Pentecost 5: Galatians 5:1, 13-25; Luke 9:51-56
June 27, 2010
When our youngest son left for a year in Korea many asked if we were not concerned for his safety. Of course, we were. But now that Jean and I have been there ourselves, we can make a much better assessment. We stayed in the city of Seoul 8-9 million people. David was our tour guide.
SLIDE 1: Airport with students
From the moment we arrived until we left we never felt any danger. In fact it was just the opposite. We saw the fruits of the spirit as Paul describes in Galatians 5 - "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." As we were waiting for David to meet us in the airport we were approached by 3 high school students who asked if they could interview us. They asked where we were from, why we had come to Korea, and so forth. Their assignment was to take the information gathered and write a story about it for their creative writing class.
Children were especially friendly and would practice their English on us: "Hi how are you? Are you Americans?" And when we said something back to show we understood them they knew they had done well.
SLIDE 2: steel ball
One day out of the blue a young man on a motorcycle stopped and offered to take this picture of Jean and I standing by this silver ball.
SLIDE 3: man on cycle
As he climbed back on his cycle, I took his picture. David's co-workers and friends were also very generous to us as well.
According to tradition the young are expected to be kind and respectful of those who are older. Subways and buses have designated seating for persons with infirmities, pregnant women and so forth. Sometimes when we got on a subway or bus someone would offer their seat to us. That was the good news. The bad news was that sometimes when we got on the subway or bus someone would offer their seat to us.
SLIDE 4: garbage cans
Seoul was amazingly clean given its size. See how neatly the extra garbage has been placed on top of these garbage receptacles
SLIDE 5: garbage on seat
and how neatly the garbage is arranged on this concrete bench where there is no garbage can. I thought this was incredible to take this much care to stack garbage neatly rather than just drop it on the streets for someone else to sweep up. We also did not see any graffiti at all either on buildings or in the subways like you would see here.
SLIDE 6: photo spot
We visited popular tourist sites in downtown Seoul and the Blue House where the President lives. Of course we wanted to find that perfect "photo spot" too. After a lot of walking we found it here. David is admiring. Aside from the touristy places though we also strolled through neighborhoods well off the beaten path and we were the only foreigners visible. But everywhere we went the people were smiling, very friendly and kind. One day I said to Jean: "You know, I think we are safer here than we would be walking in Chicago or even through Springfield."
The next week after we got back home I attended Annual Conference in Peoria. On the second day it was announced that one of the lay members was attacked and mugged in the motel parking lot less than 2 blocks from where we were meeting.
SLIDE 7: "a feeling fine day"
People seemed as genuinely happy and positive minded about their lives as this sign we found in the subway: "HAVE A FEELING FINE DAY." Even though there is an enemy to the North, this did not seem to bother people much. And so I began to wonder WHY? Why so much happiness in Korea?
In contrast the news here is often filled with unhappiness, discontent, strife, and anger. Bishop Palmer noted the problem of "conflict"within congregations which is why he will make 'conflict resolution' a major priority as our Bishop here. I also think about the unhappiness that destroys families and homes here. Why does the level of satisfaction here seem so low at times and why does it seem so high in Korea?
SLIDE 8: Worship
It should be noted that Korea has experienced a major Christian revival in recent years. Roughly 49% of the population is now Christian. They are very active. Korea is also home to Kumnan Church the largest UMC in the world with over 120,000 members. Our son attends a high rise Presbyterian Church. Inside above the main floor there are several balconies. We sat in one of the balconies on the front row with special earphones to hear the service translated. Notice that there are no empty seats in the first row on the main floor. Could the vitality of the religious faith in Korea explain at least in part the high level of happiness and satisfaction we observed there?
SLIDE 9: Sunday school picnic
We did see many fruits of the Spirit. Our connection to Christ should be a factor in the level of happiness and satisfaction we experience in life. Studies show that those with a sincere faith commitment are able to handle stress more constructively and are healthier. I came home with a renewed sense of mission about the blessings "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." It was not that we don't see these fruits here, but rather being in a strange place and experiencing them as a foreigner, as someone from outside a culture this made me much more appreciative of how important the fruits are. They are the signs that make you feel at home even in a strange place.
SLIDE 10: sculpture of men reading papers with Jean
Often we can take the fruits of the Spirit for granted. We become so familiar with one another that we fall back into our old nature or what Paul calls "the works of the flesh." Sometimes we may think of these "works of the flesh" as only physical sins involving our bodies. But they also include things like idolatry or the worship of false gods. They include "enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy." Whether a physical desire or our egotism, all the works of the flesh reflect our self-centeredness. We become stuck on what we want and resent anyone who might impinge on our freedom to have it all our way. And so churches can become cliquish toward outsiders who are different.
SLIDE 11: Sculpture of man bench
Even the disciples were infected with some of this. When a town in Samaria did not receive them, they ask Jesus if they should "command fire to come down from heaven and consume them." 'Let's punish our enemies, in other words.' But Jesus said NO and they moved on to another village. Paul warns that those who are driven by the works of the flesh "will not inherit the kingdom of God."
SLIDE 12: Purple flower
Scholars have noted that in all his writings Paul never says much about the teachings of Christ. But in Galatians he does and it is very important: The whole law is summed up in a single commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Paul says that it is love that sets us free from the works of the flesh. Because of the strife and anger, the quarrels and jealousy stimulated by our concern for self, we do in fact become slaves to ourselves. Only love sets us free and when it does the spirit of Christ produces beautiful blossoms of "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control" in abundance.
SLIDE 13: BACK HOE
This is what impressed us about Korea - many fruits of the Spirit and very few works of the flesh. Well there was one. This back hoe with a jack hammer just about 100 feet from our room was our daily alarm clock. It started hammering on a slab of concrete about 6 a.m.
SLIDE 14: Lantern tree
But otherwise our experience in Korea was a reaffirmation of what we know to be true here at home, but can easily take for granted that the fruits of Christ are a tremendous blessing to the life of the community in which we live. Good things flow from these fruits and bring joy and a higher level of inward happiness to all. It is the fruits of Christ living in God's people that impresses those who may not know Christ yet and is the key to drawing them to the Lord.
SLIDE 15: feeling fine day
Having been treated so kindly as a foreigner, I pray that we may treat others as kindly too whether they are foreigners from another land or just Americans like us. When a new person visits worship I pray that every one of us would take it upon themselves to help them find a seat or to give them your seat if needed. I pray that every one of us might have the courage go out of our way to speak to visitors and welcome them with a smile. "Hi, how are you? Where you from?" "We are glad that you are here today." I pray that every one of us would care about the cleanliness of the building by picking up after themselves and putting garbage where it belongs.
I pray that those who visit here will see the fruits of the Spirit living in us for the whole law of God is summed up in one commandment. "Love thy neighbor as yourself." Where the fruits of the Spirit flourish then everyone can "have a feeling fine day."