Dear Friends,
I spent the last month of August resting and reflecting on what I had learned during my first year. There were many valuable lessons, but this particular lesson made me laugh.
Moving from a small rural town to a city meant downsizing for my family and me. I had to eliminate many things I had collected over the years. I had these two large desks in my home office. I used one for my computer and laptop and the other desk to work on books and files. Since we were moving from a house to a smaller apartment, I gave them away and replaced them with small desks. I tried everything to love those two smaller desks, but I just hated those desks. Something was not right. It took me a while to realize what the problem was. Yes, I moved from a spacious house to a smaller apartment, but my body did not shrink. My computer did not shrink, and my laptop and its monitor did not shrink. I can even argue that I am bigger today than a year ago. So what did I do? I went to Ikea and got a large desk. So now I have three desks in the apartment.
So what did I learn from such human experience? That I need to move to a bigger place? No. I have learned that certain things don’t change, no matter wherever you go. Yes, you moved to a different congregation, but certain things don’t change. When I look back at my own life and ministry, God was so gracious to me. God was patient with me and showed me many wonders. Many times I did not know what to do or where to turn, but God showed me a new door after another to open. I don’t think God will change how God loves me and works with me simply because I moved to a different congregation. Sure I will face other tasks and challenges. Sure I need to make certain adjustments and changes in what I do. But God will continue to work with me, and God will continue to work with the people of God.
During the year, I have learned that the way people express the love of God for each other may differ from one place to another, but the desire of people to love God and to welcome everyone in the name of God is the same. I have experienced tremendous passion and love for God and the people of God from this beautiful faith community.
We don’t know what kind of challenges and blessings we will be facing tomorrow, but I firmly believe everything we experience in our human life will teach us one thing that does not change, the unconditional love of Jesus Christ, how much God loves us. One thing we cannot change is doing everything in the confidence of God’s grace and love. Things may not go the way we plan or want, but I am confident that everything we experience in this amazing community will help us to deepen our love for God and each other. May God bless our faith community and journey.
—Rev. Chuck Moon
Photo credit: “Desk, designed by Frank Furness, 1870-71, Philadelphia Museum of Art.jpg”. Francis Helminski. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. Taken from the Wikimedia Commons.
A version of this message first appeared in the Saturday, September 17, 2022, edition of Tidbits.