천국의 추석 26-39

[Peter]

주간묵상 26-39

<천국의 추석>

손가락 꼽으며

기다리던 추석

“더도 말고 덜도 말고

한가위만 같아라.”

꿈같던 옛이야기

찢어진 고무신

낡고 해진 단벌옷

묵은 때 벗겨내고

새 옷으로 갈아입을

그날 만 돌아오기를

손꼽아 기다리던 추억

가난해도 일 년에 한두 번

햅쌀밥에 송편과 고깃국

군침을 삼키며 기다리던 추석

찌는 듯 한 더위는 가시고

선선한 가을 단풍 즐기며

선조의 산소에

성묘하던 추억

어른들 찾아뵙는 예절

이젠 추석이 언제인지

관심도 없었지만

택배가 빈번하다.

되로 주었던 것들

말로 되돌아온다.

명절의 진풍경이 변했다.

그러나 받는 기쁨

주는 기쁨

나눔의 기쁨은 여전

“오늘만 같아라.”

천국이 따로 없다.

전화가 없던 시절

명절 전날

무작정 동구 밖에서

석양이 되도록

객지에 나간 자식

기다리시던 부모님 모습

눈에 선하다.

혹 빈손이라

못 오는 건 아닌가!

마음 조리시며

기다리시던 부모님

땅거미 질 때 쯤

바리바리 싸들고

막차에서 내린 아들

그때의 부모님의 기쁨을

헤아릴 수 있는가?

객지에서 박봉에 고생하는 자식

어찌 부모가 모르시랴

빈손이라도 건강하게만

돌아오기를 기다리시는 부모님

기대하지 못한

개나리봇짐에 가득한 이바지

부모님의 마음은 보름달-

자녀들이 길을 잃고

혹 다른 곳으로 갈까봐

지금은 천국에서 마음 조리시며

기다리시는 부모님 그려본다.

박봉에 시달리며

골고다에서 거둔 성령의 열매

사랑과 희락과 화평과 오래 참음과

자비와 양선과 충성과 온유와 절제,

아름다운 의의열매들

천국열차에 가득 싣고 기적을 울리자!

천국의 추석날에-

World Mission Center(www.wccc.ac)

선교사 김윤식목사(010-3347-3202)

https://cafe.daum.net/smallwaterdrop/KU4B/722

Weekly Meditation 26-39

〈Chuseok in Heaven〉

How eagerly we counted the days,

waiting for Chuseok.

“May every day be

neither more nor less

than the bountiful harvest moon festival.”

Those days now seem

like a story from a dream.

With torn rubber shoes

and a single worn-out suit of clothes,

we scrubbed away the grime

and counted the days

until we could finally

put on something new.

Though we were poor,

once or twice a year

we could enjoy rice from the new harvest,

songpyeon rice cakes,

and a bowl of meat soup.

How we waited for Chuseok,

our mouths already watering!

The sweltering summer heat had passed,

and in the cool autumn air,

amid the changing leaves,

we visited the graves of our ancestors

and paid our respects.

We also observed the cherished custom

of visiting our elders.

For years, I scarcely noticed

when Chuseok came and went.

Yet now, delivery packages

arrive one after another.

The little I once gave

returns to me many times over.

The scenes of the holiday

have certainly changed.

Yet the joy of receiving,

the joy of giving,

and the joy of sharing

remain unchanged.

“May every day be like today!”

Could heaven be anywhere else?

In the days before telephones,

on the eve of the holiday,

parents would wait without any news

at the entrance to the village

until the sun went down,

longing for the return

of children who had gone far away.

I can still see them

as clearly as if they stood before me.

“Could they be staying away

because they have nothing to bring?”

With anxious hearts,

the parents waited.

Then, as twilight settled over the village,

their son would step down

from the last bus,

his arms laden with bundles.

Who could ever measure

the joy of his parents

at that moment?

Their child had endured hardship

far from home,

working for meager wages.

How could his parents

not have known?

They desired no gift—

only that their child

return home safe and well.

Yet when he arrived

with an unexpected bundle

filled with gifts,

their hearts became

as full as the harvest moon.

Now I picture my parents in heaven,

waiting with anxious hearts,

lest their children lose their way

or wander somewhere else.

Though we labor

for little reward in this world,

let us gather the fruit of the Spirit

ripened beneath the Cross of Golgotha:

love, joy, peace, patience,

kindness, goodness, faithfulness,

gentleness, and self-control—

the beautiful fruits of righteousness.

Let us load them all

onto the train bound for heaven

and sound its whistle!

On that glorious day—

the Chuseok of Heaven.