Every Nation
Across the street from the Black Walnut Bed and Breakfast
was a quaint New England white clapboard church with a steeple towering toward
the heavens. The sign out front said God Loves You, but the larger more predominant
letters were unrecognizable to me. Now I was curious.
That evening we went to the Korean/Japanese Restaurant for dinner and discovered more. The wait staff wore shirts with the Christian fish symbol. Maybe they could shed some light on the building down the street. I was informed that the writing was Korean and church services were on Sunday mornings from 11-12:15 with lunch being served afterwards.
Back at the Inn, I questioned further and was told that it had been a Congregational church but that they could not get people to attend, so they sold the building to the Korean Baptist church.
By now, I knew that I would have to check it out on Sunday morning.
Arriving right on time I viewed everyone in their finest church clothes, somewhat of an usual sight because in my church people come in everything from shorts to ski clothes depending on the afternoon's activity.
I slid quietly into the back row although I am a front row person at home. The spot actually gave me a great vantage point for taking in all of the sights and sounds. I was the lone blonde American in the place, so when the members saw me they seemed cordial but quizzical.
The small church with long wooden pews and pipes for an organ was quite different than my church. The praise and worship team sung their hearts out even though obviously not professionally trained, followed by hymns led by the enthusiastic pastor. I was able to hum along with the familiar tunes, singing the English words in my mind. Next came the six member choir, robes and all to entertain with their special anthem for the day.
As I watched and worshiped, tears welled up in my eyes as I thought this is what heaven will be like...People from every tribe and nation worshiping God.
The patriarch of the congregation rose to pray and pray and pray. And although I didn't understand a word that he said I could imagine that it was probably pretty similar to what was being said at other English speaking churches across the nation that morning.
The pastor walked to the pulpit and people reached for their Bibles. Wanting to make sure that I felt included several people asked if I needed one, but I thought it best to just read it on my phone, because I thought theirs might be written in those funny indistinguishable letters. Acts 9:26-35 was the text for the morning and the main points were 1. There was peace in the early church and 2. The early church feared The Lord. (I only knew those points because it was the only English displayed on the simple screens.)
The only word that I recognized during the entire sermon was Christo, so I assumed Christ was being taught. Although I hadn't understood any of the service, I left refreshed knowing that there is a little community of Christian Koreans in Massachusetts meeting to worship the same Lord and Savior that I worship thousands of miles away.
Revelation 7:9 After this I looked, and there before me was
a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe,
people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were
wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands.
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