Clergy Corner: June 11, 2026

We have already reached mid-June. It is true what they say—the older you get, the faster time flies. As the time left to prepare for the Kingdom of Heaven shrinks, I deeply long to devote myself to the Lord with greater maturity and to please God the Father with more abundant fruit.

In ten days, it will be Father’s Day. Though my own father went home to heaven 26 years ago, I now desire to serve the elderly saints around me with devotion and grow more like the heart of God our Father, who is love itself.

Coincidentally, Father’s Day this year falls on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year and the beginning of summer. Here in Seattle, we will get a full 16 hours of daylight—1 hour and 47 minutes more sunlight than Los Angeles. This brings to mind the words of Jesus: “Are there not twelve hours of daylight? Anyone who walks in the daytime will not stumble… It is when a person walks at night that they stumble…” (John 11:9-10).

In pitch-black darkness, how grateful we are for even a single, dim lantern. I remember my youth serving in the South Korean Army. Walking up to the guard post for night duty, it was so dark I couldn’t see my own hand in front of my face. I still remember how terrifying that overwhelming darkness felt.

June is also meaningful to me because of the dark memories of the Korean War, which brought immense suffering to our nation. During the three-year war triggered by North Korea’s surprise invasion, nearly 1 million South and North Korean soldiers and 2 million civilians were killed or wounded—claiming nearly 10% of the Korean Peninsula’s population. Furthermore, among the UN forces from 16 nations, there were approximately 40,000 deaths and 115,000 injuries, 90% of whom were American.

To this day, Koreans honor the brave young men from all over the world who risked death to defend Korea and freedom. We especially honor the young people of our blood ally, the United States, who suffered the greatest sacrifices. This is why Korean communities in the U.S. and Canada still hold annual Veterans Day events to express sincere gratitude to the surviving, silver-haired veterans, while also providing medical and financial support to the needy overseas.

Even now, global wars and violence are part of a dark history born from fallen human greed and hatred. That is why Jesus, the light of life, shines His light into our souls, urging us to walk in the light. Just as the days grow shorter after the solstice, the same is true for our spiritual opportunities: “As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.” (John 9:4).

Though we live in a dark world, if we fill our hearts with the Lord’s light daily, we can live as powerful children of light—guiding souls out of darkness into restoration. Before the night falls, during the “daytime” granted to us, I pray we will diligently do the Lord’s work and live victorious lives as the light of the world.