Tag: Rev. Jaebok Gu

Philippians 4:4–7, Psalm 136:1-14, and Luke 3:7–18

 

Through today’s sermon, I would like to look at Jesus from the aspect of Joy. The more I meditated on the connection between joy and Jesus, the more I asked this question. ‘Was the baby Jesus happy?’ What do you think? Was Jesus happy about being born in the land of Israel? When theologians introduce Jesus, they often express that the Word became flesh. Before coming to this earth, Jesus was with God. Jesus existed as the logos itself before creation. How did Jesus think about God’s plan? I couldn’t easily understand Jesus’ thoughts. However, how much did Jesus know when he came to this earth? As we know, Isaiah 53:5 writes: “But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” Yes, Jesus knew the purpose of his coming to this earth, and he seemed to know the timing. The prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane and several passages in the Old Testament partially mention the various things Jesus must do.

The more I think about it, the more strange it becomes. We cannot recognize God’s will and plan. Recently, while studying the Bible on Wednesday evenings, I meditated on the strangeness of God through various ICONs. On the one hand, it is very mysterious, but on the other hand, I feel that God the Father is harsh towards Jesus. Of course, ironically, we can all understand the point of view that Jesus was given to us and offered a peace offering as a ransom in the manner of the previous Israelites. However, I can’t deny that a question mark arises inside me. The more Jesus suffers, the more we can see that God loves us, but there is a mystery in which our feelings of regret and gratitude to Jesus deepen. When we think about Israel 2,000 years ago, it was a ruined country. It was a country that was under colonial rule. Jesus came as a poor baby from a famous family in a tiny rural area in that country. Is this a situation to be happy about? Mary, pregnant with baby Jesus, was anxious at first. The society at that time was like that too. However, paradoxically, while reading Psalm 136, I was able to resolve the questions I had.

Jesus, who came as a perfect god and a perfect human, took on our sins. We Christians confess that. Jesus, who trusted God, faithfully carried out God’s plan. And I believe he knew about the resurrection beyond life on this earth and the sending of the Holy Spirit to this earth in place of Jesus. But at the same time, Jesus, who had a human body, had to experience all suffering personally. So, as I read the Psalms, I have no choice but to be thankful as the author intended. I’m not sure if I’m thankful because I’m happy or happy because I’m thankful. However, I naturally confess my gratitude to God and Jesus at this point in Advent. Thank you, God. Thank you, Jesus.

After Gratitude, Joy follows. There is someone who loves me this much, and the fog of fear disappears. I feel that the distance between Jesus and joy is disappearing. Yes, that’s right. Jesus himself is joy, and he gives joy to us as a gift during this season of Advent. He declares joy into our lives. Although I may encounter complex problems, someone supports me until the end. There is someone who hugs me even in situations where I have no choice but to be sad. There is someone in my life who declares joy. And there is one who commands us to be happy. This fact brings me comfort. So, the words of the Philippians are very touching. This is verse 4. “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” Even though my heart is dark due to war, famine, conflict, climate crisis, political instability, drug addiction, homelessness issues around the world, and various problems at home, Paul declares: “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Even if we don’t know whether we are thankful because we are happy or the cause-and-effect relationship, everyone, please rejoice. “The Lord is near.” (5)

So how should we wait for Jesus, who comes as the King of joy? The Apostle Paul and Luke present us with the following two things. The first is to communicate with God through prayer and petition with Thanksgiving. Paul advised that if you believe that there is a God, that He is the Lord with the power to solve any problem that comes to mankind, and that He is the One who rewards those who seek Him, you should not worry but rather pray to God. They are the prayers offered with a heart of worship to God and the prayers requesting what is needed. This is because these privileges are given to us by God.

Sometimes, some children look forward to Santa Claus more than baby Jesus at Christmas. More accurately, they expect presents than Santa Claus. Of course, I told my kids I had delegated all this work to me since Santa Claus was getting old and Canada Post was on strike.

