Glory to God in the Highest!

I would like to share my gratitude upon the Christmas cantata 2012.
First of all, I would like to give thanks to God who has led people to sing, play, read, serve, and worship together on last Sunday, and answered our prayers. His love and faithfulness are forever.
Second, for the choir, orchestra, and a narrator who participated in the cantata; Thank you all so much for your patience, effort, prayers, and beautiful gift of music. It has been a privilege and blessing to work with you all!
Third, for those who were in behind the scenes; AV people, ushers, staff, and people of prayers; for your help, it went so smoothly, and nicely. Thank you so much all!

It's a true honor to be part of God's ministry especially through worship and music. I am truly blessed.
I pray for continuing anointing of God's Holy Spirit and blessings upon the ministry!

Glory to God in the Highest! Peace on Earth!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving!

As you heard from Rev. Tom’s sermon last week, Thanksgiving is one of most favorite holidays for those who work at churches, including me. I love Thanksgiving because I could get to have a pause from work and stay at home.

When we lived in Bloomington, IN, we were invited at least three different places to have the Thanksgiving meal. People knew that we were international students who didn’t have family around us. So, I didn’t have to cook anything but just plan to hop around the friends’ houses to enjoy fellowship long with great food. However, when we moved down to GA, no one invited us. So, we invited our friends to our home to have Thanksgiving meal together. I didn’t have to cook again the main “Turkey” because there were always friends who were experts upon thanksgiving meal.

When we moved to Virginia two years ago, my in laws’ moved into our home to live with us from Korea. So, I decided to make the Thanksgiving tradition of my own. I have started plan the dinner and cook by myself for my family members. This was my second Thanksgiving dinner meal that I prepared. I don’t know why but I have enjoyed a lot cooking, baking, and setting the tables without any stresses. While preparing the Thanksgiving meal, I remembered all kinds of thanksgiving that we have got through in the United States and gave deep thanks to God for those friends who embraced us as one of them in those years. I called their names on my prayer on the Thanksgiving morning. What a blessing I have had!

I have prayed that I can invite friends who don’t have many family members nearby like me for next year Thanksgiving. I don’t know why there is always more love when we share meal together but I do believe that it always works 100%. I remember Jesus who often had meals with friends, and even sinners. There is always love when we share food and have real fellowship.  I hope that you all have had that love experience in this Thanksgiving.

This Sunday, there will be no choirs but have a special music at worship services. Call to Harmony will lift up at 9:15 and 11:00 o’clock services, and there will be a special dance at all services by Anna. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to have an experience of God’s presence in the worship.

Advent starts on Dec. 2^nd. Let’s prepare the way of the Lord in our hearts so we can share “Emmanuel” to those who haven’t had a chance to have relationship with Him yet.

 

Grateful Praise

It is hard to believe that we are in the middle of November already. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite American holidays so I love November. I love the idea of sharing what we are thankful for each day during this month. Even though I should always be thankful, I am easily caught in moments where I forget to be thankful. It has been a useful exercise for me to bring my focus back to the grateful heart. It has been not only helping me to give thanks, but also helping me to have a moment to look around with grateful eyes.
I am very excited for this Sunday’s worship service because we will think about the word of Hope through Psalm 40, and celebrate Veteran’s Day. David praises beautifully in the Psalm and is full of thanksgiving for God’s faithfulness. I have focused on grateful hearts for our music selections.
We will have the children’s choirs at the 9:15 AM and 11:00 AM services. The JaM Choir will lift up “Grateful Praise” at 9:15, and The Little Praisers will sing, “I Love to Praise Him.”  The Sonrise Singers will lift up a song, “I Will Give Jubilant Thanks” as an offertory at the  8:00 AM service, and the Chamber Choir will sing, “Song for the Unsung Hero” as a Veteran’s Day anthem with a beautiful trumpet played by Mark Cooke. We will have a beautiful a capella piece, “Set Me as a Seal” as an offertory at the 11:00 AM  service.
May the Lord open our hearts and eyes to see how faithful He has been to us! Let’s give Him our grateful praise!
Here are the words to some of this Sunday’s songs.

