God’s Gift: Know Yourself, Be Yourself
BMCC Sunday Sermon · 28 Jun 2026 · Speaker: Pastor Timothy
June 28 marks the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots — a moment in history that invites us to reflect on those who have walked a difficult road simply for being who they are. At BMCC’s Sunday service that morning, the congregation first paused in silence and prayer to mourn a beloved elder figure who had passed away unexpectedly that week. The community gave thanks for her gentle, faithful presence among them over the years. Holding both grief and gratitude, members then listened as Pastor Timothy unpacked Matthew 10:40–42 — a passage that sounds familiar, yet yields unexpected depth.
“Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” (Matthew 10:40, NRSV) Pastor Timothy opened by asking: when we think of “giving a cup of cold water,” what image comes to mind? Most of us naturally picture caring for the poor, serving the vulnerable — as though “these little ones” referred to society’s marginalized. But Pastor Timothy pointed out that if we read the surrounding verses carefully, the context is quite different. From verse 5 onward, Jesus commissions his twelve disciples to go out, proclaiming the Kingdom and healing the sick. The “little ones” in verse 42, therefore, are the disciples themselves — inexperienced young people, freshly sent into the world. Receiving them means receiving those who come in the name of God’s mission.
This clarification reframes the question of hospitality for a community like BMCC. Pastor Timothy asked: as a community that embraces diversity and inclusion, does our welcome mean unconditional acceptance of every person and every idea? His answer was a nuanced no. The church’s hospitality is grounded in the mission and theology we have received from God. Knowing who we are and what we have been sent to do gives our welcome depth and direction — it is not a blank, boundless embrace, but a purposeful and rooted one.
What, then, is the prophet’s reward? Verse 41 tells us: “Whoever receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward.” Pastor Timothy reminded the congregation that in the first century, prophets were among the most despised and persecuted figures in society — many died for their convictions. When the author of Matthew wrote these words, he was steeling the resolve of early believers: embracing a God-given mission means also embracing the cost that comes with it. Their reward was not the world’s applause, but God’s own promise — to shine like the sun at the end of days. Not immediate; not visible now. But utterly certain.
Pastor Timothy then turned to the question of self-acceptance. He asked: we long to be welcomed — but have we first welcomed ourselves? When we hide our truest selves — whether our sexual orientation, our gender identity, or the brokenness and shadows within our inner life — just to earn surface-level acceptance, that acceptance is built on distortion. If you receive a prophet while treating them as a thief, you will not receive a prophet’s reward. In the same way, if we deny who we truly are, whatever acceptance we manage to gather is a hollow one. Pastor Timothy drew on the work of Christian psychologist David Benner and his book The Gift of Being Yourself, which argues that true self-knowledge begins with looking upward — seeing first how God sees us, and letting that divine gaze become the foundation from which we come to know and accept ourselves.
Knowing ourselves is not a one-time event; it is a habit, a lifelong process. MBTI, horoscopes, the Enneagram, Purple Star Astrology, Human Design — these tools can be starting points, but none of them is the whole journey. Life keeps changing; we encounter new challenges and transitions, and our self-understanding deepens through every encounter and relationship. Pastor Timothy illustrated this using a dialogical approach: in relationship — including in our relationship with God — we discover more of who we are through the friction and connection of genuine encounter. He encouraged members to explore BMCC’s discipleship courses (101, 201, 301), noting that 門訓 301 in particular, which engages with theology and the history of inclusive faith communities, is an important step toward deeper self-knowledge.
Finally, Pastor Timothy returned to the cup of cold water. The disciples — these “little ones” — were heading out to face rejection, hardship, and an uncertain road. Compared to all they would have to endure, a cup of water seems almost embarrassingly small. And yet it was precisely this cup that enabled them to keep going. He drew a comparison to running a marathon: the water stations along the route are humble and simple, but they are essential. In the journey of faith, those who offer us a timely cup of water become our water stations. And who is capable of being someone else’s water station? Only those who have first been fully received by God — and who have, from that place, learned to receive themselves. The mission of BMCC belongs to each member who has found, in the gaze of God, the courage to know and accept who they truly are.
The history of the Stonewall Riots reminds us that being yourself has always required courage — and that courage comes from knowing that God loved and accepted us first, not after we became perfect, but exactly as we are. Pastor Timothy closed with an invitation to the whole congregation: know yourself; dare to be yourself; for that is the gift God has given you.
Blessed Ministry Community Church (BMCC) is a community in Hong Kong that bears witness to this love. We welcome everyone who is still searching for themselves, and everyone who has found themselves but longs to know God more deeply. Whatever stage of life you are in, wherever you are on the journey — there is a cup of cold water prepared for you here.
