St. John's United Methodist Church

05/31/2026

"Let the Names Be Blessings for Others"

Matthew 28:16-20 NRSV

05/31/2026

-St. John’s Pulpit (May 31, Trinity Sunday)-
“Let the Names Be Blessings for Others” Mathew 28:16-20
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him, but they doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Sermon Note:
The Great Commission
Traditionally, the Sunday after Pentecost is Trinity Sunday. Simply speaking, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are highlighted as we move into this Pentecost season. While much of our focus during this time is on the great works of the Holy Spirit, the Trinity Sunday we celebrate today plays an important role in balancing our faith. It reminds us to equally value the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Perhaps this is the hidden beauty behind Trinity Sunday.
With that in mind, today’s scripture, famously known as the Great Commission, is the perfect choice for Trinity Sunday. Please look at verses 19 and 20 carefully:
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. Matthew 28:19-20a NRSV
"In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit..." The Great Commission was established by the Triune God. Interestingly, the Gospel of Matthew does not actually narrate Jesus’s Ascension. Instead, Matthew ends directly with the Great Commission. This means these words were spoken by the Risen Christ in His final moments on earth. And still, this "last" commission remains active and alive for you and me, and for all churches and Christians today.
Here is a question for you. If today’s story is the last commission, what about the first commission in the Bible? Do you know what it was? I believe we can find it in Genesis 1:26-28:
26 Then God said, “Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us so that they may take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and all the crawling things on earth.” 27 God created humanity in God’s own image, in the divine image God created them, male and female God created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and master it. Take charge of the fish of the sea, the birds in the sky, and everything crawling on the ground.” Genesis 1:26-28 CEB
This is the story of how God created humanity and commissioned them to take care of God’s creation. Here is an interesting point that requires our attention: God the Creator is depicted in the ‘plural’ form in verse 26!
"Let us make humanity in our image to resemble us..."
One of the most reliable theological interpretations is that when humanity was made, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—the Triune God—created us together! Then, the Triune God blessed humanity and commissioned them to be fertile, multiply, fill the earth, and take charge of all creatures. I believe this stands as the very first official commission from God in scripture. Don't you?
The Difference in the Commissions
While the Great Commission in Matthew 28 takes place between the Risen Lord and His disciples, the First Commission in Genesis 1 was made between God and all of humanity. Both stories share a foundation in the Triune God. Yet, despite this common ground, there are some key differences.
On one hand, the First Commission in Genesis 1 was limited to the immediate environment where humanity lived. All the benefits and privileges were given strictly to those first human beings. It is hard to say that those first humans had a transformative impact on others; they were primarily the beneficiaries of God's grace.
However, the Great Commission in today’s gospel has a distinct goal: to transform others through discipleship. The role of Jesus' eleven disciples was to act as God’s agents, executing exactly what He directed.
Think about it simply: the real beneficiaries of the Great Commission are those who will become disciples, will be baptized, and will be taught. Centuries ago, the disciples had no idea who those people would be. But today, you and I are the fruit of that Great Commission.
At the same time, we are now asked to pass it on and practice the Great Commission for someone else. In this way, the Kingdom of God expands, the disciples of Jesus multiply, and the holy impact of Christians is strengthened. That is the core point: the Great Commission by the Risen Christ was designed to transform other people.
When the Gospel Was Introduced to Korea
We can see a powerful historical example of this in Korea. Among the many Protestant denominations there, the two largest have always been the Presbyterian Church and the Methodist Church.
One hundred and forty-one years ago, the first two missionaries landed in Korea with the Gospel. One represented the Presbyterian Church, and the other represented the Methodist Church. Since then, these two denominations have navigated a relationship of both supporting and competing with each other.
Though they arrived at the exact same time, their mission strategies were quite different:
• The Presbyterian missionaries wanted Korean Christians to focus primarily on personal salvation and faith. Because their strategy focused on individual salvation, they were initially less active in building hospitals, opening schools, or training local Korean seminarians. Their singular focus was salvation itself. While this allowed Presbyterian churches to grow incredibly large and numerous over time, it has also faced modern criticism for leading to a "privatization" of faith among believers.
• The Methodist missionaries, on the other hand, sought to transform Koreans by providing modern education. Their focus was on transforming families and whole communities. Because of this, when Korea was under Japanese colonial rule, it was the Methodist missionaries and leaders who played an active, vital role in supporting the Korean Independence Movement.
Korean Methodist leaders poured their passion and prayers into bringing freedom to their country, helping lift their people out of ignorance, poverty, and disease. Many Korean Methodist clergy studied in the United States and returned to serve not just in pulpits, but in leadership positions throughout society. Countless hospitals and schools were founded by Methodist missionaries. In fact, one of the early Korean Methodist Bishops even published the very first concise English-Korean dictionary!
When we look at this history, we see that the Methodist mission in Korea beautifully mirrors the Great Commission of Matthew 28. Its goal was to transform the Korean people, make them disciples of Jesus Christ, and teach them to be the light and salt of the earth. The profound depth of how this mission shaped a nation is hard to overstate.
Miracle Sunday
As we head into June, clergy and lay delegates across the Virginia Annual Conference are gearing up for our upcoming Annual Conference in Harrisonburg. Among the many important topics on the agenda is a campaign called "Miracle Sunday."
There will be plenty of opportunities to learn about this campaign in the coming weeks, but at its heart, "Miracle Sunday" is a fundraising effort to support education funds for clergy in Africa.
As you may already know, Christianity is growing explosively across the African continent. In geopolitics and economics, the term "Global South" is often used to describe developing or emerging regions across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia. But in the world of Christian missions, the term "Global South" is a phrase of praise, success, and immense potential—especially given the incredible church growth in Africa.
While we praise God for this abundant fruit, we also recognize a critical need: they need many more pastors who are deeply trained and educated in theology.
The "Miracle Sunday" campaign in the United Methodist Church is launching to provide exactly that theological education support. To make true disciples of Jesus, we need well-prepared spiritual leaders. Those equipped leaders will, in turn, teach and baptize others on and on.
Therefore, Miracle Sunday is not just a one-time event; it is an ongoing movement to bring miracles to our world. Don’t you think this is a 21st-century version of the Great Commission? Let us take up this call together, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit!

