February 2024
“Reconnecting with One Another”
“No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old.” (Luke 5:36)
I visited my country last year and stayed for two weeks. It was such a blessed time for me since I hadn’t been there for fifteen years. Yes, I enjoyed seeing my family and friends and visiting my hometown. However, can you imagine how many things changed over fifteen years? All my siblings moved to new places; the names of streets and places, including my hometown, have changed; the public transportation system changed, and, of course, my Korean driving license had expired. So, I had to learn how to navigate my daily schedule, such as using Google maps, asking people where I was and asking for directions on how to get places. It was a challenging time to reconnect with new systems while I enjoyed seeing people.
However, there are still unchanged aspects, such as the love of family and friends. They came to where I was so we could see each other because I couldn’t find their locations easily. I learned that there was nothing I could do alone in order to reconnect with everyone, and that my old memories from fifteen years ago couldn’t help me with new system.
I realized that I was trying to reconnect with old memories from fifteen years ago and adapt to the new system of 2023, and I had a hard time. Then, a biblical verse came to my mind, “No one tears a patch from a new garment and sews it on an old one. If he does, he will have torn the new garment, and the patch from the new will not match the old” (Luke 5:36). I did try to bring back my old memories to apply them to the new system, but it didn’t work. Reconnecting with one another doesn’t just mean connecting with the system, but connecting with love.
It’s like restoring our first love with God and the initial passion for church ministry. If I didn’t love my country, the people and my hometown, I wouldn’t try to visit them. However, I want to visit them regardless of the changing systems and names because I still love them. Love is enough to reconnect with one another.
Similarly, we still love our church and trust in God even though many circumstances have changed after the pandemic. It is not easy to revert to old ideas and thoughts to reconnect with new systems or new circumstances. However, we can bring back our cherished memories of our church ministry and God, just as the Israelites used to remember how God brought them to the Promised Land. They kept the love of God alive by teaching it to the next generation. An example is found in the following passage: “In the future, when your son asks you, tell him: We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Before our eyes the Lord sent miraculous signs and wonders—great and terrible—upon Egypt and Pharaoh and his whole household. But he brought us out from there to bring us in and gave us the land that he promised on oath to our forefathers.” (Deuteronomy 6:21-22). They taught their children and grandchildren about how God worked for them, and preserved all the stories of God in the scriptures for the next generations.
We can share with the next generation how God has worked in our church ministry and encourage them, letting them know that the same God can work with them. This is a way to connect with the next generation in God’s ministry. We love to hear stories of how God has worked in our parish: Central-Grantsburg, Atlas, and St. Croix Falls. Please share your own God-centered stories with your children and grandchildren so that they may experience God’s love through your witness.
We observe February as Stewardship Month. I hope we reconnect with one another as well as with God, fostering a stewardship mindset. Stewardship is about reclaiming God’s original commendation in our minds and souls, enabling us to care for all creation and restore our image to Christlikeness. Let’s prepare our minds and souls to reconnect with God and one another.
Blessings!
Pastor Jenny