During Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving), If We Miss Our Hometown, Then We Should Think Deeply About Our Eternal Homeland(Hebrews 11:13-16)
During Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving), If We Miss Our Hometown,
Then We Should Think Deeply About Our Eternal Homeland
Hebrews 11:13-16
Whenever Chuseok comes around, my heart feels sad and empty. It’s been 60 years since I left my hometown, and I often think about how nice it would be to visit at least once. I wonder if my old classmates are still alive… I wonder who survived the War… When the church members leave to visit their hometowns during the holidays, sometimes I’m alone at the church with a few others and the elder who guards the main gate. From a human perspective, it might feel lonely, but when I think about how billions of people on this earth will eventually return to their true home in heaven, it brings me to my knees in prayer. I prayed last night, “Please, Lord, grant us the blessing of faith in Jesus, so that on New Year’s Day, on holidays, on birthdays, and at the celebrations of 60th and 61st birthdays, every time we return to our earthly hometowns, we may realize that we are truly heading toward our heavenly home.” I’ve prepared today’s message
with this in mind, encouraging you to think deeply about our eternal home if you are feeling homesick during this Thanksgiving holiday. I hope that as we look toward that eternal heaven—a city prepared by God for His people, a place that will never decay, perish, or disappear—you will listen attentively to today’s message. I ask this in the name of the Lord.
Countless people come into this world and live as they please. If some study and work hard, then there are others who neither study nor put in effort, like thugs seeking unearned income or trying to steal from others. However, both you and I, and everyone else, are bound to follow the command, “You will return to dust” (Gen 3:17-19). As Romans 5:12 says, because the forefather of mankind Adam sinned, we, who were born in his lineage, carry the same sin. According to Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death.” No one can escape death. Whether we live for 70 or 80 years, or even up to 100 years, we all eventually return to the dust, without exception.
A person who temporarily resides somewhere is called a sojourner. King David used a similar expression in 1 Chronicles 29:15.
1 Chronicles 29:15 For we are sojourners before You, and tenants, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope.
We are all travelers on a journey to our true home in heaven. A traveler leaves his home for a while, lives in a foreign land, and eventually returns. Though some go sooner and others later, no one remains on this earth forever. That’s why, when someone passes away, we use the Korean expression that they have “returned,” as in, “they have returned back to their home.” We are all heading toward our true homeland, and that gives us hope. Jesus’ death was for our sins, and His resurrection was to give us eternal life, happiness, and righteousness. If we believe this, we are promised salvation. However, if we don’t believe, then it becomes a sin, and we cannot escape judgment, as recorded in John chapters 3 and 16. We indeed have hope. For those of us who believe, there is the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. We are heading toward the lost paradise. Revelation 2:7 says, “To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.” For those who overcome, the hidden manna and the tree of life in paradise are prepared. The Israelites ate manna, the bread from heaven, in the wilderness and still died, but Jesus said, “I am the true bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood will never die” (John 6).
My true homeland, my eternal homeland, is the Garden of Eden. It is Paradise. The Garden of Eden is the home where the Tree of Life exists. It’s something that doesn’t exist in our earthly hometowns. Don’t we need to find what was lost? We don’t know exactly where the Garden of Eden is. The Bible says there were four rivers in Eden, and these four rivers flowed out to water the garden. Since we lost it, no one knows where it is. According to Genesis 3:24, after Adam and Eve were banished, God placed cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life so that man would not eat from it and live forever. God has promised to reveal this place to His faithful believers in the end and guide us there. Isn’t it God’s providence and will that we wait for it? I hope you all will head toward that homeland with such hope in your heart. As we return to our earthly hometowns, may we also long to find our eternal home through faith. Remember, worry and anxiety came about after we lost and left Eden. If the lost paradise is restored, as Isaiah 60 and Revelation 22 say, there will be no pain, no death, and no mourning. As you travel to your hometown this Chuseok, I pray that God’s grace will dwell in your hearts and upon you as you reflect on your eternal homeland.
When you’re about to visit your hometown, thoughts like, “I should get something for someone, but I don’t have any money, so I couldn’t even buy a gift,” start clouding your mind. Look at Milton’s “Paradise Lost.” No matter where you look—north, south, east, or west—there’s always something to worry about. Nothing ever feels fully satisfying. That’s the reality of this world. As believers, we shouldn’t just lament or be discouraged. Jesus said, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7). He promised to give us answers. Yet, people don’t come to church, read the Bible, attend gatherings to hear the Word, nor serve in the church. However, when a crisis hits, they suddenly cry out, “Please save me!” Do you think even people would respond well to that? We struggle day and night because we don’t trust and live according to the Word. When we put God aside and don’t Him first, instead prioritizing our children, parents, husbands, wives… everything will become gloomy.
“Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor 10:31; Rom 14:7-8). It all starts with God. No matter how much parents worry about their sons, daughters, grandchildren, or daughters-in-law, if God thinks of them even just once, everything will go well. Look at the birth of Joseph. His mother, Rachel, couldn’t have children, but the Bible says, “God remembered her.” So, if we live with a faith that puts God first in everything we do, there is no need to worry about health, children, grandchildren, or business issues. In the name of the Lord, I strongly encourage you with this message.