So, I bought gifts for my children that cost less than $20. Children often ask whether there is a Santa Claus. Then I reply that those who believe will receive gifts, but those who do not think so will naturally not receive gifts prepared by Santa Claus. And naturally, the kids ask me to do it. Why is that so? Because I am their dad. And I also request God every day. I ask for the well-being of our church members, blessings in the workplace, and our children. By what authority do I ask? This is what we request as children of God. But very mysteriously, there are times when God avoids an immediate answer. Paul’s experience of God seems to refer to timing, just as a parent knows when a child asks for jelly every day that it is not good. As Philippians verse 7 says, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” He testifies that God will keep our hearts and minds. Amazingly, when we ask for what we desire, God will guard our hearts, even if the response sometimes takes a long time and feels rejected. And these are very gracious words. We will be delighted if we can be thankful and happy even if what we hope for does not come true. I hope that God’s answers and joy will come to our lives.

Lastly, John requested the following from the people of various classes who came to him for baptism: To tax collectors, he says: “Don’t collect any more than you are required to.” To those soldiers, he says, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.” To people, he says, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.” Putting this together, we can know how to use the love and talents we have been given. And the person who knows it best is you. I hope this week will be when we receive the Lord, who joyfully came to us as good news. I hope you and your friends can enjoy this joyful and surprising news that will naturally bring about gratitude. God will set us free. Amen.

Malachi 3:1–4; Psalm 85; Luke 1:68–79

 

How have you been this past week? I feel conflicted because of the breaking news from my home country. The president, who has a far-right bias, made a bad choice after watching biased YouTube repeatedly. So, he declared martial law, but the National Assembly blocked it. Last Tuesday night, the President, through the Minister of Defense, mobilized elite forces to attempt to arrest and paralyze the National Assembly, the National Election Commission, and some journalists. Fortunately, the democratic process and the resistance of conscientious soldiers did not escalate into a civil war, but the incident was enough to shatter my peace of mind.

What are the reasons that break the peace in your life? When we often lose peace in life, God gives us messages through the Bible. First, it tells us who God is. Today’s text from the Gospel of Luke is Benedictus of Zacharias, sung by John the Baptist’s father, Zacharias, who was filled with the Holy Spirit after he had been unable to speak for 10 months after he was born. Zacharias served as a priest for a long time. He sang that the appearance of the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament was near. He believed God gave his Son to prepare the way for the Messiah. He thought God would come and redeem his people. The original word translated as come is ‘episceptomai,’ which expresses God’s direct interest in His children. For instance, Sarah was well past the age of having children. However, as in Chapter 21 of Genesis, God came to Sarah, who was suffering from infertility. At this time, the author used this word. Also, in Chapter 1 of the Book of Ruth, during the time of the Judges, when there was a famine in the land of Canaan and the people were suffering, God visited them. So, in verse 6, it says, “The LORD had given his people a good harvest.” The Bible author also uses this word at this time. Through this, we can see God’s grace and love toward people in tribulation and crisis.

God saves us from our enemies and has compassion for his children. He is the one who keeps the oath he promised to Abraham. So, the Creator protects us in the world’s crises. In our religious life, God saves through the forgiveness of our sins so that we do not go down the path of death due to sin. If we look at verses 78 and 79 of Luke’s Gospel, “⁷⁸ because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven ⁷⁹ to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” Therefore, I pray for those living in darkness. We hope Jesus, the Prince of Peace, will come to Red Deer and places where God’s light is needed, including our homes and homeless shelters.

Second, what does God require of us? In Malachi 3:3, “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness.” The Messiah wants His people to be pure. God wanted the corrupt descendants of Levi to be clean. For us living in the 21st century, God wants us to be pure. Ultimately, it is to maintain the purity of serving God. It’s about giving God time in my life. It is living according to the will of God. God wants my life to be an offering. If we meditate on Jesus Christ, who became a living offering between God and humans, we can also offer a Righteous offering to God. We can give material things to God. We can also provide with our hearts. This is a holy life. This is a sacred life. It is a distinct and differentiated life. This is an offering in which my soul is pure, and there is no inconvenience for God to dwell in. I hope we can meet baby Jesus with this purity.

