How was church today?

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Kimmio said:
Today one of the pastors talked about authenticity. Uncannily. She read from a simplified version of the bible (maybe the Message?) I am not too familiar with and I forget which verse, but it was about not hiding our true selves. Then she started with a funny story about how she smelled BO one day and realized she'd gotten distracted and had only applied deodorant under one arm. Lol. She used that as a metaphor of authenticity...our fresh and clean side, and our less pretty side that we don't let people see/ smell. But then, she admitted, sometimes people don't want us to be "that" authentic, so wearing deodorant is just fine by her. Lol.

Then she folded a strip of paper into a crown - one side was white, one side was dark/ shadow side (shout out to Luce) ...demonstrated how it is when we only show one side or the other. Only the light side casts a shadow - it's inauthentic. Only our dark side blocks and hides the light that we have to shine (then she twisted the strip and put it back on her head)...our authentic selves are willing to be vulnerable and show all of us. She also talked about emotional vulnerability, being essential, and that to cut ourselves off from emotion, put a wall up, cuts us off from ourselves, truly, and others.

It wasn't a complex sermon today, but it was a good one. She also read a poem but I forgot the author's name.

I truly think I am in the right congregation.
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One has to examine the dark side ... there is a lot hidden in that fabrication to .. allow for those that didn't wish to know extensive things ...

If you deny some things does it leave holes? HC ... or IHC? Everyone needs a niche in the interim state ... vacancies exist to allow breaks in the work ... formless voids?

Sometimes like Rahab .. one has to chip out a place in the hard zone ... in-humanity ... and then keep the head down ... like Peter in the temple ... etude?
 
Worshiped at Knox today. They had a guest choir from the University of the Bahamas. Amazing music with the choir and the Knox organ and drums and cymbals and trumpet. A church with great acoustics and with this choir something else, most impressive. Sermon by Rev. Greg Glatz was on Jesus as vine and us as branches and how we need to flourish by taking risks and moving beyond our comfort zone.
 
You just never know said:
Worshiped at Knox today. They had a guest choir from the University of the Bahamas. Amazing music with the choir and the Knox organ and drums and cymbals and trumpet. A church with great acoustics and with this choir something else, most impressive. Sermon by Rev. Greg Glatz was on Jesus as vine and us as branches and how we need to flourish by taking risks and moving beyond our comfort zone.
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That sounds great (can imagine hearing it from here)! Our sermon touched on a very similar topic. I think authenticity and moving out of our comfort zones is connected.
 
Some people feel Joy to stay right where they are and not grow into the extensive spread we refer to bi-times as god's domain ... timeless? The other side of that odd fabric ...
 
I was worship leader at the little church I previously attended - it's conference weekend in the Maritimes.
Small church with a small Sunday School - and no small children this particular Sunday (3 families/2 kids each were away). Surprisingly. three teenagers and several adults responded to my invitation. You can imagine how the discussion differed from what I originally intended - exploring the meaning of the word 'love' in 'I love my parents' and 'I love icecream' or 'I love turnips'.
I had struggled with my message. Lectionary readings (I was asked to use those for May 6) were about love. My third attempt at writing it - I inccorporated the tragic incidents involving vehicles in recent weeks, focusing on the 'helpers' - showing love - brotherly love among teammates their friends, families, and acquaintences in a closely-knit area - and love of the stranger in Toronto. I got good feedback - either people appreciated it or they were being very polite during coffee time. I prefer to think the former.
 
Coffee has changed; the previous Head Honcho has stepped down so the whole schpiel has changed. It has seemed to b more self service now

The Officiant's sermon I liked more; here he asked aboot Aboriginals and how should we feel and how r we feeling (also aboot LGBHKMP3RSTLNEwithasideofmayo)

Also had to deal with a mind blow; the guy who got full immersion April 1st I found out called a certain parade blasphemous because it was pagan and so wouldnt go. Threw me for a loop lol and found some tried and true programs bubbling verbally that I had to consciously reassure this guy that I wasn't trying 2 put him down.

Now bizarreness upon bizarreness out of the blur someone ELSE spontaneously had to cross the whole foyer to come up 2 me and ask if I wanted to join in with a book study on a Rick Warren book.

Wheels within wheels in this Church :p
 
Inannawhimsey said:
Coffee has changed; the previous Head Honcho has stepped down so the whole schpiel has changed. It has seemed to b more self service now

The Officiant's sermon I liked more; here he asked aboot Aboriginals and how should we feel and how r we feeling (also aboot LGBHKMP3RSTLNEwithasideofmayo)

Also had to deal with a mind blow; the guy who got full immersion April 1st I found out called a certain parade blasphemous because it was pagan and so wouldnt go. Threw me for a loop lol and found some tried and true programs bubbling verbally that I had to consciously reassure this guy that I wasn't trying 2 put him down.

