The Words of the Gavin Family
|
|
The Words of the Gavin Family |
1. It's a beautiful day, right? God's given us everything!
2. Welcome to Lovin' Life Ministries everybody across the country! It's so incredible to see you today. It's truly an honor to be sharing this platform with so many incredible people who've shared before me, so many incredible pastors – Ariana Shin Sun Moon, In Jin Nim, Kook Jin Nim, Hyung Jin Nim. I'm just completely honored to be here.
3. I hope you're feeling alive because it's a great day! Spring is in the air. It's a new spring. I just got to go down to Atlanta and North Carolina to a southern spring. They have the most beautiful springs down there, Weeping Cherry Trees blossoming, Bradford Pear Trees, if you've been out there you know what I'm talking about – the birds are singing their nice little love songs. They're all about new life. That's what this whole season is about, right now, it's about new life.
4. Just a few weeks ago Rev. Hernandez was talking about the cosmic spring emerging, coming alive, and we have that with us right now today. Especially next week we've got Easter, right? Thank you Jesus! Thank you True Parents for a great day! Not only do we get to chase Easter eggs, but Easter eggs are a sign of new life, they are a sign of something to hope for. That's what eggs represent, what's to come.
5. When I see us come together, and so many churches around the country and around the world come together to dedicate themselves to this life that's been given us, because of those who've come before us, it's such a profound thing.
6. Jesus came to this earth with this new life, this new idea, a new way to be able to treat people, to have relationships with people, to be able to communicate to our Heavenly Parent. That's what Jesus came to this earth for and I just want to share a little story about Jesus. He was sitting one day at a well, and he brings new life at this well. He got done with this huge journey and he stopped by this well, the well of Jacob. And this Samaritan woman comes up to him. It's a pretty big deal. Jesus says, "Hey can I have some of your water?" And she looks at him, "Excuse me, you're a Jew. You're not supposed to be talking to me." Back then Samaritan's, they didn't get along too well with the people of the Jewish faith, they didn't exactly see eye to eye. If you were someone of the Jewish faith and you were talking to a Samaritan, they would call you a swine eater. Yes, a swine eater. That was tough talk back then.
7. So Jesus, first he went out and he asked, "can I have some water?" And she ended up saying, "why are you asking me for water? You're not supposed to be asking me for water." And Jesus said to her, "well if you knew who I was, it wouldn't be me asking you for water. You'd be asking me for water." She said, "You don't even got a bucket, how are you going to get some water?" He said, "The water I bring you is incredible. This well you get water from is the well of Jacob and it gave you water and it gave your livestock water, but what I bring you is completely different." And Jesus went into his answer in John 4:13. Jesus said, "Everyone who drinks this water at the well, they will get thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up into eternal life." That's what Jesus Christ brought. That's what he brought to this world, right?! Jesus!
8. That's why in the Christian faith they get baptized. It's a symbol for them to be able to receive new life. It's them dedicating, as an individual, this is my life, I dedicate myself to God and to his world. And it's no longer my ways but God's ways that I will live by.
9. Of course we know Jesus had to go the way of the cross. He couldn't complete everything that he wanted to complete. 2000 years later, fast-forward, there is this Korean boy praying in the mountains. There is this Korean boy praying in the mountains and Jesus comes to him, and Jesus comes with the same message of new life. And Jesus tells this young boy, "listen, you're praying, you are a person after my heart and after the heart of my father and it is you who can take on the mission, it is you who can deliver this new water, this living water to the people of this world. I need you to take this on."
Sun
Myung Moon and Hak Ja Han March 24, 2012
10. This boy is now, not so much a boy, he still has the energy of a boy but he is 93 years old, Rev. Sun Myung Moon. He is the man I call True Father, he is the man I received so much new life from. Just last week we got to participate in an incredible Blessing ceremony that 194 countries participated in, all over the world centering on our True Parents in Korea. And we got to watch them give new life, we got to watch them share the holy water, this water welling up, sharing it with the world. We've got a picture of them right here (a picture of True Parents sprinkling the holy water on the newly blessed couples is shown on the screen). That water symbolizing the new life that we have.
11. It's incredible the radical changes that are taking place. The radical changes that Jesus brought. The radical changes that our True Parents brought. And now it's being bestowed towards True Children and towards us to take ownership of this life of faith. I've been blown away by what we've been able to create with our Senior Pastor In Jin Nim, Lovin' Life Ministries. It's a platform, it's an incredible radical platform where we can bring new life, where we can bring new ideas, where we can bring the breaking news of our True Parents to this world. It's incredible that we can share everything that's been given us. We have limitless opportunities to receive new life. But more importantly through this platform we can give new life to other people. And that happens in so many different ways. And it's really threw us being a conduit of God's love. For no other reason than just because. For no other reason but to be there for people, love people just because.
12. I hope you're ready for some radical changes America! Because we are getting ready to do some crazy things and it all starts with you and it starts with me and taking ownership of everything that we've been given. And I absolutely feel that our Senior Pastor, she is not only the daughter of our true parents, she is a radical visionary leader that is changing some things. Uh? I'm so excited to be working with her, to be working along with you.
13. Radical, it's a word we don't use too much anymore. It was used in the 80s and 90s, some of you can remember those days, but radical was in the Ninja Turtles, the movie. It was good stuff. I feel that we can bring radical back, it's something we can kawabunga and everything. But, just transforming. When I think radical I think changes and opportunities. And in taking the initiative, what can we bring? And that's what I really feel we have to offer as Unificationists. We have a unique perspective on the world that has been given to us by True Parents, and that perspective is one where we can see God as our Heavenly Parent, where we can see each other as eternal brothers and sisters, regardless of our faith, our race, our ethnicity, or economic status, or culture, whatever it is, we are all sons and daughters of God and we can see that in each other. The fact that we can live altruistically and compassionately toward other people, and the fact that we want to strive to live for a life of excellence, internally and externally.
14. Every time I think about that, the first time I heard it from our Senior Pastor I was like, "wow, that sums up a lot of things right there." It's so powerful. What if the world started to think like that? They can, through us connecting them to that. They can through us living that towards them.