05/25/2026

-St. John’s Pulpit (May 24, Pentecost)-
“One Spirit & One Body” 1 Corinthians 12:3-13

3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit.
4 Now there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit, 5 and there are varieties of services but the same Lord, 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of powerful deeds, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

The ‘Strangely’ Spiritual Retreat
When I was a seminary intern a long time ago, I was asked to serve the youth group at a local church. Because I was supposed to be ordained soon, my Senior Pastor did not want me serving the young adults. I was almost the exact same age as many of them, and he valued age as a primary source of authority. But whenever the young adult ministry needed extra staff, I stepped in to help as best as I could.

One summer, I was asked to join the young adult spiritual retreat. A renowned revivalist speaker had been invited. Every night, he preached with intense passion and led fervent prayers. On the final day, he highlighted the importance of the Holy Spirit and encouraged everyone to receive the Spirit. From time to time, he would ask the crowd if they felt a physical warmth in their hearts.

As we know from the history of 19th-century revival movements in the U.S., attendees were traditionally invited to come to the altar or raise their hands when they received the Holy Spirit. They were encouraged to share their testimonies on the spot, and we were urged to pray without ceasing after the sermon.

In this environment, everyone felt the pressure to outwardly express that they were receiving the Holy Spirit, in whatever form that took. Afterward, the group was supposed to move to the cafeteria for fellowship and snacks. As a team leader, I was sitting there praying, and I slightly opened one eye to see how many
people were left in the sanctuary.

Three. Just me and two other young adults.

Soon, those two went up to the altar, received a special prayer from the preacher, and headed to the cafeteria. Now, what was I supposed to do?

