Surprised by Grace
This past Sunday turned out to be a memorable day at Good Shepherd. An
event. A happening. A complete surprise. We were surprised by grace.
We welcomed the Reverend Dr. Billy Kim of the Far East Broadcast Company
to our pulpit for his second visit to Good Shepherd in 16 years. Last time
he received a standing ovation from the congregation at the end of his
sermon which he preached a month after 9/11. This time you could tell that
everyone, even the children, were keenly listening to every word Dr. Kim
spoke. He was also accompanied by the Children’s Choir of FEBC. They sang
before the sermon at 9 am and 11:15 am and gave a concert in the Parish
House at 10 am.
I anticipated nothing of what happened Sunday. I have never seen this congregation quite so taken by anything else that has occurred here. Children were enchanted, women did not hold back tears, and lots of men joined them, though more successful in managing watery eyes! The majority of people were clearly touched and moved by the experience. It was as if the Holy Spirit, like a dove, had descended from above and lighted right over the Church of the Good Shepherd, sheltering us under his extended wings. Some Christians sing “his banner over me is love” and the kindly going out of the heart to others that only God’s love can achieve was manifest and palpable as we were embraced and welcomed in our own parish by our Korean guests.
So I wonder what happened here. Has our warring, polarizing culture so
affected us that we are even more reserved, or guarded than we think? I
mean we know that we are a bunch of careful (read uptight) white folks, but
have we lost something that we did not realize we were even missing until it
appeared here on Sunday morning?
In any event, we seem to have been completely disarmed on Sunday. Perhaps it was being with folks from a very different culture, or maybe it was Dr. Kim’s heartfelt simple message and story, or maybe it was the wholesome innocence of the children with us, but something happened.
Maybe it was nothing more than a one time occurrence. Perhaps it was something much, much more. But, if it was grace that we did indeed experience, then I am sure it was not given to us to be a one time thing and we’ll just have to see if the perceptible Christian love that came to see us Sunday has come to make a home with us.
I anticipated nothing of what happened Sunday. I have never seen this congregation quite so taken by anything else that has occurred here. Children were enchanted, women did not hold back tears, and lots of men joined them, though more successful in managing watery eyes! The majority of people were clearly touched and moved by the experience. It was as if the Holy Spirit, like a dove, had descended from above and lighted right over the Church of the Good Shepherd, sheltering us under his extended wings. Some Christians sing “his banner over me is love” and the kindly going out of the heart to others that only God’s love can achieve was manifest and palpable as we were embraced and welcomed in our own parish by our Korean guests.
So I wonder what happened here. Has our warring, polarizing culture so
affected us that we are even more reserved, or guarded than we think? I
mean we know that we are a bunch of careful (read uptight) white folks, but
have we lost something that we did not realize we were even missing until it
appeared here on Sunday morning?In any event, we seem to have been completely disarmed on Sunday. Perhaps it was being with folks from a very different culture, or maybe it was Dr. Kim’s heartfelt simple message and story, or maybe it was the wholesome innocence of the children with us, but something happened.
Maybe it was nothing more than a one time occurrence. Perhaps it was something much, much more. But, if it was grace that we did indeed experience, then I am sure it was not given to us to be a one time thing and we’ll just have to see if the perceptible Christian love that came to see us Sunday has come to make a home with us.
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