Trip Around the Sun
49 of 52 –
Congregational Church - Broadway
Have traveled about
551,000,000 miles - 3 weeks to finish the Trip Around
the Sun.
From the Church
of the Valley:
We are looking for someone who would like to
prepare communion the 1st Sunday of every month. This responsibility
includes, pour the juice into cups, breaking the bread into the bread
dishes...Setting it up on the communion table in the front of the church.
And then cleaning everything up at the end of service.
Several people already help with this ministry...we just need a few more...so
it is not a burden on anyone. Please E-mail me back if you are interested
or if you know of someone who would be interested. Blessings
Comment:
Sounds like
they could use a few Aaronic Teachers - - -
Iraqi war dead have also been few, especially when one
compares this to what - we did to
Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they
do it from religious conviction.
- Blaise Pascal
What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and
the homeless, -whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of
totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty or democracy? - Mahatma
Gandhi
From a
Friend:
I am against
ANY soldier.
Response:
I'm sure I
can’t be against "ANY" soldier. But the very existence of a
"soldier" is pre-emptive.
There's an
old saying that someone who holds a hammer is always looking for a nail.
Too much
preparation for war is probably causative. Mormons know this from scriptures in
the Book of Mormon. Read Ensign 1976 June President’s message, starting with
“We are a warlike people.”
A tortoise
is prepared for the possibility of war – a lion is prepared to start one. There
is a great difference between defense and offense, sports metaphors and all.
God
is an invention of
nature of
God is only a shallow mystery.
The
deep mystery is the nature of
- Nanrei Kobori (Buddhist Monk)
Note
from Chuck: During the last several reports – much talk of war. It’s because
that is what ALL the religions are talking about. (With the
possible exception of the Buddhists.)
The
churches that are against the war (The Catholics, for example) tend to make a
couple comments during the meeting – usually in the form of wishing it over.
Those who are pro on the war, however, tend to make it the subject of the
entire meeting. It has been very interesting.
The
Visit: Congregational Church – Broadway in
Meeting
starts at
(I was
late from not setting for Daylight Savings – walking and returning to corrected
clocks.)
The
first parts of the meeting were pretty clearly laid out in the program –
Prelude
Music
Greetings
and Welcome
Call to
Worship: (This was all written out.)
Minister:
Gracious creator of the universe, thank you for this day to gather together as
your people to worship you. Thank you for the place of worship in which we
gather to worship you.
Congregation:
We give thanks for the things of the earth that give us the means of life.
Minister:
Thank you for the plants, animals, and birds that we use as food and medicine.
Congregation:
Almighty God, giver of every good and perfect gift, teach us to render to you
all that we have and all that we are, that we may praise you, not with our lips
only.
Minister:
But with our whole lives, turning the duties, the sorrows, and the joys of all
our days into a sacrifice for you.
Congregation:
Gracious creator of the universe, thank you for this day to gather together as
your people to worship you. We give thanks for the things of the earth that
give us the means of life.
*Opening
prayer – (In unison)
Oh Lord
our God, the author and giver of all good things, we thank you for all your mercies, and for your loving care over all your creatures.
We bless you for the gift of life, for your protection round about us, for your
guiding hand upon us, and for the tokens of your love within us. We thank you
for friendship and duty, for good hopes and precious memories, for the joys
that cheer us, and the trials that teach us to trust in you. Most of all we
thank you for the saving knowledge of your son our Savior, for the living
presence of your spirit, the Comforter, for your Church, the body of Christ,
for the ministry of word and sacrament, and all the means of grace. In all
these things, O heavenly God, make us wise for a right use of our benefits,
that we may render an acceptable thanksgiving unto you all the days of our
lives; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
*Gloria
Patri
Children’s
Moments. This is the one I was wishing I had not missed. I thought it would
have been the children in some performance. I found later that it had been the
minister giving his sermon with the children gathered at the front. He gives it
in children’s language – and then later to us all in adult language. I saw this
done at one of the
Congregation joys and concerns spoken.
Pastoral
prayer by minister and Lord’s prayer then by all.
Then
the most precise bell choir I’ve ever heard. They may have been guests. All
were dressed in nice robes – except their leader, who was in a black suit –
almost a tux. This leader was the model for the painting called American Gothic – the guy with the pitchfork. When he turned around,
his face was friendlier – but his manner was very stoic
while conducting – other than for the variation in lengths of arm strokes. The
bell choir was not short on dynamics, however, and I suspect there was much
taught during rehearsal that could be directed subtly later. At the end of the
piece, he smiled at them. They were a joy to listen to. No applause.
No wait
– these are probably not visitors. The director took his place next at the
organ.
We sang
“Praise God From Whom All Blessing Flow” – most sang
this one without books.
About a
seven year old boy came up to give a talk. He did very well – but he announced
that he was reading his mom’s talk – because she was sick and couldn’t come.