15. Right now we're gathered as a national community, we have Lovin' Life Ministries all over this country, Bellingham, Washington, Phoenix Arizona, Las Vegas, Miami, Durham North Carolina, here in Manhattan, were all pulling together and were coming together to bring new life, new opportunities. And so I'm just excited to be with all of you. If you are new here today, if this is your first time to Lovin' Life Ministries it's so awesome to have you with us, whether you're here in Manhattan or somewhere else around the country we want to welcome you today. After church I want to encourage you – let's give them a welcome! I want to encourage you to talk with the person that invited you, your local pastor, your ministry team, then get to know us. We love to get to know you over some coffee or something like that. But, welcome!
16. It's great to be here. If this is your first time, I am usually known as the tithe guy. It's new for me to be here (at the pulpit). Usually I'm standing right over there (points). I give some kind of message about the heart of giving, about the heart of tithing and what we can create with that. A lot of people ask me how I got that position, how I took on that role? I can share with you briefly. Back in the day we were creating the liturgy for Lovin' Life Ministries, early in 2009, we were sitting at a table with the Senior Pastor and we were throwing around ideas, and one thing that was really big on my heart was this idea of tithing, the idea of giving what's been given to me. And so I shared that, because I'd seen the new life that it had brought me and the new life that it had brought other people, and it was something I believed in. And so she looked at me and she said, "all right, you can give that message every week." Okay, so every week for the most part, I've been giving that message. And it's really opened my heart and helped me see a lot more deeply about the heart of giving. It's been incredible to be here, to be a part of this team, and the path that's taken me here.
17. Each and every one of us, we have our own unique path. Each and every one of you has your own path that led you here, that's leading you to God, that's leading you to True Parents, or maybe you're still on that path discovering that, you're on that path finding that out.
18. I so appreciate this last few weeks hearing from our different District Pastors. I could hear about how God was working in their lives. I could hear how they had questions and this thirst and hunger for something more in their life – and they found it. That's incredible, you know? When I hear those stories it refreshes me, he gives me new life, he gives me hope, it gives me different perspectives. We got to hear from so many different local pastors and District pastors. We had Dr. Ann the dairy farmer I., we had Carl Johnny Cash Swearson. He reminded me of Johnny Cash for some reason and I just think he needed a guitar – and just strum his whole message. We had Rev. Hernandez. What was his main thing? It was, Jesus told me to stay pure until further notice. We had pastor Richard and old dogs can learn new tricks Buessing. And then we had Pastor George Kazakus. I also call him Jorgo or Jorge.
19. But we've been able to see God working in these people's lives. And for them it was that message that they received when they heard about True Parents, when they read the Divine Principle. It quenched that thirst that they had inside themselves. It's what Jesus was talking about, "if you have my true living water you will never thirst again." And they got that through True Parents, they got that through the Divine Principle.
20. And the same has been for my parents. My mom, she was in Germany, she was a commie, a communist. She was doing that whole thing for a little while, but she said she didn't have God in there. There was no God and it left her empty and she wanted something more and she went to Berlin and, boom, she found what she was looking for. My dad was in the Navy and he was thinking about all kinds of crazy things, world peace and all this and how to bring that to the world. And he was in port call in the Bay Area, and boom! Found all his answers. Each and every one of us is on a path, a path to discovering ourselves, a path of finding ourselves. And you come to know True Parents.
21. My path of finding God and finding True Parents was the result of so many different experiences. I'm 31 years old. Yeah, old guy. (My walker is right back there, it's got nice new tennis balls on the bottom.) Well, I'm 31. I'm the oldest of six boys. My brothers are Jago, Jatton, Jatoma, Jerrio, and Jaka. Where did you get those names? True Father.
22. I loved telling that story to our Japanese sisters, they're like, "oh, so many boys. Why so many boys?" They kept trying for a girl. Now they've got six beautiful daughter-in-laws. Three granddaughters and one more on the way. It's been incredible.
23. I grew up in a Unificationist family. It's been incredible. Many of you, maybe you've grown up in a Unificationist family where your parents joined this faith. But for me growing up in this faith tradition, whether you grew up in this faith tradition or in any other tradition, just because you were born in it, doesn't make it yours. Right? It doesn't necessarily mean that you agree with everything or understand everything.
24. It's a journey and it's our path that leads us to knowing that. I grew up in the 80s and early 90s in this church. I hung out with people like Dave Hunter, Dave Stein, Elgin Straight, Jessie Burnt. All these incredible people in the Maryland area. I went to the workshops, you know, all these ideas and I studied the Divine Principle. I wasn't very studious, but I tried, I made it look like I was reading. But in that process I kind of became – there is this idea of God, but God didn't make sense to me. God was something I couldn't necessarily resonate with at that time in my life. And so to hear all these other ideas of how I'm supposed to live and who I'm supposed to be, it also didn't make sense because I had no sense of myself. I had no sense of who I was in God or even with my family.
25. Something happened in the early 90s, we had the Home Town Providence. I understand now what that was all about, but back in the day, all it meant was that my best friends are leaving. See you! Have fun in LA, have fun in New York, I'm all by myself. Oh, wait, no, I'm going to Minnesota, leaving everything I know at ninth-grade. It was very different back then. And so in the midst of everything I'm trying to find myself. It was kind of confusing. At 19 years old, I'd heard a lot of things. I felt guilty about a lot of things. Maybe my lifestyle, who I wasn't living up to be in the eyes of my parents, in the eyes of my faith. I couldn't measure up. And my parents were telling me to be one thing and my aunts and uncles asked me to be something completely different, and my friends at school were saying, "hey Jaga, that's stupid, why don't you do this?" I've seen them live their life and, "wow, that looks awesome. I want that." I had the culture around me telling me something completely different, how I should live.
26. We have so much noise around us growing up. It's coming from all angles. And, how do you make sense of it? How do you figure out what is up, what is down, what is left or what is right? I had no idea. It made me frustrated and it made me angry to the point where I was done with it. I didn't want anything more to do with anything. And when that thought entered my mind I realize that, "you know my parents have given so much to this, I at least old on the honor of finding out what it is I'm leaving. At least investigate it myself."
