Monthly Service Prayer
Date of Sermon: August 2009Before God the Parent, Tenri-O-no-Mikoto, I, Owen Osamu Nakao, Pastor of Tenrikyo Pearl Church, pray with reverence:
God the Parent, as we receive Your overflowing grace and blessings, which grants us the free use our our bodies, we advance toward the realization of the joyous life world as you guide us in our spiritual development. We are forever grateful for these blessings and we express our gratitude day and night as we apply our effort in sprinkling the fragrance of the teachings and salvation work.
Today is the day we are granted to conduct the August monthly service at Pearl Church. The service performers will now unite their hearts to perform the seated service and Teodori joyously and in high spirits. As you observe the brothers and sisters of the path who have looked forward to this day singing the songs of the service in unison with hearts filled with gratitude for Your parental love, we hope that You can be spirited as well.
Through your blessing, a total nine persons from Pearl Church, returned to Jiba in July with one person attending the Besseki Lecture for the first time and two attended the basics course. Also one person participated in the Young Men’s Association International Hinokishin Corps and one person served as the Overseas Boy’s and Girl’s Association Hinokishin Corps counselor and one child participating. A total of six persons participated in the Children’s Pilgrimage with the Pastor of this church serving as the Hawaii group leader. Also, on July 23rd, the Pastor of this church was appointed board member at the upper church Tengen Bunkyokai. We thank you deeply for these blessings as we strive to convey the teachings to as many people as possible and experience the joy and hope of seeing increasing numbers of people attending the various activities.
This month the annual Tenrikyo Bazaar will be held on August 30 with the pastor of this church again serving as chair and members of this church helping in the ohagi production, bubble drink booth, parking, shuttle bus, cleanup and other various capacities.
In this 8th month of the 172nd Year of Tenrikyo we vow to continue to work together engaging in hinokishin and salvation work with a unity of mind and encourage as much people as possible to return to Jiba. We pray for the victims and survivors of conflicts and disasters in the world; that they may have faith and resolve to overcome their grief and suffering.
With the Shinbashira as the core we vow to make sincere efforts in our daily lives to truly follow the Divine Model of Oyasama.
We pray that Your guidance will strengthen us into worthy Yoboku, striving with a single heart for the salvation of others. We hope that our efforts will bring joy to You and peace in this world where we all help one another as brothers and sisters. With our minds in unity towards the Truth of the Jiba, we would like to spiritedly perform the August Monthly Service.
In union with the congregation, I pray for these blessings.