To be honest, I didn't feel any sudden warmth in my heart. I just wanted to move on to the next scheduled program, because sitting there alone felt incredibly uncomfortable. But when I realized the other leaders and students were waiting for me, I raised my hand, walked up, and told the preacher, “I feel the presence of the Holy Spirit!”

What do you think? Did I lie?

Our basic theology tells us that the Holy Spirit is omnipresent. So even if the Holy Spirit wasn’t working in the exact emotional way I expected in that moment, it was still a fact that the Holy Spirit was there. And with that, the young adult retreat ended.

Overcoming the Stereotype of the Spirit
Recalling that retreat, I realize something important: people often have a rigid stereotype of the Holy Spirit. We think that receiving the Spirit must mean feeling physical warmth, speaking in tongues (glossolalia), or witnessing miraculous healings. While these are certainly ways people experience God, I worry that making them understand the Holy Spirit narrowly is not good.

Interestingly, this was the exact same issue dividing the early Christians in Corinth. How did the Corinthians understand the Holy Spirit?

In our scripture today, we see that the Apostle Paul had a very different understanding of the Holy Spirit than the Corinthian church did. Much like my experience at that retreat, the Christians in Corinth believed that receiving the Spirit required showing off spectacular, supernatural gifts. They had a simple, unwritten rule: No flashy gift, no Holy Spirit.

To challenge this, Paul taught them that the ultimate proof of the Holy Spirit is simply this: making the confession that "Jesus is Lord." Receiving the Holy Spirit isn’t about bragging or spiritual vanity; it is about confirming the Lordship of Christ.

3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:3 NRSV
Paul goes on to emphasize that the Holy Spirit manifests in diverse ways. Instead of forcing everyone into one specific supernatural gift, the Holy Spirit guides people to use their unique, ordinary gifts in various areas of life.
4 Now there are varieties of gifts but the same Spirit, 5 and there are varieties of services but the same Lord, 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NRSV

We are called to do our best to serve God and neighbor using the distinct gifts we have already been given. We don’t all need to heal or speak in tongues. We just need to serve. Our sense of calling motivates us to be faithful because we are all called by the same God. In this way, we become one body and one spirit in Christ, right from where we are. Here is the core point: Unity in diversity is the true sign of the Holy Spirit.

Unity in Diversity
We see this rule of "unity in diversity" vividly at the very first Pentecost in Acts 2:
17 In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young will see visions. Your elders will dream dreams. 18Even upon my servants, men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. Acts 2:17-18 CEB

Look at the diverse groups listed here: sons and daughters, young and old, men and women of every social status. All are valued, and all are main actors on the stage of the Holy Spirit. They are vastly different, yet they live out the same Holy Spirit through their varied gifts.

The Holy Spirit holds two truths in tension: unity and diversity. It is not a monolith; it is a beautiful harmony composed of different voices. Therefore, a people led by the Spirit must seek both unity in Christ and diversity among people. The more we emphasize being "one body," the more we must value the diverse voices required to make that oneness whole.

Even Jesus modeled this. When he called his disciples, he chose people from completely different socio-political backgrounds—from rough fishermen to a tax collector. Yet, they shared a single dream of the Kingdom of God, serving the Lord as one team.

Pentecost and Aldersgate Day
Today, we celebrate two wonderful milestones. On the historic church calendar, it is Pentecost Sunday. As you can see from our red paraments and my red stole, it is the universal birthday of the Christian Church.

But on this particular Sunday, those of us in the Wesleyan tradition also mark John Wesley’s Conversion Day—Aldersgate Day, which took place on May 24, 1738. The same Holy Spirit that swept through the first Christians in Jerusalem also warmed the heart of John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement.

In that spirit, my prayer today is that all Methodists and Wesleyans—regardless of label—will truly receive the Holy Spirit. We need the exact same Spirit that came to the early church and to John Wesley.
Here is a recap: receiving the Holy Spirit is not about boasting of your special, supernatural gifts. It is measured by how deeply you love your neighbors, especially those who are undervalued by the world. At the same time, it requires us to do the hard work of maintaining unity in Christ.