27. So I decided to leave home. I left by myself for six months. I left home and brought with me the Divine Principle. For six months I studied that thing. I read it about nine times. And it was really the first time in my life, where I had the room to be able to think. I had the room to be able to hear myself. I had the room to be able to ask questions. I had the room to be able to pray the way that I pray, not the way I'm supposed to pray – to ask God questions the way I need to ask God questions. And it was incredible. I was able to find out so many things about myself.
28. I went out there with pretty much to questions. First one was, "God, if you exist, show yourself to me, because I want to know." The second one was, "if you do exist, let me know who True Parents are. Because I need to know. And if they are not who they are, then I will take my brothers and I will leave it. But if they are my parents say they are, then I'll be here." That was in my heart.
29. And so, somewhere around 30 days into my journey, Jaga's little escape from life and noise, I was reading the Divine Principle. I don't remember what part I was in. All I remember, you know, when you reading, but you're not really reading? I had what some people would call and out-of-body experience. I'm not a super spiritual person so I don't know exactly what that was supposed to feel like, but I was able to see myself from a different perspective. It was almost like a bird's eye view of me. Not just right then, but my whole life. I was able to see my actions and the effects of my actions and the imprint that my actions had on other people. And in that moment I was able to actually, for the first time in my life, I saw God. I didn't know God has a face. And I don't know what God looks like to you, but to me God looked like my family. God looked like my parents, like my brothers, and I saw what I was doing – what that did to my family, or what that did to God. Mostly I saw my parents. And I really felt what my parents were feeling, even though my parents didn't know necessarily what I'd been doing behind their backs, I could feel what I was doing to them. I could feel it. It made me feel so guilty. I didn't like that feeling. I don't know who likes the feeling of guilt, but for me, I just couldn't shake it. I felt so hurt, because I could see it and I could feel it.
30. And then all of a sudden, out of nowhere, the most overwhelming sense of love – it embraced me. Regardless of everything I've done I felt loved. Regardless of what I'd done I felt loved. I didn't even love myself. I didn't even have respect for myself. But, something way bigger than me loved me and was there for me and would never give up on me, and I could feel it and hear it, and it said don't worry you're going to be okay. It broke me into 1 million pieces and it helped me see me for who I really was, as God's son. And as I was crying – I was powerless to do anything. I was just broken.
31. Then I started hearing his voice come over me and it said, "Jaga, it's okay, just tell them. Just tell them." I knew what He wanted me to tell. It was like, just tell Mom and Dad everything. Don't worry it will be okay. Nooo it won't. You don't know my mom and dad. My dad will kick my … I didn't want to go there. I was like, "I can't. I can't." Kept on hearing that. It kept on coming back, it wouldn't leave me. And so I mustered up the courage and I went to a pay phone. That was back when they had payphones. I put in a quarter. Actually back then it was upgraded to a quarter and a dime, $.35. Aggravating! I don't have a dime! Anyway, a collect call came in handy.
32. So I called my parents, and my mom picked up the phone. "Hey Jaga (with a lovely German accent)." "Hey Mom, I got to tell you guys something, could you get Dad on the phone?" My dad got on the phone, he loves to talk, "hey Jaga, how are you doing?" I go, "dad you need to be quiet for a moment." I said, "you know what, I really got to tell you guys something. Who I've been in front of you is not who I am. I've been something completely different. And in that moment I told my parents my entire life. I let them know who their son was and I completely made myself vulnerable, and I was scared to death, but I let my parents know who I was and the failure that I thought I was. I told them about the dating and about the drinking and partying and drugs. I said, "This is who I am and I'm so sorry …. it's not just there, some of my brothers have been following in my footprints. They've been doing the same things I've been doing. Please don't be angry at them, don't do anything to them, because they were just following their older brother. They didn't know what else to do. I'm so sorry" and that's when my dad got on the phone and he said, "Jaga there is nothing that you could ever do that would make us love you any less. We love you so much! We don't care about what you've done, we care about what you're going to do and who you're going to become. And don't worry about your brothers, because they have a great older brother. We love them and they are going to be fine." Whoa. I didn't know that was coming. I was expecting something different. And it changed my world. All of a sudden all this guilt and all this burden was lifted off me in a second. For the first time I felt free, for the first time in my life I could start loving myself, for the first time in my life I knew who God was in my life, and I saw that through my family.
33. I realize that all God really desires in life is to have a real and sincere and authentic relationship with me, with you, with everyone outside of these walls, everyone across this country and this world, that's what God wants. That's what God desires most and that's what True Parents are bringing to this world. So, I also know that for all you younger Unificationists, all your parents wanted for you and want with you is a real and authentic relationship. That's all they want. And in your eyes you are perfect and they want you to be perfect. But they want that real relationship.
34. And for you parents out there, as kids, all we really want is a real sincere authentic relationship with you, as our parents. We don't want anything more. We don't want anything less. We want to know you for who you are. We want to feel you. We don't want you to be this perfect something that you're not, because we are not that perfect something either. What we want is real relationships and it's true that that we can create something beautiful.
35. That's when I found God. And my path has taken me to many different areas, led me to the Coast Guard to search and rescue and law-enforcement. During that time I was in life-and-death situations. I save people's lives and I also saw the other result, people not making it. And it really got me to think about death and life and what do I have and what do I have to offer. And also during that time I got to meet some incredible people in the Coast Guard, people that I probably never would've hung out with otherwise, but I was forced to be in a situation where I was stuck with these people, people that came from all walks of life -- our paths would never have crossed. I was put in a position. Our ideas did not always necessarily agree, but these people, once you get through their history, once you get through their culture that's made them who they are, what's left when you get to the core, there's something beautiful, something precious inside of each and every one of them. And that's what I love, inside of each person there's something incredible, there's something amazing.
36. After then my wife and I, we moved to North Carolina. In North Carolina, that's where I discovered Jesus. I went to a Christian church out there and I discovered the Bible. It was for me, through understanding who Jesus was, that I could deepen my understanding and my relationship with True Parents. So, all of a sudden, it started to make sense. And I read the Bible from cover to cover and it blew my mind. Through my experiences of life I've matured and evolved my relationship with God and with True Parents.
37. One thing I want to share is, you have to trust the path that you're on. You have to trust the path that your sons and daughters are on, that your parents are on, and that your brothers and sisters are on. You have to believe in it. Faith is something that cannot be forced upon anyone. Faith is something that is to be lived, to be discovered.
