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Watch the Lamb (Good Friday)

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  Good Friday Online Service | April 3, 2026 Good Friday Today is Good Friday. Children often ask us, "Why do we call the day Jesus died 'Good' Friday?" Death itself usually means separation, suffering, and pain. However, Jesus’ death is "good" for us because it gave us life. Although we cannot gather in person today due to the weather, I believe we are gathered as one through the Holy Spirit, who works beyond any physical location. I feel a bit of sadness holding my last Good Friday service with you online. But I believe God is speaking to us today—telling us that wherever we may be in the future, we will always be one in Him. Originally, I planned to walk the "Way of the Cross" with 16 readers. Instead, I invite you to meditate on this word from your own homes. If possible, please prepare a single candle to light during our time together. Lydia will assist me by reading the Holy Scriptures.   The Lamb in the sacrifices of Leviticus  To understand...
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Prince of Peace in Paradox

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  (Matthew 21:1-11, Ephesians 2:14-18) 3/29/26   < The "F.I.N.E." Mask: "I am not okay, but I am still here" > Peace be with you! Shalom! In Korea, we greet one another by saying, "Annyeong-haseyo?" It carries a similar weight to Shalom(Hebrew) —it is a prayer that the other person is well, whole, and at peace. When we ask, "How are you?" the standard response is, "I’m fine." But I recently learned that "F.I.N.E." is often an acronym for: F reaked out, I nsecure, N eurotic, and E motional. We stand in the foyer, put on our "Sunday Best" smiles, and say, "I’m fine," while our lives feel like they are falling apart. We mask deep-level struggles with surface-level celebrations. What is taking away your peace today? Is it the invisible weight of trauma? Is it the grief of a hidden loss? Perhaps it is the anxiety of our four churches waiting for new pastoral leadership, or the overwhelming news of divisi...
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Grafting Grace

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  Date:  March 22, 2026 Location:  Stetson Memorial UMC  The Mystery of Grafting Friends, have you ever imagined a single tree bearing  40 different kinds of fruit ? Professor Sam Van Aken, a sculptor from Syracuse University, created a  "Tree of 40 Fruit"  using the technique of grafting. On this single tree, you can find peaches, plums, apricots, cherries, and nectarines. By choosing the biblical number "40"—reminiscent of the 40 days and nights of Noah’s flood—he artistically expressed growth, hope, and resurrection rising out of hardship. This principle of grafting was a very familiar agricultural technique in the ancient Near East. In  Romans 11 , the Apostle Paul uses this imagery to explain the salvation of the Gentiles. Normally, farmers graft a high-quality branch onto a sturdy wild olive root to increase the yield. However, Paul presents a stunning  reversal : God took us—the "wild olive branches" who could not bear good fruit—and g...
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The Living Letters

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(2 Corinthians 3:1-3, 7:8-11) 3/15/26  <  Memorable Letters  in  Our Lives  > Dearly beloved sisters and brothers in Christ. What is the most meaningful and memorable letter in your life? Is it a love letter from your spouse, or a letter from your parents who have passed away? Perhaps it is a letter of encouragement, or one where you wrote things that were hard to say in person. I once wrote several letters to my brother, but he didn't read them because I wrote so much.  He didn ’ t read my  pastoral  letter, but called me.  I also learned that writing can be a unique form of discipline; the other day, I asked one of my children to write me a letter about her bad behavior. She wrote,  "I am so sorry for my bad attitude toward you..." From this, I learned something good: writing letters is a nice punishment! I’m thinking of having my children write an entire book as a punishment, and then I will publish it. ”   Nursing home res...
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