From the Pastor

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.”
2 Corinthians 1:3-4

As COVID infection rates continue to drop and restrictions have been lifted in the United States, the hard truth is that more than 3.8 million people worldwide have lost their lives from this horrible disease. Indeed, though our numbers are at an all-time low, places like India have been hit especially hard in recent days. All of this is to say that a lot of people are suffering. While I find myself tempted to close my eyes and simply look the other way, I realize that this is not the response God wants from me. In the scripture verse above, God is described as a God of compassion and comfort who comforts us so that we can comfort others. 

As a teenager, I moved from Ohio to New York in the middle of 10th grade. Although this seems relatively small in the scale of suffering, for a teenager, nothing could be worse than being pulled away from your friends. To make matters worse, I had a real difficult time adjusting to my new school and making friends. In my loneliness I remember praying to God every night and asking God why I had to go through this. To this day, I also remember the many nights where I sensed God holding me and quietly speaking  words of comfort to me. Looking back, I would say that these tender moments of experiencing God’s comfort were the beginning stages in my calling into the ministry. I remember telling God I wanted to take on a profession where I could “help” others because of the help I had received from the Father of all compassion and the God of all comfort.

There have been many sad nights for many people around the world. Though I can’t explain all the reasons for their suffering, I can say with confidence that you and I are charged with an important task, and that is to be a source of compassion and comfort to those around us. As we have experienced the powerful presence of God in our darkest moments, we are charged to be a source of comfort to others during their darkest moments. Friends, there is much work to be done in the days ahead and I pray that God will use you as agents of healing toward your family, community, and world. 

Pastor Kim