From the Pastor |
John 13: 35 - “By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another”
As this fall leads us to Election Day and I have to tell you that I am truly fed up with the whole thing. For a year and a half we have been inundated with it… and (God help us) it is not over yet. All I have been able to see throughout it all is the negativity, fear, violence, anger and hatred that is found on ALL sides. It reminds me of a song. Written by Paul Simon in 1963, the song Sounds of Silence has been resonating with me. There are many theories about the meaning behind the lyrics words, but I have always felt this song was talking about isolation, and loneliness we have in modern society Hello darkness, my old friend, I've come to talk with you again… However, if I were to pick a verse that shows it strongly, I think it would be the 3rd: And in the naked light I saw Ten thousand people, maybe more. People talking without speaking, People hearing without listening, People writing songs that voices never share And no one dared Disturb the sound of silence. Despite the large number of people, there is no communicating, no sharing. No voice can penetrate the silence. Instead, we can find where our society has fallen in the final verse: And the people bowed and prayed To the neon god they made. And the sign flashed out its warning In the words that it was forming. And the sign said, "The words of the prophets are written on the subway walls And tenement halls And whispered in the sounds of silence. That seems to describe our society to a ‘T’. We, as a society, have turned away from God: Chasing the false gods of money and wealth and power… Not caring for the needy… not loving our neighbors… We are a selfish – self-centered society that is more interested in our own desires and pleasures… the latest technology… living in debt well above our means… as we continue to strive to be the best… to get ahead at any cost. I can just hear God singing the fourth verse to us today: "Fools," said I, "You do not know. Silence like a cancer grows. Hear my words that I might teach you. Take my arms that I might reach you." But my words like silent raindrops fell And echoed in the wells of silence God is pleading with us to return to Him. Hear my words… take my arms… I saw a sign recently that simply said: “America will never be great again until we put God first!” I do not think I have ever agreed with a simple sign as much as I do that one. We need to turn back to God. To set ourselves apart from this society and live the way Christ taught us to live. It is time to “Disturb the Sounds of Silence”. Live your faith… Love God, Love your neighbor, Love one another, even Love your enemies… open yourself to God’s Love and then SHARE that love with all you meet. That is the only way to heal this broken world!
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Yeon Shin
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