"The Kingdom of God Has Come Near" - WCC general secretary sermon for the 40th Anniversary of the Glion Consultation (1986) and the Pilgrimage for Peace on the Korean Peninsula.
"The Kingdom of God Has Come Near" - WCC general secretary sermon for the 40th Anniversary of the Glion Consultation (1986) and the Pilgrimage for Peace on the Korean Peninsula.
msc
Wed, 09/09/2026 - 16:29
Texts: Mark 1:14–15; Luke 4:16–21; Ephesians 2: 14-18.
Dear Friends,
Grace and peace to you in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. It is a joy and privilege to be with you today on the 40th Anniversary of the Glion Consultation. I bring you the greetings and prayers of the World Council of Churches. How wonderful it would have been if we gathered here to celebrate under different circumstances, a reunified Korea, but it seems that we are far from that today. And so, my message to you today is to encourage you with the biblical message that assures us that the kingdom of God has come near even when we think it has not. It is present where there are signs of life, justice, peace and reconciliation.
When Jesus began his public ministry, his first proclamation was not about an institution or an ideology. It was an announcement of God's reign: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good…