38. In Jin Nim said once in a message just a few months ago, "not by might, nor by power, but by the spirit." And I absolutely believe in that. For us, we cannot really save anyone. As much as we'd like to, we can't save that person out there. We can't save our brothers and sisters. Only God and True Parents can do that. But what we can do, what we have the power to do, is to connect them – to go outside of ourselves, to go outside of our comfort zone, to stir things up a little bit, we can connect people to God and True Parents who can save them. And we do that by being a conduit for God's love, so it can flow through us. And we can change the world through that.
39. I've seen it firsthand in my own family, struggles with faith and understanding. I have one brother who – I have five brothers, and one of them chose his path outside of the Unification Church. His path took him into the army and it took him into the Iraq war. He did many things out there and his path is completely different from my path. But I know God is working in his path, even though he didn't choose the same path that I chose. He was given a different path. And he's got a beautiful wife that he met in the army, her name is Angela. They have two incredible kids. Their names are Aidan and Zoe. Just last September my family and I went out to Minnesota to share in their wedding celebration, to share that precious moment with them.
40. And when I was home I was doing a little thinking, because I like to think every now and then, and one of the things I thought was – my brother Jatton, he still goes by his name Jatton. He still goes by the name True Father gave him. He doesn't go by his middle name, he goes by his given name. And I thought, that's incredible. God and True Parents are still with him, and he chose that. And I was walking around in his house a little bit later and he has this wall of pictures – and there are pictures of New York City. And the picture in the middle is a picture of the New Yorker Hotel. And I thought, wow! What an incredible symbol of True Parents in his house! Our True Parents own the building and he has that representation of True Parents in his own home.
41. So, a day or two later we went to the wedding. We're hanging out at the wedding. We're having a great time. It's a beautiful wedding. Overview of the Twin Cities. Little Aidan, he was the ring bearer, so cute. He was jealous of the flower girls so he got to do the flower thing too, throwing flowers all over the place. Flower petals everywhere. Later on he was singing "Baby I'm a Firework." He sang it for his parents. It was so cute, a little four-year-old holding the mic singing, "Baby, I'm …" it was incredible. The pastor who officiated was in his 60s or 70s. He gave this incredible little message about how the most favorite part of his job is the wedding ceremony. Because there is a divine appointment during that moment, because he gets to be in a position where God works through him and these two people become one. And he says it just blows his mind every time, and he is just so awed by it, that God can let something like that happen. He loves it, it's his favorite part of the job.
42. During the dinner reception I went up to him and I said, "pastor, thank you so much for marrying my brother, thank you for your message, I love those guys and thank you for watching over them. By the way my name is Jaga. "Jaga, Rev. Moon gave you that named right?" "Yep." "Sit down a minute let me talk to you." So I sit down and he says, "I met Jatton the first time when he came back from the war and he started taking Kung Fu lessons with me." He had his own dojo and Jatton would take lessons at his dojo. He ended up having to close down his shop, he is a little bit older and he closed down his dojo, but he still allowed Jatton to come in and to train, but more importantly to talk. He said, "There's something different about Jatton, he's deep and he thinks, I don't know what it is but he's an incredible human being and I knew I just had to reach out to him. So one day I asked him, where did you get your name, what does it mean? He said, Rev. Moon, the founder of the unification of faith, he gave it to me. He said "I could feel that was a sensitive topic for Jatton, so I didn't really push it. But I want you to know something Jaga, back in the 80s Rev. Moon was in prison. Unfairly in prison and there were so many people in this country that were against him. I wrote him three letters and in those letters I said, regardless of what's happening to you right now, you have to know that there are people who love you, and support you, and will always be there for you. And I hope to God he got those letters!" And then he put his hand on my shoulder and looked me right in the eyes and he said, "Jesus Christ went to him when he was 15 years old and gave him a mission. And no one can take that away from him. And no one will ever stand in his way. God bless you!"
43. So, even though my brother chose another path, I know God is working on his path. And that path is something that God chose for him. So, you know what, we have to support our brothers and sisters and we've got to never stop loving them and always be there for them and create the environment and the atmosphere for them to feel loved and nourished. That's our job. Maybe Jatton and Angela will get Blessed one day, maybe they won't, but I know God is watching over them and I believe in their path.
44. And if you look at the Unification Church it's been on its own path and we've done some crazy radical things. When I think about what people of my parent's generation did, you all are crazy! You guys are like, wow! You guys were out there. And the things you were able to do, when I think about the Yankee Stadium rally, the Washington Monument rally, and what you were able to bring together with True Parents because you believed in something bigger than yourselves. In your life you were able to bring to people because you believed in it – I've seen what CARP was able to do against communism, what I saw, the things that you're able to unite, on the initiatives, the peace initiatives, the fact that we are bringing cultures together and Faiths together, it's incredible what we've been able to do in this country alone centered on our True Parents in just the last 40 years.
45. And now our path leads us to a new platform, to Lovin' Life Ministries. It takes us to that next level and what we can do with this ministry, it blows my mind. What we've been able to do as a national ministry, as a national community in just the last three years has been incredible. What we've been able to create and develop, I'm taken back by it and I'm honored and I feel privileged to be able to be standing here with all of you here today. Because we are bringing the new life of our True Parents, the new life of God, not just here but sharing it with the world. And we'll do some crazy things today. We have so much talent and so much incredible things pooled up.
46. I've looked at what we've been able to do. Just recently at the Wangu Peace Cup, even after just one day of practice we walked out with silvers and golds. We are playing against semi-professional teams that are practicing every day for a year. They know how they move, they know how to pass the ball to each other. We practiced just one day and our team was from all across the country. Imagine if we had two days to practice. It would have been over! We also took the gold in Unity Ball, a game made by our True Parents. And that says something. It's incredible.
47. I also had an incredible opportunity to be able to go to Korea about a month and a half ago with GPA, the Generation Peace Academy choir. It was such an incredible experience. We got to go all over Korea and see our heritage, of where we come from. And I got to see them perform in front of our True Parents. And the joy that brought them. I even saw Kook Jin Nim standing at his table and his hand was (going to the beat). When you get him doing that you know you've done something right. They walked away with the grand prize.
