This is an excerpt from an informal transcript made by Michael Keily of the sermon given at Belvedere on 1/28/95

True Father gave clear direction that if he is not here, also in Boston and in other areas, we should now read True Father's sermon. Then the church minister should give an explanation of the text and support it. This is our church's position. Jewish Rabbi's don't give much of a sermon; they read the Talmud and Old Testament. It is similar with the Catholics. But Protestant ministers give many different kinds of sermons.

Now everything is centered on the Divine Principle, the Bible and True Father's words.

I joined as a high school student. Before, I was a Methodist, but also attended the Seventh Day Adventist church and Buddhist temples.

My spiritual father invited me to the Unification Church in 1957. At that time I heard that the Unification Church was a heretical church. So, I was very concerned that my spiritual father had joined the Unification Church. He is my relative. I was shocked, surprised and concerned about him. So I started a prayer condition, but it did not work. He did not leave. During the winter vacation I visited my relative's house and I challenged him. "I worry that you are following the wrong faith, and I beg you to come out of this faith," I said to him.

He listened to me and then invited me to attend the Sunday service. Then, he encouraged me to attend a three-day workshop. "Don't just listen to others; learn yourself what they teach," he told me. "Then you decide whether the Unification Church is wrong or not." That seemed reasonable.

So I went to HQ church at Chung Pa Dong in September 1957. Before True Father entered, one good-looking gentlemen sat praying and in meditation. I thought he was Sun Myung Moon. The church was very pentecostal. Before worship, many people connected to the spiritual world. Their eyes were closed. The atmosphere was a little crazy (laughter). I thought there was something unusual. My Methodist Church had been very intellectual, neat and calm. It was "normal."

From the second floor, one young man came down. I later discovered that he was actually True Father. The old gentleman was (former president) Rev. Eu, now in the spiritual world. Mr. Eu looked well dressed. True Father was young, carrying a Bible. He seemed like the president of the youth organization. He did not use hair oil and did not have a suit coat but a jacket. His pants were very humble.

True Father's title was "The Heart of God." He gave this title, and I was shocked. I am a member of the Methodist church, but I did not know much about God. I was really seeking Him, but my church taught me little about God. True Father taught about the heart of God; how did he know about it? I was shocked.

True Father explained that the heart of God was sorrow. I had thought God was almighty, joyous and powerful, but True Father said the heart of God was sadness, that Adam and Eve had rejected God and not followed His will. He said that Satan had dominated human history and that we must liberate God, bringing Him from sorrow to joy. That is our mission on earth.

That was completely different from my understanding. After True Father's sermon, my heart was open. I had only known God through custom and habit. But True Father taught about Godism, the liberation of God. My church always begged and asked God: "Take care of my family. My son is going to a good university, Harvard or Yale. Please protect him. My business has problems, please help." That was my style of faith.

But True Father did not ask God for one word of help. He thanked God continually and sought to comfort him. I realize this was adult faith. I felt liberation.

Then I went to the three-day workshop. I realized the key points of Divine Principle and changed my faith. I became a Unificationist.

What is God's gift to us? Not just the World Mission Center and Belvedere. The priceless gift from God is Father's sermons. Jesus said that "Jerusalem will fall, but my words are eternal".

I am so busy writing, so now I have a bookshelf of notebooks of Father's words. A few days ago I sat down with my daughter-in-law and spoke deeply with her. I asked her, "What do you think is my most valuable treasure? It is these notebooks. I can not bequeath a nice house to you, but I can leave these notebooks." Eventually the church, having heard that I kept these notebooks, will ask for them. I told my daughter-in-law, "If there is ever a fire in our house, save these notebooks." Even if evil people come, I am not afraid. They will look for diamonds and gold and such things, but they will not know the value of these notebooks and will therefore not steal them.

True Father has given us 200 volumes of truth. We have no communication line with God. Humanity in no way understands the will of God. We need a mediator. God sent one of the most important mediators, Moses, but he received only the simple teaching of God.

Then God sent Jesus, but his ministry was only three years, and then he was crucified. We lost this mediator.

True Father is teaching; we must understand how important he is. His most important gift to us is the Divine Principle book and these 200 volumes of speeches. He brings TL, eternal life and a pure lineage. These are his most important gifts. True Father brought truth and spirituality. Without truth, we cannot understand his spirituality.

If you buy a high-tech computer but don't know how to use it, you first read the manual. Once you clearly understand the manual, you can operate it.

Similarly, True Father brought truth, True Love, true life and true lineage through which we can become children of God from being children of Satan. We need a manual to do this. That manual is Divine Principle and True Father's word. Without these we cannot change our personality. We can't learn what True Parents are like. So you need these books. We are so lucky that we started this translation project last year.

Two thousand years ago Christians had terrible persecution from the Roman empire. They always kept the Bible when they moved around and lived in hiding, they did not keep gemstones. That is their tradition.

These sermons give so much truth. Before 1960 True Father taught about Christ. After True Parents appeared on earth, he taught other things. If you want to clearly understand Jesus and God, you must read this. These first sermons were from 1956. Before that time, when True Father spoke, no one kept a record. A tape recorder cost as much as a house at that time. The HQ church bought one of those. If you save $5 a month by not buying this, what a shame. Can you promise, everyone, to order this book? (Yes) It is the most important treasure, especially the first edition.

I have one special Divine Principle book. Dr. Young Oon Kim was the first pioneer. She printed the first Divine Principle; I have a copy of it. That is one of my family's other treasures.

If you have this book (of TF's speeches), then even in morning prayer service, you should sit down and read one page and then another, bit by bit, first and second generation, how good that will be.