The Book of James gives us a very practical picture of what a Spirit-filled life actually looks like:
26 If any think they are religious and do not bridle their tongues but deceive their hearts, their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself unstained by the world. James 1:26-27 NRSV

Do you have special spiritual gifts? Yes, you absolutely do. But the greatest, most foundational gift of the Holy Spirit is love—unconditional love for God and for your neighbor.

Come, Holy Spirit, come. Amen.

05/24/2026

"One Spirit & One Body"

1 Corinthians 12:3-13

05/23/2026

Praying for Our Country
Remembering Our Servants…

05/18/2026

Celebrating St. John’s United Women in Faith Sunday!! Very glad to invite Rev. Delishia A Davis (Springfield UMC) to preach this special Sunday.

05/17/2026

"Rise Up" Pastor DeLishia A. Davis, Lead Pastor, Springfield UMC.

1 Peter 4:12-14

05/11/2026

-St. John’s Pulpit (May 10, Fifth Sunday of Easter)-
“Farewell, or Fair(ly) Well?” John 14:15-21
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you.
18 “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. 19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me, and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them.”

Sermon Note:
Finding Hope in Despair
Some of you who read the April church newsletter may remember I introduced Frederick Buechner (1926–2022)’s famous remark on Easter: “Resurrection means that the worst thing is never the last thing.” This morning, I’d like to remind you of this hopeful wording again as we are about to wrap up this Eastertide soon. Knowing that next Sunday (5/17) is Ascension Sunday, the worship this morning is like a final moment to finish our entire Easter and Eastertide.
In that sense, today’s story echoes this lesson again. You might remember that John 14 is known as Jesus’s Farewell Discourse. It is literally Jesus’s announcement of his leaving the world. But what makes Jesus’s farewell discourse special is this: HIS LEAVING IS NOT THE END! In the story today, Jesus comforts his disciples, saying that God would send the Advocate to the world forever.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him because he abides with you, and he will be in you. John 14:16-17 NRSV
If you love to read the CEB (Common English Bible) version, you may be more familiar with the word “Companion” instead of the word “Advocate.” Here is the point: Jesus’s farewell meant our fair(ly) well! Although Jesus left the world, we still live with the Advocate (Companion) all the time. This is the greatest promise for all of us. God always leaves hope for us who are in despair. The only thing we need to do is to recognize the hope left by God through our spiritual insight. At the same time, this can be the reason why we can continue our lives day by day even if our lives are full of challenges.
In the Book of Genesis, when the first human beings (Adam and Eve) ate the forbidden fruit, God decided to part from them by forcing them out of the Garden of Eden. Yes, they lost their Paradise. I know that many Christians are disappointed by this because they hope to live in Eden. Because of their sin, all the descendants of Adam and Eve had to live in the real world, full of challenges and troubles. But when Adam and Eve received what could be called an eviction notice(?), here are a couple of things that happened in their lives:
20 The man named his wife Eve because she is the mother of everyone who lives. 21 The Lord God made the man and his wife leather clothes and dressed them. Genesis 3:20-21 CEB
The man named his wife Eve… in Hebrew, Eve sounds like “life” (or “living”). Although the first woman was involved in the Original Sin (I understand both man and woman were responsible), God encouraged her to sustain not only her life but also all lives through her. And God made leather clothes for the first human beings and dressed them. It means that God wanted to protect them by giving them “GOD’S HANDMADE” leather clothes! This reminds us of the first reaction when the first human beings ate the forbidden fruit.
6 The woman saw that the tree was beautiful with delicious food and that the tree would provide wisdom, so she took some of its fruit and ate it, and also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then they both saw clearly and knew that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made garments for themselves. Genesis 3:6-7 CEB
The forbidden fruit was known to make people aware of good and evil. Ironically, when Adam and Eve ate it, what they realized was that they were naked. Then, they made garments of fig leaves for themselves to cover their naked bodies. God could have let them keep their garments made of fig leaves. But instead, God made leather clothes for them as they were about to begin their uncharted journey! Don’t you think that this resonates clearly with verse 18?
18 “I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. John 14:18 NRSV