48. When I was there I could really see the life that we have in the new life that it brings to other people. One of the things we did, we went to the senior residents in Korea. There are a lot of seniors there (funny how that is). We would go to each floor and we would sing songs, meaning the GPA choir. I tried out for the choir, but it didn't work out. I was an alternate in case someone pulled a hammie or something -- that didn't happen. We were there and we enjoyed the moment with these senior people as representatives of True Parents. One of the most favorite songs they did was Arirang. There was quite a lead of instrumental music at the start, and so all these old ladies would start singing before the choir would start. It was so awesome. (Jaga imitated the senior ladies singing) they were all doing their dancing and it was awesome as you could see the new life in these people who are in their 80s and 90s. They were no longer in their 80s and 90s, they were like little high school girls, freaking out and so happy and the smiles on their faces. It was such a precious moment. We split up and we got to hang out with different groups. The floor that I was on, we did some ballroom dancing in front of them. Oh my God, that got them excited! We sang some songs for them and they sang songs for us. I remember Keshu Grieve, she was holding hands with some ladies. You know they couldn't talk, but they were talking, even though I don't know how it was working. And they loved Keshu, and they were pulling on her and they were hugging on her. The other person they really liked was the Victor Melaki. This beautiful young black men. They were fighting over him too. It was fun. It was awesome to watch. But just the life that we were able to bring them – that's the opportunity that we have.
49. That well of living water is inside of us, and it's not just ours, it's for us to share with this world. It was incredible. And you know those kinds of experiences, they are the most precious of my job as the national youth pastor, I get to do some incredible things, meet incredible people all over the world. I absolutely love my job. And I've learned so much from you guys. Even from our middle schoolers. Two things I learned since being on this job, one I learned from a seventh grader. Never stop believing in the goodness of people. I learned that from a seventh grader. That was awesome. Another one was just a couple months ago. I was talking to a young adult about how to fit your life of faith into your life. I was telling him about that and he looked at me and he said, "you know Jaga, it's not about getting your life of faith into your work, your school, into your crazy schedule – it's about getting your work, your school, and your busy schedule into your life of faith." Boom! Oh my God. I'm on the ground going, whoa. That just happened – it was crazy. I'm always learning new things. It's been incredible. To be able to see what we can do and the life that we can bring.
50. One of the most incredible things we do is the Blessing. And just last week with 194 countries and True Parents officiating over the Blessing and sharing that holy water with people, signifying a new life, new life committing to God, to True Parents, to this world, and to each other. This is a beautiful experience. We had a huge gala and celebration right here in this grand ballroom. I want to congratulate once again everybody that got Blessed, you guys are beautiful, all over this country. You guys are awesome.
51. I've been blessed for nearly 10 years now and Tami, she's my best friend, she is my soul mate, she's been with me through everything and without True Parents I would never have had her. Without True Parents in my life, and God in my life, we could not have been together. And I couldn't imagine life without her. That's why I'm so grateful to True Parents. And being able to be alive while they are here. If you think about that, it's astounding, it's incredible.
52. And one Bible verse that really got me thinking about that was Matthew 13:16-17. This is kind of how my relationship with Jesus helped me deepen my relationship with True Parents and understand who True Parents are. Jesus is sitting down with his closest disciples. He's in a room with them, or maybe outside (I don't know, I wasn't there) but he's sharing some moments with them. And he says to them, "you guys have any idea how precious this moment is right now? Do you have any idea how blessed you are to be with me? How blessed your eyes are, your ears are, to be seeing me and to be hearing me? All the prophets and all the saints and sages of all time would have given anything to be where you are, right here right now today." When I heard that, when I read that, it really resonated with me. Every moment that I have with my True Parents, to be alive while they are on this earth, how incredible. To know who they are while I'm on this earth.
53. I was in Berlin last year. True Parents were allowed back in Europe for the first time in many years. I was in a very big auditorium and I was sitting next to this family with little kids. I was looking at them and I was thinking to myself, "I wonder if they'll ever know that they were here. I wonder if their parents will ever tell them that they were in this room with True Parents." They were three or four years old, they probably didn't understand where they were. But I hope to God that they do know, because that was a precious moment that they got to share with our True Parents. And every moment that we have is incredible. And how we can attend them.
54. I think about my life. It's difficult for me to attend them. It's difficult because, who am I? What position do I stand in? I hear the stories about our parents and our older generation and they got the most incredible stories of being with True Parents.
55. I talked to Mr. Fontaine one time. He works over at East Garden and Belvedere, he's like the main carpenter guru over there. He was building a furniture piece for True Mother and he was in the room, and he's assembling it. And then True Mother and True Father walked in the room and pulled up chairs, sat down, and watched him assemble. Wow, no pressure. I was a carpenter for four years, and it's tough enough without people watching you, let alone the True Parents, the Messiah of heaven and earth, that's incredible. But he had that moment to attend, to be there for them.
56. Just last week I met Mr. Martinez from Bridgeport. He was telling me about his early days at UTS. One day he was walking around the lagoon and he saw this carp swimming in the water. It was a big carp and he and his buddy got the idea to get a soccer net and jump back in the lagoon and try to catch this thing – so they did. And the carp, this ginormous (that's a word I use) carp. And they had it in the net and they were walking across the street to have the kitchen cook it up, and while they were walking across the street True Father pulled up in his car and he stepped outside and he looked at them and he saw the fish – he got back in his car and took off. Two hours later he comes back with all this gear to make fishnets. He spends the entire night teaching people how to make fishing nets. The next morning he sends them out into the lagoon and there they are catching carp. Wow! That's how that started.
57. I've seen the pictures, I've heard the stories, that's how they got to attend True Parents. But for me that doesn't really happen. I don't really have those opportunities, that our older generation had. And I think, how can I attend True Parents? And I was thinking about this and it became very clear to me. The way I can attend two parents, the way I can receive that new life from them is through attending their children. And that's why I'm so blessed and fortunate to be a part of this, that I can work with our senior pastor Rev. In Jin Moon and work with our international pastor Rev Hyung Jin Moon. It's incredible. And what I realized is that I can take the very best of me, all my passions and all my hopes, and all my dreams and everything that I have, and if I can take that, my creativity and all, and if I offer it to them – they can take that and they can offer that to True Parents, because they stand in that rightful position. That's the profundity of our True Parents and the True Children. And that's what I see with our ministry, it gives us a platform and an opportunity to deliver on that and to give the very best of us. So that we can offer it to our Senior Pastor who is in position by our True Parents and she can offer it up.
