<Romans 8: 38-39>

 If God were to send a letter to our church, what message would be contained in that letter?  Over the past week, I prayed while wrestling with this question.  Of course, I am not God but I think that His letter will contain the following message for us.  Reminding ourselves that over two-thirds of the New Testament is in fact letters sent to and from disciples, I would appreciate it if all of us take this letter, delivered to our church from the Heaven, as a ‘sermon’ for today.

 To my loving children of St. Luke,

  I hope you enjoyed the much-needed rain I sent to Killeen last week.  I wanted to give you a break from constant 100-plus degree weather and perhaps start some crisp autumn weather down there.  Give my regards to all the family members of St. Luke UMC. 

 My heart fills with great pleasure in Heaven whenever I think of the St. Luke church.  There are so many churches established in My name; yet, I reserve a special place in my heart for the St. Luke’s.  It is because all of you work so hard for Me, with the purest and most enthusiastic of hearts.

 Among the countless great things you do for Me, I wanted to praise you on some very special things you do.  I pay particular attention to your Friendly Dinner, where you provide dinner to your needy neighbors every Friday.  I am enthralled whenever I see My daughters despite being busy and fatigued with their daily work and families work hard all day to prepare and serve the food that you give to your neighbors.  As you well know, most of the people you serve on Friday evenings are homeless and jobless people, in much need of your help.  You know that some of those people sleep under freeway overpasses?  By helping them and extending a loving hand of support to them, you are doing truly precious work.  As I have said in Matthew 25: 40, things you do for the smallest and the neediest of people are precisely the things that you do for Me.  Remember that when you feed my needy, destitute children, you are indeed feeding Me.  Also remember that your kindness will be repaid tenfold in Heaven.

 I also watch you as you conduct many great programs for the senior citizens every Tuesday.  As one gets old, he or she increasingly feels lonely and sad.  None of my creatures have the capacity to maintain their youth and health indefinitely.  As years pass, one ages more wrinkles and white hairs, while having less strength.  I made humans that way.  So for you young people, serve your elders well.  As I told you in Ephesians, 6: 2-3, if you take good care of your father and mother, I will give you great blessings and long lasting lives.

 I want to thank my many sons and daughters who toil in anonymity, without much fanfare, recognition, self-praise or klieg lights.  I get a great sense of reassurance and pleasure as I watch those who work in your kitchen, choir room, classrooms, and other places throughout your church.  Those hidden workers will become the cornerstones of My church and prevent any and all outside forces from collapsing and destroying the House that I built (See Matthew 16: 18).

 The sight of all of you worshipping, praying, and sharing fellowship is truly a great sight for Me to see.  I am happiest when I see your bright faces as you enter into My sanctuary, giving and treating each other with great love.  I don’t know if you remember the song that I had David sing in Psalms 133: 1.  “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”  I always want to see you love one another and treat each other with great respect.  Bickering and arguing, to climb over one another, is not a good sight to see.  Do you remember what I said in John 15: 12?  “that you love one another as I have loved you.”  Always keep in mind that when you love and serve one another, your church becomes a small heaven on earth.

 The spectacle that upsets Me the most when I look at Korean-American societies in the United States is the deep rifts within the community as people hate and fight one another.  I know there are a lot of stresses and hardships living as an immigrant, and those factors probably contribute to the rifts and conflicts.  But when those who claim to believe in Me use My name in vain to fight and bite one another, My heart gets deeply bruised and scarred.  St. Luke’s has done a good job thus far, but make sure you stay as a united church, where all of you take good care of one another in harmony.  Always remember my words in Matthew 5: 9.  “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”  Never forget the fact that peacemakers, the conciliators, are My true sons and daughters.

 The one thing that pains Me when I think of St. Luke’s is the loss some of you recently suffered, as some of you lost a parent or a loved one.  I know it must be hard and difficult to lose a parent or a beloved one.  But do not grieve too much, for they are here with Me.  As I created man out of earth, is it not a natural phenomenon for man to return to earth?  The only differentiating factor is when a man returns to soil and in the end, all of you will conclude your temporary stay down there and return to your genuine homeland up here.  For those who sent your loved ones up here, receive My solemn condolences and comforts from Heaven.

September 11^th marked the one-year anniversary of the terror attacks in New York, and I remember this related story.  There was a man a good, faithful man who worked in one of New York’s police precincts.  His name was Mark, and he was on duty on the day that the Twin Towers collapsed.  Weathering the falling debris from the towers, Mark was leading and guiding spectators to safety.