Just as God made leather clothes for the first human beings who had to part from God in the Garden of Eden, Jesus promised the Advocate for all after his leaving. Thus, we still live in the world with the Advocate, which is like the same leather clothes for Adam and Eve. Here is the biggest takeaway: God never leaves us alone. God wants to guide and protect you and me all the time. This is the reason why God’s farewell means our fair(ly) well. There is no moment without God’s presence. God was, is, and will be with us.
20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. John 14:20 NRSV
How could I graduate?
Many of you who attended the service a week ago heard that I had a big problem in my first master’s program at Garrett-Evangelical. The problem was an unexpected series of farewells with my three mentor professors in my field, Methodist Studies, which happened within one year. The first mentor left the U.S. to return to his home country, England, when Hannah and I landed at O’Hare International Airport. My second mentor received a tenured position and left after my first semester. The third mentor, the seminary president, stepped down after one year. Although I did not intend it, this past week I received some encouraging words from the congregation (Thank you). Here is the story of how I was able to graduate from the program without those mentors. It shows how God supported me to graduate by His grace.
When I realized I had no one to work with in my master’s program, I immediately thought of Dr. Sujin Pak, who was one of the co-directors of the Asian American Student Association. She was working to complete her PhD at Duke University, majoring in medieval church history and Luther’s theology. Because of her excellence, she was invited to join the faculty at Garrett-Evangelical before her commencement at Duke.
Born into a Methodist family (her father was a renowned Korean professor in liturgy, and her mother was a United Methodist missionary in Korea), she had a heart for Korean students. Upon hearing my challenging situation, she volunteered to become my mentor, although she was not in my field. She and I not only worked together but also studied Methodist Studies together. She was humble, generous, and friendly throughout the rest of the program. Although I was limited in what I could learn from her in my field, I learned this clearly—to become an advocate (companion) for someone who is in trouble! This was the real lesson from my first seminary in the U.S.
I wished I could continue working with her, but I had to say farewell to her soon. She was expecting her second baby and began her maternity leave! But she fully supported me in finishing my program and became my true mentor. After my graduation, she went to Duke Divinity School to teach and later became a vice dean. In 2021, she became the first woman of color appointed as the Dean of the School of Theology at Boston University. She is now serving many seminarians as a good companion.
Sometimes I reflect on my experience at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary. Of course, I still have many “why” questions for the Lord. However, I now understand that it was God’s grace, even if I did not sense it at the time. Although all my mentors in my field were gone, God left one person who supported me—someone who became my Advocate/Companion. Through that, I was able to see hope in God when I was in despair. Just as Koreans received the Gospel with the help of Western missionaries (especially U.S. missionaries), I was also cared for by a missionary’s daughter. Please remember this: farewell means another “fair(ly) well” in Christ. No matter what, God does not leave us alone.
Find the Advocate and Be an Advocate
Here is Jesus’s clear message in his farewell discourse: the Advocate is given to us! This is the reason why we can continue our life journey, even though we experience many farewells and troubles. As long as we are in God, in faith, and in prayer, we can recognize the Advocate after the Lord and do many things in the Spirit of Truth. At the same time, we are called to be advocates (companions) for others.
The most effective way of experiencing the Advocate is through someone who helps us, as I experienced through Dr. Sujin Pak. Therefore, to see the Advocate in our lives also means seeing those who need our help. In this way, we both see the Advocate and become an Advocate for others.
Today is Mother’s Day. Let us honor this special day by praying for all mothers in the world—in heaven, and in places of war where they are losing their families. There are mothers who are grieving the loss of their children to violence. There are many single mothers who must care for their children on their own in this difficult economy. May God grant that all mothers be graced by the Advocate today. Again, no farewell in despair, but fair(ly) well in hope!

05/10/2026

05/10/2026

"Farewell, or Fair(ly) Well?"

John 14: 15-21 NRSV