All of Life as Worship, with Theological Librarian, PhD Candidate, and Author Sam Ha
Published by ljol236
Watch our full interview with Sam on The Forum Podcast on YouTube!
Sam Neulsaem Ha is no stranger to the Calvin Seminary community, or the broader collective of Calvin and Reformation scholars across the globe. As he celebrates his latest book, A Day of Worship: Adoring God in Every Moment (written in Korean), we had the privilege of hearing more of Sam’s story and the heart behind this book.
Sam was born and raised in Korea, the son of church planters. From a young age, his faith in Christ was central to his life, his parents often emphasizing the importance of continual prayer and worship of God throughout the day. With this faith foundation, Sam moved to London, England, where he received his BA in Theology at London School of Theology.
After finishing his studies in England, Sam returned to Korea to do his two years of military service. He eventually enrolled at Korea Theological Seminary, where he received his Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree. Entering that program, Sam had no intentions of pursuing doctoral studies or moving abroad again; he wanted to receive the training necessary to be a pastor in Korea. As time progressed, Sam’s professors began calling out his gifts in research, writing, and synthesizing material, all of which would come in handy in a doctoral program. After much searching, Sam came to Calvin Seminary, a program that met what he was searching for: intellectual rigor, pastoral relevance, and a loving community. In 2019, Sam moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan for his PhD, and is now writing his dissertation while serving the broader Calvin community as a theological librarian and curator of the Meeter Center for Calvin Studies. In these roles, Sam helps students think theologically, research well, and gathers key research on Calvin, Calvinism, and the Reformation.
Since coming to Calvin Seminary, Sam has spent extensive time reflecting on the very thing his parents taught him as a child: the importance of continual prayer and worship of God throughout the day. What if each moment of the day could be worship of God, not just those shorter times of prayer and reading Scripture? Enter Sam’s book, A Day of Worship: Adoring God in Every Moment, written entirely in Korean. Similar to Lewis’ The Screwtape Letter, Sam and his coauthor–a friend and fellow believer–wrote letters to one another discussing how every day and every action can be worship of God. Whether you’re washing dishes, taking out the trash, or going on a walk, all of life can be worship. It was his attempt to combine theologically deep and biblically exhaustive doctrine of God with everyday activities we often take for granted.
Sam writes: “What color is God? You may be thinking, what an absurd question? You can ask what color is an apple or banana, but you cannot ask such questions about God. Of course, God is spirit, so He has no color. But if I were to metaphorically describe God with a color, my answer would be green. John Calvin, one of the leaders of the Reformation in the 16th century and probably one of the most important thinkers in the Christian theology, compared God to an evergreen tree. He explained that while other trees may lose their leaves, God remains unchanged. In other words, God is faithful.
There are countless words to describe God. As you said, God is the “great” one who created and governs this vast created world. But I think that along with greatness, faithfulness is just as important. In the Bible, the Hebrew word “hesed,” often translated as “steadfast love” or “loving-kindness,” refers to God’s unshakable faithfulness. Even when we waver, He doesn’t. Even when we try to leave Him, He doesn’t leave us. Even when we hate Him, He loves us. That is faithfulness—that is hesed.
During Michigan’s harsh winters, I walk a lot. When snow blinds me and makes it hard to open my eyes, in a world entirely white, I focus on the green trees, the evergreens. And I pray: “Lord, my life is like this snowstorm. I cannot see the way ahead. I do not know where to take my next step. But I see the evergreens. In this brutal winter, I see the unchanging green. In that tree, I see You, God. In this ever-changing world, I see You, who never changes. I rely on You, my green Lord. I look to You, the green Lord who died on the cross for me.”
Does staring at the evergreens stop the blizzard? Of course not. That has never happened. My chaotic life, this complex world, doesn’t get sorted out just because I pray. But when I look at the evergreens, when I hold onto the green Lord, I gain the strength to take one more step. As I walk on, I eventually arrive where I was headed. And, as I keep walking, one day, I’ll knock on heaven’s door. In this way, I walk and worship the faithful Lord, and I walk and pray to the unchanging and loving Father.”
As Sam wrote, he sought to be deeply theological and emotional, but also deeply pastoral (as the above excerpt so clearly demonstrates). In this pursuit of pastoral sensitivity, he even addressed topics like medicine, cancer, and even death. Despite the difficulty in writing chapters on topics so sensitive, Sam believes the endurance in writing was worthwhile for the final product.
In this book, Sam’s goals for his reader is they meditate on who God is, and that their meditation would drive them to worship Him. To worship God, Sam explains, we need to know who He is. As we grow in our knowledge of who He is, that should compel us to further adoration and worship of God. Through the book, Sam also hopes to remind people not to separate the mundane and special as times to not worship or worship God. Rather, he challenges people to see both the mundane and special as an invitation to worship, whether it’s housework, cooking, homework, or taking a walk. If we look for it, there’s a moment for worship in the mundane and special times of our everyday lives.
To hear more from Sam, watch the video below!
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