Whether you grow fruits, cabbages, or vegetables, come to the church first and with the grace of God, generously lay them in front of the pulpit, and then give a thanksgiving prayer to Him. After that, your physical parents come next. When you didn’t know God, you might have thought, “Shouldn’t I be thinking about my ancestors?” But it is not the ancestors who created us; it is God who created us. First, give a thanksgiving prayer to God, and then pray for the health of your parents and family members. Pray like this: “May Jesus, who is my way, my life, and my truth (John 14:6), guide and protect me until I enter the forgotten paradise and eat the fruit of the tree of life.” First, focus on “that kingdom.” Don’t say, “I will give my tithe and offerings to the church when I earn money” without doing this first.
Is there anyone born on this earth who has forgotten their hometown? Even if one cannot go back, whether due to circumstances or other reasons, the longing for one’s hometown still exists in their hearts. Believers long for their true homeland, a world that was rich and free from worries before we sinned. The hometown becomes a place where, regardless of good or bad living conditions, once we leave, a sense of nostalgia arises and we become filled with longing. It becomes the object of our yearning. If we close our eyes tightly, we can recall everything from the back yard to the front yard, and even to the entrance to the neighborhood.
Modern-day loneliness is the silent cry of humans who have turned away from God.
The loneliness of individuals today is the silent cry of humans who have turned away from God. People have a sense of longing that goes beyond their physical hometown; it is a yearning for God’s house. In today’s Scripture, the father of faith Abraham regarded the land of Canaan as his physical hometown and viewed heaven as his true home. God saw Abraham’s faith and promised him a city, a heavenly homeland.
Hebrews 11:16 But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.
Abraham also had a hometown on this earth. If it were his true hometown, he would have had the opportunity to return, but it is not his true home. The three generations of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived together as a family, dwelling as sojourners while longing for heaven as if it were their true homeland. Looking at Hebrews 11, we see that those with faith bow their heads in humility. The father of faith, Abraham, boldly cast off his earthly hometown and instead set his heart on the city that God had prepared for him in heaven. God is alive. Seeing Abraham’s deep love for Him and his longing for the heavenly kingdom, God said, “I have prepared an eternal city for you.” Please read Hebrews 11:13-16 again.
Dear saints, as sojourning pilgrims on this earth, we must prepare to go home. As the days go by, we grow old without even realizing it. Don’t we all prepare for our homecoming? We prepare clothes to wear and consider what gifts to give to others. Likewise, we must prepare to go to our eternal hometown.
Hebrews 11:14 For those who say such things make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.
We don’t usually sing pop songs in church, but many of our songs speak of history and the times. During the Sunday worship service, I ask for your understanding and cooperation, as we aim to learn even one lesson and renew our faith through the lyrics.
My Hometown in My Dreams
Though I long for my hometown, I cannot return,
Beneath the sky and those distant moun tains, a thousand miles away.
Alas, I’m ever lonely, I who cry in a strange land
The hometown I dreamt of, I miss it end lessly How many years have passed since I left my home?
I wander through strange lands
When will I see my parents and my broth ers again?
Oh, I cannot forget the hometown I see in my dreams.
There’s also the song “Living in a Foreign Land.” It goes, “My situation, like floating duckweed, is truly disheartening.” Here, “floating” refers to the floating nature of the duckweed. Coming to a foreign place, unable to earn money and without a spouse, can feel bleak. To all of you gathered here in the presence of the Lord to worship, believe that this is one of the greatest blessings. Some might think, “When I go home, I have to give my kids allowance, meet friends for a drink, and treat them…” but there are those who cannot go because they lack the money. If you thought, “I might not be able to fulfill my role if I go home, so let’s just go to church,” God will surely be pleased today. Don’t be discouraged.
With Chuseok approaching, I know there are some who cannot go home due to difficult circumstances, and others who may feel they can’t go because they worry about not being able to attend Sunday worship. If it’s hard to go on the actual day, please visit ahead of time. Your parents who don’t believe in Jesus may feel disappointed. I’m not saying you shouldn’t go. However, you shouldn’t blame God, Jesus, or the church. Abraham left his homeland, relatives, and father’s house at the age of 75, as instructed in Genesis 12. He built altars and worshiped everywhere he went, even though he didn’t know where he was going. And then he received revelations. Wherever Abraham went, there was an altar and the act of worship. So don’t harbor resentment just because you can’t go home. Instead, gather with your family in the name of the Lord and worship together, believing that tremendous blessings will remain in your home. I’m confident of this. Believe.
Dear members of Pyungkang Church, I hope you have a living history that yearns for your heavenly homeland like the great prophets Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Daniel, and Jeremiah. During the Chuseok holiday, I pray that you become members who long for your heavenly home even more than your earthly one.
