6/22 Like a Child with Mother
/2025 SD Mission Send-off Service
Date: June 22, 2025
Topic: Like a Child with Mother
Bible Passage: Psalm 131
Psalm 131:1-3 (NIV)
1 My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me. 2 But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content. 3 Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.
Overview
Four years ago, before I went on a mission trip to Mongolia, Bishop Jung Jae-ho from our church's District Office started regular online meetings with me, Pastor Park Tae-seok, Secretary Park Sung-jin, and Peter, a missionary in Mongolia at the time.
This was right after the COVID-19 pandemic, and we really needed a new vision. The Bishop observed that churches were becoming less active in mission and evangelism. He felt they were too comfortable and losing their energy.
He believed that simply supporting missionaries wasn't enough. For churches back home to truly thrive, they needed to directly participate in missions.
However, individual churches weren't strong enough to handle mission work alone. So, he shared a vision for churches to team up and go on missions together. In those regular meetings, we shared ideas and prayed about it.
It was interesting that Peter, the missionary in Mongolia who joined our meetings, had previously worked with Native American communities in the U.S. for a long time before returning to Mongolia.
Because he had experience with both Mongolia (where our church had gone for years) and Native Americans, he understood both groups well. He gave me ideas that I could really relate to. He advised that instead of mission teams just doing what they wanted, they should listen to faithful local Christians.
Our church, too, faced a big challenge after COVID-19. We had to restart missions after a two-year break, and we had a lot to get in order. So, instead of going on a short-term mission trip right away, we decided to visit the mission fields, meet the people, share our hearts, and listen to their stories.
So, our church and the District Office teamed up with a video crew. We visited Mongolia in January and South Dakota in August to show the reality of mission fields and what we could do there.
Then, while preparing a video for the next year's April General Assembly to present about united missions, the Lord gave me a message from 1 Kings Chapter 17.
God sent Elijah to Zarephath, a place in Sidon suffering from a severe drought. He commanded Elijah to be fed by a widow there. As soon as Elijah saw a woman, he asked for water. When she obeyed, he immediately called her back and asked for bread.
The woman, at her wit's end, said this:
[1 Kings 17:12] "As surely as the Lord your God lives," she replied, "I don't have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die."
She meant that with the last bit of flour and a few drops of oil, she would make a small piece of bread for herself and her son, and then they would die.
Isn't that a heartbreaking story?
Our missions had stopped for two years. Our daily lives were tough, and the future felt uncertain. Could our church really go back to mission work? Could this church, struggling to even take care of itself, continue to handle these missions? These were the worries I had when I led the media team to South Dakota that year.
But then, Elijah asked her again:
[1 Kings 17:13-14] 13 Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.'"
Amen! Elijah promised the desperate woman, "First, make a small loaf of bread for me, and then do what you want to do. If you show this devotion, God will receive it through me and give you blessings beyond compare." Isn't that a great deal?
But if you were in her shoes, would you believe this promise and give your very last bit to the Lord?
Surprisingly, the woman did just that.
[1 Kings 17:15-16] 15 She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food for Elijah and for the woman and her family for many days. 16 For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.
Everyone! Saying that churches should stop missions and evangelism because they don't have enough resources is like a hungry fisherman selling his nets, or a farmer selling his field to eat right away. It's like cutting down the pillars of your house for firewood when you're cold!
The Lord, who gave us this message, kept His promise and allowed us to start small united missions in 2023. Pastor Park Tae-seok and the Orlando team joined, along with Haneul and his sibling, and Evangelist Jang Bok-geun that year.
In 2024, last year, my brother-in-law and nephews from Chicago, and the Orlando team joined us again and took on even more roles.
The church elders from Orlando, who have been with us for three years now, started asking about mission plans since January of this year. I talked to two of them, and both said they had been waiting all year. They thanked me many times for letting them participate, saying they would help as much as they possibly could.
One elder, who is 82 this year, has served the church her whole life, but last year was her first mission trip, and she said it was the greatest blessing in her 80 years. She was full of excitement to serve again this year. Another elder drives herself from Orlando to South Dakota for the third year, bringing all the food and supplies. It was unbelievable to see with my own eyes.
And three years ago, when I presented about united missions at the Korean General Assembly, one pastor showed interest: Pastor Chun Min-sung from Chamjoeun Church in New Jersey.
And finally, this year, 27 people from Chamjoeun Church in New Jersey are joining us! This makes our total team size over 50 people, forming the largest mission team ever! From children to teenagers, adults, and elders, this team truly feels like a "Better Together" completed version.
Exactly two years ago, when our church moved to this location, as I mentioned several times, there was a General Council meeting that year, just like this year. I remember how the denomination head office was also preparing to move then and said that C&MA started in Times Square.
The moment I saw that, I decided to move to this location. One of the reasons for that decision was that the president of C&MA sermon that day was exactly about Elijah and the widow of Zarephath.
Three years ago, I believed this message and didn't give up on missions. Two years ago, I believed this message and moved to this place.
Could all of this be a coincidence?
