Fill up your heart

John 4:1-24 Fill up your heart
Nowadays Koreans are seized by World Cup. They talk to each others everywhere about World Cup. And their joy and happiness dwells on World Cup. World Cup is the hope and vision to Koreans. Korea was well known to the world by World Cup. World Cup implanted self-confidence and hope in Korean people. Especially Koreans living in Japan were greatly encouraged by World Cup. World Cup gives a great opportunity for Korean politics, economy, education culture and other fields.
But some worry like this, "How can we live if World Cup is over ?" World Cup was a great part to Koreans. Of course, there are some Korean people who were not interested in World Cup. Especially when women meet men, they hate to hear from men the story of soccer games in their army life. But almost of the Korean people were seized by World Cup.
As a pastor, I thought, "If Korea team reach the final, when is the day ? Oh, it's Lord's day(Sunday) !" I worried about their absence from Sunday worship service because of the final game. Maybe most of the pastors worried like me. And their sermons for today's service maybe entitled like my sermon.
Let me tell you the story of the pastor Jae Woo Jung who is now in charge of the world mission in Yoido Full Gospel Church. When he was in United Kingdom, he saw a word 'religion' on the signboard. When he took a close look at the signboard, he was shocked because the signboard said, "Soccer is our religion !" That means soccer is beyond sports or hobbies but a kind of religion to them. Their enthusiasm for soccer was revealed in the game between England and Brasil in World Cup.
The word "Soccer is our religion !" tells that their faith was moved to soccer, and soccer is their idol. They think, "We cannot miss the important soccer game even though it opens at the time of Sunday service. I worry that the word "Soccer is our God !" may come out from them. And I worry that this phenomenon will be not only in United Kingdom but also in Korea as well.
Few weeks ago, I read the story on the internet that a husband killed his wife because his wife bothered him not to watch the World Cup game. And I read the news that some persons died of heart attack while they were watching World Cup games.
When I read the news, I thought, "If they were Christians, what worth is to their death ? Are they the persons of merit for soccer ? Or martyrs ? Or useless death ? What message do I have to bring to their family at the funeral ? What words do we have to inscribe on their tombstones ?"
Let me ask you questions. What is your religion ? Who is your God ? Who do you die for ? Who do you live for ? Are you not crazy for soccer ? Is your religion soccer ? Is your God soccer ? Do you not say ? "Soccer is my everything. Life without soccer is like a desert without oasis or fireplace without a flame."
If you are this kind of persons, you will lose appetite when you do not watch important soccer games. If I bother you not to watch soccer games, you will hate me or kill me. I wonder you may confess like this, "Soccer is my shepherd, I shall not be in want."
If you are this kind of persons, and if you have this kind of syndrome, it is a big problem, isn't it ? Korean people have a possibility of this kind of syndrome because of the World Cup. They are in danger of lethargy after World Cup. And they are in danger of seeking liquer, drug and sex to take away emptiness.
In today's scripture, a woman came to draw water while Jesus was sitting down by the well. Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink ?" She said, "You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink ?"
Jesus answered, "If you know the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water. Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John 4:10, 13-14)
Then the woman said, "Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water." Then Jesus told her unexpectedly, "Go, call your husband and come back."
When she heard this, she was embarrassed in her heart because she married five times, and she lives now with a man in order to get pleasure. She said, "I have no husband." This means "There is no man who satisfies me. I am thirsty now."
Nowadays Korean people are joyful because they drank the water of World Cup. It really satisfied Korean people because Korea team reached the semifinal. The water of World Cup filled the heart of Korean people with joy and hope. But World Cup is not the everlasting living water. After a time pass by, they will be thirsty again.
Sports and hobbies do not fill up our heart eternally just as the five husbands did not fill up the heart of the Samaritan woman. There will be bigger emptiness after drinking worldly water just like drug. If your heart is not filled up with the water that Jesus gives, you will be thirsty and lethargic and will lose the right way.
Therefore you have to drink the water of joy and happiness as you have warship, as you do the works of God in the church, in the family and in this foreign land. You have to fill up your heart with joy and happiness of Jesus.
Korean people had joy and hope and courage in the World Cup. But when Korea team was defeated by Germany team at the semifinal, we felt a little of emptiness. And the emptiness will be bigger after World Cup. And we have to fill up our heart with the everlasting water of Jesus. Amen !