Covered by Grace

By Pastor Sunny

Pearl was very angry, but Rev. Yoo remained calm.

I had started the English Ministry at the Korean Presbyterian Church of Minnesota as a seminarian, but when I moved to Miami after graduation, the church could not find an English-speaking pastor. Without a full-time pastor, the ministry struggled and the church asked me to return. 

During my absence, few young adults from Los Angeles and Chicago joined the church and brought different ideas. They wanted to redirect the ministry and model it after their home churches. They were critical of my pastoral leadership.

I listened to their concerns, but no matter what I said, they were dissatisfied. Pearl was particularly unhappy and demanded to meet with the senior pastor of the church. Rev. Yoo agreed to meet with her and asked me to attend the meeting as well.

Rev. Yoo began the meeting by calmly stating, “Rev. Kang is the pastor of the English ministry, and his decision is final. If you do not agree with him, we can help you find another church.”

Pearl was shocked. She was angry. She tried several times to express her opinions, but each time Rev. Yoo stopped her and calmly reiterated his support for my ministry. The entire meeting lasted less than five minutes. Pearl stormed out.

As I was walking out, Rev. Yoo turned to me and said, “Rev. Kang, I trust you.” We never talked about that meeting again.

But those words stayed with me. “I trust you.”

Criticisms of the direction of the ministry did not disappear immediately, but the atmosphere changed. The uncertainty surrounding my leadership began to fade. The noise became quieter, and we were able to focus our energy on what we had been called to do: reaching out to people and show the love of God. The church began to grow.

I realized that day that church growth is not simply the result of better programs or better ideas. It required covering. The senior pastor had placed his trust and authority behind me, and that covering gave me the confidence and freedom to lead.

This Sunday’s Scripture takes us to another kind of covering. As the final plague was about to fall upon Egypt, God instructed the Israelites to cover the doorposts of their homes with the blood of a lamb. The angel of death would pass through Egypt, but the houses covered with the blood would be spared. The blood covering became a sign of trust in God's promise.

The Israelites could not protect themselves from what was coming. Their security depended upon trusting in God's promise. They were covered.

Faith means trusting in God's promises. Faith means being covered by God’s grace.

There are times when life feels uncertain. There are moments when criticism becomes loud, when circumstances become frightening, and when we begin to wonder whether we have the strength to continue. In those moments, scripture reminds us that we are covered by God's grace.

Rev. Yoo's words, “I trust you,” gave me confidence because I knew that I had the support to implement my vision. 

Let us grow in our trust of God's covering grace.

Pastor Sunny