주후 1949년 3월 3일 생이니까 올해는 일흔일곱번째 생일을 맞이했습니다. 그러나 올 생일은 좀 특별했습니다. 왜 그런지 모르지만 150통이 넘는 많은 카톡인사들을 받았습니다. 게다가 선물, 선물, 선물들이 속속 도착하는 중입니다. 작년에 다쳤던 것 때문에 성도들의 사랑을 받게 된 것인지, 매일매일 카톡이 알려주는 생일을 맞이한 분들에게 꾸준하게 축하의 톡을 보낸 덕분인지, 아니면 워낙 세상이 하수상하니, 착한 은퇴 목사로 조용히 남아있어서 고마웠는지 나로서는 설명할 수 없는 현상이었습니다.
몇 차례의 생일 파티도 있었습니다. 첫 번째 케익을 자른 것은 3월도 되기 전에 2월 27일입니다. 참 오랜 친구들입니다. 류 선교사님과는 같은 신학교 출신이니 50년은 넘은 사이이고, 소호의 이 목사님 부부와도 거의 40년이 가까워지고 있습니다. 류 선교사님은 고신의 선교사 멤버케어의 기틀을 놓았을뿐 아니라 한국 선교사 멤버케어에서는 모르는 사람이 없을만큼 ‘돌보는 일이 은사’인 것 같습니다. 그날 우리 모두가 빵터진 것은 미리 생일축하를 하는 선교사님의 설명이였습니다. 3월 되면 텃밭 농사를 지어야 하니 당겨서 한다는 말 때문이었습니다. 요즘 선교사님의 건강이 결코 농사짓는 일에 특화되어 있지 않다는 것을! 하지만 무슨 이유든 챙겨주고 싶은 그 마음을 우리는 압니다.
촛불을 두 번째 불었던 것은 3월 2일 저녁이었습니다. 누구보다도 우리의 대소사를 잘 살피는 권 목사님 부부입니다. 그들을 처음 만났던 것은 포항에서 울산교회 부교역자로 오기 위해서 면접(?)을 하던 날입니다. 다행이 그 때는 담임 목사가 부교역자 후보를 면접하던 시절이었습니다. 어쨌거나 첫 만남을 하고 포항으로 돌아가는 길에서 두 부부는 하나님이 주신 기쁨을 나누었다고 뒤에 전해 들었습니다. 저를 도와서 오랫동안 울산교회를 섬겼고, 뒤에는 제가 근무했던 학교에서 사무처장을 구하지 못해서 쩔쩔 매고 있을 때, 천만원이 넘는 연봉차이가 있음에도 불구하고,, 특히 고3인 아들을 고양으로 전학시킨 결단을 했던 부부입니다. 이번에는 김해 장유 율하에서 달려왔고 뒷날 새벽기도 모임을 위해서 아쉽지만 식당에서 바로 돌아가야만 했습니다. 목사는 매인데가 있는 사람입니다.
D-Day, 3월 3일은 아침부터 바빴습니다. 본래 우리 집 아침식사는 6시 반이 일상적입니다. 사람들은 생일이 지나면 묻기도 하니, 낮에 미역국을 먹기로 했는데, 여느 때처럼 밤 잠을 설친 아내 덕분에 미역국, 시금치 나물, 초선탕 등으로 아침 식사가 끝나기가 무섭게 축하사절들이 들여닥쳤습니다. ‘너무 재밌게 놀지 말라’는 엄명이 있었다지만, 김 집사님은 회사 창립일이라 쉬게 된 남편을 대동하고 왔고, 함께 오기로 했던 남편이 갑작스런 회의 소집으로 이 권사님은 혼자 와서 아쉬웠습니다. 하지만 거기서 끝날 수는 없겠지요? 저녁에는 아직 돌이 지나지 않은 은재가 외할머니를 대동하고 엄마와 캐빈하우스에서 생일 저녁식사를 나누었습니다^^ 비록 우리 아들 둘은 명실공히 미국, 캐나다에 사는 해외동포지만, 가까이에 딸노릇하는 분들이 있어서 과분한 사랑을 받은 일흔일곱번째 생일입니다. 은퇴한 당신의 종에게도 우리 주님은 참으로 놀라운 분이십니다. “내 평생에 선하심과 인자하심이 반드시 나를 따르리니 …”
Born on March 3, A.D. 1949, I celebrated my seventy-seventh birthday this year. Yet this birthday felt uniquely special. For reasons I cannot quite explain, I received more than 150 KakaoTalk greetings. On top of that, gifts, gifts, and more gifts have been arriving one after another. Was it out of the congregation's overflowing care following my injury last year? Was it because I have faithfully sent daily birthday greetings to everyone whose special day popped up on KakaoTalk? Or was it simply gratitude for an old retired pastor quietly minding his own grace in an otherwise turbulent world? It remains a phenomenon I cannot fully explain.