Now bizarreness upon bizarreness out of the blur someone ELSE spontaneously had to cross the whole foyer to come up 2 me and ask if I wanted to join in with a book study on a Rick Warren book.

Wheels within wheels in this Church :p
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There are people that believe all relations and connections are superficial ... no depth so that wheels won't get stuck ... like we can in churches!

In many churches don't ask questions even if they say they welcome them ... they don't! Do not even suggest an alternate truth for some lies are so imbedded ... that some even believe the earth is flat and doesn't turn as a sphere of ringing! That's de*bellesh causing bellei laughter ... rearranged gods?
 
Luce NDs said:
There are people that believe all relations and connections are superficial ... no depth so that wheels won't get stuck ... like we can in churches!

In many churches don't ask questions even if they say they welcome them ... they don't! Do not even suggest an alternate truth for some lies are so imbedded ... that some even believe the earth is flat and doesn't turn as a sphere of ringing! That's de*bellesh causing bellei laughter ... rearranged gods?
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*shrug*
He plays a Tiefling (which is a part demon/devil part human thang) in an rpg so I know hez not completely zealous lol
(one of the things i babbled w him that what he is experiencing is normal; new converts tend to be more zealouz...we both can equally joke aboot him getting 2 finally get 2 choose a 1st level cleric spell...cure light wounds would work well 4 him because hez an inventor and dabbler who burns and zaps himself in his xperiments)
*looks 2ward Mendalla and wonders which Cleric spell would b uzeful in his life*
 
Inannawhimsey said:
*shrug*
He plays a Tiefling (which is a part demon/devil part human thang) in an rpg so I know hez not completely zealous lol
(one of the things i babbled w him that what he is experiencing is normal; new converts tend to be more zealouz...we both can equally joke aboot him getting 2 finally get 2 choose a 1st level cleric spell...cure light wounds would work well 4 him because hez an inventor and dabbler who burns and zaps himself in his xperiments)
*looks 2ward Mendalla and wonders which Cleric spell would b uzeful in his life*
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I take the attitude to believe nothing that you haven't tested and tried cautiously ... it appears to be biblical! Maybe not? Could be a front for something else ... variation in the sales of admonitions?
 
Luce NDs said:
I take the attitude to believe nothing that you haven't tested and tried cautiously ... it appears to be biblical! Maybe not? Could be a front for something else ... variation in the sales of admonitions?
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in praise of Maybe and Indeterminate in addition to the binary of True/False Yes/No...
 
Inannawhimsey said:
something that probably should b taught in some relatively plain english way with actual xperiments
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I thought Moses tried this when leading a group through an arid place ... no sense of humour in those serious folk ... tis a separate psychological sect!

One of the Celestial Rules ... keep moving ...
 
Luce NDs said:
I thought Moses tried this when leading a group through an arid place ... no sense of humour in those serious folk ... tis a separate psychological sect!

One of the Celestial Rules ... keep moving ...
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oh i dunno
melting all yer gold into a Deity whilst yer in the wilderness seems very funny
tiz when Moses had them all murdered...that showed an immense lack of humour
i guezz once a murderer always a murderer?
(so glad we've evolved past that :whistle: )
 
Today was good. Mother's Day. There were a lot of interesting things discussed in the sermon. Some of the women and female iconography and symbolism in the bible. Beginning with Eve - and the origin of her name, it means "to live" - and her grief as a mother over her warring sons, Cain and Abel, and Abel's death at the hands of his brother. Then he went to discuss Mary and her grief. He talked about how he grew up Catholic where Mary is a very important figure - but that Protestants have left her out for the most part. Then he brought up the speech made by the one of the founders of the Women's Congress for Peace, around the the civil war, and the women lamenting the losses of their sons to violence, and in a gesture of solidarity to all women in the world who have lost or are afraid of losing their sons. He read this speech - commemorating the first Mother's Day (it's not a Hallmark holiday).



And the pastor also made a point I haven't thought much about - but that in the evangelical Protestant tradition, people talk about being born again, and the symbolism of it is distinctly feminine imagery! Although men in those churches tend to get offended by suggesting God is mother and father (and offended by elevating women's status in general)...it is very clear that being spiritually born again, is female symbolism. And we sang a song about God the mother.

And also this. A male-female duet was singing and playing this just as I came in. They were not the original duet but sounded as good as:

 
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Kimmio said:
Then he brought up the speech made by the one of the founders of the Women's Congress for Peace, around the the civil war, and the women lamenting the losses of their sons to violence, and in a gesture of solidarity to all women in the world who have lost or are afraid of losing their sons. He read this speech - commemorating the first Mother's Day (it's not a Hallmark holiday).
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The Mother's Day Proclamation by Julia Ward Howe, perchance? It's a regular feature of UU Mother's Day services because Howe (who also wrote the lyrics for The Battle Hymn of the Republic) was a Unitarian.
 
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