February will always be remembered as a month when the 21st century peace ended in Europe. Two years ago, on February 24, 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine in order to depose democratic Ukrainian government and block Ukrainians from joining the Europe Union and NATO. Putin’s evil wish for an uncomplicated blitzkrieg turned out to be an exhausting war with massive casualties, millions of refugees, and countless tragedies. It nmasked the Russian government s evil and displayed enormous courage of Ukrainians in defending their freedom. At the beginning the support for Ukrainians has been spontaneous, and great but slowly it has diminished. Now after two years, we, the western supporters of Ukraine, feel tired and exhausted. Where should we turn to find courage and energy to continue this crucial fight against evil? Continue reading →

“But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed …” (Rom 3:21). These words of the apostle Paul aptly voice the essence of Christmas:  God Himself is entering this broken world.  In our ill pursuit to substitute God, we have poisoned the world with selfishness, greed, and fear. Therefore, according to the law, we deserve God’s punishment. But instead, God is sending his Son Jesus to fix this world. This most important “but” in the history reveals God’s righteousness that is filled with His mercy and love.  In Christ, God is reconciling the world to himself, not counting our trespasses (2 Cor 5:19).  Thanks to God, all is well, all is right. Now we as God’s ambassadors are entrusted with this good news of Christmas to apply this “but” to all the present troubles and conflicts. Continue reading →

Sola Gratia is one of the mottos of the Reformation that began on Oct 31, 1517 in Wittenberg by Martin Luther. By this key principle Luther emphasized that our salvation is entirely the result of God’s grace, that we cannot earn salvation through our own effort and good works. Grace alone is also the best characteristic of God’s actions with this world as clearly demonstrated in the story of his Son, Jesus Christ. All we have, all our talents and resources, is a gift from God. Moreover, God gave us His Son to fix all our wrongdoings and faults. All this because of his sheer grace! How could we not praise and worship such a great God?
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