Hyung Jin Moon
October 24, 2009
Headquarters Church, Seoul, Korea
Main Sermon:
Brothers and sisters, let's move to our core Scriptures (1 Peter 2: 4-5)
"As you come to him, the living Stone -- rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him -- you also like living stones are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Christ."
Aju.
Brothers and sisters, this is the reason why there is a lot of fear in the Christian community when they look at the Unification Church. Because they know that we are people of real faith, and we are people of very strong conviction. We are proud of what we believe and we declare what we believe. And because of that, our brothers and sisters have encountered tremendous persecution, even the violation of the human rights like in Japan, 4,400 members illegally kidnapped, raped, even murdered because of their faith. In a democratic state all this hate crime that has been perpetuated against the Unification Church, has been perpetuated because we are people of faith; because we know our democratic right to believe in our religion and to practice our religion, in the freedom of the religion clause that we enjoy in democratic nations. Because of that conviction, and because of that belief, we have come under that kind of attack.
Remember that, as the Scripture says "As you come to him, the living Stone - rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to Him," we must remember that this is the key. As we return to our faith, as we study the Scriptures, as we start the traditional Bible study again, as we study the Principle again, as we read again what we believe in, we again are affirming what we believe in. We're not hiding what we believe in. We're declaring that True Parents are the Messiah, the Coming Lord, Jesus Christ who has returned, the Son of God. Let's give it up for True Parents, this is what we believe. It is our right to believe it, it is our right to practice our faith, and that's why there is this kind of fear.
This was seen at the Blessing this time, over 14,000 participating worldwide all declaring our faith to the world. In the Blessing this time, we had that public declaration about faith, we declared before the whole world, all the internet broadcast were there. They all know what we believe, but this is the first time we declared it vocally, we declared our faith. Remember, we did many different activities under different names for the last 10 to 15 years, but still people see we are still being criticized for having the desire to witness and to share our faith. So if we're going to do activities and be criticized for witnessing anyway we might as well be honest about it and share our faith. This is why we have to be proud of who we are.
Think about it, brothers and sisters, sharing our faith is the purpose for which we are here, sharing True Parents' mission and that the purpose of Jesus has to be fulfilled through them. This is what it is all about. Remember: "Sharing our faith". It's because somebody shared their faith we have entered into this church, because somebody was bold enough to declare what they believe, what they discovered in the Truth. That is the reason why many of our first generation members have come into the church. This is the same kind of confidence, and the same kind of pride that we need to start exhibiting once again and start believing. This is what society is beginning to see, when we go out and witness, when we go out and do service work on the street. We wear our Unification Church vest, Unification Church hat, and we declare, "We are the Unification Church and we do good works. We're Unification Church, this is what we believe. We're the Unification Church, this is what we declare." We're proud of it because it is our democratic right. This is very important to realize as a community living in a modern world.
They see it in the Chung Bok Gung temple that now is going up. We're returning back to faith, not only to political or social activities, we're going back to our core, our faith, our belief, that gives us the root of our existence. They see in our teaching, in the Divine Principle, that unlike any other tradition, we have a complete overview, an explanation of the movement of the Providential History, all the way from the Creation, in the Biblical text, from the Providences of Noah, Moses, Abraham and Jesus, all the way from the progress of Christianity to the modern world, the parallels of History. There is no other religion that offers this kind of comprehensive view of the Providence that God has been moving with humankind. Let's give it up for the Divine Principle! This is very powerful!
And so, when they see us again regain a sense of confidence and pride in our faith, in what we believe, in what we have to offer, they become nervous. There is power in the Truth. There is power there when we declare what it is that we have discovered, that the Lord has come. The 2000 years of Christianity that has been waiting for the returning Lord; that is the thing that has power.
In the Scriptures, they say they offer sacrifices. Our church is finally doing this once again, offering spiritual sacrifices, offering devotion once again. We're coming back to our faith once again. We're studying the Bible once again. We're studying the Principle once again. We're coming and supporting our community once again. We're becoming responsible members once again, we're witnessing once again, we're doing service work once again, and not only in different groups, we're doing this as one community. They see these things moving together, actualizing the Truth, centered on the living stone, which is the core, which is True Parents. If they see us doing that then they feel there is something happening, they feel the movement of the miracle in motion. This is the thing that has power.
Brothers and sisters, let's move on to the second scripture: (1 Peter 2: 9-10)
"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
This time, when True Parents were returning to the States, at Gimpo airport we met the airport manager and had a wonderful conversation with him. I told him: "Look, we believe very clearly that True Parents are the Messiah. As it says in the Scriptures, 'He will come as a thief in the night'. He will not come in glory and splendor in the clouds; he's going to come very quietly, just like Christ came in a manger. He's going to come quietly unnoticed to the world. The Messiah is coming to challenge us. He's not coming to make us feel good with his good words. He's here to challenge us. As the scriptures say, in Matthew 10:34, 'I do not come to bring peace, I come to bring the sword,' to challenge the people here.