58. And getting to meet with True Children is just incredible. I met Kook Jin Nim a couple of times. I usually have to put on a little more deodorant when I meet with him, he is intense. But he is so incredible. He is just raw. He is who he is. He doesn't try to be anything else. He is so honest, and he is like a razor, he cuts through all the BS and he is just there. And wow, what a great leader for us to try to replicate.
59. And I look at Hyung Jin Nim, you know, someone who is so humble and so grateful. Every time I see him he says, "Jaga, thank you so much!" First, how does he know my name, and second – no – thank you! Every time he is so grateful and so humble. When you listen to him talk he always wants to find something more. He's always thinking about what's happening, what True Parents are saying. He doesn't just take it at face value, he digs deep, and when he figures something out, or when he has an idea, he shares it. He's not scared to do that.
60. And our Senior Pastor, what blows me away about her, is not the abilities that she has to create so many things, but the fact that she believes in you, the fact that she believes in me and she pulls out the best of us. She pushes us to become more than we can ever think that we were. That's what I've seen for me in my life. And I know she wills it and wants it for you, and through that we can change this world.
61. So, we have an incredible team here at Lovin' Life Ministries and we have an incredible foundation. And you know, even with it, the weight of every day gets to me. It hurts me. Not hurts me, it frustrates me sometimes. Not so much anymore, because I have an incredible team that I can work with today, all across the country. And you know who you are and I love you guys so much for everything that you do in this ministry and help and support me.
62. But I remember a couple years ago it wasn't that case, when Lovin' Life Ministries was just beginning, and I remember one particular day was very difficult for me. All I was thinking about was, how much I had to do and how much I didn't think it was possible to do all the things that I had to do. And I was just so frustrated, I couldn't stop thinking about me – for some reason. It was in me. And I had to go from the NY hotel to the learning Center at 43rd St.. I was angry and frustrated and so I put on my iPod and I was listening to James Vont and I walked out and I was walking down the street -- walking down 35th Street and something weird began to happen. I was walking down the street and my eyes met this one young lady, and all of a sudden I could really see her and feel her and everything that she was going through. And in her was just hopelessness, she was full of despair, there was nothing. I felt like she couldn't even face tomorrow – and I felt it and it weighed me down even more. And I kept on walking and this guy running down the street and I saw his eyes and in his eyes it was just fear and anxiety, and I could feel it inside of me, I could feel his pain. And then he was gone and I just kept going out on walking. And there were a couple of guys drinking their cocktails, hanging out and laughing, having a good time, but from them I felt this emptiness like they're trying to mask something over, but it wasn't really them. And right at that moment the song changed to a song called Your Beautiful. It was right when I was turning onto Seventh Avenue. And when I turned onto Seventh Avenue I looked up and there is this sea of people, thousands of people everywhere, and at that moment I was, "God, why does it gotta be like this? Why do I feel all alone?" And the chorus started and it went, "you're beautiful." (I'm not going to try to sing it. I want you guys to respect me after this.) It goes, "you're beautiful, you're beautiful, beautiful to me. I see your face in this crowded place and I don't know what to do, because I'll never be with you." But what I heard, when I asked why, was, "your beautiful, your beautiful, your beautiful to me, and I see their faces in this crowded place and I don't know what to do, because I will never be with you." And all of a sudden it made sense. Everything I was going through, everything I was feeling, everything I was doing, everything we're doing – is to connect God to them, because God desperately wants to be with them. God desires a relationship. He sees their faces, he feels their pain, and if we can be in a position where we can feel God's heart beating for them then we can see ourselves as the conduit for God to work through. We can connect them to God we can connect them to True Parents, because your parents have the same heart. That's why true parents have never stopped one moment.
63. So I want to challenge you guys today, Lovin' Life Ministries all across the country, next week step outside of yourselves, step outside of your comfort zone, next week invite somebody to love and life ministries for the Easter message, it's going to be incredible. We're bringing new life to this country, to this world, we're sharing the living water of this world. We're sharing True Parents with this world. You know somebody, maybe it's a friend, maybe it's a co-worker, maybe a barista that you talk to every morning, gets you a cup of coffee or a latte or something, I don't know. But invite them. Step outside of that comfort zone. We have so many opportunities to do something incredible.
64. Right now True Parents have declared this as a time of complete liberation. It's a time of complete liberation, which means to me it is a time when we take ownership, it's a time that we decide to become adults in our life of faith, and to step outside of our comfort zone, and to live for God and True Parents. Because we've been blessed not for ourselves, but to be a blessing to others. We've been filled up with the living water, not for ourselves but to bring it to other people. This week and every week after that, and right now is an opportunity to do that. Let's take every opportunity God gives us and not shy away, just be there for God and True Parents.
65. This is also a big transitional year. We're transitioning right now from the age of Pisces to the age of Aquarius. The age of Pisces started 2150 years ago. During the age of Christ is when it started. The symbol of Pisces is the fish and that's why the Christian faith is symbolized by the fish. But now we are in a new era, a new age of Aquarius that signifies a collective awakening and enlightenment. It's going to happen, it's happening right now. There's so many things just on the verge of happening. Are we ready for it to happen? Are we taking active responsibility for what we've been given. And it's all about ownership. It's about us living this life of faith and sharing what's been given to us.
66. I want to share a verse with you from the Aquarian Gospel 157, 29,30 and it states, "and then the man who bears the picture will walk across forth, across an arc of heaven. The sign insigne, the Son of Man will stand up in the eastern sky. The wise will lift up their heads and know that redemption of the earth is near."
67. (They again showed the picture of True Parents at the Blessing) Behind True Parents there is an arc that they walked through and they are sharing the living water. They are carrying the pitcher of that living water sharing it with this earth. And something that we can share with this world is our dedication, it is our chance to step outside of our comfort zone.