So then, what should we prepare for the Prince of Peace? It’s time to go beyond the spiritual aspects of purity and fear and meditate on public righteousness. American Christian ethicist Reinhold Niebuhr wrote “Moral Man and Immoral Society” long ago. However, when we look around the world, we frequently see unethical human behavior. Seventy years ago, the country had a good wheat harvest, and stocks were building up. Of course, some of this wheat was sent to poor countries, but in the end, the accumulated inventory was dumped into the Pacific Ocean. The goal was to raise wheat prices. Sometimes, some societies overdosed their livestock, including cows and pigs, with antibiotics. At times, we have had to witness the emergence of numerous homeless people due to the failure to prevent the excessive profit-seeking of real estate developers in metro cities. We sometimes had to stand by and watch our leaders make wrong policy decisions. However, none of this is easy. In verse 10 of Psalm, the poet expresses: “Love and faithfulness meet together; righteousness and peace kiss each other.” Love, faithfulness, righteousness, and peace are, in fact, attributes that are difficult to harmonize with each other. Righteousness refers to the principles set by God. As a representative example of God’s principle, God punishes according to human actions. We frequently witness this aspect of God in the Old Testament. In other words, God’s principle is to punish those who commit sins and reward those who do good. And that is God’s action based on righteousness. Therefore, peace has no place before righteousness. However, the poet expresses. “Righteousness and peace kiss each other.

 

Then, my beloved, how does the poet say that love and faithfulness meet together and that righteousness and peace kiss each other? This is impossible for humans. But it is possible with Almighty God. In God, these seemingly conflicting attributes are in perfect harmony. An event that demonstrates such ideal harmony is the cross redemption of Jesus Christ. The truth of God, the righteousness of God, is for sinners to die. According to the principles and righteousness established by God, sinners can never live. ‘The wages of sin is death’ is a principle established by God, and God’s righteousness must enforce this. However, God is a God of righteousness, mercy, and peace. That is why God could not stand and watch sinners die because of their sins. God adopted an extraordinary method to harmonize these opposing qualities. It was sending the sinless Jesus Christ to this world.

Yes. God sent Jesus Christ to our side as the Prince of Peace for this challenging task. He comes into our lives today as well. Through the Bible and prayer, God inspires us. Even if the life of righteousness and peace is difficult and we fail, God gives us grace and mercy to try again. The grace that offers a new day as a gift. Although the path of righteousness is complex, the Bible tells us there is peace. “Righteousness goes before him and prepares the way for his steps.” Dear everyone, Let us walk together on this path of righteousness and peace. The Lord will be with you; Amen.

Jeremiah 33:14–16, Psalm 25:1–10, and 1 Thessalonians 3:9–13

 

People who expect tomorrow to be better than today make their friends happy. The hope that tomorrow will be better gives people energy. On the other hand, if today is more challenging than yesterday and will become more complicated as time passes, we will be very challenged. Since I entered seminary about 20 years ago, I have heard many people say that I am very optimistic recently.

I was not that optimistic. My hometown was a coastal village with a population of about 10,000, and the population was continuously decreasing. The mood in the city was bleak, so I decided to move out of my hometown and attend high school. Afterward, I entered a boarding high school in a city of 100,000 people, an hour away, and could enter theological college without difficulty.

But the strange thing is that I entered the seminary and studied the Bible and sociology. The more I learned, the more I questioned the absurdity of society and the existence of God. The absurdity of politics, economic inequality, and the atmosphere of military and financial dependence on the United States weighed on me in my twenties. So, at that time, I was a seminary student who had no charm at all and was not spiffy at all. I used to meditate on the problematic people in the world, and at the same time, I would make faces full of all sorts of worries. I had no expectations for the future, and I lived with worry and sighing, immersed in earthly affairs rather than heavenly events. It was a time of despair and frustration rather than hope.

However, the mysterious thing is that people change, and cities change. Since attending seminary, I have always volunteered at church every weekend, and I was a student minister from an early age. In Korean church culture, I had to wear a formal suit every week, lead praise and teach Bible stories in front of children and adults. I tried to brighten my expression in front of many people as if I had another persona, and while doing my military duty, I started dating and started to change as a person. My hometown began to change into a young city as projects supported by the government began. So, the hometown I remember and the hometown my wife first saw had different images.

There were negative and despairing feelings within me, but when I look into my heart, I think that my grandparent, my parents’ prayers, my dream of becoming a pastor, and my desire to continue to hold on to Jesus Christ have changed me today. Because Christ is the only hope.