(Laughter) Talk was on “The Treasures of the Lord,” and was well written. The
boy obviously enjoyed doing this for his mother – and the congregation was
appreciative also.
The
bell choir did a beautiful rendition of “The Old Rugged Cross.”
Minister’s
Talk: “Much Ado About Money.”
Is money
important to you – raise your hands. (Some laughter – most hands raised.)
No –
hold them up a little longer – I want to see the one’s who don’t care about
their money. (Big laughter)
Who
among you had a lemonade stand when you were a kid? – Hands –
Ok –
Did you have the lemonade stand because you were dedicated to having people get
a glass of lemonade – or was it to make some money?
What is
your purpose now for working? Is it to discover the meaning of life? Or is it
to make money?
What in
life are you the most dissatisfied with? Wife not good
enough? Not enough money? Minister not good
enough? (Laughter)
In
1980, they asked lots of college students what their purpose for going to
college was – to discover the purpose of life – or to make more money. 84% said
that it was to discover the purpose of life. Now they have just recently asked
the same question of college students, and most answer
that it’s to make more money. It has reversed.
(I
thought that this was probably bad data – would like to do the test myself –
with proper double-blind, etc.)
We put
in great effort for “success” without gaining content.
Money
is not bad – it is the love of money that is the root of all evil.
Loving both
money and God is like loving both one’s mistress and one’s wife.
(I
thought that it’s sometimes (often) the wife who wants the husband to love
money. She doesn’t look on this as a competition – but a cooperative evil.)
There
is an old belief among some Indian tribes called the “Limited good belief.” It
is that there is only so much of each kind of good to go around. They do not
wish another person “Good luck,” because that would use up some of the luck
there is to go around and leave less for themselves.
People often think this way about money also. We can’t give it without losing
it.
We do
not own our wealth – we are only the managers of it. It is loaned to us by God.
If we
see rightly, we are managers – not owners.
Have
you ever owned a Dairy Queen? There is a difference between the owner and the
manager of a Dairy Queen. We know the difference, don’t we?
(Then I
thought – if we know the difference, and we are only the managers of our wealth
– how can there be an owner of a Dairy Queen that is different from the
manager? Doesn’t the owner also function only as a manager? This appeared a
contradiction to me – to recognize the “difference,” yet say only one of them
exists.)
He
repeated – We don’t own our wealth; we manage it.
(I
thought – man invented money – to make it easier to trade one labor for another
– simply a way to keep track. But when we give some of our “credit” to another
(the least of these) – we give it to God.
Little
Billy was given two quarters before he walked to church. One was for God – and
the other was for an ice cream cone on the way home. But on the way to church,
he dropped one of them. It rolled and went into the gutter. He could not
retrieve it – and said, “Sorry, God – I lost your quarter.”
(I
thought – Well I see the message here – God was more important than the ice
cream cone. But what about the ice cream man? Wasn’t it just as important for
him to receive as it was for the church? I’m reminded of a talk once – wherein
the speaker said he had a choice to give to the church – or pay his rent. He
said he gave to the church. I wondered why he thought the person he owed the
rent to should pay to the church for him. Out of that man’s pocket it came – not from his own.)
A man
went to heaven – and noticed that all the robes had no pockets. He asked about
it, and was told that since we could not bring along anything with us, there
was no need for pockets in heaven.
He said
that the purpose of the Church was: “To win people to faith in Jesus Christ.”
I was
recently hired to do a small consulting job for another church. I was to be
paid $500. for a day of help with their financial
affairs. When I got there, I saw a building in disarray – things looked pretty
grim. I thought, “How are they supposed to pay me?”
Then I saw
their bank account. They have a million and a half dollars in there!
So my
advice to them: “Money in the bank does not touch lives.”
(I
thought of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” but still do understand what he’s saying
here.)
Communion:
He said
a short blessing: He blessed the bread and “juice.” I had never heard this
before – everyone says bless the bread and wine – even when they do use grape
juice. We say “water,” but we’re the only ones who do that. We could say
“wine,” as that’s in the scriptures as acceptable also – but not “juice.”
Then he
explained that the bread would be passed to all – but we were to then wait for
instruction and take it together. I asked my neighbor if non-members were to
partake, and was assured that it was for everyone.
When
the bread came by, I noticed that it was not “broken,” but cut evenly into
squares. (I could not select a larger one – as all were the same size.)
It was
home-made wheat bread. I found out later that a particular sister makes it for
every Sunday – evidently brings it already cut into the little squares.
While
it was being passed (passed by adults both male and female) – we sang a hymn.
Then when everyone had it, we took it together.
Then the same for the juice. And another song was sung while it was passed.
There
were little receptacles in the hymnal holders to receive the little cups after
use, since we all waited to take it together.
The
minister said that since they were getting ready to have the duel meetings, and
were running a little late, we would skip the closing song.
