우리가 살아가는데 친구의 자리는 참으로 소중하다고 합니다. 어릴 때도 ‘부모 팔아 친구산다’는 시절이 있었지만 이제 나이가 들수록 친구가 더 소중하다고들 말합니다. 몇 달 전에는 전라도 광주에서 권사님 한 분이 다녀가면서 남긴 말이 새록 새록 마음에 남아있습니다. 걸어다닐 수 있는 건강이 있을 때, 그동안 살아오면서 소중한 분들을 만나고 싶어서 왔노라고 했습니다. 우리가 갓 결혼해서 풋풋한 젊은 날 만났는데, 그 때 싱글이던 권사님도 이제 칠십이 가까워지고 있을터이니, 걸을 수 있는 건강이 있을 때 소중한 방문을 나도 하고싶다는 도전을 받았습니다.
어제 월요일입니다. 이번 학기부터 에스라성경대학원대학교에서 문학석사과정을 시작한 부부 선교사님이 제가 잘 아는 목사님을 방문해서 책을 빌려오겠다는 소식을 접하고 함께 가기로 약속을 했습니다. 함께 영상으로 주일예배를 드리고, 샌드위치로 점심을 간단히 먹고, 바로 경기도 고양을 나서서 기흥으로 달렸습니다. 목사님은 건강에 문제가 있어, 오후 2시, 정한 시간에 점심을 드신다고 했습니다. 서둘러 길을 나선다고 나섰지만 길도 막히고 1시 반쯤 되어서야 도착했습니다. 예정대로 일들이 되지 않는 것은 어쩌면 일상적이기도 합니다. 그래도 좋으신 하나님께서 아파트 지하 주차장에서 사모님을 만나게 하셔서 선한 인도를 받았던 것도 특별했습니다.
박 목사님은 참으로 오랜 친구중 한 분입니다. 홍정길 목사님을 강청해서 원장으로 모시고, 복음주의 목회연구원이란 이름으로, 한국교회를 위해서 그 때 우리가 할 수 있는 시의적절한 봉사가 되리라고 믿고 <한국강해설교학교>를 시작하면서 교제한지 30년은 더 지난 것 같습니다. 목사들의 재교육을 위한 첫 발걸음이었다고 생각합니다. 뒤에는 두란노에서 더 전문적으로 일을 하면서 우리 모임은 사역보다는 친교쪽으로 무게추가 옮겨진 것도 같습니다. 하지만 남북나눔운동, 학원복음화니 복음과 상황이니 탈북자대학생을 위한 장학 사역이니 다비다자매회를 지원하는 등, 여러 일들을 함께 하기도 한 친구입니다.
처음에는 매주 모여서 함께 책도 읽고 성경공부도 했었는데 모두들 각자 목회 사역이 바빠지면서 언제부터인가 한 달에 한 번으로 모이다가 격월로 모이고, 그 후에는 일년에 한 두 차례 가족모임으로 만족하다가 급기야 요즈음은 마지막 모임이 언제였는지 기억조차 나지 않습니다. 하긴 코로나가 아니었다면 지난 봄에도 만났을 것입니다만 또 미뤄지다보니 나이와 함께 건강이 좋지 않아서 움직이는 것이 쉽지 않는 분이 생기고 이제는 심방이 필요한 처지가 되기도 했습니다. 지난 5월 중순에 주소를 받아놓고, 방문을 못하다가 마침 같이가는 선교사 부부가 있어서 방문하게 되었습니다. 그날 같이 갔던 선교사님 부부의 톡입니다. “두 분이 가시니 박목사님께서 더 카랑카랑해지셨고, 말씀도 잘 하셔서 깜놀했습니다. 저희들만 갈 때보다는 2배 정도 더 건강해지신 듯…했습니다.” “두 분께 벅찬(?) 하루를 감당하실 수 있는 체력을 주심에 감사드립니다~!(방긋)” 박 목사님께서 우리 부부를 만나서 너무 반가워하시니 자주 뵙지 못한 것이 오히려 죄송했습니다.
