“변호사님, 죄송합니다. 변호사 수임료를 받으실 수 없을 것 같습니다. 일단 이혼은 하지 않기로 했습니다.” 그러면서 말을 계속했습니다. “계속 상담할 것입니다. 회복하려면 좀 더 시간이 필요할 것 같습니다. 그런데 변호사님, 저도 예수 믿는 집사이지만 변호사님의 그 양심적인 자세에 대해 정말 감동했습니다… ”
우리 교회 성도 중에 변호사를 하는 분이 있는데 하루는 이혼하기 위하여 변호사 사무실을 찾아온 어느 부부를 만났습니다. 그들을 만나면서 이혼수속을 도와주는 것은 그리 어려운 일도 아니었지만, 부부가 함께 찾아온 것으로 보아 상담을 함으로서 회복이 가능하겠다는 판단을 내렸습니다. 특히 그들의 세 아이들의 미래를 생각해서라도 이혼을 막아보고 싶은 마음이 앞섰습니다. 그런데 그 부부는 신자가 아니라서 교회의 도움을 받거나 목사님을 만나는 것은 원치 않았기 때문에 전문 상담가를 찾을 수밖에 없었던 모양입니다. 백방으로 수소문하다가 다행히 울산에 사는 한 신앙이 있는 전문 상담가를 찾게 되어서 이들 부부를 소개해 주었습니다. 그리하여 이들 부부를 만나본 전문 상담가가 그 결과를 그 일을 부탁했던 변호사님께 전화를 드리면서 했던 말입니다.
저는 울산교회 담임목사로서 이 자랑스러운 변호사의 소식을 전해 듣고 얼마나 감사했는지 모릅니다. 그렇습니다. 변호사는 말로 사람들을 도와주는 직업을 가진 사람입니다. 선지자 이사야는 이렇게 소원했습니다. “주 여호와께서 나에게 할 말을 가르치셔서 피곤한 자를 격려하고 도와줄 수 있게 하시며 아침마다 나를 깨우치셔서 그의 가르치심을 알아듣게 하시는구나.”선지자는 포로가 되어서 고생하는 동족을 바라보면서 힘든 사람을 말로 격려하는 소임을 자기 일로 고백합니다.
의사는 병을 고치는 본래적인 일에 가장 큰 기쁨을 누리고, 건축자는 본래 자기 마음속에 그림을 따라 집을 세우는 것에 보람을 느끼고, 선생은 아이들을 가르치는 일에 의미를 발견하는 것이 정말 소중한 일인데 요즈음은 돈이 되는가 안 되는가 하는 것으로 무엇이든 판가름 하고 있는 패역한 시대를 살고 있습니다. 새해에는 우리를 우리의 모습으로 지으시고 하나님의 부르심에 따라서 소임에 충실한 울산교회 성도들이 되기를 소원해 봅니다. 새해에는 여러분이 드리는 연보의 액수보다 여러분이 하는 일로서 세상에서 칭송받는 좋은 그리스도인이 되기를 기도하며 소망합니다.
“Counselor, I am truly sorry. It seems you won’t be able to collect your legal retainer fee. For now, we have decided not to get divorced.” And then the voice continued: “We will keep receiving counseling. It will take a bit more time to heal. But Counselor, though I am also a deacon believing in Jesus, I was truly moved by your conscientious attitude…”
Among the members of our church is an attorney. One day, a married couple visited his law office seeking a divorce. Assisting them with divorce proceedings would not have been particularly difficult, but seeing them come in together, he judged that marital restoration might be possible through counseling. Above all, thinking of the future of their three children, his heart longed to prevent their divorce. However, because the couple were not believers, they did not wish to seek help from a church or meet with a pastor; thus, finding a professional counselor became the only viable path. Searching far and wide, he fortunately found a faithful Christian counselor living in Ulsan and referred the couple to them. The opening words were what this counselor said when phoning the attorney to share the results after meeting with the couple.