Song for the Unsung Hero
Let us sing for unsung heroes, those who lay their dreams aside. Choosing honor more than glory, pledging faith with quiet pride. Those whose uniform is courage, yet are unashamed of tears. Finding in their love of freedom power stronger than their fears.
Refrain: Sing a song for unsung heroes, sing from sea to shining sea. As the faithful sang before you, sing the song of liberty.
Let us sing for unsung heroes, those who answer freedom’s call. Those united by one purpose, all for one and one for all. We will sing and not be silenced, we will keep our voices strong, for as long as we keep singing, freedom’s cry will still live on!
My country tis of thee, sweet land of liberty. Of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, Land of the Pilgrims’ pride, from every mountainside, let freedom  ring. Let us sing the song of freedom, sing the song of liberty, America.
Grateful Praise
Hearts ever grateful, hearts giving thanks to the Lord.  Hearts ever faithful, now sing their thanks to the Lord.  Grateful for each tree and flower, for the wonder of each hour.
Hearts ever grateful, hearts giving thanks to the Lord. Hearts ever faithful, now sing their thanks to the Lord. Grateful for the joy of love, friends on earth and friends above.
For the wonder of each hour of the day and of the night, hill and vale, and tree and flower.
Sun and moon, and stars of light; Lord of all, to thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise.

My Wordless Prayer

Welcome November! Can you believe that we are in already November? I love months of fall and December even though I get busier than before. I am very excited also about our new sermon series upon Psalms. This Sunday is the first one “a Word of Anguish” based on Psalm 6. A couple of years ago, I had a chance to recite Psalms each day for several months in my prayer time. I was looking for getting some helps to pray in English without hesitations. Even though I have lived in more than a decade in the States, still English is a main challenge especially praying in English is not easy. So, I intentionally put myself to read out loud for that reason for several months. Amazingly, not only it helped me in praying in English, but also restored me in deeper in prayers. After that period of time, I use often Psalms as my prayer, especially when I could not pray with overwhelming situations like David in Psalm 6.

I have chosen a song “My wordless prayer” for an offertory in 8 and 11:00 o’clock worship services. The song is carefully written as a musical prayer, related to Psalm 6. I pray that it might be lifted up as our prayers through the worship services this week.

The Viva voce ensemble will lift up a communion song called “Remember me” at 11:00 o’clock service. 

I pray that we might be able to go closer to God with our sincere prayers and praise through Psalms in a month of Thanksgiving. May the Lord help us to bear His Spiritual gifts through this time of year!

These are the wonderful lyrics of the two songs.

My Wordless Prayer

My words lie still and lifeless as dust upon the sand, I can no longer voice one request or one demand. My cup of tears is empty, I can no longer cry. My lips have fallen silent, my prayer is but a sigh.

Spirit, come and rest Your ear upon my heart, O come and hear my wordless prayer, my silent plea and take them far away from me. Take them from this heart of mine to the Father’s heart divine. Speak in tones unknown to man that God may hear and understand.

My voice is weak from calling to You both night and day. How long will You be silent? Why do You turn away? 

Spirit, come and rest Your ear upon my heart, O come and hear my wordless prayer, my silent plea and take them far away from me. Take them from this heart of mine to the Father’s heart divine. Speak in tones unknown to man that God may hear and understand.

Remember Me

At the close of the day in an upper room the Lord sat down with the twelve. It was then that he took the bread, broke it and blessed it and said: “Take, eat and remember me. This is my body I give for you. Take, eat and remember me.”

The disciples ate with their Lord that night, not knowing this was the last. It was then that he took the cup, raised it and blessed it and said: “Take, drink and remember me. This is my lifeblood I give for you. Take, drink and remember me.” 

Rejoice, the Lord is King!

I have tried hard to apply what we got challenged on last Sunday to live “Simple” life each day; found out that living a simple life requires many things to be organized with my priorities. Amazingly, when I put those things on my list and pray to lift them up to God to help me to do wisely, there has been a deep peace in my daily life. Even though there is still heavy traffic, and tons of works, somehow God has given me the peace with faith that He is the Lord! I have been still learning more how to surrender completely more in my daily life.

Both choirs- the Sonrise singers for 8:00 o’clock service, and the Sanctuary choir for 11:00- will greatly proclaim how great our God, the King of all is. 

The Sanctuary choir will lift up “Rejoice, the Lord is the King!” as an anthem at 11:00. This song is setting with a famous hymn “Rejoice, the Lord is the King” written by Charles Wesley. The handbell will praise with the anthem. At 8:00 o’clock, the Sonrise singers will sing “O Lord, our Lord, how excellent Thy name.” We pray that we proclaim and praise God more often to realize that God is the Lord and the King in our lives, and believe that it will help on us to live simpler lives which God wants us to live in this world.

