Sunday sermon
Nov. 5th, 2006 02:08 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bladesparkWell, my Sunday sermonizing is back, at least for a bit. I had a whole lot of topics I could talk on today. Church was great, and there were a bunch of interesting thoughts raised in my mind. I'll give most of them a passing mention, and only really get into one, I think.
I'll start off with a brief mention of the concept of predestination. This is the idea that everything is set out beforehand. That God has dictated how everything is going to run, and that we are helpless to change our fate. It's a pretty common idea, and an easy one to believe in. After all, if everything is fated, then it doesn't really matter what we do, does it? But I belive this idea to be a load of hogwash. What would be the point? God sets up and thing, put it in motion, and dictates every step of the way. Why? If He predestines all of it, He might as well not bother at all! He could just "do the math" rather than actually running the experiment, so to speak. Personally, I think that God may know what's going to happen, but He doesn't cause it, or make it, He leaves that entirely up to us. And while He may "foreordain" people, that is He may intend for us to follow certain destinies, it's entirely up to us whether we choose to do so or not. This world is our place, and though God guides us, for the most part He leaves the actual decisions to us.
Following from the idea of foreordination is the idea that we each have a purpose in our lives. We each have gifts, abilities, and things we can do with those gifts. We are each part of the amazingly diverse whole that is the human race, and that very diversity is what has enabled humanity to do all it's done, both good and bad. Your part of that diversity is important. Whether you're a Mormon, or a Catholic, or an atheist, whether you're a furry or a trekkie, an artist or a scientist, you are always part of something, and you should BE what you are, and strive to be the best part of it. I've recently started reading the journal of a fairly vocal atheist, and she wrote a post about how she respects religion, and it bothers her when her fellows are intolerant of religious belief. I was so pleased to see it! To see somebody being the best part, rather than the worst. To see her standing up for science without having to put down faith. That was wonderful Stand up for what you are! If you let only the vocal and prejudiced speak for you, you tarnish who you are. I will not let the bigoted among Christians be the only ones speaking for faith, I will speak for it. I will not let the perverted among furries be the only ones speaking for fandom, I'll speak for that too. (Fandom may be less important than faith, but that doesn't mean it's not important at all.)
But though you should be proud of yourself, and confident in who and what you are, don't let that go to extremes. Every virtue can become a vice when taken too far. Be proud of you, but don't be so proud you feel you're better than everyone around you. And know that there is good and bad in everything in this world. Standing for who you are will win you the respect of many, but it will also win you persecution. Human nature is such that some people can't feel tall unless they've shoved somebody else down beneath them. If you try to stand tall yourself, some will inevitably put you down.
We studied the story of Jeremiah in sunday school today. Poor guy. He was called to be a prophet, and he preached something a bit new. The prophets of Israel before him had said "if Israel repents, God will save them from their enemies." Jeremiah was called to say "Come to God yourself, and hope for salvation, but Israel as a nation is doomed, there is no hope." It wasn't a very happy message, and it wasn't a very popular one either. He was persecuted until he despaired. He said "Cursed be the day wherein I was born... Wherein came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my dayd should be consumed with shame?" (Jeremiah 20:15, 18)
But as every good thing in this world contains some measure of evil, the worst of evils contain some measure of good. Jeremiah wrote, in that same chapter, "But the Lord is with me... therefore my presecutors shall stumble." What goes around comes around, karma happens, and the people who push down others to raise themselves will eventually find that their own actions have driven everything good out of their lives. Take comfort in knowing that, though you may suffer greatly if you stand for what you believe, virtue really is its own reward, and those whose respect is worth earning will indeed respect you for it.
As I mentioned before, nothing in this world is purely good or evil. In the next life we may enjoy pure goodnes and bliss, but in this life we get but tastes of it. But those tastes are all the sweeter because they are surrounded by things that are bitter.
All too often, however, we want perfection in this life. We set our sights on the next goal, and feel that if we just get there, why then all our sorrows will fall away, and we'll be happy forever after. And when we get there, and find that sorrow remains, we all too often simply fixate on a new goal, and go on, hoping for perfection somewhere else, where the grass is greener, rather than savoring what we have.
Now don't get me wrong. Striving to be and do better is worthy, and rewarding, and we all need goals. But don't throw away something good just because you think you might find something better. Were I going to find perfection in my life, I'd have to toss out JJ. (He's obviously flawed!) And then where would I be? And know that sometimes you're going to be faced with nothing but evil choices. It happens to all of us, sooner or later. (It will probably happen to most of you if you go vote on Tuesday.) Sometimes there's just no "right" decision, and all options are bad. Think of the very first story of Christianity, the tale of Adam and Eve. They had a choice, to eat the fruit, or to not eat it. To eat the fruit was a bad choice. It would bring death and sorrow and misery. But to not eat it was also a bad choice because it brought nothing at all. Innocence is not happiness, it's just innocence. You can't really understand how valuable it is to be free from sorrow until you've been sorry. It's like you never appreciate good health until you start to get sick. So in the end Eve chose experience over nothing, and though it was a transgression, to remain as she was, unable to have children though she'd been commanded to multiply, was a transgression too. She chose the best she could from what she had.
