Let us Give Thanks in All Circumstances to our Emmanuel God!

“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us” (Matthew 1:13); “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Today, on Wednesday, January 1, 2025, at around 11:30 AM, our family gathered for a New Year’s celebration at my older brother, the missionary’s house. We began by collectively offering praise and worship to God, followed by a traditional New Year’s bowing ceremony. First, our generation bowed to our parents’ generation, and then our children’s generation bowed to their grandparents. Afterward, the children’s generation received New Year’s money from their grandparents. Haha. Lastly, the children’s generation, along with my nephew’s son, bowed to our generation and received New Year’s money from us. After that, we enjoyed a delicious meal and took a family group photo on the lawn in front of my brother’s house. Following this joyful New Year’s gathering with family in the Lord, I came to the church's pastor’s office to attend the Wednesday service. During today’s family worship, Pastor David Choi, my cousin’s husband, delivered an English sermon titled "God Is with Us" based on Matthew 1:23. Following this, my father preached in Korean on the theme "The Will of God" based on 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Reflecting again on the lessons shared during these messages, I plan to organize and share them with my family, not only in Korean but also translated into English.

Today, I summarized the key lesson from the sermons of both pastors in one sentence: "Let us give thanks in all circumstances to our Emmanuel God!"

During today’s family worship, Pastor David Choi first delivered God’s Word in English to the English-speaking generation. Before addressing the theme of “Emmanuel” from the main text, Matthew 1:23, he referenced Romans 8:28: “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Perhaps he did this to prevent any potential misunderstanding of this verse that might lead to doubt or resentment toward God. For instance, when our entire family prayed for five years for Christie to be healed from her battle with cancer, we hoped for her recovery. However, she passed away last year. Such circumstances could lead someone to question, “How could God, who loves Christie and promises to work all things together for good, allow her illness to end in death rather than healing?” Pastor David likely sought to preemptively address this kind of struggle in faith. I believe that while Pastor David may have been considering Christie’s case when preaching about the potential misunderstanding of Romans 8:28, he was also likely reflecting on his second daughter, Sarah, a missionary who was suddenly called home by God about two years ago while serving in the mission field. Thinking about how, in just two years, our extended family lost two precious women, I reflected deeply on the message delivered through Pastor David. One phrase that particularly stayed with me was his mention of “toxic desire.”

Perhaps what Pastor David intended to convey was that when we fervently prayed for God to save Christie and Missionary Sarah, there could have been a “toxic desire” in our deep longing for their survival. This toxic desire might have stemmed from a misunderstanding of Romans 8:28 and could lead us, through their passing, to stumble in our faith and even harbor resentment toward God. Thus, Pastor David emphasized the need for us to rightly understand Romans 8:28. The proper understanding is that for those who love God and are called according to His purpose, God works all things together—be it through illnesses like cancer or even death—to accomplish His purpose of salvation. God will ultimately glorify us. When will this glorious salvation be fulfilled? It will be realized at the second coming of Jesus Christ, our Emmanuel God, when He returns to this world. Therefore, I believe it is only fitting that we offer praise and worship with gratitude to our good God, even during the funeral services of our beloved family members, because Jesus, our Emmanuel, who is with us, will glorify us when He returns to this world. I also believe that our Emmanuel God worked in such a way among all our family members during the funeral services of Missionary Sarah and Christie.

After listening to Pastor David's sermon and then my father's sermon, I felt that the message God was delivering to us through our family’s New Year’s worship service in 2025 was this: “Give thanks in all circumstances with Emmanuel faith.”  The reason I came to this conclusion is that, after hearing Pastor David’s message about “Emmanuel” (Matthew 1:23), I then received the message through my father: “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Listening to the sermons from these two pastors on different biblical texts, I felt that God was giving a unified message to all of our family members.  Although two different pastors preached from two different Bible passages in two different languages, I strongly sensed that the Lord was delivering a single message through these two servants. As I reflected on this again in the church’s pastoral office, I realized that the unified message was: “Give thanks in all circumstances to our Emmanuel God!” I believe this because such gratitude is not a “toxic desire” but rather God’s desire and His will for us.

I would like to conclude this time of reflection on God’s Word. Today, Pastor David Choi referenced Psalm 27:4 in his sermon: “One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.” My father, in his sermon, referenced Job 1:20 and continued to reflect on verse 22: “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.’ In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.” As I reflected on these two passages together, I realized that those who truly believe in God, our Emmanuel, will not complain against God when beloved family members fall asleep (pass away) in the Lord, just as Job did. Instead, they will offer praise and worship to God, and their one earnest desire will be: “That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek Him in His temple.” My hope is that all of our family members, no matter what circumstances we find ourselves in this year, 2025, will give thanks in all circumstances with Emmanuel faith, believing in the God who is with us. I pray that, through this faith, we will offer even more praise and worship to God, thereby glorifying His name.