David’s prayer in Psalm 25 is also like this. “¹ In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. ⁴ Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths.” What kind of person is David? As we all know, he was a hero who defeated the enemies of Israel. However, he was envied and hated by King Saul. Although he was a war hero, he was always in danger of losing his life. He was betrayed by his comrades who had faced death with him. He was forced to live as a fugitive for a while. Yesterday’s heroes are labeled today’s criminals. He is betrayed even by his son and leaves the palace. What hope is there for David? As verse 5 says, “For you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.” Yes, David was a man who lay down to sleep, and tomorrow was more hopeless, but he sang of the God of salvation. He was in a dark situation where he did not have enough to eat, and he did not know who would betray him again tomorrow, but he still sang of God’s goodness. He continues to expect God’s love and kindness.

We can pray like David. We can sing. We can spend this Advent season relying on the love of God who is good. We all encounter problems, big and small, in our lives, but let us rely on God together and overcome the trials. Even when health problems arise or financial difficulties arise, let us meditate and expect the grace of the Lord. Let us plead like David. Let us ask for the Lord’s goodness and mercy. The hand of goodness will surround us.

Next, let us remember that Jesus, who is our hope, will surely come. Jeremiah recorded the following: “¹⁴ “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord, ‘when I will fulfill the good promise I made to the people of Israel and Judah. ¹⁵ “‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land.” The hand of God, who is just, will do what is just and right on this earth.

In Malawi, 15-year-old Zinenani took on the responsibility of caring for her younger siblings after their mother’s death and their father leaving to find work in Mozambique. Zinenani became the caretaker of their household.

She said, “Though we stay in a roofed house, we have been going through a lot of challenges. I am the elder sister to my little brother and sister, and they depend on me for support. I go out to fetch food for us to eat, I struggle to find food, and sometimes we go together to do piecework. We haven’t attended classes frequently because of this. Members of the community sometimes support us, but not regularly. We lack basic needs such as soap and clothes, and we don’t have enough bedding to use,” Zinenani shares.”

She faced challenges in providing food, attending school regularly, and lacked basic necessities. Then, a community-based program for orphans and vulnerable children supported by PWS&D’s partner, Mulanje Mission Hospital, intervened. The program supplied essentials like food, offered free medical care, and provided school necessities. It also offered vocational skills training for out-of-school youth, including Zinenani and her siblings. Enrollment in this program alleviated some of Zinenani’s burdens, allowing her and her siblings to regain normalcy. Zinenani expressed gratitude for the program and its donors, recognizing the significant impact on their lives.

I am proud that our offerings are contributing to this valuable ministry. And we are grateful that someone sees hope through our dedication. We are being used as God’s tools.

Dear friends, “Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” For students who studied hard, the day when the test results are announced is a day to look forward to. On the other hand, that day will be a trial for students who did not prepare for the test and could not solve the problems correctly. Therefore, we need to wake up, pray, and live today as people of hope. Why is that? Because God will indeed send Jesus Christ to this earth. Therefore, we wait for Jesus Christ, the King of Hope, to come to this Advent. May we have the opportunity to introduce Jesus Christ, who came to us as hope, to our family and friends. Let’s live this week with the grace of the Lord and the gospel. Amen.

John 18:33-37, Psalm 93, and Revelation 1:4b-8

 

Who is Jesus to you? Among the two biggest pillars of the Christian church calendar, Easter and Advent, we are approaching Advent. At this time, I meditate on who Jesus is to me. Last week, when white snow fell beautifully, I thought of Jesus as I swept the snow in front of my house and the yard in front of the church. One day, I saw a homeless person covering himself with his clothes on the corner of the west side of the church building and another day, I thought of Jesus when I saw a church member coming to church. Last week, while driving to visit church members, I imagined church members driving this road and coming to church. Thinking about the dedication of those who attended church with their parents or served the current Knox Presbyterian Church alone, I feel joyful and grateful. Church, the body of Christ. It is the holy church of God and a forward base for missions on this earth. To become that church, we gather at Knox Presbyterian Church, and we all live as one church.

