Saints and Sinners

Church-Not a showcase for saints but a hospital for sinners.
(I've heard this quote before but was reminded of it during Sunday's sermon. It made me think of another quote:)

Every saint has a past

and

Every sinner has a future

As I was sitting in the pew on Sunday, I thought about how the world, in general, misunderstands the word "saint". Perhaps the "accepted definition" has been influenced by the Roman Catholic idea that "great and holy people who have performed at least 3 miracles". I believe there was even a Hollywood movie about a very unholy, non-Christian guy who performed "3 miracles" and so the movie was called "The Saint". How ridiculous! Funny enough, I've heard people who consider themselves Christians to be confused about the biblical fact that EVERY Christian in which the Holy Spirit is indwelt is a saint. Being a saint has nothing to do with one's one righteousness but everything to do with faith in the righteousness of Christ!!

"Lord," Ananias answered, "I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your SAINTS in Jerusalem." (Acts 9:13)

"On the authority of the chief priests I put many of the SAINTS in prison, and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them." (Acts 26:10)

"To all in Rome and who are loved by God and called to be SAINTS..." (Romans 1:7)

"For God is not a God of disorder but of peace. As in all the congregations of the SAINTS." (1 Corinthians 14:33)

"To the church of God in Corinth, together with all the SAINTS throughout Achaia:" (2 Corinthians 1:1)

These are just a few examples of THE BIBLICAL USE of the word saint...

A priceless letter/picture from my darling nephew, Dakota (The picture is of us playing computer games during my visit at Christmas.)

"A Letter in the Mailbox"

Letters are a silken thread

That runs from heart to heart,

Weaving a web of things unsaid

When we must be apart.

It is my prayer that my composition students become not only better writers but better people as well. (The kind of person I pray for my students to become is the kind of person I pray for myself also to become!) With that thought in mind, my students were asked to write a letter of appreciation, encouragment or forgiveness to anyone that God placed on their heart. They wrote a 1st draft for homework and then copied a final draft (after peer editing) onto a lovely card with stickers. Many of these letters were quite personal and of course I cannot share the contents but how touching they were!

This class activity made me realize how terrible I have been with keeping in touch with loved ones and letting them know just how much they are appreciated. (That is one of the major reasons for making this blog as I've told you before...but still, there is something SPECIAL about a letter in the mailbox!)

EGC (English Grammar & Composition) class representatives (Seung-Bum for EGC1 and Kyung-Jung for EGC 3) sending class letters of appreciation, encouragement and forgiveness off at the campus post-office.

...

"Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven--for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
"이 여자는 이토록 극진한 사랑을 보였으니 그만큼 많은 죄를 용서받았다. 적게 용서받은 사람은 적게 사랑한다."(Luke 7:47)
Pastoral Letter (May 31)
Dear colleagues:
Many students stop by my office asking for some counseling-help for their psychological and spiritual needs.Then, it is not often for me to see the ones who say they don't believe "love."
They say love is just an ideal word but no real thing, and they don't believe there is such thing as true love.
We find ourselves loving others just as much as we have been loved.For the ones who have been truly cared for and nurtured by parents and siblings,
love is a very natural thing that really happens in the world. They easily desire love to gain and practice. Yet, those who haven't sufficiently experienced love, laugh at the word love whenever they hear it.They haven't learned what love is like, so they do not know how to love .
To them, love is a hard word to believe.
Mary in today's scripture was the person who couldn't believe the word "love."Nobody cared for her, but rather despised her because of her occupation as prostitute.
But when she meets Jesus, she realized, maybe for the first time in her life, that there is really this, great love.Because Jesus who loves sinners, forgives her sin and recognizes her also as a child of God.How much do we love Jesus? We are the ones loved by Jesus,
and forgiven by his grace on the cross where Jesus poured out his love for us.
Let us come to his presence with thanksgiving in our hearts as a way to appreciate his love.