It is often said that friendship holds a truly precious place in our lives. Even in our youth, there were times when we prioritized friends above all else, but as we grow older, people say that friends become all the more precious. A few months ago, a senior deaconess visited us from Gwangju, Jeolla-do, and the words she left behind still resonate fresh and clear in my heart. She shared that she had come because, while she still had the health and strength to walk, she wanted to visit the precious people she had crossed paths with throughout her life. We first met in the fresh, blooming days of youth right after we got married; seeing that she—single back then—must now be nearing seventy, I was deeply challenged and inspired to make such precious visits myself while I still have the health to walk.
Yesterday was Monday. A missionary couple who began their Master of Arts program at Ezra Bible Graduate University this semester mentioned they were planning to visit a pastor I know well to borrow some books, so I arranged to accompany them. After joining an online Sunday worship service and having a simple lunch of sandwiches, we immediately departed Goyang, Gyeonggi-do, and drove toward Giheung. Because the pastor was battling health issues, he scheduled his lunch strictly at 2:00 PM. Although we hurried on our way, traffic was congested, and we arrived around 1:30 PM. It is perhaps an ordinary part of life that things do not always go according to plan. Even so, our gracious God wonderfully guided our steps, allowing us to encounter his wife right in the underground apartment parking lot, which felt like a truly special providence.
Pastor Park is indeed one of my oldest and dearest friends. More than thirty years have passed since our fellowship began, back when we earnestly invited Pastor Jung-Gil Hong to serve as director and launched the Korea Expository Preaching School under the Evangelical Pastoral Institute, believing it would be a timely service we could offer to the Korean church. I look back on it as an essential first step toward continuing education for pastors. Later, as Tyrannus pursued this work more professionally, the center of gravity of our fellowship seemed to shift from ministry toward personal camaraderie. Nonetheless, he is a friend with whom I shared many endeavors—the Korea Peace Sharing Movement, campus evangelization, Gospel and Context, scholarship ministries for North Korean defector university students, and supporting the Tabitha Sisterhood, among others.
In the beginning, we gathered every week to read books and study the Bible together. But as our respective pastoral ministries grew increasingly demanding, we gradually shifted to meeting once a month, then every other month, and eventually contented ourselves with gathering once or twice a year for family get-togethers. Nowadays, I cannot even recall when our last gathering took place. Had it not been for COVID-19, we likely would have met last spring, but with repeated postponements, some friends have experienced failing health with advancing age, making travel difficult and turning visits into pastoral care. Having received his address back in mid-May, I had not been able to visit until the opportunity arose alongside the missionary couple. Here is a message they sent afterward: “Seeing both of you visit, Pastor Park’s voice grew so much clearer and more vibrant, and he spoke so well—we were pleasantly shocked! It seemed as though his health had doubled compared to when only the two of us visited.” “We thank God for giving you both the physical stamina to carry through such an overwhelming (?) day! (smile)” Pastor Park was overjoyed to see our couple, which only left me feeling deeply apologetic for not having visited him more often.
Daar word dikwels gesê dat vriendskap 'n waarlik kosbare plek in ons lewens beklee. Selfs in ons jeug was daar tye toe vriende bo alles gekoester is, maar namate die jare aanstap, sê mense dat vriende des te kosbaarder word. 'n Paar maande gelede het 'n senior diakones van Gwangju, Jeolla-do, ons besoek, en die woorde wat sy agtergelaat het, bly vars en helder in my hart weergalm. Sy het vertel dat sy gekom het omdat sy, terwyl sy nog die gesondheid en krag het om te loop, die kosbare mense wou besoek wat sy oor die jare heen leer ken het. Ons het mekaar vir die eerste keer ontmoet in die vars, blomtyd van ons jeug net nadat ons getroud is; aangesien sy—wat destyds nog enkellopend was—nou al seker na aan sewentig is, is ek diep uitgedaag en geïnspireer om self ook sulke kosbare besoeke af te lê terwyl ek nog die gesondheid het om te loop.