Other pastors hear about this united mission and talk about it like it's a huge project. Only then do I sometimes feel the pressure, wondering, "Did this get too big?" Regardless of size, it's actually a huge deal for churches to unite and go on missions together.
But as you've heard, it's clear that I'm not planning all of this with a long-term strategy and making it happen step by step, right?
I'm just staying in the Lord, listening to where He leads, and obeying. I'm not trying to do anything amazing. Like a weaned child, I still need the Lord's embrace, and I'm following Him by relying on Him.
There are people I truly respect and love. While the distance and depth of my love for them differ, they have something in common. My respect for them is not because they are outstanding. I respect their humble reliance and obedience to God, not their charisma or abilities.
Isn't it true? Rather than a person who preaches wonderfully and powerfully from the front, a person who humbly kneels before the Lord and relies on Him seems more trustworthy, doesn't it?
So why do we try so hard to hide our weaknesses and appear perfect? Isn't it strange? We don't even like people who pretend to be perfect, yet we try to be that way ourselves. Isn't that odd?
I'm not talking about being shameless about laziness or evil. We should be proud of admitting our shortcomings and weaknesses and relying on the Lord.
Think about the people you like. If the Lord's heart is growing in us, we feel more affection not for strong people who seem to need no help, but for those we can help even a little, and who humbly receive help, don't we?
It's the same with the Lord.
So, when we go on missions, the biggest challenge will be to get rid of prideful thoughts like, "We are the ones bringing grace," "We need to be someone they can lean on," or "We need to show them how wonderful life can be if they believe in Jesus."
[John 5:19] "Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does."
When we talk about being like Jesus, we often only focus on His perfection, greatness, amazing power, great love, and immense sacrifice.
However, how much did Jesus rely on God? The Lord boasted about it. He was able to endure the cross because He completely trusted and relied on God, wasn't He?
When we are told to be like Jesus, He is our example because of His complete reliance on God, even entrusting His life to the Father's decision.
For us to be an example to others, it must be exactly like that. It's not about our ability, or excellence, but about becoming someone who relies on God even more fully!
It's not about ourselves, but about God's power and the Father's love appearing more completely through us. And only through the Lord's love appearing in us does true and eternal life begin and flow.
The great entomologist Jean-Henri Fabre was called a genius in many fields, including math, physics, chemistry, and philosophy. His ten-volume work, "Souvenirs Entomologiques" (Recollections of an Entomological Life), which we call "Fabre's Book of Insects,(Korean version)" didn't even include his name in the original title. This book is more than just a science book; it has literary value and philosophical insights.
And he said this:
"Regardless of how much I know, I am certain that I know nothing. And everything I am learning leads me to the Creator."
And Isaac Newton, the father of science who discovered the law of gravity, said this:
"I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me."
Someone who thinks they are great is actually the opposite. It proves that they don't even know how much they don't know.
True greatness appears in those who humbly rely on God. It's not their greatness, but God's greatness appearing through them. That's what we call "glory."
Today's Message
Today's passage is a psalm by David. The exact time it was written is unclear. But this humble confession wasn't just a diary entry David wrote alone as a boy. It was a song sung by David, the priests, and all the pilgrims who came to worship when David was king, as they went up to the temple. That's why the title says "Song of Ascent."
David clearly recognized that he was just a representative and that God was the true King. He lived that belief.
"Don't look at me wearing the crown. In front of the real King, I'm just a small child who has just been weaned. I still long for the Lord's embrace and always go back there to find peace, like a child."
Isn't that the confession of this psalm?
Instead of saying, "Why is the deacon acting like that? Why is the secretary acting like that? Why is the pastor acting like that? Why is mom acting like that? Why is that adult acting like that?" we are all just weaned children before God, always needing Him.
Our mission, the work entrusted to us, is like baking cookies with Mom. Like a mother who prepares everything and gives us the easiest part, the Lord invites us and gives us very small tasks to bring us joy.
If we remember that and trust Mom and follow her well, the cookies will turn out just as Mom wants. But if we keep interfering, both the cookies and the kitchen will be a mess.
Our mission team isn't going to do big, amazing things. We're going to be held in the Lord's arms and do the very small part He's given us.
We're going to a place where we can't control much and can't always be comfortable, to learn how to rely on the Lord even more.
David, who called himself a small weaned child, gives us a final piece of advice, a command from God!
Hope in the Lord from now and forevermore!
What does it mean to "hope in the Lord"?
Psalm 27 explains the meaning of "hope" very clearly:
[Psalm 27:4] "One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple."
The fruit of this year's mission depends entirely on this.
It's not about skilled experience, great ability, or large numbers. It's about all of us looking to the Lord, trusting the Father, relying on the Holy Spirit, loving one another, and hoping in God.
We must remember that everything else is just a tool to do that well.
When MMC, the Orlando team, Chamjoeun Church in New Jersey, and 1st Baptist Church love each other and look to Jesus, this year, the most beautiful fruit will be borne there once again.
Let's pray.