There were also several birthday celebrations. The first cake was cut even before March arrived, on February 27. These are dear, longtime companions. Missionary Ryu and I go back more than fifty years, having graduated from the same seminary, and my friendship with Pastor Lee and his wife from Soho spans nearly forty years. Missionary Ryu not only laid the groundwork for member care within the Kosin mission community, but caring for others seems to be his true spiritual gift—so much so that almost everyone in Korean mission care knows him. What brought laughter to all of us that day was his earnest explanation for celebrating in advance: he said he had to do it early because he would be busy tending his vegetable garden once March began. In truth, his health lately is hardly suited for rigorous gardening! Yet we all knew his true motive—a warm heart simply longing to shower us with care under any pretext.
I blew out the candles a second time on the evening of March 2. Pastor Kwon and his wife are people who watch over every detail of our family’s joys and trials with tender attentiveness. I first met them on the day of his "interview" to serve as an associate pastor at Ulsan Church from Pohang. Fortunately, those were days when senior pastors interviewed associate pastor candidates directly. Later, I heard that on their drive back to Pohang after that first meeting, the couple shared profound joy given by God. For years, he faithfully served Ulsan Church alongside me. Later, when the graduate school where I served was desperately struggling to find a general affairs director, this couple made the sacrificial decision to move—despite a salary cut of more than ten million won and the major disruption of transferring their high school senior son to Goyang. This time, they drove all the way from Yulha in Jangyu, Gimhae, and sadly had to head straight back from the restaurant to prepare for the dawn prayer meeting the next morning. A pastor is indeed a man bound by his calling.
D-Day, March 3, was bustling from the crack of dawn. In our home, breakfast is customarily served at 6:30 a.m. People often ask whether you had seaweed soup after your birthday passes, so we had originally planned to have it at lunchtime. But thanks to my wife, who once again spent a sleepless night, an early morning feast of seaweed soup, seasoned spinach, and chosontang was prepared. Barely had we finished breakfast when our first stream of congratulatory visitors arrived at the door. Although there had been a playful warning "not to have too much fun," Deaconess Kim brought along her husband, who was off work for his company's founding anniversary. Senior Deaconess Lee had to come alone because her husband was suddenly called into an urgent meeting, which was a pity. But the day didn’t end there. In the evening, little Eunjae, who has not even reached her first birthday, joined us at Cabin House with her maternal grandmother and mother for a celebratory dinner. ^^ Although our two sons live abroad as genuine overseas Koreans in the United States and Canada, I was blessed with boundless love on this seventy-seventh birthday thanks to those nearby who lovingly act as our devoted daughters. Even to His retired servant, our Lord is truly wonderful. "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life . . ."
Gebore op 3 Maart n.C. 1949, het ek vanjaar my sewe-en-sewentigste verjaarsdag gevier. Tog was hierdie verjaarsdag buitengewoon spesiaal. Om redes wat ek self nie heeltemal kan peil nie, het ek meer as 150 gelukwensings oor KakaoTalk ontvang. Boonop het geskenke, geskenke en nóg geskenke die een na die ander opgedaag. Was dit uit oorvloedige liefde van die lidmate ná my besering verlede jaar? Was dit omdat ek getrou daagliks gelukwensings stuur aan elkeen wie se verjaarsdag op KakaoTalk verskyn? Of was mense dalk net dankbaar dat ’n afgetrede leraar in hierdie onstuimige wêreld stil en beskeie bly voortleef? Vir my bly dit ’n onverklaarbare wonder.
