Attending Substantially Means You Show Up

Dr. Michael Balcomb elaborates on the significance of “attending substantially”, a key concept in Mother Moon’s New year message

Extracts from a message delivered by Dr. Michael Balcomb, the President of the Europe and the Middle East Region of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, at an international prayer meeting via Zoom on 1st January 2025.

Good evening, everyone. Happy New Year! […]

If you already watched True Mother‘s speech yesterday afternoon and then you went to your own midnight prayer service, then I can think we’ve already begun this year well.

[…] I want to talk about 2025, but before that, let me just say again to everyone, thank you for all of your efforts, exertions, devotions, everything that we did together in 2024.

I think it was a very good year. It was a challenging one for sure, both in the external world and in our movement. But God has given us the grace to breathe and to celebrate the first day of 2025.

I want to remember those who ascended to the spirit world in 2024, both from our region, and also those – more and more – who attended True Father and Mother from the very earliest years.

But 1^st January is a day to look forward, not backwards. And I want to share a little bit about True Mother‘s message.

[…] I think it’s really important to take some time to digest and think about what True Mother shared with us last night. For myself, I always think about this word “substantially”.

True Mother began by saying, “We will attend Heavenly Parent substantially.” Su-ho, the translator, said “physically” at first. So you might think that that was a mistake, but not really, because in the Divine Principle, “substantial” means in the physical world and in the spiritual world, both. So what does it really mean to attend “substantially” [Editor’s note: In Korean: 실체로 모시고  (shilche-ro moshigo)]? It’s different from attending spiritually. People have been attending Jesus spiritually for 2,000 years. [Editor’s note: In the official version of Mother Moon‘s speech the Korean expression Dr. Balcomb refers to is translated as, “we can attend Heavenly Parent in substantial ways”.]

But to attend substantially is rather different. Here’s my thought about it:

The first thing: to attend substantially, in the physical world, the most important thing is to show up. We used to have a saying that 95% of life is showing up. If there’s an event, an activity, or a call for devotion, prayer or outreach, whatever it might be, our first substantial duty is to show up.

[…] True Mother […] said yesterday that the responsibility of True Parents is to show the life and the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. And she’s asked us, her children, to be the ones who help her to do that.

Because life in the Kingdom of Heaven is not a solitary life, is it? It’s life as one family. So, either we’re all part of it, or it’s not life in the Kingdom.

But also, what about substantially showing up at Sunday service, for instance? I wonder how many of us can say we attended Sunday service every Sunday of the year? 52 weeks out of 52.

I have to tell you, I can’t. There were days when I was somewhere else. But, take a reflection, how many times really did I show up?

I belong to a gym with Fumiko [Mrs. Balcomb]. And at the end of the year, it gives you a count of how many times you went to the gym. It’s very accurate and a little bit distressing, to be honest.

And there are other events, too, where showing up is voluntary, but it would be helpful. That includes other people’s events, other churches’ events, other organization. We’re always so happy when people come to our programs and accept our invitation. But it’s also true that they’re happy if we attend their events. When we attend, representing God and True Parents, that’s very important.

The first point of attending substantially is to show up, get yourself there. Don’t think it’s enough to be only on Zoom or to pray for it at the time. As much as possible, you want to come there yourself.

[…] It’s going to be a great year. It’s going to be a victorious year. I know that True Mother is right to say that it will be a year of tremendous transition.

Featured image above: Dr. Michael Balcomb, President of the Europe and the Middle East Region of the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification, delivering his message at an international prayer meeting via Zoom on 1st January 2025. Photo: Screenshot from live transmission.

Related to attending substantially: Essence of God

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More, related to attending substantially: “We’re Small, But Mustn’t Forget That God Is Great”

More, related to attending substantially: 2025 Dedication: Sanctum to Feel Holiness of God

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And more, related to attending substantially: In a Nutshell

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Still more, related to attending substantially: The Mission of the Only Begotten Daughter

Even more, related to attending substantially: Gender-Balanced Understanding of God and Christ

And yet more, related to attending substantially: God as Our Heavenly Parent (Father and Mother)

And still more, related to attending substantially: History of God: From Yahweh to Father to Parent

And even more, related to attending substantially: Religious Truth as Progressive Revelation

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Also related to attending substantially: The 3 Blessings and the Process to Fulfil Them

Also related to attending substantially: Unchanging Truth and Its Changing Expression

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Also related to attending substantially: Failure of Key Persons Related to Jesus

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Also related to attending substantially: The Kingdom of Heaven

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