Dear SUMC members and friends,
         It’s been said, “May is the queen of all seasons.” In May life blossoms all over. Flowers are popping up and the trees turn green and birds come back. But May doesn’t last long. Let us seize the moment to enjoy the beauty of nature God has given us while it lasts.
        God has given us the responsibility to take care of our planet earth. As Native Americans say, our Mother Nature nurtures us and provides for us. Unless we take care of our Mother Nature, we will suffer the consequences of human greed, exploitation, and carelessness.
      Science is one of God’s greatest blessings to humanity. Science helps us to solve our human problems. When virus and bacteria threaten our lives, hopes and prayers are not enough. We need to fight the diseases with science as well as prayers. When we do our best, God will do the rest. Augustine said, “Without God, we cannot. Without us, God will not.”
       I have had vaccine shots lately. I know that there is no 100 % guarantee that I will be immune to Corona virus by getting vaccinated. But there are much better probabilities that I will be less susceptible to the virus with my vaccination. So, I thank God and thank science for helping me to have a better chance of defeating the virus.
        Even when we read the Bible, we can benefit from scientific, rational, and critical thinking. Without them, the Bible can be interpreted as a dogmatic, irrelevant, and meaningless book. As Marcus Borg said, “Our heart cannot believe what our head does not accept.”
       Without the help of science, our faith becomes blind and fanatic. Science and faith are friends, not enemies. If science is the head, then faith is the heart. We need both to function as a holistic person. Let us accept truth and reject lies, not reject truth and accept lies.
      Take good care of yourself for others as well as for yourself! God’s grace and peace to you all!
​Pastor Jerry Cho