Scripture Passage
Worship Video
Worship Audio
Sermon Script
Welcoming
Happy Father’s Day. Also on this day, St. Tim had a joint Picnic traditionally. It is time for Korean-speaking congregation and English-speaking congregation to celebrate our oneness by having worship together and sharing a meal together. We thank God for giving us this wonderful church. God gave us a beautiful weather. And we thank you all for coming out early and preparing for worship and lunch.
We could not have had the joint picnic since 2019 because of Covid. Let us have great time and enjoy our outdoor fellowship which we took for granted. We have realized that we can take nothing for granted. When we can, let us enjoy it with thanksgiving.
Longing and Thirst
I am gonna have a very short reflection today
In today’s passage we hear this.
As a deer longs for flowing streams, so my soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. (Psalm 42:1, 2)
LONGING AND THIRST – that’s what our healthy soul has. Like a root of a tree stretching itself towards the water, our healthy soul will move towards its creator. As a deer longs for flowing streams, our soul longs and thirsts for the living God. But that longing and thirst for God do not come automatically. When our soul is not well, it doesn’t have this longing and thirst.
We need to take care of our soul. When our soul is well, everything else will go well.
This is what John said,
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul. (3 John 1:2)
But we are busy pleasing only our body, not our soul. We listen to the needs of our body but we don’t pay attention to the needs of our soul. When our soul gets neglected, it becomes saddened. It slowly dies away.
The psalmist saw that happening within himself and so he said.
My soul is cast down within me. (Psalm 42:6)
Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you disquieted within me? (Psalm 42:11)
Good Food For The Soul
We need to take care of our soul as we take care of our body. They both need our attention. They are connected. We are a psycho-somatic being.
Don’t just eat good food. Don’t just exercise for your body. Feed your mind with good thoughts. Have a quiet time to be reconnected with God who provides you with all your needs. Be in touch with yourself. Be thankful for all the good things that you enjoy in your life.
Know that you are the beloved. When you feel loved, you will be able to connect with others. Know that you are a beloved child of God. Also treat others as beloved children of God. When you love somebody, your soul comes alive. But when you hate somebody, that hatred will poison your soul.
Accept each other. Forgive one another. Appreciate each other.
Have peace in your heart. Do not worry. Turn your worries into prayer. Feel the presence of God in your life.
These are all good foods for your soul. This is how to take care of your soul.
When your soul is well taken care of, you will have longing and thirst for God. With that longing and thirst, we worship God and our worship will come alive. And our life will come alive.
The Psalmist lastly said this.
Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my help and my God. (Psalm 42:11)
Leave a Reply