Title: Practice in Everyday Life
修行 in the daily life
Psalm 104:1-30
Maybe it's because I'm one of those who participated in the community of faith to be carved, there are people who sometimes ask me basic questions. ‘What is the true nature of Sae-gil? Do you think our faith is growing?’ I cannot give a deep theological answer to the first question, so I have no choice but to give an answer that I think of in my own way. In other words, ‘We are walking the path of following Jesus together’. This reminds me of 道伴 (a friend who cultivates the Tao together). Friends who are quietly looking for the Way and walking along the road together.
Regarding the second question - the growth of faith - I am not confident at all, but I think, 'Perhaps there will be no noticeable or noticeable change in faith, but if you continue to keep your faith with the hope that one day you will reach it, (spiral journey) - I'm going round and round, but I'm steadily climbing towards the end.'
For Jesus follower, it would be most desirable to actively seek the way of Jesus while always praying, but I am thinking of an alternative that can be realized in our daily life. Even if I can't always pray, whenever I encounter conflicts and worries in my daily life, I wonder if I can once again reflect on myself so that I can not do what Jesus does not want.
There was a sculptor who carved horses out of wood. Since the work is so similar to a horse, when I asked, ‘How do you make it so well?’, the sculptor replied, ‘I only brush off things that are not like a horse’. Rather than being discouraged or frustrated because we can't do what Jesus wants, if we say that 'not doing what Jesus doesn't want' is the first step to following Jesus, would it be too passive? This is what I am trying to say while looking at the reality of people who are passionately shouting for Jesus while doing things that Jesus does not want them to do.
Among the things that Jesus does not want, the first thing that can be said is human self-righteousness, self-righteousness, and monopoly. How much are we destroying the 'True Beautiful World of the Lord' because of our own comfort and convenience? How far have we tried to rule out our competitors in order to outsmart others? How much have we sacrificed for our suffering neighbors? To what extent have we tried to present ourselves to be seen as better than others?
Regarding this, perhaps, we have to think of consideration for others and self-control first. Recognizing and respecting the value of everything that exists, including the 'preservation and completion of the creative order', would be the basis of consideration. This must also be accompanied by moderation in actions and words for oneself.
I think these days that the use of air conditioning symbolizes the wall that divides us inside and outside. In our traditional hanok, all the doors were left open and the cool breeze was blowing in the hot summer. However, when you turn on the air conditioner, all doors must be closed. When the air conditioner is turned on, it cools the room, but the temperature outside is inevitably higher because of that. When the air conditioner is turned on, the interior becomes cooler only when it is warmer outside. The reason why we feel hotter than in the past may be in our hearts that only air conditioning can keep us warm.
Looking at the statistics of tropical nights in Seoul last year, Gangnam-gu had 20 days, while Gangbuk-gu had 8 days and Dobong-gu, Guro-gu, and Gwanak-gu had 9 days. It means living in a hotter place in proportion to the house price. The reason may be in the use of exhaust heat and air conditioning in apartments and skyscrapers, as well as automobiles. It must be an example of living without foreseeing the great damage and the disaster to come in order to be comfortable only for oneself.
I will introduce something to remind you of what it means to be poor, which is believed to have been written by an Englishman.
From an affordable home in the city, he was sent to a country farmer's home to help his young son realize what it meant to lack the conveniences he now enjoys at home. After spending three days and three nights in the countryside, the father asked his son, ‘What did you learn?’ My son said, ‘Of course.’ He said nine things.
First, we only have one dog, and there are four of them.
Second, we have a swimming pool that smells of disinfectant in the garden, and there is a clear stream where various fish and beasts are playing.
Third, at night, we turn on the lights to illuminate the yard, where the moon and stars illuminate the yard.
Fourth, our yard is up to the wall of our house, but the countryside is as far as we can see.
Fifth, we have to buy food at the market, where we grow and eat.
Sixth, we listen to music through CDs, and rural people live brightly with the beautiful sounds of nature and symphonies of birds, crickets and domestic animals. Sometimes, the voices of neighbors who work in the field next door sound like accompaniment.
Seventh, in the countryside, we make food with a slow fire, and we make food with electronic cookers, but we do not know the real taste.
Eighth, we protect our house with fences and anti-theft bells, and even if we leave all the doors open there, we seem to take care of each other well.
Ninth, we depend on our cell phones, computers, and televisions to live, where the sun, the sky, the earth, and our livestock and our families are enjoyable enough. When the father was amazed by his son's experience in the countryside, his son's last words were, "Thank you for letting us know how poor we are."
How much will God hurt the damage to His existence caused by our greed and self-righteousness? Our 節制 will be 當爲. A small sacrifice will be another beginning of a spiral of progress. The tangible and intangible talents we have received must be returned to God at any time and in any form - through temperance and sacrifice. A lot of talent is not a problem.
A certain unemployed person desperately prayed for a job and prayed, ‘If you give me a job that is more than 4 million won, I will give half of it.’ But when I got my monthly salary, it was 2 million won. Then, there is a funny story that the person prayed, ‘You cut the half in advance and give it to me.’ It is probably a question of whether we can devote our time and ability rather than a large or small amount. Our temperance and sacrifice will be in our vigilant actions as followers of Jesus rather than in monetary refreshments.
Another way of self-control is to reveal yourself as little as possible. In today's days of so much self-confidence and overconfidence, we often feel the need to hide ourselves. I've been proposing a speech reduction exercise for a long time. Quakers are said to be thrifty even to speak, because their standards of life are strict frugality, self-control, and sacrifice. It is said that silence is a practice that can have a mysterious spiritual experience.
A woman who only fights day and night came to a monk and asked him to teach her how to live without breaking up with her husband. The monk pours out a bucket of water from the well behind the monastery, and says, “This is holy water, so whenever your husband is about to fight, take a full mouthful, do not swallow, and when he stops talking, pass it on. Perhaps in a month there will be peace in the house.” The wife followed the monk's instructions, and a month later, peace came to the house. The woman who came to the monk said, “What a mysterious water.” Let's say, "Water is not a mystery, but silence is a mystery." There is a saying that
In Japan, there is a saying that the ultimate and best stage of traditional dance is no movement. I don't know if such a work actually exists, but I would say that it is an extreme expression of the restraint of human self-expression.
We may be anxious that our faith does not change significantly by meeting once a week for worship and parting. However, stimulant beliefs such as high-voltage, of course, should not be criticized, but since such beliefs can be dangerous if not put into Christian practice, I prefer quiet rather than hot worship, rather than ours, rather than ours. It is good to have a church life that lowers . This is because we are all taomen who silently follow the same path even without saying a word. With the hope that someday what we ask for will come true, even if we cannot feel it, little by little, we try to draw such a path that rises upward from the 登程 of the 螺旋程.
prayer
God, the Creator of the universe, and the very being!
Please take care of us and lead us to the right path and take care of us who are sad to see that the knowledge that has been given to insignificant humans is sometimes used to violate the will and will of God.
Please give us the wisdom to realize what we lack and to examine ourselves first. Please guide me so that I can keep the minimum religious attitude that Jesus does not want to do.
Please help us not to be buried in a frivolous world so that we can realize the simple truth that we can expect a bountiful harvest only with heat and spend the hot summer with a grateful heart.
We pray in the name of Jesus, whom we want to follow.
Amen!