68. So brothers and sisters I'm absolutely feeling that we have to be courageous during this time. We have to get crazy for God in a good way. And I believe that each and every one of us is a conduit for God's love to work through, to flow through. And I know that you can be the new life for somebody else, day in and day out, we can bring that new life to other people.
69. Just a few months ago I believe our Senior Pastor was talking about the word courage. She was saying that "cor" means heart. And courage means letting people see your heart. It is time that we start letting people see who we really are. And more than that live who we really are and reflect True Parents in our everyday life. If you separate 'cor' and 'age', you have heart age, the age of heart. It's the age that we start feeling God's heartbeat, the age that we start feeling True Parents heart beat for other people in our lives. That's what this time of spring is all about.
70. So I want to challenge you next week brothers and sisters, let's step outside of our comfort zone, let's do something awesome and incredible. Share the Easter message with other people.
71. A couple years ago, maybe two years ago, or a year and half ago, I had this dream. I don't usually remember my dreams, but this was profound because it had True Father in it. In this dream I was walking through this field of waist high grass. As far as I could see there was grass, just a sea of grass. And when I was walking through it, I was looking around, and I looked up and right in front of me is True Father. What do you do? This is a dream, it's real. So I bowed and I got back up and I didn't know what to do. He wasn't saying anything. So I asked True Father a question. The smartest thing I could think of. I said, "Father, what do you need me to do?" And he looked at me and he smirked and he said, "Why are you asking me? You already know what you got to do. I'm just waiting on you to go ahead and do it." I woke up and I wrote this down.
72. You know, so many times were waiting to be told to move. God has placed in our hearts what he wants us to do. True Parents have already told us what they need us to do. They are waiting for us to take the very best of ourselves, our passions, our desires, and create it. To just start doing it. We might not have everything that we need, but don't worry about what we don't have now, we have what we need now to do what we gotta do. We have each other. We have this ministry. We have True Children. We have True Parents to be able to change this world. We have the living water to give to this world to fuel this world. It starts with us to be that conduit for God's love to work through. We know what we gotta do, we just got to get off the couch. We gotta stop eating the Cheetos and playing the video games, and getting lazy. We gotta start getting excited for God once again. We gotta start getting out there on the streets, sharing the Breaking News of our Heavenly Parent and of our True Parents.
73.. True Parents are … the Blessing now and we are so blessed to know that. And again, that blessing is not for us but for others. And we Share that for no other reason than just because. Because we were loved first. Because God loves us, because God wants that. It's not so that we can get an award, or so we can go to heaven, because we are in a position to know and we can share what we know. And if we don't, that's not right.
74. Brothers and sisters I want to encourage you today to be able to believe in your path, believe in the path of others, and support them in what they're doing. Be courageous in your life of faith and share it often. Remember that God and True Parents are with us, with you every step of the way. And together we can reach higher ground.
75. Thank you so much. Next week is going to be so awesome. I love you guys. See you next week.
1: Now when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John
2: (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples),
3: he left Judea and departed again to Galilee.
4: He had to pass through Samar'ia.
5: So he came to a city of Samar'ia, called Sy'char, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
6: Jacob's well was there, and so Jesus, wearied as he was with his journey, sat down beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7: There came a woman of Samar'ia to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink."
8: For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
9: The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samar'ia?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
10: Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, `Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."
11: The woman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep; where do you get that living water?
12: Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?"
13: Jesus said to her, "Every one who drinks of this water will thirst again,
14: but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
15: The woman said to him, "Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw."
16: Jesus said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come here."
17: The woman answered him, "I have no husband." Jesus said to her, "You are right in saying, `I have no husband';
18: for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your husband; this you said truly."
19: The woman said to him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet.
20: Our fathers worshiped on this mountain; and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship."
21: Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.
22: You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.
23: But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him.
24: God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
25: The woman said to him, "I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ); when he comes, he will show us all things."
26: Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am he."
27: Just then his disciples came. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but none said, "What do you wish?" or, "Why are you talking with her?"
28: So the woman left her water jar, and went away into the city, and said to the people,
29: "Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?"
30: They went out of the city and were coming to him.
31: Meanwhile the disciples besought him, saying, "Rabbi, eat."
32: But he said to them, "I have food to eat of which you do not know."
33: So the disciples said to one another, "Has any one brought him food?"
34: Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work.
35: Do you not say, `There are yet four months, then comes the harvest'? I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see how the fields are already white for harvest.
36: He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together.
37: For here the saying holds true, `One sows and another reaps.'
38: I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."
39: Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, "He told me all that I ever did."
40: So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days.
41: And many more believed because of his word.
42: They said to the woman, "It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world."
43: After the two days he departed to Galilee.
44: For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.
45: So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast, for they too had gone to the feast.
46: So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Caper'na-um there was an official whose son was ill.
47: When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.
48: Jesus therefore said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe."
49: The official said to him, "Sir, come down before my child dies."
50: Jesus said to him, "Go; your son will live." The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way.
51: As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was living.
52: So he asked them the hour when he began to mend, and they said to him, "Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him."
53: The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, "Your son will live"; and he himself believed, and all his household.
54: This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.
1: And the angel who talked with me came again, and waked me, like a man that is wakened out of his sleep.
2: And he said to me, "What do you see?" I said, "I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps which are on the top of it.
3: And there are two olive trees by it, one on the right of the bowl and the other on its left."
4: And I said to the angel who talked with me, "What are these, my lord?"
5: Then the angel who talked with me answered me, "Do you not know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord."
6: Then he said to me, "This is the word of the LORD to Zerub'babel: Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.
7: What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerub'babel you shall become a plain; and he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of `Grace, grace to it!'"
8: Moreover the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
9: "The hands of Zerub'babel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.
10: For whoever has despised the day of small things shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerub'babel. "These seven are the eyes of the LORD, which range through the whole earth."
11: Then I said to him, "What are these two olive trees on the right and the left of the lampstand?"
12: And a second time I said to him, "What are these two branches of the olive trees, which are beside the two golden pipes from which the oil is poured out?"
13: He said to me, "Do you not know what these are?" I said, "No, my lord."
14: Then he said, "These are the two anointed who stand by the Lord of the whole earth."
1: That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea.
2: And great crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat there; and the whole crowd stood on the beach.