 That’s when a big object fell from the sky.  When Mark looked up, he saw that the falling object was a person.  He was soon shocked to find out that more people, determined not to be trapped in a burning, collapsing building, were jumping from the towers.  Oblivious of the burning debris that were falling from the sky, Mark ran to the base of the Twin Towers.  Do you know why?  He wanted to tell something to the people who were plummeting to their deaths from the tower.

 To the falling people that had but a few seconds to live before they hit the ground Mark yelled the following phrases so that they could hear.  “God loves you!  Jesus loves you!”  When I saw this from up here, you cannot imagine how much happy I was.  That’s right!  Even when good, innocent people were dying, I loved My sons and daughters.  Terror, hate, violence, and death none of these things could separate My heart from My loving children!

 I know that amongst you, the members of the St. Luke’s family, there are many that are sick.  I know that one of My daughters have been afflicted with an incurable disease for past several decades.  I also know that she toils on with great courage.  What pains!  But be strong and persevere.  Do you know the pain that My Son felt when I crucified Him on the Cross?  Your pains are nothing compared to what He had to suffer through.  Remember that My Son Jesus suffers with you when you are afflicted with sickness, and when you feel pain.  Have courage.  Be strong.  With my right hand, I will hold you tight.

 Adopting a slogan of “The Year of Saving Another Soul” for this year was truly a great idea.  You picked my favorite thing.  I am very content when many of you try to lead a lost soul to Me.  When you come up here to be by My side in heaven, you will not be able to do two things.  One is sinning, and the other is evangelizing.  Between these two things, what would you rather be doing when you are called up to Me?  Is it sinning?  Or is it letting someone know that I exist so that you can save him or her from eternal death?  When I look down from here, there are too many lost souls in Killeen.  Too many people live like a squirrel on a spinning wheel, leading aimless, meaningless lives.  My loving children of St. Luke’s, please help even one of them know My name so that they can lead a righteous life!  I want to see you leading others to Me, so that they too can gain a path to salvation through Me.

 I heard that you will soon be selecting some new people for various positions within the church.  Always remember that these positions are not for personal honor.  It is an act of bearing the cross for Me.  Please select those who are willing to make the time and material sacrifice and tireless efforts for Me.  Do not bicker over the selection, lest some may fall into temptation.  Becoming an elder or a deacon is not for personal glory, but a path to the Cross.

 One of my precious servants in India was named Sundar Singh (1889-1929).  He was a Hindu by birth, but converted to have faith in Me.  As a result, he was severely persecuted; when he became a Christian, his family, saying that he betrayed the family religion, tried to poison him.  Because he believed in My Son Jesus, he was stoned countless number of times and imprisoned.  He was even tied to a tree, to become a feast for the wild beasts of the plains.  His persecutors once tried to kill him by pressure, wrapping his body in a wet sheet of animal skins and laying him out in the sun, where the pressure from drying and shrinking leather would produce enough pressure to kill him.

 I cannot explain through words the pains and sufferings he endured.  I recall, with great pleasure, the words that My loving servant Singh left for Me.  “From my many years of experience I can unhesitatingly say that the cross bears those who bear the cross.”  Sundar Singh was right.  If you willingly bear the cross that My Son carried, then I will support and buttress you.  As your responsibilities within the church become greater, always keep in mind that you are bearing a heavier cross for Me!

 I wish to conclude my letter by telling you one more inspirational tale that I observed from Heaven.  After a Confirmation ceremony at a church in the United States, one teacher gathered the students and families and asked one of the students a question.  “George, what can separate you from the love of God?”  George answered by reciting, with great conviction and confidence, the verses we read today in Romans 8: 38-39.  “Neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate me from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  When George brightly smiled after answering, his parents and family warmly smiled back at him.

 The teacher then asked Mary, Peter, Andrew, and Grace the same question, in turn.  Each one of them answered smartly and clearly.  It was obvious that each one of them completed the Confirmation education very successfully.  Lastly, Rachel was left to answer the same question.  She was a mentally retarded child, who suffered from Down’s Syndrome.  She was less intelligent than the other children.  When it came to be Rachel’s turn to answer, the teachers, parents, and other friends started being nervous and murmuring amongst themselves, concerned whether as to Rachel can recite back the two verses from Romans 8 like the other children. 

The teacher asked Rachel, “Rachel, what can separate you from God’s love?”  Rachel, beaming calmly, answered, “Nothing!”  In her mind, nothing could separate her from My love, the love of God.  Do you know how elated and happy I felt when I heard her answer?  “Nothing!”  What can be a more precise, succinct and accurate answer?  Like Rachel said, nothing could separate all of you from My love nothing could keep Me from loving you!

 To my loving children of St. Luke’s, I implore you not to forget this one fact!  As for the remaining days of the year 2002, may your great work and efforts bring forth beautiful, abundant fruits!  Take care.

   From your loving Father