When we see Father, then we see that same challenge. Father doesn’t speak as we might think how a Messiah should speak, for instance like the Dalai Lama or Mother Teresa. He is strong and passionate. He talks about filial relationships, or about husband and wife relationships and all sorts of things that would be quite shocking to some people. But we understand that the Messiah is quite a test to our faith. The chosen one comes to challenge the world, not to just please the world. He comes to move us to a higher level. Is it really that crazy that we believe that True Father is the Messiah? Is it really that crazy that we believe that a Korean person could be the Messiah? Well, if it is crazy then it is AS crazy, not MORE crazy, than the millions of people who believe that Jesus, a Middle Eastern man, was actually the living God who created the universe. Or that an Indian man named Siddhartha would come and overcome life and death by spiritual attainment. Or that an Arab man named Mohammed would receive the word of God and write it down even though he was illiterate. So, if we think that our belief that the Messiah has returned to Korea is crazy, then we also have to believe that all of the billions of believers of other religions around the world are equally crazy. And I don’t think you want to go that far. Let’s give it up to the Unification Church!
You see, we have to remember that the prophets were all misunderstood. Remember when Noah was alive there were people who called him a drunkard. When Abraham was alive people said he had several wives. When Moses was alive they called him a murderer because he killed the Egyptian man when he left Egypt on the Exodus. Jesus was a social rebel. When Pilate asked him: “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered: “It is as you said”. He was declaring himself to be a King in the face of an emperor, even in the face of the local governor Pilate who was representing that emperor.
So, prophets are always misunderstood. They never act in a way that the whole society would say: “Oh, they are so wonderful. They act so nicely in everything. They are floating around as perfect images of the ideal person and society.” No, prophets have always been the challengers of society and the challengers of faith. And this is what True Father is when we see and understand True Parents in this prophetic light. We see that there is no difference in the treatment toward the True Parents and the followers, the apostles and brothers and sisters all around the world who follow and testify to the Lord.
And so, brothers and sisters, I told the airport manager: “Look, because the Unification Church is here in Korea, every year we send over 120,000 people from around the world to come here to Korea; 120,000 people, every year!” As a person who works at the airport he loved to hear that. He really loved that. And I said, “Look, what other religion here in Korea, from the biggest to the smallest church, can bring over 120,000 members every year to Korea? For instance, can, the Full Gospel Church with over 600,000 registered members do that? There is no religious organization in Korea who can bring this many people to this land. Why? This is because we believe this land to be a Holy Land. We don’t see this land as just one of those nations sitting in the Pacific Rim. We see this land of Korea as a Holy Land.”
So I talked to him just the way Kook Jin Nim always does when he meets high officials. He went recently to the Blue House and had a wonderful lunch with the President’s Assistant. He said, “My Father is the Messiah, Mr. President’s Assistant! (applause). And you should know that we have sent over 120,000 people to Korea every year. And as the Unification Church grows every year, even more people will want to come to Korea, because we see Korea as a very sacred land. That of course does not mean that every person in Korea is perfect. We all know that this is not the case, but we believe that the Korean land is sacred, that it is prepared so that True Parents could come here. And that is the reason why Korea is very special.”
There are many predictions that economists make that Korea will become one of the economic powers because it has certain types of attributes. It has, for instance, a fully operating democratic system unlike Japan, which doesn’t have frequent changes between Republicans and Democratic parties. In East Asia Korea is unique in the sense that it does have a fully operating democratic system as well as having a group of professionals that are now being internationally recognized. Samsung is now dominating the hand phone market in America, etc. There are many people who are predicting that Korea will become a major global leader in about 50 years. And it is true that these kinds of social foundations such as education, etc., will become very important in order for Korea to develop. But without the spirit and understanding of its central role and purpose in the great scheme of the hundreds of countries in the world, without understanding its importance which can only be found in the teachings of the Unification Church -- because we see this land as a Holy Land -- Korea won’t be able to reach the level necessary to truly reap the blessings that God has been waiting to give. Let’s give it up to the Unification Teaching!
I asked the airport manager to name any religion in Korea that had begun in Korea and that has now become a worldwide movement -- a worldwide religion. There is not one. Only the Unification Church has come out of Korea in the lifetime of its founder and has been able to spread to become a worldwide religion with millions of followers around the world. And this is because we see True Parents' role as essential to the whole historical providence. See brothers and sisters, I told him, now is the time for us as Korean people to really be more proud. He is a Korean individual who works at the airport and I said: “It’s now time for us to be proud, to get rid of our bias. Why can’t we believe that the Messiah comes in the Korean nation? Is it really more crazy than believing in Jesus as a Middle Eastern man? It’s not more crazy. If it is crazy then it is AS crazy. But it is our belief that Korea is the Chosen Land."
And so I explained to him: “Look, when Jesus came he was persecuted, he was misunderstood and he was crucified since society did not believe and accept his mission as the Messiah. Jesus came and challenged them; he even judged the Pharisees and the Jews very strongly. In Matthew he called them a brood of vipers, really challenging and almost cursing them. Jesus really was a very controversial messianic figure. And we have to understand it is just like that with True Father. Also he has been severely misunderstood."