(Drawing four horizontal lines) Through Moses, if you believe the Old Testament, from Satan we arrive at formation and then growth. Adam and Eve fell at the top of the growth stage. Beyond this stage, our personality grows, and we become the image of God. He comes down. We have to pass this stage. But because we killed Jesus, we cannot go to this stage (of Completion). The True Parents give us TL, eternal life and pure lineage to enter this stage. We take our Satanic fallen lineage, false love and false life, and we need the experience of rebirth. That is the blessing ceremony.

There are two important meanings for the Unification Church Blessing:

1. Remove satanic lineage and be born again. Experience True Parent's TL, True Life and True Lineage. Many brothers and sisters felt after receiving the blessing, "That's it. I received a wonderful spouse." Then they disappeared. We feel sometimes, "The Unification Church just used my manpower."

2. A more important meaning is that we follow the tradition of True Parents' life from the top of the growth stage and become the image of God and the True Children of God and connect with Him in the Direct Dominion. We are then in God. Before the blessing we fund raised and witnessed. On this foundation we received the blessing. We passed the formula course. That is more important.

But more important is after the blessing. We have to continue to grow.

What is our image of the Unification Church? It is flower basket and fund raising? Is that it? (Laughter) Or sisters not using much cosmetics and wearing humble clothes? No. The Unification Church image is to create the four position foundation centered on God, husband and wife with beautiful children. The family, family values. We really fulfilled the ideal family. This is the Unification Church image.

I believe you all have an ideal family. Some of you struggle a bit, but I am not afraid of that. You more and more understand the value of your spouse. Just after you receive your blessing you have a mind of comparison: "Your wife is more beautiful than mine. Why did True Father give such a wife to me? My husband is too humble. Yours has a better position." Always we are unhappy, and we struggle. I was the same. I honestly confess I was the same. True Father gave me a pretty good wife, but I always compared and thought other wives were better. I am ashamed of that. But now after 25 of blessed life, I more deeply realize the value of Mrs. Pak. She is completely my life. Without her, I am nothing. I asked her what I will say today. I told her I expect nothing. I'll make my breakfast; you have a long life, be happy and joyful. That is all I expect from her. It is an amazing blessing that she is now living on earth; that is an amazing blessing for me.

My dear younger brothers and sisters, please don't be like me. Be wise. Completely trust your spouse and support him or her. Make an ideal family. That is our important duty in 1995.

The Unification Church and the Christian churches are different. The Christian church believes in individual salvation, but the Unification Church believes in family salvation. I cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven by myself but with my spouse and family. Without the family, there is no guarantee of entering the Kingdom of Heaven. There is no individual salvation.

Billy Graham and Pope John Paul have to come to the blessing ceremony. In 1995 we need to follow True Parents and True Family's tradition, then we can reach God.

You may say, "My family is so good, living and trusting," but that is not enough. We must connect tribes, nations and the world and make a global family. This is also our responsibility.

True Father is bringing 500 Japanese sisters and women every week and is making a sisterhood relationship between Japanese and American women. Through this ceremony we are making an international global village.

This is the 50-year anniversary of the end of World War II. The American government made two stamps: one was the nuclear bomb over Hiroshima. The other was the bomber that carried the bomb. Japan was very upset and accused America, and Pres. Clinton stopped it.

Auschwitz was an infamous death camp of World War II; its survivors gathered in Germany recently and reminded us of what happened. These are memories of the past. But True Father is oriented toward the future. If 50 years ago Japan and America had become one as brothers and sisters, could they have killed each other? If Germans and Jews had been one, could they have killed each other? No.

Women, the most important peacemakers, came to make one through the Women's Federation of World Peace. True Father is bringing 4,000 Japanese women to America and will make a sisterhood-relationship with 4,000 American women. This is a cornerstone of world peace. It is an important ceremony to make one world family.

Sometimes you and I don't believe in the power of the living God. He is more powerful than any other human, political power.

Rev. Jerry Falwell spoke on January 22. He is another Billy Graham. It was not easy for him to come. His church members see that he is working with to Rev. Moon and the Unification Church. They think something is wrong. Rev. Falwell has received a stack of bad letters. "Don't help Rev. Moon, the Unification Church, and this sisterhood project." He has received thousands of telephone calls. His children's universities have threatened to expel his children. People have demonstrated against him, but he came and spoke anyway. Is that easy? No. Pres. Bush and Jerry Falwell, both national powerful figures, came. Also, Christopher Reeve, the star of Superman, came. Superman knows! (laughter) He was so inspired! He spoke in a very principled manner. then met with the Japanese sisters. They wanted to take a picture with him. The sisters were tiny, but he is Superman. "Superman, Superman, save me" is in his movies.

From Japan 450 sisters arrived. You heard about the earthquake in Kobe. It affects not only Kobe but all of Japan. It is like breaking the spine of the country. The most important highway from North to South is destroyed.

Many sisters came from Kobe. Three sisters lost their house. But they went into the ruins of their home, found their passports and came here. True Father was so inspired. They are the most faithful members. We are making one world families.

After the Kobe earthquake, we had a breakfast meeting at the headquarters church. Mr. Shimoyama came to me in tears. "My family, father and mother, live in Kobe. My parents were in the area that was most hit." He tried to call, but the phones did not work. He was so nervous. I told him, "God will protect your family because you worked so faithfully." Later, he told me that his family and even his house were not harmed. I reported this story to True Father.

We have a Kobe regional headquarters church. We also have a pond nearby. The pond cracked, and the water leaked from the pond, but our church building was only slightly damaged. So, many refugees came to stay in our church. A Buddhist shrine nearby, whose monks had persecuted us, completely fell down. Not even one Unification Church member was harmed. Thank you, God.

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