"Through his honor and glory he has given us this precious and wonderful promises,
that you may share the divine nature and escape from the world’s immorality
that sinful craving produces." (2 Peter 1:4, ESV)
Greetings to you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ!
Early this morning, I began to hear very loud bursting praise, “Thank you God!”, from my kids’ rooms countlessly. Sounded like it was coming from the bottom of their hearts. What happened? Because there is no school today due to the snow - two days in a row. Their “Thank you God!” is a true form of worship in that sense. I asked them, “How hard did you pray?”
By the way, we give thanks to God always because of the new life eternal that we have received from Christ Jesus through his suffering, death and resurrection. So now, how’s your worshipful journey for Jesus, filled with joy and thanksgiving going so far and are you getting out of a manger? And are you continually sharing his divine nature escaping from the world’s immorality through your journey as Peter mentioned in his letter?
As most of you are aware of it already, February 2019 is an important month for the United Methodist Church because there will be a special session of General Conference in St. Louis, MO (2/23 -2/26). The Commission on A Way Forward, appointed by the council of Bishops in 2016, will bring their reports as they examined some paragraphs in the Book of Discipline concerning human sexuality. Also they will explore some options for strengthening the unity of the United Methodist Church.
It makes me ponder what this special session will bring to this Body of Christ as well as to each members of the Body as the United Methodist Church. Our growing concern is “what if we miss the voice of God because of our preset hardened mind without willing to be changed by the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit?”.
Sadly, some groups of people in the Untied Methodist Church have prepared the exit plan depending on the result of the session of the General Conference showing their frustration. It is true that many people in our UM connection feel that we already have had enough of it for last fifty years and we don't have to go through this together. However, we know Israel had waited for the Messiah several hundred years before Christ. There is always God’s time as we waited for it patiently.
Throughout the church history, we did not always choose what God wants us to choose when we were far from God’s will but much closer to our human will because of our sinfulness. However, we know our God who is patient and works all things together for good for the ones who love God, for those who are called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).
I truly believe whatever happens during the special session of GC at St. Louis in February, the mission of God and His people will never be changed as long as we hold His Words in us wherever we are.
"Go in through the narrow gate. The gate that leads to destruction is broad and
the road wide, so many people enter through it. But the gate that leads to life is
narrow and the road difficult, so few people find it. (Matthew 7:13-14, ESV)
Brothers and sisters in Christ, now we are in front of two gates, one that leads to life which is narrow and the other that leads to destruction which is broad. What is going to be our choice for this month? Of course, we want to choose the narrow gate to life. But what does this narrow gate in February look like for us? For me, prayer fervently seeking God’s will and His presence only as we go through this snow storms together.
By the way, during this February month, we will gather at the Common Ground at Markesan UMC and pray together every Thursday evening from 7:00 p.m. for an hour, especially for the renewal of the United Methodist Church and the Special Session of the General Conference - for the 1st and 3rd Thursdays, other UM churches around us will be with us. Join me!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Kyochul
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