The November 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 becoming openly revealed through Oyasama as the Shrine, laying the path of single-hearted salvation, and thereby guiding us toward a world filled with joy. Continuing, he said: “All of us Service performers as well as church head ministers and other Yoboku will deepen our awareness of being Oyasama’s instruments, melt into Your mind, and exert layer upon layer of sincere effort in dedicating ourselves wholeheartedly to missionary and salvation work in bright and high spirits so that we may respond to Her parental love. We are also determined to make decisive progress in our spiritual growth as we proactively implement the work of the path in unity of mind.”
The prayer was followed by the joyous performance of the Kagura Service and the Dance with Hand Movements. After the Service performance, Honbu-in Daiichi Umetani took the podium to deliver the sermon.
Rev. Umetani spoke about the significance of making resolutions as well as how we should work toward fulfilling them. Quoting Oyasama’s words “With any flower, there are years when it blooms and there are years when it does not bloom,” which appear in Anecdote 198, “With Any Flower,” Rev. Umetani noted that followers who received these words from Oyasama worked harder to have even non-blooming flowers bloom so as to bring joy to Oyasama. The strong desire and concrete actions to bring joy to Oyasama at all cost led to the establishment of their churches and their affiliated churches, he said.
Rev. Umetani moved on to say that God the Parent and Oyasama—who are aware of the situations we find ourselves in—have entrusted us Yoboku with the crucial and precious task of conveying and spreading the teachings to people all over the world. He then said, “As a result of God accepting the sincerity with which we earnestly think about what we can do to fulfill the task and put it into practice straightforwardly, we can receive miraculous blessings.”
Toward the end of the sermon, Rev. Umetani noted how dedicating ourselves with firm resolve will surely allow God the Parent and Oyasama to grant us joy. He concluded his sermon by calling on the listeners to work together vigorously to steadily advance on the path of spiritual growth step by step toward fulfilling our resolutions during this season, thereby bringing joy to the Parent.