3: And he told them many things in parables, saying: "A sower went out to sow.
4: And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them.
5: Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they had not much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil,
6: but when the sun rose they were scorched; and since they had no root they withered away.
7: Other seeds fell upon thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them.
8: Other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
9: He who has ears, let him hear."
10: Then the disciples came and said to him, "Why do you speak to them in parables?"
11: And he answered them, "To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
12: For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
13: This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14: With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah which says: `You shall indeed hear but never understand, and you shall indeed see but never perceive.
15: For this people's heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them.'
16: But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear.
17: Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.
18: "Hear then the parable of the sower.
19: When any one hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in his heart; this is what was sown along the path.
20: As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy;
21: yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.
22: As for what was sown among thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the delight in riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
23: As for what was sown on good soil, this is he who hears the word and understands it; he indeed bears fruit, and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."
24: Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field;
25: but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.
26: So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.
27: And the servants of the householder came and said to him, `Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?'
28: He said to them, `An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, `Then do you want us to go and gather them?'
29: But he said, `No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.
30: Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"
31: Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his field;
32: it is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches."
33: He told them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened."
34: All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed he said nothing to them without a parable.
35: This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet: "I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter what has been hidden since the foundation of the world."
36: Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field."
37: He answered, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of man;
38: the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one,
39: and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels.
40: Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age.
41: The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers,
42: and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.
43: Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
44: "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
45: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,
46: who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
47: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind;
48: when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad.
49: So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous,
50: and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.
51: "Have you understood all this?" They said to him, "Yes."
52: And he said to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."
53: And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there,
54: and coming to his own country he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?
55: Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
56: And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this?"
57: And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house."
58: And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.
The Christines upon Mount Olives. Jesus prophesys the destruction of Jerusalem, and of terrible disasters that will mark the conclusion of the age. He exhorts his disciples to faithfulness.
1. When Jesus with the twelve went forth and sat upon Mount Olives, just beyond the city's gate.
2. And his disciples said, Behold the wondrous city of Jerusalem! its homes are all so beautiful! its temples and its shrines are clothed in such magnificence!
3. And Jesus said, The city is the glory of my people, Israel, but, lo, the time will come when every stone will be cast down, and it will be a hiss and byword for the nations of the earth.
4. And the disciples asked, When will this desolation come?
5. And Jesus said, This round of human life will not be full until the armies of the conqueror will thunder at her gates, and they will enter in, and blood will flow like water through the streets.
6. And all the precious furnishings of temple, court and palaces will be destroyed, or carried off to deck the palaces and courts of kings.
7. Behold, these days are not at hand. Before they come, lo, you shall be maltreated by the scribes and Pharisees, the high priests and the doctors of the law.
8. Without a cause you will be haled into courts; you will be stoned; you will be beaten in the synagogues; will stand condemned before the rulers of this world, and governors and kings will sentence you to death.
9. But you will falter not, and you will testify for truth and righteousness.
10. And in these hours be anxious not about your speech; you need not think of what to say;
11. For, lo, the Holy Breath will overshadow you and give you words to say.
12. But then the carnage will go on, and men will think that they are pleasing God by killing you, and nations far and near will hate you for the sake of Christ.
13. And men will stir up evil thought among your kin, and they will hate you and will give you up to die.
14. And brothers will be false to brothers; fathers will stand forth and testify against their own, and children will drive parents to the funeral pile.
15. When you shall hear the Roman eagle screaming in the air, and see his legions streaming o'er the plain, then know the desolation of Jerusalem is near.
16. Then let the wise wait not, but flee. Let him who is upon his house wait not to enter in the house to gather up his wealth, but let him flee.
17. And he who labours in the field must not return, but leave his all to save his life.
18. And woe to mothers with their little children in that day; none shall escape the sword.
19. The tribulation of these days cannot be told in words, for such has never been since God created man upon the earth.
20. The conqueror will carry many of the sons of Abraham away as captives into foreign lands, and they who know not Israel's God will tread the highways of Jerusalem until the anti-Jewish times have been fulfilled.
21. But when the people have been punished for their crimes, the tribulation days will end; but lo, the time will come when all the world will rise, like gladiators in a ring, and fight just for the sake of shedding blood.
22. And men will reason not; they will not see, nor care to see a cause for carnage, desolation, thefts; for they will war with friend or foe.
23. The very air will seem surcharged with smoke of death; and pestilence will follow close upon the sword.
24. And signs that men have never seen will appear in heaven and earth; in sun, and moon, and stars.
25. The seas will roar, and sounds will come from heaven that men can never comprehend, and these will bring distress of nations with perplexity.
26. Hearts of the strongest men will faint in fear, in expectation of the coming of more frightful things upon the earth.
27. But while the conflicts rage on land and sea, the Prince of Peace will stand above the clouds of heaven and say again:
28. Peace, peace on earth; good will to men; and every man will throw away his sword, and nations will learn war no more.
29. And then the man who bears the pitcher will walk forth across an arc of heaven; the sign and signet of the son of man will stand forth in the eastern sky.
30. The wise will then lift up their heads and know that the redemption of the earth is near.
31. Before these days shall come, behold, false Christs and poor deluded prophets will arise in many lands.
32. And they will show forth signs, and do a multitude of mighty works; and they will lead astray the many who are not wise; and many of the wise will be deceived.
33. And now I tell you once again, When men shall say, The Christ is in the wilderness, go you not forth.
34. And if they say, The Christ is in the secret place, believe it not; for when he comes the world will know that he has come.
35. For as the morning light comes from the east and shines unto the west; so shall be the coming of the age and son of man.
36. The wicked of the earth will weep when they shall see the son of man come down upon the clouds of heaven, in power.
37. Take heed you, O take heed, for you know not the hour nor the day when comes the son of man.
38. Let not your hearts be overcharged with sensuous things, nor with the cares of life, lest that day come and find you unprepared.
39. Keep watch at every season of the year; and pray that you may meet the Lord with joy and not with grief.
40. Before those days shall come our Father-God will send his messengers abroad, yea, to the corners of the earth, and they will say.
41. Prepare you, O prepare; the Prince of Peace shall come, and now is coming on the clouds of heaven.
42. When Jesus had thus said, he went with his disciples back to Bethany.