Today’s Gospel of John introduces us to who Jesus is and to what country Jesus belongs. In verse 36, Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world. But now my kingdom is from another place.” The kingdom of God is not of the world. Among theologians, some argued for the two kingdoms theory regarding this passage. At times, some fundamentalists misinterpreted this and avoided responsibility for the world we live in, focusing only on their religious life and the church. But we do know. The gospel of God’s kingdom leads us to live with the eyes and values of Jesus Christ. So, we live with our feet on this earth, but our eyes and values ​​are set on the kingdom of God. As citizens of the kingdom of God, we live in the world, but we do not belong to the world. It is very paradoxical, but if we understand this mysterious principle, we can experience a different level of freedom. We can still be grateful even if we don’t live in a ten-million-dollar house. Even if we don’t have much money, we can still donate a toonie or $5 to the Salvation Army’s kettle. Christians who have the time to look after their neighbors can experience heaven on earth.

So we can welcome the coming season of Advent with joy. Just as we decorate the Christmas tree here, we now await the birth of Jesus Christ, the King of Truth. Through the Bible and prayer, we hear the voice of the Lord, who comes to testify the truth. So we can belong to the truth and listen to the voice of Jesus Christ, as verse 37 says.

So, what additional changes will there be when the King, Lord, comes to this earth? When we live our faith and confess Jesus Christ as our Lord, we can experience the following changes. As Revelation verse 5 says, “he has freed us from our sins by his blood.” Jesus obeyed God’s plan for my salvation. He makes us free. And John prophesies that He will come on a cloud. While driving, I am sometimes amazed by the beautiful sky, clouds, and plains. So, with a bit of a joke, I predict that Jesus will come to Alberta, which has a lot of nice clouds, before any other place.

However, the mysterious fact is that when Jesus Christ comes again, it will not simply be the end of the world because the new heaven and new earth will open through the second coming of Christ. Even when the history of the universe ends, and the Earth is destroyed, God will move us to His new concept of space. So we can live with fear and trembling on the one hand and confidence on the other. We can live with the faith that He has saved us and with the confidence that He will guide us.

Dearly beloved, God exists beyond the human concept of time from creation to the end. God had the apostle John write the Book of Revelation through a vision. This means that God, who exists forever, even after thousands or tens of thousands of years, continues to accept humans as His people and children. We who come to this earth to live for a while can meditate on our role here and worship God. All we have to do is fulfill our responsibilities to care for our neighbors and preserve creation.

When we are in pain or difficult, we conflict with God. Sometimes, we always use His love as a weapon to force Him.

“If you deeply love me, why don’t you do what I want?”

“You say you love me? Prove it to me right now!”

People in difficulties always rely on God’s love and expect His power to be revealed. But God’s answer is this: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”(John 3:16)

He did not give us ‘power’ because He loves us, but He gave us His ‘only Son’ because He loves us. This is God’s love. He sometimes gives us the power we need in our situations, and sometimes He doesn’t. We should not doubt God’s love because of that. God’s love is proven through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus alone is sufficient. Jesus is coming soon. Let’s welcome him.

Amen.

 

Daniel 12:1-3, Psalm 16, and Hebrews 10:11-25

 

A missionary named Stanley Jones (1884-1972) has been going to India to spread Christianity since 1907. He occasionally held religious conversations with Mahatma Gandhi and worked to spread the gospel to India’s 1.2 billion people.

Stanley Jones contrasts the Indian idea of ​​karma with the cross. If you don’t “overcome the Indian fatalism and karma of cause and effect,” which holds that your past life determines your present life, then difficulties will make you even more depressed. When they face hardship, they say, “What can I do? This is all my karma.” They cannot move forward and retreat in a tight system of rewards and punishments. So, they say: “If Jesus had not been such an evil person in his past life, he would not have suffered such severe pain on the cross….” For them, suffering is the conclusion of sin and the result of failure. Avoiding pain, if possible, is the best solution.

But Christians do not think so. Now, we see the unique perspective and horizon of suffering that Christianity has on suffering that is different from other religions or ideologies. “Suffering for another person in his stead is something that cannot be understood with the idea of ​​karma.” The nature and meaning of Jesus’ suffering is an act of grace for others. This was exemplified in Isaiah’s suffering servant and was fulfilled in the cross of Christ. That is why many of God’s people participate in the suffering of their neighbors for no reason.

