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A blessing in ChangChun Methodist church in Korea
If you believe as I do, that what happens in life is all part of our heavenly Father's knowing care for us, then you will understand what happened to me some weeks ago wasn't by chance.
During these past few hot summer months in Korea I've occasionally dropped into the prayer room of my local Methodist church on my walk home from the High School where I teach English.
To put you into the picture, ChangChun Methodist church in Seoul, is quite large - at least by Australian standards. It is town-hall size with 1200 seats. It rises six stories in between the cram of commercial buildings that is Sinchon. And there are several floors below ground that you can't see in the photo of it on Google Earth. With about 3500 regular worshippers a week, ChangChun is always a busy place. In the prayer room, for example, day and night there are people on their knees, usually silently reading scripture and praying them.
However, one day the other kneelers in the prayer room were not silent. Words were coming out urgently. And someone was crying. Our caring heavenly Father knows their problems, of course. He hears it all.
But I got another idea about my prayer. The words of Psalm 84 came to mind. "It is better to be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked." So, being a warm 30 degrees, and ChangChun Methodist church having a row of front doors set back from the bustle of ShinChon commerce, I sat on the front steps. It wasn't unpleasant there. Just the same, I trusted for a blessing.
It came in shape of a short man who was wearing a red shirt for sellers of the Big Issue magazine. I have seen the same magazine sold in my city, Melbourne, Australia. As he went to the water fountain inside the church foyer he looked at me and said, Haeng-bok-hae-yo. It means, be happy! He said it again to me on his way out to back under the railway viaduct where he sold those magazines for a living. Sometimes I have been afraid of street persons of straightened circumstances - but his words weren't bad. They were a blessing.
Methodists always knew that our Father, in Jesus, forgives sin, and that the Holy Spirit actually changes lives - from the inside out. No longer a slave to sin - name your sin that binds you: it is already broken by Christ's victory over it - the Christian can go confidently on that road to a more joyful, sanctified life.
Foul words arising from sin's slavery no longer torment. Kind words of blessing come out.
Not only that, our Father knows our every need like He knows the birds in the field. They lack for nothing. We are confident in Jesus' words in Matthew 6: He knows we shall eat, drink and wear. Seek first the Kingdom of God, and these things will be given to you as well.
This is the Christian gospel and very evident in ChangChun Methodist church.

Paul Langkamp

 24 September 2010

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