As the senior pastor of Ulsan Church, I cannot express how deeply grateful I was upon hearing news of this proud attorney. Indeed, a lawyer is someone whose profession is to help others through words. The prophet Isaiah voiced his longing in this way: “The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary; he wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.” Looking upon his kinsmen suffering in captivity, the prophet confesses that encouraging the weary through words is his true calling.
Just as a physician finds the greatest joy in the original calling of healing sickness, an architect finds fulfillment in raising a house according to the design within the heart, and a teacher discovers true worth in educating children—which are all profoundly precious things—we live in a perverse age where everything is judged solely by whether or not it makes money. In this New Year, I earnestly pray that the members of Ulsan Church will remain faithful to their callings according to the way God created each of us. My prayer and hope for the New Year is that you become fine Christians who are praised by the world through the work of your hands, far more than by the monetary amount of the offerings you give.
“Prokureur, ek is regtig jammer. Dit lyk asof u nie u regskoste sal kan ontvang nie. Vir eers het ons besluit om nie te skei nie.” En die stem het voortgegaan: “Ons sal aanhou met berading. Dit sal dalk nog ’n bietjie tyd neem om te herstel. Maar Prokureur, hoewel ek self ’n diaken is wat in Jesus glo, was ek werklik diep geraak deur u gewetensvolle gesindheid…”
Onder die lidmate van ons gemeente is daar ’n prokureur. Op ’n dag het ’n egpaar sy regskantoor besoek met die oog op ’n egskeiding. Dit sou vir hom glad nie moeilik gewees het om hulle met die egskeidingsprosedures by te staan nie, maar aangesien die egpaar saam opgedaag het, het hy geoordeel dat herstel deur berading moontlik sou wees. Veral met die toekoms van hul drie kinders in gedagte, wou hy bowenal probeer om die egskeiding te verhoed. Omdat die egpaar egter nie gelowiges was nie, wou hulle nie hulp by ’n kerk soek of ’n leraar ontmoet nie; daarom was die enigste uitweg om ’n professionele berader te vind. Nadat hy wyd en syd navraag gedoen het, het hy gelukkig op ’n gelowige professionele berader in Ulsan afgekom en die egpaar na haar verwys. Die openingswoorde was wat hierdie berader oor die telefoon gesê het aan die prokureur wat die saak na haar verwys het, toe sy hom van die uitkoms vertel het.
As die leraar van Ulsan Gemeente kan ek nouliks beskryf hoe dankbaar ek was toe ek van hierdie lofwaardige prokureur hoor. Inderdaad, ’n regsgeleerde is iemand wie se beroep dit is om mense met woorde by te staan. Die profeet Jesaja het hierdie hartsbegeerte uitgespreek: “Die Here my God het my geleer om die regte woorde te gebruik, sodat ek dié wat moeg is, kan opbeur en help; elke môre maak Hy my ore oop sodat ek na sy lering kan luister.” Terwyl die profeet na sy volksgenote in ellendige ballingskap kyk, bely hy dat dit sy roeping is om diegene wat swaarkry, met woorde te bemoedig.
’n Geneesheer vind sy grootste vreugde in die wese van sy roeping om siekes gesond te maak; ’n bouer vind vervulling daarin om ’n huis op te rig volgens die prentjie in sy hart; en ’n onderwyser ontdek diepe betekenis in die onderrig van kinders—al hierdie dinge is werklik kosbaar, maar vandag leef ons in ’n perverse tyd waarin alles gemeet word aan die vraag of dit geld inbring al dan nie. Mag die lidmate van Ulsan Gemeente in die Nuwe Jaar getrou bly aan hul roeping, net soos God ons na sy beeld geskape het. My bede en hoop vir die Nuwe Jaar is dat julle goeie Christene sal wees wat deur jul daaglikse werk in die wêreld lof ontvang, veel meer as deur die bedrag van die dankoffers wat julle bring.