I was in a situation where I had several bad choices. One was to stay living with my family, the other to come here to Oregon and live with JJ. Neither of these was a 100% "good" choice. To stay at home meant I'd be constantly stressed, constantly fighting, and unable to go forward with my life. I'd be stalled every bit as much as Eve and Adam were stalled in the garden, going nowhere, except I'd have stress and conflict rather than peacefull innocence. Or I could move in with my boyfriend, a choice that's very much against what I was raised to belive was right and proper, and a choice that would lead to me having a whole new set of worries, stresses and woes. But it was also a choice that would let me move forward with my life, and after a lot of praying, it was the choice I made. It wasn't perfect choice, it wasn't a good choice, but it was the best choice for me, and I know that eventually it will lead me to where I need to be.
So know that when you're faced with difficulties and choices, sometimes you need to take a bite of the apple, and do something that might seem to be wrong. Nephi knew it was wrong to kill Laban, but it was "better that one man should die than that a nation perish and dwindle." He knew that, and he did what he had to. do.
This isn't an excuse to do wrong things and feel they're okay. Wrong is wrong. But sometimes in this chaotic life of ours, wrong is the only option we have. That's why we need forgiveness and repentance. It's why the mercy of Christ is required to get us to heaven. Because even if we were able to always know exactly how good or how evil something is, we'd still sometimes have to chose evil. And we're not nearly that wise, so in addition to the neccessary evils, we also have to gain forgiveness for a plethora of actual mistakes and wrong choices. But we do have the grace of God offered to us, so no matter how wrong our lives go, it's possible for us and God together to put them back on track.
One of these days I'll write up a proper sermon on the Atonement of Christ, and my admittedly limited understanding of how it works. But for now, I hope some of you get some insight or enjoyment out of today's ramblins. I expect I may be doing more sermonizing in the future.
I'll start off with a brief mention of the concept of predestination. This is the idea that everything is set out beforehand. That God has dictated how everything is going to run, and that we are helpless to change our fate. It's a pretty common idea, and an easy one to believe in. After all, if everything is fated, then it doesn't really matter what we do, does it? But I belive this idea to be a load of hogwash. What would be the point? God sets up and thing, put it in motion, and dictates every step of the way. Why? If He predestines all of it, He might as well not bother at all! He could just "do the math" rather than actually running the experiment, so to speak. Personally, I think that God may know what's going to happen, but He doesn't cause it, or make it, He leaves that entirely up to us. And while He may "foreordain" people, that is He may intend for us to follow certain destinies, it's entirely up to us whether we choose to do so or not. This world is our place, and though God guides us, for the most part He leaves the actual decisions to us.
Following from the idea of foreordination is the idea that we each have a purpose in our lives. We each have gifts, abilities, and things we can do with those gifts. We are each part of the amazingly diverse whole that is the human race, and that very diversity is what has enabled humanity to do all it's done, both good and bad. Your part of that diversity is important. Whether you're a Mormon, or a Catholic, or an atheist, whether you're a furry or a trekkie, an artist or a scientist, you are always part of something, and you should BE what you are, and strive to be the best part of it. I've recently started reading the journal of a fairly vocal atheist, and she wrote a post about how she respects religion, and it bothers her when her fellows are intolerant of religious belief. I was so pleased to see it! To see somebody being the best part, rather than the worst. To see her standing up for science without having to put down faith. That was wonderful Stand up for what you are! If you let only the vocal and prejudiced speak for you, you tarnish who you are. I will not let the bigoted among Christians be the only ones speaking for faith, I will speak for it. I will not let the perverted among furries be the only ones speaking for fandom, I'll speak for that too. (Fandom may be less important than faith, but that doesn't mean it's not important at all.)
But though you should be proud of yourself, and confident in who and what you are, don't let that go to extremes. Every virtue can become a vice when taken too far. Be proud of you, but don't be so proud you feel you're better than everyone around you. And know that there is good and bad in everything in this world. Standing for who you are will win you the respect of many, but it will also win you persecution. Human nature is such that some people can't feel tall unless they've shoved somebody else down beneath them. If you try to stand tall yourself, some will inevitably put you down.
