Title: Mid-Autumn Festival and Filial Piety
Last Friday was the Mid-Autumn Festival. In Chinese culture, mooncakes are eaten and lanterns are sent into the sky. In Korea, it is called Chuseok. The hot summer has passed and the harvest season has passed, so there is plenty to eat and it is a very pleasant season in terms of climate.
At this time, people may go down to their hometown and visit their ancestors’ graveyard to offer ancestral rites, or they may all gather at home and perform ancestral rites. Why do Korean people hold ancestral rites for their ancestors? First, Korean have known for a long time that when a person dies, the body decays and the remains stay in the graveyard, and the soul is immortal. The soul of a person who did a lot of good things during his life will live in a good place, and the soul of a person who did a lot of bad things during his life was believed that the soul will be living in a bad place.
It has been believed that if the descendants honor and serve the dead spirits of their ancestors, they will be blessed, and if they do not, they will suffer misfortune. So, even people who were not doing well when their parents were alive started decorating graves and offering ancestral rites, even if it meant taking on debt.
The second is a heart of filial piety. Koreans have a strong sense of respect, affection, and patriotism for their families, especially their ancestors. So, as the best new grains and fresh fruits were produced, the desire to remember their ancestors and give thanks for their love eventually developed into ancestral rites.
What does the Bible say? Firstly, ancestor worship is idolatry. Let’s read today’s text (Exo 20:3-5). Today’s text explains the Ten Commandments, which are the basis of all the word of God. Among them, the 1st to the 4th commandments are about the relationship with God, and the 5th to the 10th commandments are about the relationship with humans.
The first command told us not to have any other gods before God, and the second command told us not to make idols or worship them, no matter what they look like. Ancestor worship is not a Christian idea. This idea is against the Christian faith. It is absolutely not true that you will receive blessings or misfortune depending on whether you serve the ghosts of your ancestors well or poorly. In Deu 11:26-28, God promised that if we listen to and obey His words, He will bless us for thousands of generations.
Dear saints, the only one who claims the happiness and curse, and life and death for humans is God, the Almighty and the Creator of heaven and earth (Deu 32:39). Therefore, we believers must stop worshipping ancestors. Ancestor worship is an act that violates all 1-4 of the Ten Commandments.
Of course, the graves where our parents are buried are what we call home, so it’s nice to go there and rip out the weeds, tidy up, and decorate them. But, we have to go to church on Sundays. So, even if you want to go to your parents’ house, when should you go? You’ll have to go another day. So some churches go together, worship together, and then come back. This is something good. However, preparing food and bowing to it is a sin that violates God’s commandments (1 Cor 10:20).
When you didn’t know, you can be forgiven for not knowing. However, now that you have heard and understood the word of god today, you can no longer make excuses (Acts 17:30).
Secondly, Christianity is a religion of filial piety (Exo 20:12).
The fifth commandment of the Ten Commandments, that is, the first command regarding human relationships, is the command to honor one’s parents. Some people may say that respecting parents is a Confucious’ idea, but respecting the parents is a basic idea that runs throughout the Bible (Pro 23:22; 10:1; 23:25).
It can be said that respecting one’s parents and making their hearts happy are the basics of Christianity. Lev 19:3 summarizes the Ten Commandments in two commands. The content related to God is that if you keep the Sabbath, everything will be resolved. And everything related to humans is solved if you respect your parents.
How can a person who cannot respect his visible parents respect an invisible God, a spiritual father?
However, I told you a little while ago that it is a sin to offer sacrifices to honor your parents. So when should we honor our parents? When your parents are alive, you must respect them.
While they are still alive, you should buy them delicious food, massage them, and give them phone calls. As we pass Chuseok in 2023, we learned about the differences between ancestor worship and respect for parents (Rom 8:15; Mat 23:9; James 1:18).
I pray in the name of the Lord that our believers will become saints who respect and please not only their visible parents but also their invisible parents. Amen!
The Lord's Covenant Church Malaysia 