Thoughts on a Sunday

To me, going to a religious service, one leaves with a sense of meaning or of renewed purpose.  I don't always find either in the obvious places. Obvious being in the sermon, in the songs, from people speaking, or in any of the structured parts of the service. Whether it be caused from a lack of connection with the topic, or my thoughts drew me elsewhere, the service can become a soothing lull in the background. While this is a very conducive state of mind for planning, thinking, and dreaming (I've had some great inspiration at services before!) it is not the best for finding purpose or deeper meaning. And at the end of the service, I will still want and need that meaning I was meant to receive. Luckily, I find something because it truly is always there.

At today's Unitarian Univeralist service, I fell into the lack of meaning place, specifically the "Why am I here?" category.  There were very few people in attendance, the greeter foisted his newly adopted rescue dog literally onto my lap, and the speaker was a paraplegic man speaking on his journey to becoming part of the UU Animal Ministery team. I also have the bad habit of over analyzing sermons. And in this case, the sermon left me wanting because the speaker focused too much on what he was doing, and not how he got there or why it was so important to him.

Quickly, I started tune out. Something soon stopped me, however. I inwardly reprimanded myself. I was not there to judge the quality of this man's sermon. I was not there to edit and critique his writing style. I was there to share in a spiritual moment with him and with all the others in attendance. This thought helped me focus and to continue listening to him, regardless of whether or not I was invested in exactly what he was saying.

As I left the building after the service, I smiled and thought about what meaning I might have received. Stepping out into the bright sunshine and cool breeze of a perfect summer's day, the meaning was not hard to grasp, but was no less powerful. Sometimes it is more important to listen to someone else's truth, someone else's life changing most important truth, than to recognize yourself in it.

Thank you, Mike.

from http://www.urbanzen.org/