Gister was Maandag. 'n Sendeling-egpaar wat vandeessemester met hul Meestersgraad in die Lettere aan die Ezra Bybelse Nagraadse Universiteit begin het, het genoem dat hulle 'n leraar wat ek goed ken, wou besoek om boeke te leen, en ek het ingestem om saam met hulle te gaan. Nadat ons die Sondag-aanbiddingsdiens aanlyn bygewoon het en 'n eenvoudige middagete van toebroodjies geniet het, het ons dadelik uit Goyang, Gyeonggi-do, vertrek en in die rigting van Giheung gery. Omdat die leraar met gesondheidsprobleme worstel, nuttig hy sy middagete stiptelik om 14:00. Al het ons ons gehaas om betyds te wees, was die verkeer swaar en het ons eers omstreeks 13:30 daar aangekom. Dit is dalk maar 'n gewone deel van die lewe dat dinge nie altyd volgens plan verloop nie. Tog het ons goeie God ons stappe op 'n wonderlike manier gelei deur te sorg dat ons sy eggenote sommer in die ondergrondse parkeerterrein van die woonstelkompleks raakloop, wat soos 'n besondere voorsienigheid gevoel het.
Leraar Park is inderdaad een van my heel oudste vriende. Meer as dertig jaar het verloop sedert ons mekaar leer ken het, toe ons ds. Jung-Gil Hong dringend versoek het om as direkteur op te tree en die Koreaanse Skrifverklaringskool onder die Evangeliese Pastorale Navorsingsinstituut gestig het—in die oortuiging dat dit 'n tydige diens aan die Koreaanse kerk sou wees. Ek beskou dit steeds as 'n betekenisvolle eerste tree op die pad van heropleiding vir leraars. Later, toe Tyrannus hierdie werk meer professioneel oorgeneem het, het die swaartepunt van ons byeenkomste blykbaar van bediening na persoonlike gemeenskap verskuif. Nietemin is hy 'n vriend saam met wie ek talle inisiatiewe gedeel het—die Noord-Suid Deelbeweging, kampus-evangelisasie, Evangelie en Konteks, beursbediening vir universiteitstudente uit Noord-Korea, en ondersteuning aan die Tabita-susterskap, onder andere.
Aanvanklik het ons elke week byeengekom om saam boeke te lees en Bybelstudie te doen. Maar soos elkeen se eie pastorale bediening al hoe drukker geword het, het ons later net een keer per maand vergader, toe elke tweede maand, en uiteindelik het ons maar tevrede gebly met een of twee gesinsbyeenkomste per jaar. Deesdae kan ek nie eens meer onthou wanneer die laaste byeenkoms was nie. As dit nie vir COVID-19 was nie, sou ons mekaar waarskynlik verlede lente ontmoet het, maar deur herhaalde uitstel het van ons vriende weens ouderdom en swakker gesondheid minder beweeglik geword, sodat besoeke nou eerder die karakter van pastorale versorging aanneem. Nadat ek sy adres reeds teen die middel van Mei gekry het, kon ek hom eers nie besoek nie, totdat die geleentheid hom saam met die sendeling-egpaar voorgedoen het. Hier is 'n boodskap wat die egpaar ná die besoek gestuur het: “Toe u twee daar aankom, het leraar Park se stem soveel helderder en kragtiger geword, en hy het so vlot gesels dat ons aangenaam verras was! Dit het gevoel asof sy gesondheid dubbel so goed was as toe net ons twee daar was.” “Ons dank die Here dat Hy aan u albei die nodige liggaamskrag geskenk het om so 'n veeleisende (?) dag te kon hanteer! (glimlag)” Leraar Park was oorstelp van vreugde om ons as egpaar te sien, wat my net nog meer skuldig laat voel het dat ons mekaar nie meer gereeld besoek het nie.