<Even Though I Return to My Hometown>
The mountains remain the same, but the river is no longer what it used to be. Embracing the scent of willows, my old friend, With whom I once sailed a boat while singing songs—
How can you carry the strange dreams That flowed through each curve of the river? How can you hold them, how can you keep them?
Returning to my hometown, where has the girl from the village gone? My old friend who used to herd calves, Walking those narrow paths along the rice fields—
How can you preserve the dreams of love That rise faintly in the memories of the past? How can you hold them, how can you keep them?
Now I shall cherish the dear memories of my hometown, The familiar sounds of crickets crying between the stone walls, how mournful they were. The sound of women beating laundry from afar—All the memories of those days that have slipped away with the passage of time.
The mountain remains the same as it was in the past, just like it was in my childhood. However, the water is not the same as before. In that moment, I feel a sense of emptiness and start to reflect on what fruits remain for me in my life. A pilgrim yearns for a better homeland.
As we celebrate Chuseok, I hope that our Pyungkang congregation longs not only for our hometown parents, siblings, friends, and uncles, but also for the paradise we lost due to sin and shortcomings. Our true hometown, the Garden of Eden, certainly exists on this earth. Because of sin, God expelled Adam and Eve to prevent them from eating the fruit of the tree of life without resolving their sins, placing the cherubim and a flaming sword to guard it. So we do not know where the Garden of Eden is. I encourage you, in the name of the Lord, to replace feelings of lament or sorrow about not being able to return to your hometown with a yearning for that eternal homeland, without blaming anyone.
The Garden of Eden is not in heaven; it is here on earth. God has hidden it from our human eyes. Since it is on this earth, Revelation 2:7 states, “To him who overcomes, I will grant to eat of the tree of life which is in the Paradise of God.” The tree of life in the Garden of Eden has been hidden by God from human sight. The promise of granting the fruit of the tree of life in paradise to the one who overcomes will take place here on earth.
These are the realizations that come to mind on Chuseok. Although we can’t visit our hometown, remember that heaven is not a place you can buy your way into; it is a place you enter through faith. “Even if you visit your hometown, the mountains are the same as they were, but the water is no longer the same.”
“Jesus Led Me All the Way”
Verse 1 : Someday life’s journey will be o’er, And I shall reach that distant shore, I’ll sing while entering Heaven’s door, Jesus led me all the way.
Verse 2 : If God should let me there review The winding paths of earth I knew, It would be proven clear and true— Jesus led me all the way.
Verse 3 : And hither to my Lord hath led, Today He guides each step I tread, And soon in Heaven it will be said, Jesus led me all the way.
Chorus : Jesus led me all the way, Led me step by step each day. I will tell the saints and angels as I lay my burdens down, “Jesus led me all the way.”
This is the day when our congregation returns to God, as depicted in Luke 15. The long-lost son returns. He is very far away, and the father waits day and night, wondering when his son will return. Finally, he sees a figure in the distance and recognizes him. The father runs to embrace his son, dresses him in new clothes, and puts a ring on his finger. He also puts new sandals on his feet. The father joyfully dances and invites everyone in the village, preparing a feast and a grand celebration. In today’s terms, he even called in a band.
Dear saints! Physically, it is a joyful day in August for Chuseok. The mountains and fields are so full of fruits and ripe grains that they seem to dance. Whether you brought gifts or not, whether you have money or not, in this world where you are misunderstood whether you visit your hometown or not, we, through the merit of the cross of Jesus, have come to know the heavenly world. As we repent of our sins and long for our true heavenly hometown this Chuseok in August, how pleased must our Heavenly Father be when He sees us! I bless you all, in the name of the Lord, to live with a heart for the eternal heaven, the kingdom where our Father is, yearning for the tree of life in the lost Eden.
Let us pray.
Thank You, God. Thank You for the precious message You have given on this Chuseok holiday in 2008. Help us not to complain or grumble about what we have or don’t have, but to fully repent for not serving the church, for not being faithful to Your kingdom, and for not evangelizing.
Let us pray. Thank you, God. Thank you for the precious words you gave us on the Thanksgiving holiday in 2008. Help us to not complain for grumble for what we have or don’t have, and to fully repent for not having listened to, understood, or believed in Your word, for not serving the church, for not being faithful to Your kingdom, and for not evangelizing. Bless us so that we may truly become Your beloved sons and daughters who bring You joy.
We desire to live according to Your will, God. Lord, please hold us. With Your endless, blood-stained hands, anoint us from our heads to our entire bodies. Cleanse and burn away all wrong thoughts and evil hearts with the fire of the Holy Spirit. May we resemble only the heart of Jesus Christ and possess a sincere heart, living in accordance with Your will. Up until now, everything has been a failure and unfruitful, but from this moment as we hear Your word, may You work in our lives so that our businesses thrive, our families find peace, and we live in harmony with our friends. May we all be blessed to run with faith, looking forward to the eternal heaven, the forgotten paradise of life in joy and happiness. We offer all these prayers in the holy name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
September 14, 2008 Sunday Service
Sermon from Rev. Abraham Park