( I
thought this was great – there would be a second meeting, and I could catch the
first part that I had missed. Not to be – the dual meeting starts next week.
This minister has taken upon himself a challenge to get more youth to the
church. He’s a new minister – only about a month ago he came to this church.
Next week they will start having a “contemporary” meeting at
A
little girl – about four or five – came up to the front with a candle snifter –
one with a cup and a lighter. She first lit it using the candle – then sniffed
the candle – only one large candle on a table at the center in front. Then she
walked proudly to the back.
Everyone
stood – moved toward the center so that all could hold hands. The minister gave
a short blessing for all – and we sang “halleluyah.”
It’s a nice little hymn I’ve heard several times on the trip – with only the
one word over and over (eight times.) Reminds me a little of one of the girl’s
camp songs – but I can’t remember the name – sung as a round. (Ah – I
remembered – Kum Buy Ya)
Then it
was over.
Several
people came up to meet me. I talked with one for several minutes and was able
to ask some questions about beliefs, etc.
He was
a man about my own age. He was very friendly, and it was comfortable to ask
some questions.
I
asked, “Would it be ok to ask a few questions about the beliefs here?”
He
said, “Sure it would. But you must understand, we are free here to have varied
beliefs – they are individual.”
I said,
“If I ask questions not appropriate, it’s fine to just
tell me so.”
I
asked, “You believe there is a heaven that people go to after this life – I
think I heard that from the minister – “ “Yes.”
“But do
you also believe in a burning Hell for those to go to and burn forever without
being consumed – for those who mess up their lives in one way or another?”
He
said, “That’s something you would get a different answer to depending on who
you ask. It’s probably about half and half. We have some real fundamentalists –
and others like myself – who couldn’t imagine God
doing something like that to his loved ones.”
“I like
that,” I said – in the church I grew up in, the beliefs are more universal –
everyone is expected to believe roughly the same on many issues. On this one –
they believe more like you do – that God would not prepare such a place – no
burning Hell.”
“But,”
I continued, “they do believe some other disturbing
things I would like to ask you about. Does your church teach that God told
Abraham to prove his love for God by killing his boy? Or that God sent an angel
down to kill all the firstborn of
He
said, “It is an area that would be like I told you – some individual belief –
but for the most part, we view the Old Testament as stories – not literal. The
New Testament is taken more seriously – love of neighbor – even of enemy, for
example.”
“Then
could I ask about the war a little? Does this church tend to be in favor of the
current war?”
(By the
way – there was no mention of the war during the entire meeting – a little
refreshing after the last several meetings.)
“As a
rule – most of us are supportive – but do not like the idea of the war. We do
not like the pre-emptive way it was started. However, there was recently – just
last week – a statement put out by the organization – more supportive of the
war than that. It upset quite a few people to have a position taken by the
organization as if it were our own.”
(How
can we have our own beliefs if the organization tells us what to believe?)
I told
him that I appreciated his willingness to answer my questions – and that I kind
of liked what I was hearing – that my own church teaches most of these
“stories” in the Old Testament pretty much as actual events. I didn’t say
anything about my perception of our members’ feelings about the war. I liked
his description of the freedom for individuals to have individual views, and I
know, of course, that we do have many different thoughts on subjects like this
– but also that there is a tendency for some to tell others what must be
believed. (Especially in
While
walking outside, my new friend told me that his brother was a biologist and
that evolution was essentially his brother’s whole life. He said that would be
acceptable at this church, though most people would not believe as his brother.
I asked him if he was a scientist. He said, “No – I’m an engineer.” I said,
“Well – to me – that’s a scientist.” He was a Civil engineer, retired. I let
him know that I had been a physicist – and there was a kind of mutual
understanding.
Outside,
they were serving punch and cookies. But as I neared, I saw it was not just any
punch – it was the same juice as was served for communion – and the bread too –
the little squares in two piles. It turns out that the cookies were far spent –
and then the bread was brought to the table – home made by that sister - . I
told the woman behind the table that I thought it was nice – to serve the left
over communion bread. She said, “Yes – we always do that – you know – it’s home made by a woman in our church – and it’s so good.
I told her that we have a teaching in the church I grew up in that our
communion bread is to be given to the poor – but that generally, it is simply
tossed.
(I once
saw three little boys after church – getting bread from the sacrament trays.
When they saw me “catching” them, two of them ran off – but the other one
stayed – looked embarrassed – and said, “Brother Borough – it wasn’t me. I
wasn’t eating any bread.” This was a young boy being raised rather strictly –
had a haircut like a marine during a time when the other boys had longer hair –
and he had a bit of a “staff sergeant” for a dad. I took him back to the bread
– got some and gave it to him – ate some myself – and told him that it was not
damaged by the blessing. He smiled and had a couple pieces. He always said “hi”
to me after that.)
I can
scarcely believe that I have only three visits left in the Trip Around the Sun. Poor Mormons.
49 of
52 – Congregational Church – Broadway