We studied the story of Jeremiah in sunday school today. Poor guy. He was called to be a prophet, and he preached something a bit new. The prophets of Israel before him had said "if Israel repents, God will save them from their enemies." Jeremiah was called to say "Come to God yourself, and hope for salvation, but Israel as a nation is doomed, there is no hope." It wasn't a very happy message, and it wasn't a very popular one either. He was persecuted until he despaired. He said "Cursed be the day wherein I was born... Wherein came I forth out of the womb to see labour and sorrow, that my dayd should be consumed with shame?" (Jeremiah 20:15, 18)
But as every good thing in this world contains some measure of evil, the worst of evils contain some measure of good. Jeremiah wrote, in that same chapter, "But the Lord is with me... therefore my presecutors shall stumble." What goes around comes around, karma happens, and the people who push down others to raise themselves will eventually find that their own actions have driven everything good out of their lives. Take comfort in knowing that, though you may suffer greatly if you stand for what you believe, virtue really is its own reward, and those whose respect is worth earning will indeed respect you for it.
As I mentioned before, nothing in this world is purely good or evil. In the next life we may enjoy pure goodnes and bliss, but in this life we get but tastes of it. But those tastes are all the sweeter because they are surrounded by things that are bitter.
All too often, however, we want perfection in this life. We set our sights on the next goal, and feel that if we just get there, why then all our sorrows will fall away, and we'll be happy forever after. And when we get there, and find that sorrow remains, we all too often simply fixate on a new goal, and go on, hoping for perfection somewhere else, where the grass is greener, rather than savoring what we have.
Now don't get me wrong. Striving to be and do better is worthy, and rewarding, and we all need goals. But don't throw away something good just because you think you might find something better. Were I going to find perfection in my life, I'd have to toss out JJ. (He's obviously flawed!) And then where would I be? And know that sometimes you're going to be faced with nothing but evil choices. It happens to all of us, sooner or later. (It will probably happen to most of you if you go vote on Tuesday.) Sometimes there's just no "right" decision, and all options are bad. Think of the very first story of Christianity, the tale of Adam and Eve. They had a choice, to eat the fruit, or to not eat it. To eat the fruit was a bad choice. It would bring death and sorrow and misery. But to not eat it was also a bad choice because it brought nothing at all. Innocence is not happiness, it's just innocence. You can't really understand how valuable it is to be free from sorrow until you've been sorry. It's like you never appreciate good health until you start to get sick. So in the end Eve chose experience over nothing, and though it was a transgression, to remain as she was, unable to have children though she'd been commanded to multiply, was a transgression too. She chose the best she could from what she had.
I was in a situation where I had several bad choices. One was to stay living with my family, the other to come here to Oregon and live with JJ. Neither of these was a 100% "good" choice. To stay at home meant I'd be constantly stressed, constantly fighting, and unable to go forward with my life. I'd be stalled every bit as much as Eve and Adam were stalled in the garden, going nowhere, except I'd have stress and conflict rather than peacefull innocence. Or I could move in with my boyfriend, a choice that's very much against what I was raised to belive was right and proper, and a choice that would lead to me having a whole new set of worries, stresses and woes. But it was also a choice that would let me move forward with my life, and after a lot of praying, it was the choice I made. It wasn't perfect choice, it wasn't a good choice, but it was the best choice for me, and I know that eventually it will lead me to where I need to be.
So know that when you're faced with difficulties and choices, sometimes you need to take a bite of the apple, and do something that might seem to be wrong. Nephi knew it was wrong to kill Laban, but it was "better that one man should die than that a nation perish and dwindle." He knew that, and he did what he had to. do.
This isn't an excuse to do wrong things and feel they're okay. Wrong is wrong. But sometimes in this chaotic life of ours, wrong is the only option we have. That's why we need forgiveness and repentance. It's why the mercy of Christ is required to get us to heaven. Because even if we were able to always know exactly how good or how evil something is, we'd still sometimes have to chose evil. And we're not nearly that wise, so in addition to the neccessary evils, we also have to gain forgiveness for a plethora of actual mistakes and wrong choices. But we do have the grace of God offered to us, so no matter how wrong our lives go, it's possible for us and God together to put them back on track.
One of these days I'll write up a proper sermon on the Atonement of Christ, and my admittedly limited understanding of how it works. But for now, I hope some of you get some insight or enjoyment out of today's ramblins. I expect I may be doing more sermonizing in the future.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-11-06 02:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-06 03:36 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-06 04:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-06 04:42 am (UTC)Though if you mean just for here on lj, I might. I will definitely sermonize as I get ideas that I feel are worth discussing. It would be interesting to try and put together a coherent discussion of faith principles though. I suppose I could.
no subject
Date: 2006-11-06 12:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-11-14 05:39 pm (UTC)A thought: what if this was such a deity 'doing the math'? What if, like gliders in the Game of Life and similarly heuristic behavior, the only way of seeing what will happen is to simulate it, and what we're perceiving is the mental simulation (that is, thought process or daydream)? (Basically the 'dream in the mind of God' idea in a different light.)