The July 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 constantly watching over and nurturing us day and night out of the deep parental love that eagerly awaits the spiritual maturity of all people throughout the world. Continuing, he said: “All of us Service performers as well as church head ministers and other Yoboku will once again engrave the Divine Model of Oyasama in our minds while having an awareness of being Her instruments. We are determined to make further efforts to spread the fragrance of the teachings and help save others without failing to fulfill our duties of the season so as to make steady progress in our journey of spiritual growth.” Speaking about the Children’s Pilgrimage to Jiba, which was going to be held from July 27 to August 4, Rev. Nakayama said: “Many children will return to Jiba from both Japan and overseas as they look forward to the summer event. We sincerely pray that they will deepen the joy of living by receiving Your blessings through attending hinokishin activities as well as various other attractions and events and thereby develop openness and cheerfulness under Your guidance. We also pray that everything will go smoothly without any problems throughout the duration of the event.”
The prayer was followed by the joyous performance of the Kagura Service and the Dance with Hand Movements. After the Service performance, Honbu-in Seiji Maegawa took the podium to deliver the sermon, in which he spoke about the day of origin of the Children’s Pilgrimage to Jiba.
In his sermon, Rev. Maegawa noted that the Children’s Pilgrimage to Jiba traces its origin to the “Children’s Hinokishin Pilgrimage to Jiba,” which was intended to give children an opportunity to experience the joy of sowing seeds of sincerity in Jiba. It was launched amid the enthusiasm for the Oyasato-yakata construction project, which had been announced in anticipation of the 70th Anniversary of Oyasama. Rev. Maegawa explained in detail the history of the children’s pilgrimage and noted how God the Parent and Oyasama are always eagerly waiting for children to return to Jiba. Through attending various activities and attractions, children learn the teachings, have fun, and express their energy and joy with those around them, bringing joy to God the Parent and Oyasama, he said.
Toward the end of his sermon, Rev. Maegawa spoke about what Yoboku are encouraged to do based on Instruction Four. He concluded his sermon by saying, “Let each of us Yoboku carry out the remaining half of the pre-anniversary activities with confidence, pride, and joy and in high spirits, focusing on spreading the fragrance of the teachings and helping save others, thereby bringing forth the fruit of salvation by receiving the truth of Jiba.”