thanks John!)

We were able to actually “perform” the skit in two places. A half-baked version was used in the a Chinese-American youth retreat setting, which went over well, but was before John put his professional touch to it. In January, we tried at Open Table Community Church in a Sunday morning worship service and although I didn’t get much feedback directly, it seemed to go over even better, although I have to confess, it didn’t add a great synergy to the sermon following it.

In any case, here it is in PDF format: No Conviction. I highly recommend you reading the original from the book as you’ll see that it begins a wonderful trajectory of parables in Rollins’ work. As for this, feel free to try it out – just let us know how it works out for you.

My name is Danny Yang. It is not Belteshazzar. I’ll come back to this, I promise.

That last post triggered quite a few generative themes. I’d like to narrow in on one thread in the comments: the need for Asian-Americans to understand the gospel in our context. (Here’s a great reason why this work needs to be done.) For this to happen requires us to fully understand our story, and how Jesus interrupts all our plans. Which brings me to our names, the most basic identity marker.

My parents did not name me after an exiled Israeli honors student in Babylon, but I never heard a lesson or sermon growing up that connected the experience of the exiles to the emigration of our parents. When Daniel and his buddies rose up the ranks, they were given new names, names more fitting for Babylonian culture like Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Sound familiar?

Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah are stories of displacement and the challenge of YHWH fidelity as displaced people. That sense of displacement manifests in dual names, a dual name like my own: Daniel Sing-Han Yang. We live similar, if not parallel lives as Asian-Americans, navigating between two different worlds. My parents gave me a Western name to ease assimilation (I’m named after Daniel Boone… seriously), but my history persists in the hidden middle name and conspicuous surname.

When Incarnation disrupts the narrative of GOD’s people, there is a new framework of election. By faith, we are now exiles scattered throughout the world. Our allegiance belongs exclusively to the reign of GOD. In other words, the good news– the gospel– calls us to displacement. This is a framework for hearing the gospel in a manner much more native to our experience, to our double/triple consciousness, and to our lives.