We call it ‘redemptive suffering.’ It is suffering on behalf of others, and it is the belief that such suffering saves others and me. This is a unique understanding of suffering that is unique to Christianity. Without this, we cannot understand the suffering of Christ, and it is impossible to establish the rightful position of the cross. It is the ultimate explanation of suffering and a guideline for practice. Therefore, we can believe in the tears of God, who suffers on our behalf without sin, rather than a God who glares at us and tells us to be thankful for any suffering unconditionally. We can believe in Jesus’ unreasonable, never-ending love on the cross.

If so, it would be fortunate if we did not encounter this deep suffering in our lives, but we are well aware that it is inevitable that we will experience it from time to time. When we go through hardships and tribulations, what options do we have?

First, please rely on God, who is our hope. When I am having a hard time, who do I call? I contact people I can rely on, such as my family, friends, teachers, and mentors, and ask for advice. However, not everyone can help me, ideally in my troubles and problems. It is challenging to receive perfect support due to time constraints, spatial differences, and lack of resources. In times like these, we can ask for help from the all and perfect God. Why is that so?

God alone is my portion and my cup; you make my lot safe(5). Therefore, as David confessed in verse 8, “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” What a wonderful and confident confession! We will not be shaken when we turn to God and ask for help. God showed this path of life to David, and He shows us the same way today. Therefore, dear friends, I hope you meet the Lord, who shows you the path to life in times of trouble. May we trust that He will give us the gift of fullness of joy and everlasting pleasure.

Second, let us lead our neighbors to the path of life that I have experienced. The book of Daniel testifies that during the time of tribulation, all those who are written in the book will be saved. Sharing the gospel with family, friends, and neighbors is sometimes difficult. Sometimes, it is not easy to talk about God or take a walk with a Bible to someone who is not religious. However, we are children of God, children of light. As we lead many to the light, we will shine like the brightness of the heavens, like the stars for ever and ever. It is the path to life and living hope. So, we sometimes have to persuade and often recommend this path.

Last Thursday, I visited three families of church members and attended a special gathering in the evening. The purpose of the meeting was for young believers to have conversations about faith with Anglican priests, Lutheran pastors, and Presbyterian pastors.

The meeting works with people who have grown up in evangelical environments who have walked away from the faith because they can’t reconcile fundamentalim with the real world. We seek to show them that there are environments in the church where they can talk about things like science and religion. We had the opportunity to meet with mainline pastors so that they can know that they don’t have to reject the church altogether.

I was the only person of color and an immigrant among those gathered there. It is not enough to say that I represent the Presbyterian Church because the Presbyterian Church has a very large spectrum in the world. To put it simply, they talked to me for over two hours about various topics, including evolution, views on homosexuality, and the ordination of women. It was not easy to discuss late at night with pastors and young people for nearly three hours. Of course, I could have declined the invitation offer. However, some people had temporarily strayed from the path of hope and were trying to get back on track. Therefore, I gathered courage and tried to share my thoughts as much as possible. Of course, it is not enough time to convey everything I know, but I hope the Holy Spirit will fill in what is lacking and open their hearts and ears.

At the end of the meeting, I asked them a question. This is something we share with our church sessions and board members, which is to study the meaning of the church’s presence in the region. I asked them what role they expected from their local church and what they could do within their community or within the church. Then, a young man responded. When I look at a church, what comes to mind is that there is good bonding and intimacy between members and that they also do activities to serve the disadvantaged. Believing in God, studying the Word, encouraging church members, and finding things that can be done outside the church building and into the world with the strength gathered.

Dear Friends, When I look at the Red Deer Census these days, I am surprised to see that more young people live in this area than I thought. Of course, we don’t know in detail how many thousands of them live downtown. There are 15,000 people over 65 and 85,000 people under 65. Of these, 24,000 people are under the age of 19. There are about 30,000 families with children, so I see that Red Deer is a relatively young city with a lot of people, from older adults to children. Therefore, our church will continue to look for various roles to respect adults, respect children, and lead them on the path of hope that we can. I interpret that as God’s will in sending us into the world and as a teaching from the Bible to lead many people to the light.

Beloved, God is our hope. And all of us are God’s hope. Let us rely on God this week and live a hope-filled life, trusting in God again. I hope that you and I, as well as our Knox Presbyterian Church, can be the hope of Red Deer.