“Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet,but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.
You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. (Luke 7:44-46)”
I would nominate this woman in this Bible verse as the greatest worshiper of all. Worship is the act of kneeling down before the Lord who is worthy of our love and praise. We fall down at his feet pouring our perfumes, tears, joy and thanksgiving. This is the essence of our worship. However worship has now become the act of receiving rather than giving. Remember, true worship is to give.
What is amazing and mysterious is that as we pursue ‘worship of giving’, we receive even more in return. For example, the awe and the presence of the Lord and the spiritual enlightenment that this woman experienced must have been mesmerizing. This is the blessing true worshipers get to enjoy. The story of one pastor’s wife who lived day by day with her sincere love to God touched my heart. “I made two cups of coffee, and I offered one to the Lord. The single word, ‘Jesus…’, rings my heart.” This is the type of mysterious grace that only the true worshipers can enjoy.
As always, this year’s family retreat is also crafted by the helping hands of each and everyone of you. I pray that your effort will blossom into a loving worship dedicated to our Lord. I pray that during this retreat, we would be able to pour the perfume we have collected in this way in front of the Lord’s feet. I pray that we would be able to offer a worship where the word “Jesus” is enough to ring the depths of our hearts.
Every year, our retreats were always plentiful and fruitful thanks to the helping hands of many individuals. Some prepared happiness and laughter so that everyone from small children to seniors could leave with a smile. Others lit up the night by preparing late night snacks to share as well. Some dedicated their time to prepare for praise and worship. . . some took care of children in a small corner room.. the family retreat is the result of such helping hands.
Our family retreat always left memorable experiences for our church family. Young children especially looked forward to this special day every year.
Some non-believers attended the retreat, and got to believe in Jesus after experiencing the beautiful community of Jesus Christ. Beautiful moments of baptism, the time we prayed together fervently with tears, the time we shared our joy and suffering… I pray that all these moments will turn into loving and true worship for the Lord.
Following the shepherd…
Pastor JiWon Choi