Title: Thank You, My Soul (Happy Chuseok)
Contents
It was Chuseok. The rituals where everyone gathers to eat, drink, dance, sing and enjoy to the fullest are no different throughout the ages. As you set up an encyclopedia of five grains that you have nurtured with sweat and devotion for a year, and give or take without distinction between yours and mines, the hard work and sighs of the past disappear as if washed away.
Chuseok is our unique holiday and one of the most enjoyable festivals of the year. If we compare it with the Old Testament Feast of Tabernacles (Exodus 23:16, Ex34:22, Deuteronomy 16:13-15) and think about its meaning, first, we must give thanks for the abundant harvest. Since there is no reward in life without gratitude, and no happiness without reward, we must have a grateful heart for all the fruits of our lives. Chuseok is also called Gabae or Hangawi, and when fresh grains and fresh fruits were plentiful, they enjoyed making and eating rice cakes with new rice.
“The fifteenth day of the seventh month is the Feast of Tabernacles, which shall be observed for seven days to the Lord” (Leviticus 23:34).
The Feast of Tabernacles is celebrated for one week starting from July 15 in the Jewish calendar, and falls in September and October in the Gregorian calendar. It was characteristic to have a vineyard ball while enjoying harvesting fruits such as grapes and figs. (Judges 21:19) And various events were held to thank the Lord. We should give thanks to the one who gave us food (2 Corinthians 9:15).
Second, we must have an attitude of honoring the grace of our ancestors. On Chuseok, in memory of our ancestors' generosity, a grave is held in the ancestral hall. During the Feast of Tabernacles, the Israelites commemorate their ancestors' life in the wilderness by building tents and dwelling in the fields. It was a religious festival honoring the benevolence and religious heritage of our ancestors.
We Christians do not practice pagan customs such as ancestral rites, but let's celebrate the grace of our ancestors and celebrate the meaning of this day by dancing and worshiping. In this good season, let's hold a thanksgiving service for the harvest and a memorial service for the grace of our ancestors.
“Sacrifice to God with thanksgiving, and pay your vows to the Most High” (Psalm 50:14).
It is said that the divorce rate is higher than usual during holidays such as Chuseok. This is because the evil spirit works like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
When the Roman Emperor Constantine recognized Christianity as the official religion of Rome in 313 A.D., the number of Christians was only about 10% of the Roman population. But Rome has changed. Today, the Christian population in Korea is over 20%, but the Chuseok climate in Korea is still stained with idolatry and sacrificial food culture. This is something that many Christians cannot change because their spirit is filled with carnal thoughts.
Man has a spirit, soul, and body. (1 Thessalonians 5:23; Hebrews 4:12) Have you ever seen an animal seek a god or offer a sacrifice? Animals have no spirit. Animals do not have spirits, so they live only according to their instincts. But man has a spirit. God formed a man out of the dust and breathed life into his nostrils, so man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7) So barbarians perform sacrifices, and even those who do not believe believe that the souls of the dead eat the sacrifices. In the cemetery, food is carefully prepared, offered and bowed in front of the cemetery.
Man has a soul, but it is divided in two. It is the spirit of God and the spirit of Satan. How can a person with the Spirit of God glorify God? How can I please God? People who have the spirit of Satan are full of carnal thoughts, although they strive for prayer, evangelism, and worship while thinking about God. In other words, their hearts are full of pride, lies, lewdness, greed, envy, anger, and indolence, and they are only interested in earning money in this world, becoming successful, being beautiful and having fun, and they do not think about God and Heaven at all. So there is a constant war between the two. In order to win this spiritual warfare, we must put on the full armor of God. We must have the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:13-17).
I read a book a long time ago and there are many people who have been resurrected after being dead for a while. What they usually say when they wake up after falling asleep is, 'At the moment they die, they are floating on top, and I saw their family and friends crying in front of their bodies'. is that. This is the moment when one's body and spirit are separated.
The human body is just a shell in which the spirit resides for a while. Just like when a crab is in a conch shell, it is alive and moving. Medical students teach dissecting and touching corpses. It becomes clear that the only thing that can be felt is that the body of a person whose spirit is gone is nothing but a shell, just like the corpse of a dead animal. The cells of a living human body are not eternal. They often die and are reborn. But, no matter how much food you prepare and bow before the shell, what is the use? It is an act of idolatry that God hates. However, many people think that the body that will perish and perish is their everything, so they focus only on the work of the flesh, and do not think about the work of the spirit, who is the real me. The mind of the flesh is death, and the mind of the Spirit is life and peace. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God, and if they live according to the flesh, they must die. But those who are led by the Spirit of God live forever. Is the Spirit of God living in your heart?
