On January 26, the Spring Grand Service was conducted at Tenrikyo Church Headquarters with Successor-Designate Daisuke Nakayama serving as chief officiant on behalf of the Shinbashira. The Grand Service commemorates the day when Oyasama withdrew from physical life—namely, the lunar calendar date of January 26, 1887.
In the Service prayer, Rev. Nakayama first expressed his gratitude to God the Parent for creating the world and human beings, for becoming openly revealed in this world by settling Oyasama as the Shrine at the arrival of the Promised Time, for revealing the truth of all things including the truth about the Parent in truth, and for thereby working toward universal salvation. Continuing, he said: “With one year remaining before the 140th Anniversary of Oyasama, all of us church head ministers and other Yoboku return our thoughts to the day of origin of Oyasama’s anniversary. We intend to implement the Divine Model and to dedicate our sincerity to helping those suffering from illnesses and troubles to receive Your profound workings. We are determined to further devote ourselves to the work of single-hearted salvation in accordance with Your intention.”
The prayer was followed by the joyous performance of the Kagura Service and the Dance with Hand Movements. After the Service performance, Director-in-Chief of Religious Affairs Yoichiro Miyamori took the podium to deliver the sermon.
Rev. Miyamori first reflected upon the significance of observing the anniversaries of Oyasama by referring to Instruction Four. He then spoke about how each anniversary has been an opportunity for every Yoboku to strive to repay the blessings of God the Parent and Oyasama by emulating Her Divine Model, thereby showing Oyasama his or her spiritual maturity. Noting how each church and Yoboku are encouraged to determine their own way of following the path and put it into practice on their own initiative during the current pre-anniversary period, Rev. Miyamori said that each and every Yoboku is encouraged to work as a full-fledged Yoboku by raising awareness of his or her roles and responsibilities.
Rev. Miyamori moved on to talk about what it means to follow the path of the Divine Model. He noted that Oyasama tirelessly demonstrated the path of the Divine Model from the time She was settled as the Shrine of Tsukihi in 1838. The path of the Divine Model is the path that Oyasama embarked upon alone to convey the truth and make it understandable to others, even when no one else understood, said Rev. Miyamori. He then spoke about how we can follow the path of the Divine Model by striving tirelessly to help others understand the heart of the Parent, the intention of God the Parent. To persevere in conveying the intention of God the Parent, without giving up, is what it means to follow the Divine Model, he said.
Rev. Miyamori moved on to speak about how we can help others understand the teachings and the parental heart of Oyasama. “When we solely focus on pondering over the best way to do so and make efforts to put it into practice, we can attain a new level of spiritual growth. The constant and sincere effort to help people understand the teachings of God the Parent and to convey the intention of Oyasama is what truly embodies the Divine Model and will enable us to show our spiritual growth to Oyasama,” he said, adding, “If we diligently follow the path of the Divine Model with the intention of conveying the intention of the Parent, I believe that Oyasama will see our progress in spiritual growth and say, ‘You have grown spiritually.’”
Rev. Miyamori went on to talk about the term “intermediary,” which is often associated with those who deliver the Besseki lectures. In a broader sense, he said, intermediaries are those who convey the teachings of God the Parent on behalf of Oyasama and administer the truth of the Sazuke. “From this perspective,” said Rev. Miyamori, “every Yoboku is an intermediary.” Referring to Ofudesaki verses in which the term “intermediary” appears, he elaborated his view of how we Yoboku, who are intermediaries who convey the intention of Oyasama, are encouraged to convey the importance of returning to Jiba, which is the “origin of this world” and the “origin of human beings.” “Now is the time to express our invitation to return to Jiba in our own words and with our own will,” he said.
Speaking about the frame of mind that Yoboku and other followers ought to maintain, Rev. Miyamori said: “What truly matters is the heart with which we return to Jiba and the devotion we maintain toward Jiba throughout the year until the day of the anniversary. It also matters how much we share our passion for returning to Jiba with others.” No matter where we are in the world, the more we feel that Jiba is a special place, the deeper we perceive the blessings of God the Parent, he said.
Toward the end of his sermon, Rev. Miyamori said: “If all of us Yoboku unite in our efforts to wholeheartedly devote ourselves to imparting the fragrance of the teachings and helping save others, and if we sincerely desire to tell others about and bring them an understanding of Jiba and the parental heart of Oyasama, we will surely experience the profound workings of God to the degree that we have put our efforts in.” He concluded his sermon by saying, “Let us strive to follow the Divine Model of Oyasama and continue to engage in spreading the fragrance of the teachings and helping save others day by day in high spirits and in a manner befitting Yoboku for the remaining year until the day of the anniversary.”