Daar was ook verskeie verjaarsdagpartytjies. Die heel eerste koek is reeds voor Maart gesny, op 27 Februarie. Hulle is ware boesemvriende van ouds. Ek en sendingwerker Ryu ken mekaar al meer as vyftig jaar sedert ons kweekskooljare, en ons vriendskap met ds. Lee en sy vrou van Soho strek al byna veertig jaar. Sendingwerker Ryu het nie net die fondament gelê vir lidmaatsorg binne die Kosin-sending nie, maar omgee is waarlik sy geestelike genadegawe—soseer dat byna almal in die Koreaanse sendingwêreld hom ken. Wat ons almal daardie dag luidkeels laat lag het, was sy verduideliking waarom ons vroeg feesvier: hy het gesê ons moet dit vooruit doen omdat hy in Maart sy groentetuin moet begin bewerk. Eintlik weet ons almal dat sy gesondheid deesdae glad nie vir tuinbou geskik is nie! Tog het ons sy hart verstaan—’n hart wat bloot enige verskoning soek om ons met liefde te bederf.
Die kerse is ’n tweede keer op die aand van 2 Maart doodgewaai. Ds. Kwon en sy vrou is mense wat met die fynste sorg oor al ons wel en wee waak. Ons het hulle die eerste keer ontmoet tydens sy onderhoud om as medeleraar vanuit Pohang na Ulsan Gemeente te kom. Gelukkig was dit in ’n tyd toe die hoofleraar self kandidate vir medeleraars gevoer het. Ek het later verneem dat hulle op pad terug na Pohang diepe vreugde in die Here met mekaar gedeel het. Hy het my jare lank getrou in Ulsan Gemeente bygestaan, en later, toe die nagraadse universiteit waar ek werksaam was desperaat na ’n administratiewe direkteur gesoek het, het hierdie egpaar die moedige besluit geneem om te kom help—ondanks ’n salarisvermindering van meer as tien miljoen won en die groot opoffering om hul matriekseun na Goyang te laat oorplaas. Dié keer het hulle al die pad vanaf Yulha in Jangyu, Gimhae, aangery gekom, en moes hulle ongelukkig dadelik ná die ete terugkeer ter wille van die volgende oggend se vroeë oggendgebed. ’n Predikant bly immers altyd aan sy roeping gebonde.
Op die eintlike verjaarsdag, 3 Maart, was dit van vroegoggend af bedrywig. By ons huis is ontbyt gewoonlik stiptelik om halfsewe. Mense vra dikwels agterna of jy seewiersop geëet het, so ons plan was om dit eers teen middagete te geniet. Maar danksy my vrou, wat weer eens ’n rustelose nag beleef het, was ’n oggendfees van seewiersop, spinasie en chosontang gereed. Skaars was die ontbyt verby, of die gelukwensers het by die deur ingestroom. Al was daar ’n speelse waarskuwing om dit nie te uitspattig te maak nie, het diaken Kim haar man saamgebring wat af gehad het weens sy maatskappy se stigtingsdag. Senior diakones Lee moes ongelukkig alleen kom omdat haar man skielik na ’n dringende vergadering ontbied is. Maar die vreugde het nie daar geëindig nie. Teen die aand het klein Eunjae, wat nog nie eens haar eerste verjaarsdag gevier het nie, saam met haar ouma en ma by Cabin House aangesluit vir ’n feestelike verjaarsdagete. ^^ Al woon ons twee seuns as volwaardige oorsese burgers in die VSA en Kanada, is ek op hierdie sewe-en-sewentigste verjaarsdag oorlaai met onverdiende liefde deur dié wat hier naby soos eie dogters vir ons sorg. Selfs vir sy afgetrede dienskneg bly ons Here waarlik wonderbaar. "Net goedheid en guns sal my volg al die dae van my lewe . . ."