Title: God of Harmony
Contents
Sermon: August 24, 2003
Summer Retreat "Peace Prayer Worship" Evidence of the Word
"A story of peace in four themes"
The first story, "The God of Harmony" - Brother Koh Dong-Ho
While preparing a story on the theme of 'inner peace' for the retreat, I decided to first find out what the word peace means. But, astonishingly at that moment, I realized that in more than 40 years of my life, I had never once thought deeply and seriously about peace. As I pondered the reason, it seems that the word peace was so abstract and difficult that I could not even think about it. So, I first looked up the meaning of the word peace through the search bar on the Internet, but I was very disappointed. There, it was said that peace is a state in which there is no armed conflict between human groups, and the Korean dictionary says that the world is at peace without war. Is peace really without conflict and without war? I couldn't agree. Rather than such a passive meaning, I thought there would be something active and active.
If peace is simply the absence of conflict, then I am a very peaceful person. I am not harmed by others, but I try to live my life without bumping into other people as much as possible so as not to harm others. But is this really a peaceful life? Such a conflict-free life, based on the indifference, cynicism, and apathy toward others, contained within me, would not be peace. These internal flaws are too painful for me. I try a lot to improve, but I am always frustrated and resentful and hopeless at myself.
So I looked up the English dictionary and found that peace, as you all know, is peace. This didn't even come close to me. But the moment I saw the word harmony written in a corner, I thought it was the closest word to peace. 'Peace and God' seems abstract and difficult, but 'Harmony and God' seems concrete and easy. Peace is not a simple concept without conflict, but an active concept that pursues harmony in the midst of various conflicts.
I feel God when I hear words such as harmony, harmony, and rhythm. No 'Harmony!' Then, sometimes, I think that I am not God. Isn't this 'harmony of all things in the universe' really God? For the sake of harmony (peace), which is God's will, didn't Jesus emphasize that we should be reconciled so much? So, I define 'God of Harmony' and 'Jesus of Harmony' in my own way.
Inner peace is more difficult. In my case, I have a structure that maintains a balance only when there is a certain amount of anxiety (different from tension) within myself. At one time, I was very interested in Buddhism, so I went to church in the morning to worship, and in the afternoon to go to a temple to meditate. It is true that some inner peace is realized through meditation in Buddhism, but as I said earlier, if peace is not a personal issue, I have been thinking deeply about how this meditation can harmonize with all other things. Therefore, in my opinion, the most important thing for peace is 'notwithstanding'. Even though I myself, we, and all things are faced with so many problems and conflicts, nevertheless, the step toward harmony I feel is peace. And I think that peace begins with truly and deeply loving yourself. We must have the power to truly value ourselves and love ourselves deeply.