by Onaje Crawford
Today, during the weekly chapel service at the Church Center for the United Nations, the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations, along with the Mennonite Central Committee UN Office, and the United Methodist Women, honored the international effort to bring peace to the Korean Peninsula with scripture, song, and prayer. Together we petitioned God to lead the Korean Peninsula away from war and to bring reconciliation, peace, and unity so that the people can return to functioning as one country after almost 70 years of division. Saturday marks the 60th anniversary of the Armistice ending the fighting in the Korean War. A final peace treaty remains to be signed.
The 20th Chapter of John and the 2nd Chapter of Ephesians were read to highlight the peace that is given to us by Christ. These scriptures remind us that, once Christ gives us His peace, He commissions us to spread it throughout the world. Accordingly, we are all Christ’s agents who must advocate for peace on the Korean Peninsula and in all places.
Excerpts from a sermon preached at the 2013 Ecumenical Korea Peace Convocation in Atlanta by the Rev. Dr. Syngman Rhee, Past Moderator of the General Assembly of the PC(USA), were read. The closing prayer was an adaptation of a statement presented at a Peace Prayer event, which took place in April in Seoul. Both portions of the service highlighted the international scope of the efforts to reunify the Korean Peninsula. The service concluded with each attendee signing a Korean Peace Petition to President Obama’s administration, as the great hymn, Spirit of the Living God, played in the background. It is our solemn prayer that God’s Holy Spirit falls afresh on the Korean Peninsula and on all places that are experiencing conflict around the world.
The Presbyterian Church of Korea and the Presbyerian Church (U.S.A.) are in a season of prayer for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Resources to guide prayers and to learn about partnership between Presbyterians in Korea and the United States include:
- Partnerships in the Republic of Korea
- Partnerships in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
- Hyeyoung and Kurt’s Korean Adventure – the blog of the PC(USA) YAV site coordinators in Daejeon, Korea