Just as the human body must breathe, eat, and exercise in order to be alive, a person with the living Spirit of God must pray as if breathing, and listen to the Bible and sermons, which are the food of the spirit, as if eating. Just like evangelism and evangelism, you have to work hard to be alive.
Dear saints, during this Chuseok period, take time to think deeply about the difference between the dead and the living and the spirit and body, be with neighbors in need, pray for this nation and this nation, thank God for His grace and love, Glory to you and I wish you a happy and enjoyable life.
* Prayer: Gracious God, rich in love and mercy, thank you for the bountiful food you have given us and the grace of our ancestors, and help us not to make the mistake of idolatry. Please change our Chuseok into a Thanksgiving Day to give thanks to God. I thank the perfect Lord for coming to this earth in the flesh for me. I praise you for offering yourself as a sacrifice to set me free from sin. God has my soul and body; make it a holy dwelling place for you and use it as you please. Let your light shine here forever and fill this house with God. O Almighty Lord, live in this body and move in this body, so that all my life may be love. We pray in the name of Jesus who saved us. Amen
* Guidelines for Family Worship for Chuseok Holidays
1. Traditional sacrifices are offered to the deceased, and holiday family worship is a worship service offered to God in remembrance of the deceased. This is because there is only one God to whom we can worship and who will receive worship.
2. We should use it as an opportunity to think about how we too will have to stand before God in the not-too-distant future.
3. Bowing is prohibited.
4. Fellowship with family members gathered on the occasion of remembrance of ancestors should be important in the holiday family worship.
5. It would be even better if we gave an offering to God in commemoration of the deceased.
* Order of family worship for Chuseok holidays
(1) Dog meal ----------- Who is in charge
From now on, I will offer Chuseok worship to God in memory of the ancestors who left first.
(2) Confession of Faith --------------- Together
(3) Hymn ---- Chapter 534 ---------- Together
(4) Prayer ----------------- The person in charge
Dear Heavenly Father, as we now pay tribute to the deceased, family and friends gather together. Remind me of all that the deceased did in their past lives, and allow their descendants to accomplish what they wanted to do but failed to do. God the Father, who said that all flesh is like grass and all its glory is like flowers of grass, and that believers who believe in God have eternal life, help us to remember that we are all resurrected and enter into eternal life, and remind us of the exemplary faith of the deceased. Give blessings and comfort to the whole family. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.
※ Depending on the family, the person in charge of prayer can freely pray.
(5) Bible reading: Heb 11:5-6 --------- The person in charge
(6) Sermon -- the person who received the evidence --- the person in charge
People claim that they are righteous only when their actions are right, and they are so attached to their actions that they are constantly feeling guilty and unable to get rid of the thought of ‘I am a sinner’. But because his works are perfect, it is not the righteous, but the person's faith. As it is said, “Abraham believed in the Lord, and the Lord credited it to him as righteousness” (Genesis 15:6), Enoch was also credited righteous because of his faith, not because of his works. So let's see what his beliefs are and what we should believe.
1. They believed in the existence of God (11:6).
The word “with whom he must be” is the Creator (Genesis 1:11), the first and the last (Rev. 1:17), and is standing by our side even now (Acts 17:23; 2 Tim. 4:17), and eternity. He has been with us forever (John 14:16), and his faith in the God who claims our life and death is those who have received the evidence as a righteous person.
2. Enoch's faith is the faith that He gives good things to those who ask and seek (11:6).
“You must believe that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” He gives good things to those who ask (Matt. 7:7-11), and when seeking His kingdom and righteousness, He gives everything about food, clothing, and shelter (Matt. 6:31-34). Faith that all things work together for good (Romans 8:28) is the faith that can receive the testimony of God.
As a descendant (descendant), I sincerely hope that it will be a precious time to be grateful for being born into this family, to live by receiving the will of the father, and also to promise to pass on the will to the descendants.
(7) Prayer -------- The person in charge
Through today's Word, the Lord guides us so that we can all live by faith throughout our lives, reminding ourselves once again how blessed it is to fear God and live by faith in this world that is full of tribulation, winds, and suffering. I pray in Jesus name. Amen.
(8) Hymn ----- Chapter 305 ---- Who is in charge
(9) The Lord's Prayer ------------- All together
* Sharing food: In the case of a grave, the family shares the food prepared in front of the cemetery and shares a story of remembrance of the deceased. Let the conversation blossom with the stories of our ancestors' religious life and the stories of exemplary believers around us.
* Gospel Song: Praise, my soul
Praise my soul, praise me, my soul
Praise all that is in me
Give thanks, my soul, thank you, my soul
Give thanks for everything in me
Rejoice, my soul, rejoice, my soul
Rejoice, all that is in me