CWM Welcomes the New Year with Staff Holy Communion Service “The Holy Seed of Remnants” C
ouncil for World Mission (CWM) held its New Year Worship Service with Holy Communion during the staff devotion on 10 January 2022 at 5:00 PM Singapore Time, attended virtually by CWM global staff from various regions. The General Secretary, Rev. Dr Jooseop Keum, delivered the sermon, followed by the Holy communion service led by Rev. Julie Sim, Mission Secretary to East and South Asia. The staff members brought their own communion elements signifying cultural diversity and participated in the communion remembering Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection as a sign of hope in the midst of the ongoing pandemic. During his sermon titled “The Holy Seed of Remnants”, the General Secretary spoke about three theological terms: “remnant”, “revival”, and “renewal”. The term “remnants” echoes the biblical reference to Israelites who remained faithful to their covenant with God in Babylon, during a time when Israel and Judah remained divided kingdoms enslaved by foreign powers. Speaking from Isaiah 6:8-13, he said, “Even when the world is like a “cut-down tree” and there seems to be no hope, God still preserves “the remnants” as “the stump” and “the holy seed” in order to work through them. The second term, “Revival”, refers to Isaiah’s promise that the remnants would return to Jerusalem for a God-given purpose after their Babylonian exile, where they will truly rely on the Lord, and not on secular power – a promise made concrete in the restoration of the Temple.
10 INSiGHT FEBRUARY 2022