From this new semester, the children’s choirs have been greatly enlarged and they are wonderful. You will get to hear them praising God on this Sunday.  The little praiser will sing “We are the church” at 9:15 and the JAM choir will sing “Come all ye people” at 11:00 o’clock service. We still need to have a director for the JAM choir. We have many children in the group, but no director. If you are called to serve in children’s music ministry, please join us. They meet on Wed. night 6:00-7:00. I am looking forward to sharing this beautiful music to be praise and lifted up to our Lord with our sincere hearts.

Let’s proclaim God together that He is the King and the Lord of all!

Here is the text of the anthem at 11:00. Enjoy!

Rejoice, the Lord is King!

Rejoice, the Lord is King! Your Lord and King adore! Rejoice, give thanks, and sing and triumph evermore: Lift up your heart, life up your voice! Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Lift up your voice, let all creation sing, rejoice, the Lord is King!

Our savior, Jesus, reigns; the God of truth and love; When he had purged our Savior took his seat above.

His Kingdom can not fail; he rules both earth and heaven: the keys of death and hell are to our Jesus given. Lift up your heart, lift up your voice! Rejoice, again I say, Rejoice!

Rejoice in glorious hope for Christ the Judge shall come to gather all his saints to their eternal home. Lift up your heart, lift up your voice! Rejoice, again I say, Rejoice!

Coming week prayer request

I have decided not only sharing music and announcement in this blog but also sharing prayer requests among us as well as in general.
Prayer is not an option if we are Christians. We are easily compromising with our circumstances so that we make reasonable excuses for less praying life. I do too all the time. However, I believe that we need to encourage each other to keep on praying without ceasing.

These are prayer requests for this week.
1.For Debbie Swartz's thyroid cancer surgery on Oct. 1st (Mon).
2. For the community of Herndon who are friends and relatives with the Peterson's.
3. For our church that we kneel down to God for seeking His mercy and grace upon those people especially who don't believe Jesus as their Savior.
4. For our music ministry to glorify God fully through our ministry with our best.
5. For our JAM choir director who God will lead to them quickly.
6. Yoon's safe trip to Indiana, and God's help upon her writing the dissertation.

May the Lord hear our prayers! Amen

Living Water, Guiding Spirit

Do you like water? Not only is it an essential element for life, but it is also a gift from God have I loved since I was a child. I enjoy drinking water (either cold or hot), swimming in it, touching its freshness or warmth, watching oceans, rivers, lakes, or even water fountains. And I love using water to wash things clean. I think water is a mysterious gift from God.  If we look at the Bible, it is amazing to see how often water was used as an important prop—the parting of the Red Sea, drawing water from the rock,  water becoming wine,  and Jesus walking on the water, and so on.

Whenever I sit down in our sanctuary, I hear the sound of flowing water from the fountain underneath the cross. For me, I feel that the sound is representing the love pouring down from God through the cross to us. It sometimes soothes me with deep peace, and tells me that the life given to us through the cross is still flowing upon us.

The Sanctuary Choir will lift up a beautiful anthem, “Living Water, Guiding Spirit” accompanied by flute, cello, and percussion. There are many rhetorical gestures in the song to represent the wind of the Holy Spirit, rushing waters, or soaring eagles to express God’s love among us. The song is inspired by Psalm 42. The Floris Strings will praise, “Love Divine, All Love Excelling” as an offertory at the service too.

The Sonrise Singers will lift up, “Take My Life” based on an old hymn at the 8:00 AM service.

I pray that we have a chance to be touched by God’s presence –His presence that quenches our soul and restores our faith in Him throughout  the worship services.

Here are the lyrics to, “Living Water, Guiding Spirit”.

Living Water, Guiding Spirit

Just as the deer longs for the water, my spirit longs for You, my God. 

Living water flow in me. Refresh my soul with Your truth and grace. Make in me Your vessel pure, a heart to hold Your praise, a heart to hold Your praise.

Just as the wind blows through the forest, move through my life today.  O Lord, I pray.

Guiding Spirit blow through me. Refresh my soul with Your truth and grace. Lift me up where eagles fly. Teach me a higher way, teach me a higher way. Teach me O Lord, I pray.