The June Monthly Service of Tenrikyo Church Headquarters was performed on the 26th in the Main Sanctuary, with Successor-Designate Daisuke Nakayama serving as chief officiant on behalf of the Shinbashira.
In the Service prayer, Rev. Nakayama first expressed gratitude to God the Parent for leading us along the path of spiritual growth in our day-to-day lives by constantly providing us with blessings as well as by enabling us to receive the guidance of the everliving Oyasama. Continuing, he said: “Many of the COVID-19 restrictions are now gradually being eased, allowing society to slowly go back to normal. In these circumstances, all of us followers will once again ponder over Your parental heart, which desires to hasten salvation, and thereby move forward on the path of single-hearted salvation by using the Divine Model as our guiding principle. We are determined to follow the path cheerfully and spiritedly so as to bring joy to Oyasama.”
The prayer was followed by the joyous performance of the Kagura Service and the Dance with Hand Movements. After the Service performance, Honbu-in Tatsufumi Shikao took the podium to deliver the sermon.
In his sermon, Rev. Shikao spoke about the truth of the everliving Oyasama by referring to the Divine Directions and other texts. He said that, if we are to feel closer to Oyasama, it is important to learn the teachings and sweep away the dusts of the mind in our everyday lives. Rev. Shikao then said, “Let us always maintain the mind of making repayment for the divine blessings, engage in hinokishin, and earnestly perform the service so as to be able to cultivate our mind in a way that will allow us to accept the Parent’s intention with an open heart in any situation.”