Living Sanctuary

                                       

(Hebrews 12:5-12, James 5:15-16)

4.26.26

                                                  

The Pussy Willow Evangelist

Dear sisters and brothers in Christ! Have any of you decorated your homes with pussy willows recently? Now, I have to be honest—back in Korea, I knew about pussy willows, but I didn’t realize we had a "Pussy Willow Evangelist" right here in our midst! I’m talking about Bonnie Quint in Hodgdon UMC. She has been on a mission, sharing these fuzzy branches with the children and the women in our Bible study. She even taught us the "secret" to decorating with them: if you don’t put them in water, they stay fuzzy and perfect all year long. It’s like a permanent sign of Spring!

As I looked at these branches Bonnie gave me, I was struck by their incredible resilience. During the Maine winter—which, as I am learning, lasts roughly six months of the year—the willow looks like a dry, dead stick. But then, something happens deep inside. The sap begins to rise. Life pushes through. And suddenly, those fuzzy catkins appear.

In Asia, we see them around the Lunar New Year as a sign of renewal. In many parts of Europe, where palm trees are hard to find, they call today "Willow Sunday." They carry these branches to welcome the King. I recently talked to Gabriel, a local farmer who loves these trees, and he told me the willow’s secret: It bends, but it does not break. You can cut a branch, stick it in the mud, and it grows a whole new tree. It is a pioneer of hope.

Today, I want us to look at our lives through the lens of the pussy willow. We are all living through different "winters." But God is calling us to be more than just dry sticks; He is calling us to be a Living Sanctuary.

 

Hebrews: The Discipline of the Winter

Since January, we have been traveling through the New Testament together. We’ve reached the "General Epistles," and we start with Hebrews. We don’t know exactly who wrote Hebrews, but we know the why. The author wanted to show that Jesus is superior to everything—He is greater than angels, greater than Moses, and His sacrifice is greater than any earthly one.

Then we get to Chapter 11, the "Hall of Fame of Faith." We hear about Abel, Noah, and Abraham. The author defines faith as "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Now, let’s be real—science is great, but it can’t explain the "leap of faith." Even an atheist has to take a leap of faith to believe there is no God! We Christians, take our leap toward the Light.

But notice what follows in Chapter 12. After talking about this "great cloud of witnesses," the author tells us to look at Jesus, the "pioneer and perfecter of our faith." Jesus is the "Original Pussy Willow." He endured the "Winter" of the Cross. He was cut down and buried in the hard, cold soil of a tomb. But the "Sap" of the Holy Spirit rose within Him, and He blossomed into the Resurrection!

The author of Hebrews says something that is hard for us to hear: "My child, do not regard the discipline of the Lord lightly." (Heb 12:5). He says that God disciplines those He loves. Now, when I was a child and my parents "disciplined" me, sometimes I didn’t exactly feel the love in that moment! But Hebrews tells us that suffering is often the "companion of faith." Think of the pussy willow. To get a new tree, you often have to cut the branches. That cutting is painful. Standing in the cold, muddy soil is lonely. But that is the discipline of growth. Without the winter, the catkin never emerges.

I remember my own "dark night of the soul." I was going through a very painful time with a close family member. Our relationship hit rock bottom. It looked dead. It was a "dry stick" season. I couldn't understand why God was allowing this sorrow. But I held onto Hebrews 12. I started taking "baby steps." One day, I decided I wouldn't just stay in bed and "kick the blankets" in frustration. Instead of judging or being angry, I started to pray for that person. Not "lightning bolt" prayers—but blessing prayers.

Years later, I can stand here and tell you that the "lame limb" was healed. That broken relationship is now a blessing. I had to go through the winter of discipline to become a new tree. Last week, my heart broke for those in our community who are still in the grieving stage of our recent "new appointments" announcement. It feels like winter. But I also see some of you choosing to be "pussy willows"—standing in the cold but choosing to grow, showing us all the "utmost love and patience."

 

James: The Action of the Anointing

Then we move to the book of James. Traditionally, we believe this was written by James, the brother of Jesus. Now, imagine being Jesus’ brother. People probably asked him, "Why can't you be more like your brother? He just turned water into wine!"

The Bible tells us in John 7 that Jesus’ own brothers didn’t believe in Him. For thirty years, James saw the "human" Jesus and stayed in the winter of skepticism. But then, the Resurrection happened. In 1 Corinthians 15, we see that the risen Jesus appeared specifically to James.

That was the "Sap" rising! James went from a dry, skeptical stick to the leader of the Jerusalem church. Whether he wrote every word himself or directed this letter, the message is clear: Faith isn't just a feeling; it’s an action. If you are a pussy willow, you have to show the fuzz!

James tells us what to do when the winter gets too cold: "Are any among you suffering? They should pray... Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders... anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord." (James 5:13-14).

Why oil? In the ancient world, oil was medicine. But it also symbolizes the Holy Spirit. When we anoint with oil, we aren't performing magic. We are saying, "Lord, let the Sap of the Holy Spirit rise in this dry branch."

James 5:15-16 is so precious to me. Years ago, when I was in the hospital for thyroid cancer surgery, I was feeling very alone. I wanted to have a worship service, but nobody knew that there was a service. That morning, my Bible reading was James 5:15-16. God nudged my heart so strongly that I began preparing the service right there in our room. I began to invite other patients who were in the rooms near mine. They haven’t gone to the church for years. None joined the service.

That evening, as I walked through the lobby, I saw a bulletin someone had left behind. There was a service somewhere! My heart skipped a beat—it was for a hospital chapel service being held at that very moment, and the text was James 5:15-16! I had goosebumps. God was speaking to me in stereo! I realized that while I was alone in my room, God had prepared a whole group of people downstairs to worship with the exact same word. And I heard that other patients in our room joined the service! Praise the Lord!

God used my "winter" of cancer surgery to help others find their "spring" of faith. And the confirmation didn't stop there. In that month, God gave me those same verses three more times—through a Women’s Bible study, through my brother’s preaching, and even through my daughter Hannah randomly opening her Bible. I cried and cried, feeling the overwhelming weight of the Holy Spirit's message: "Pray for one another, so that you may be healed." The prayer of faith doesn’t mean the person who has faith. If you have faith to pray for others, God will answer it!

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 Becoming the Sanctuary

Today, we are going to have a time of anointing with oil. I want to thank Raye for the gift of these anointing oils—they are very meaningful to me.

Maybe you feel like a "cut branch" today. Maybe you are grieving the changes in our church, or struggling with your health, or feeling the weight of the "news and media" distractions. I’ve struggled with myself. Maybe your winter feels like it will never end.

But hear this: God does not see you as a dead stick. He sees you as a Living Sanctuary. When we apply this oil, we are inviting the "Sap of Life" into our spirits. We are moving from the "stick" to the "sanctuary." We are joining that great cloud of witnesses—like James, and like Jesus Christ Himself.

I invite anyone who needs healing—whether it is your body, your heart, or your relationship—to come forward. Let us be a community that confesses, prays, and heals together. Let us be the pussy willows of Aroostook County, standing strong in the frost, showing the world that Spring is not just coming—in Christ, it is already here.