Day 3

Oh sigh. I am coming down with a cold and am wishing for some of the comforts at home! Despite not feeling 100%, still an interesting day in Busan.

• The theme for worship and Bible study this morning was a passage from Amos that includes the phrase, "let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a ever-flowing stream." Such a powerful image to me. We talked, in Bible study, about how we as the church can foster this justice and righteousness - how can we make this happen in the world?
•  In the small, small Presbyterian universe, I probably shouldn't have been surprised to meet Rev. Iro, a Presbyterian minister in Nigeria who is a good friend to the Presbyterian Church in Canada and PWS&D. I now have many greetings to pass along when I return to Canada :)
• The plenary for the day focused on Asia. There were two speakers I found particularly interesting - one speaking about collaboration between South and North Koreans to build an Orthodox church in North Korea, and one speaking about providing health care in a small hospital in rural India. Very moving voices of witness.
• A discussion on the proposed unity statement of the assembly somehow morphed into a discussion on sexual orientation - clearly not an issue on which the church is unified. It is a challenge even to create a safe space in which to discuss these issues.

I will end with inspiring words that we heard from the Archbishop of Canterbury:

"When we look to God, our eyes are turned outwards to his world, and we hear again the command, as Pope Francis said, to be a poor church for the poor. The children of Christ act instinctively to love those who suffer, as he loves us. If justice faints, hope fades. But when justice is loved, and lived, the poor have hope and the whole world begins to sing."

Some of us are off to Seoul today for the weekend to visit churches there. Looking forward to that, and to a ride on a high-speed train :).