When you hear the criticisms against Unification Church saying that it is heretical, that it brainwashes and all these things, there is really no substance to that claim. It is simply name calling, it is simply a development of a hate language toward our community of faith. And this hate language has developed into the hate crimes against our Unification Movement for example in Japan, where members have been illegally abducted as you all know.
Brothers and sisters, that is the reason why it is important for us to reclaim our faith, to be proud of what we believe and to know that it is our right to believe so. You see, it is our True Parents who have come to fulfill the mission of Jesus. Jesus died and was resurrected to show the power of God’s love as he had explained in John 15:13 that there is no greater love than he who lays down his life for his friends. Just like Jesus, True Parents laid down their lives for their children and the world. Not only once, but twice, thrice… even seven times they have walked the path of death, descending into hell. They did this so that they could free their children, so that they may reach the Promised Land. And this is the type of heart that we believe Jesus was to inherit: the parental heart of God, the parental heart that would seek and willingly die for the children over and over again, so that the children could live a life of glory.
Brothers and sisters, when we understand this point, then we can understand why this kind of hate language is being spoken by the media, why there are movements that are scared about the Unification Church, why they feel they have to be re-educating people and that the Unification Church is being led by false prophets. But we have to understand that as Jesus was considered a false prophet in his days and as Moses was considered a false prophet in his days, that all those prophets were considered false prophets. So, when we understand True Father’s coming in this role, challenging Christianity to come and receive what God has prepared for them, then we can actually see that it is a normal development that people say that this is a false prophet leading this movement.
Brothers and sisters, when we understand that there are these kinds of realities in our midst, we have to recognize the fact that there are really organizations geared toward opposing Unification Church, although I heard they are financially struggling. However, there are those kinds of organizations that are seeking to slander the Unification Church. Therefore we have to be clear about what we believe. That is why it is important for us to declare our faith. That is why it is important for us to stand up for our faith, so that we will be no longer the victims of such hate crimes in this democratic part of the world. Let’s give it up for democracy for it is because of democracy that we have religious freedom!
Now let’s end with our final quote from 2 Corinthians 4:1-6
“Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart… On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly, we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness' made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
Let’s give it up for our True Parents, brothers and sisters!
I want to end with True Father's words before we enter into our final meditation practice. True Father’s Words Vol. 90:
“Because the work of God is realistic and physical, the Messiah’s coming on the clouds does not make sense. Yet interpreting the Bible literally many Christians think “Jesus will descend on the clouds! It will be done by God’s power!” If that were true, if God could use supernatural power to do anything, then why did He need to send Jesus? Why would He call people to faith? In that case God could simply create the Kingdom by Himself, without waiting for human beings to respond in faith… Yet we know that even the omniscient and omnipotent God has been laboring for six thousand years and even longer to advance His providence of salvation without being able to send the Messiah until today… Many Christians think that the Messiah will solve all the world’s problems in an instant. They do not understand that when the Christ returns he will have to plow the ground and sow the seeds again.”
Aju!
Final Meditation:
Let us close our eyes and return back to our resurrected homeland. The land which was once desert is now filled with bubbling springs. The parched, dry, barren and thirsty ground has turned into lush vegetation. Streams overflow and we are walking in a beautiful meadow that has been resurrected. As we walk in this meadow field, we notice to our left a beautiful stream meandering down. We hear the sounds of that stream, the sounds of resurrection, of life and rebirth. As we walk ahead, we notice that with each step we take, beautiful flowers are blooming almost miraculously around our feet.
We also notice that when we look up at the sky, that what was before a fiery red is now a crystal clear blue with beautiful light shining down upon us. As we look ahead we see True Parents in their holy robes waiting for us. Let us go and kneel down before them. True Father with his right hand and True Mother with her left hand, place their holy hands on top of our head, and they anoint us with their blessing as they speak and say, “May you inherit the True Love of God!” As we receive that blessing we feel a wave of energy passing through our body from the top of our head all the way down to our feet. We feel that as it passes through each and every cell of our body that we are being resurrected.
All the dead and sick cells are being brought back to life, healthy and completely nourished. As we realize that our spirit body had elements of shadow in it we can see that it now has become resurrected and is starting to shine with boundless light in all 12 directions. As we breathe in deeply, in our hearts let us say, “I am alive” and as we breathe out, let us say in our hearts, “Thank You!” Second breath, as we breathe in deeply, “My family is alive!” And as we breathe out, “Thank You so much!” As we breathe in the third breath, “My world is alive!” And as we breathe out, “Thank You!” Final inhalation, as we breathe in, “My God, You are alive!” And as we breathe out, “Thank You!” God and True Parents have blessed us with the blessed life. It is a life where we may inherit the True Love of God, where we inherit the truly heroic parental heart and through that can become greater spouses, greater families of man and women, greater people of the community, greater people of the nations, world, cosmos, spiritual world and of God.
Let us join our hands and manifest the Principle of all the universe: Give and Receive Action of all things, Four Position Foundation, coming together. May I inherit the True Love of God. Aju!