Been There Done That Deja Vu All Over Again Etc.
As usual, I attended my two church services, Round Hill Presbyterian’s New Song Saturday on Saturday evening, and Sixth Presbyterian’s Sunday service. Sixth Presbyterian Church is a kinder, gentler church. The first part of the service at Round Hill is filled with music from the church band. We are lead in these lovely songs by Stella’s angelic voice. By this time, I am about to spend the rest of my life in a blissful trance of love, compassion, and forgiveness. That is, until the Rev. Dr. Lowell Meek removes his guitar and steps down to his podium, and boot camp begins!
This Saturday evening, Round Hill’s service was one of a kind! If anyone had mistakenly stumbled into our service for the first time in the middle of the service, they would have wondered what circus was performing. This week, for some reason, there was no nursery. I like the service better without a nursery. Without a nursery, children of all ages sit amongst the congregation. This evening, there was even a newborn baby. Since the children must be kept busy during the service, all sorts of coloring books, crayons, and digital devices are scattered about. Tambourines are distributed to the children. When there is a nursery, they usually forget to distribute tambourines and the only instrument in the audience is my Indian cymbals from my days of chanting in Sanskrit at the Muktananda ashram. During the first few songs, children are interested, beating the tambourines and trying to sing along.
When Rev. Meek’s sermon begins, it doesn’t take the children long to get bored. This evening, Rev. Meek was on a tear. His sermon was based on Daniel 9. This was because it was time, with Easter out of the way, to remind us that our nation is the most violent, evil, wicked nation on earth, that the whole world hates us, and that we all are responsible because we too are violent, evil, and wicked. We, like the people of Israel in Daniel, must beg for forgiveness and do something about the violence, evil, and wickedness of this society, which we allow to continue down this path of doom.
About two-thirds of the way through the sermon, all hell did break loose, and you had to think that the youth of Round Hill Church were proving Rev. Meek’s point. By now, the cutest little girl in the congregation was clanging my Indian cymbals as Rev. Meek obliviously continued reminding us of our wickedness. Another little boy was lying at my feet, half his body stretched out beneath the pew in front of me. Other children were beating their tambourines. Another kid was running up and down the aisle screeching. Rev. Meek preached on about our depraved condition. The cute little girl who had been clanging my cymbals ran around the aisles and made it up to Rev. Meek as he was finishing up. Immediately, the stern face broke into a loving smile as Rev. Meek gazed down on the little brat who had just been drowning out his sermon. Rev. Meek has at least eight children, so I guess this is his usual modus operandi. But this is what I love about New Song Saturday. I like the fact that the kids are raising hell as Rev. Meek reminds me that I’m wicked. I need to be reminded of it weekly. I like this whole chaotic and casual atmosphere.
When I got home, the sermon had stirred my curiosity, and I began to read the book of Daniel. As I read the first couple chapters, my mouth flew open in amazement. Was this really happening somewhere between 500 and 600 B.C? This sounded awfully familiar to me. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (hopefully you know what country that is today) was having disturbing dreams. He had the magicians, astrologers, and sorcerers brought before him and told them, "My decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an ash heap," Daniel 2:5, The Holy Bible, The New King James Version, Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982. Since the wise men could not interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams, "…the decree went out, and they began killing wise men…" Daniel 2:13. Just who does Nebuchadnezzar remind you of? If you don’t know the answer, you’ve been living in a cave for several decades!
Daniel came to the rescue by praying to the Lord, receiving the interpretation of the dreams, relaying the interpretation to Nebuchadnezzar, and asking him to stop killing the wise men.
This raises a number of issues and questions, two of which I can think of. First of all, could the Hindus be right about reincarnation? Secondly, imagine all the suffering, bloodshed, death, and war that might have been prevented if Tariq Aziz had been adept at interpreting dreams! Due to a lack of time and space, we will be unable to discuss these issues here today!
This Saturday evening, Round Hill’s service was one of a kind! If anyone had mistakenly stumbled into our service for the first time in the middle of the service, they would have wondered what circus was performing. This week, for some reason, there was no nursery. I like the service better without a nursery. Without a nursery, children of all ages sit amongst the congregation. This evening, there was even a newborn baby. Since the children must be kept busy during the service, all sorts of coloring books, crayons, and digital devices are scattered about. Tambourines are distributed to the children. When there is a nursery, they usually forget to distribute tambourines and the only instrument in the audience is my Indian cymbals from my days of chanting in Sanskrit at the Muktananda ashram. During the first few songs, children are interested, beating the tambourines and trying to sing along.
When Rev. Meek’s sermon begins, it doesn’t take the children long to get bored. This evening, Rev. Meek was on a tear. His sermon was based on Daniel 9. This was because it was time, with Easter out of the way, to remind us that our nation is the most violent, evil, wicked nation on earth, that the whole world hates us, and that we all are responsible because we too are violent, evil, and wicked. We, like the people of Israel in Daniel, must beg for forgiveness and do something about the violence, evil, and wickedness of this society, which we allow to continue down this path of doom.
About two-thirds of the way through the sermon, all hell did break loose, and you had to think that the youth of Round Hill Church were proving Rev. Meek’s point. By now, the cutest little girl in the congregation was clanging my Indian cymbals as Rev. Meek obliviously continued reminding us of our wickedness. Another little boy was lying at my feet, half his body stretched out beneath the pew in front of me. Other children were beating their tambourines. Another kid was running up and down the aisle screeching. Rev. Meek preached on about our depraved condition. The cute little girl who had been clanging my cymbals ran around the aisles and made it up to Rev. Meek as he was finishing up. Immediately, the stern face broke into a loving smile as Rev. Meek gazed down on the little brat who had just been drowning out his sermon. Rev. Meek has at least eight children, so I guess this is his usual modus operandi. But this is what I love about New Song Saturday. I like the fact that the kids are raising hell as Rev. Meek reminds me that I’m wicked. I need to be reminded of it weekly. I like this whole chaotic and casual atmosphere.
When I got home, the sermon had stirred my curiosity, and I began to read the book of Daniel. As I read the first couple chapters, my mouth flew open in amazement. Was this really happening somewhere between 500 and 600 B.C? This sounded awfully familiar to me. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (hopefully you know what country that is today) was having disturbing dreams. He had the magicians, astrologers, and sorcerers brought before him and told them, "My decision is firm: if you do not make known the dream to me, and its interpretation, you shall be cut in pieces, and your houses shall be made an ash heap," Daniel 2:5, The Holy Bible, The New King James Version, Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982. Since the wise men could not interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dreams, "…the decree went out, and they began killing wise men…" Daniel 2:13. Just who does Nebuchadnezzar remind you of? If you don’t know the answer, you’ve been living in a cave for several decades!
Daniel came to the rescue by praying to the Lord, receiving the interpretation of the dreams, relaying the interpretation to Nebuchadnezzar, and asking him to stop killing the wise men.
This raises a number of issues and questions, two of which I can think of. First of all, could the Hindus be right about reincarnation? Secondly, imagine all the suffering, bloodshed, death, and war that might have been prevented if Tariq Aziz had been adept at interpreting dreams! Due to a lack of time and space, we will be unable to discuss these issues here today!
posted by Theodosia @ 3:33 PM
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