Clergy Corner: November 2025

It is already Thanksgiving again. While many look forward to Black Friday sales, Christians prepare for Advent—remembering with gratitude that Jesus came to earth two thousand years ago and waiting with hope for His return.

I try to live each day without forgetting the Lord’s grace, but when Thanksgiving arrives, my heart becomes especially tender. I look back on my life and remember the countless ways I’ve been loved, guided, and carried — and gratitude wells up even more.

Look around us! How many reasons do we have to give thanks? Like a GPS pointing out the right path, so many people have shaped my journey: parents, my wife, siblings, teachers, pastors, fellow believers, friends, coworkers. And beyond them, there are countless people from whom I have received kindness, large and small.

I am grateful even to those who once made my life difficult. For God used them, too, to refine my soul, in hindsight, as the instruments of spiritual maturity.

I grew up in Korea when the nation was still rising from the ruins of war. I remember saving every pencil stub, pushing the tiny piece into an empty pen casing so I could use it to the end. Back then, even the smallest gift felt precious.

But now, in Korea, one of the world’s top ten economies, children often take comfort for granted. When their allowance feels small, they struggle to be thankful—because they have never known otherwise.

Even so, many Koreans never forget those who sacrificed for them. Some companies regularly visit foreign veterans of the Korean War, repairing homes and offering medical help. And in Korean communities across the U.S. and Canada, people honor veterans each year with warm winter coats and small gifts—expressing gratitude for their sacrifice that cannot be repaid.

We all live by receiving help and grace. None of us can live alone. Family, neighbors, church, society— how much we owe to the people around us. Yet, in the rush of life, we often forget to thank even those we can see. How much easier, then, to forget to thank the God we cannot see!

Still, God gives so much more: the air we breathe, the water we drink, the resources we enjoy. And in this competitive world that wears down our souls, He refreshes our hearts through the beauty of creation. How can we not give thanks? God created the universe for our good, and He sent His Son to cleanse of our sins and restore us. How beautiful is the heart of our compassionate Father!

This is why the Apostle Paul urges us: “Give thanks in all circumstances.” Not only in small, everyday blessings, but even in hardship and injustice — give thanks. For our God knows every detail of our lives, meets our needs with mercy, and calls us “His Own.” How could we not give thanks to such a good God?

Today, with AI and social media reducing human contact, every soul around us is more precious than ever. The God who formed each life is worthy of our gratitude.

So, this Thanksgiving, may we pause again to give sincere thanks — for the people around us, and for the God who deeply loves us without end. And in daily life, may gratitude replace complaint, and praise replace discouragement.