Eric’s Sunday Sermon; Love and Forgiveness

Now we all know that there are many words for snow especially to indigenous Alaskans (Eskimo? Maybe wrong) And we know that each and every snowflake is different. Of course we know that we cannot count them there are so many.

Love could be like a snowflake really. I believe it changes moment to moment and that being in the moment means we must adjust to our next moment. But clearly we would agree that there are many, many types of love. People really are like the snowflakes, no two exactly the same. So throughout all of time no two people exactly the same.

I like my organic no fat milk. Did you know it has every thing you need to keep your electrolytes balanced and healthy. Between that and Gatorade the difference is more sugar that you need in a day and more salt than you need normally. Gatorade is bad for normal people not working and sweating so hard for so long (marathon runner – roofer in Phoenix)

I raise it up about Gatorade and Milk. No two cows are the same and no two batches of added sugar are the same. Yes each stalk of cane is different.

Need I go further? We think not and any further would be boring and redundant yet differently boring and redundant. Stop!!

Check out what we left out. Forgiveness. No two forgiving are the same. Here is a fun one. I sometimes attend the San Diego Basilica Mission Alcala Church. (just cut and paste that) The first Catholic – or any, Church in New Spain. Excuse me California was New Spain.

So here is the deal, of the 50 or so countries I have been blessed to visit I would say I found a church building to visit in at least 40 of them. I dig church buildings. Do not forget to put on your bucket list at least the Mormon temple in Salt lake (yes I know they do not say Mormon anymore) Which brings us to Saigon, don’t miss some but maybe 5 would be enough. (Yes I know they do not say Saigon anymore) Which brings us to Cholula Mexico. Gold plated churches built on top of pyramids under the great active volcanoes of Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl. The National Cathedral in DC and hanging out for two days at the Vatican. Again I go on too long. But the point is that I love the structures of churches.

I hope we ran properly into this section. “Church structures”. I love church structures. Every church structure is different. The Catholics have differing parish structures for every micro culture. The ECUSA has differing notions than the Episcopals in Australia and Nigeria. Did you know that mission churches adopt local icons and suggest they are attached through Christ like saints.

Again I go on too long but Buddhist and Jewish temples are just amazing and again each cultures a little different to a lot different. Some places of worship have Presidents and Chairman of the boards. If you have never been to a big evangelical stadium type church you are missing out. The sermons are not strictly scriptural but the show is spectacular.

So oh my just too many to get into. Like snowflakes, no two the same so trillions times trillions different.

Now back to my Alcala Mission Church. I love it. The structure (litany) of the service. And the building structure. On Sundays it seems about 20% are non - Catholic tourists. Though I go several times a year since about 1999. I am a non-Catholic tourist also I presume. Many pictures shown here are of my boy growing up there. We went several times a week to give him preschool type structure – sit down and listen. Of course the little tyke would not but he kind of learned to pray and be grateful. As for discipline, forget about it. Funny but he started walking there and learned to crawl up steps. Each mid-week sermon was different.

So I am sitting in that church and things run through my heart and mind. Which will bring us to point in just a few more words. I like to think a lot. Some folks like boating or golf or knitting. I like thinking. I know that is kind of weird but I am different than you. Oops there we go going talking about differences again and I am really getting bored. I understand that neither Buddha or Christ ever taught the same service. And here we go.

A sermon in love is a lovely sermon. A sermon of mine to you in love elicits love. And I cherish you because your love to me is different than my four children and moms. Is it possible to have infinity love. My eight year old says “duh daddy” to that question. Limitless is a “genre” he likes.

So in a standard church service of traditional liturgy there is a prayer to God called “The Lords Prayer”. To my experience there are many over twenty versions and for each it is right for them and for each it is not right for others.

Everybody and I mean everybody has something to do with forgiveness. Even in the church that is your heart and what you call home with a congregation of marriage and or child. Every human being on earth forever has forgiveness in them. That is like cabillion time tabillion or infinity. And each time they do it, many many times in their life there is more infinity of forgiving.

So I am sitting in that church with two, clearly German and clearly back packers staying in hostels probably. Been there and done that. You know this because their smell is more human than soap or deodorant and their clothes just barely not wrinkled too much. And clearly not Catholic and probably not even Christians. Now I may not know much but I know just enough Aleman to get in trouble. But I know what they mean when they repeat vergebung and nod. My name is Dierker after all. The German translation is closer to “forgive, forgiveness and forgiving”. Kind of all rolled into one.

And then there were another 200+ souls. I know that lady is saying perdo’n which is Spanish and closer to what it sounds like “pardon”.

Me, I am just hanging out knowing that I really need to forgive myself before I forgive others and God is helping me with that but it is a slow learn.

So then the greatest of all billions of teachers tells us forgive 7x’s 70, or maybe even 70 times 70. 7 x’s 7 is 41 so add 2 zeroes and come up with only 4,100 times. Now you basically have 22 thousand days. (I think I have that right) So I think we are only forgiving about every five days. Or is that we only forgive one person every five days. I think I do about 10 a day. Not for them but I know resentment carried in the heart can literally and lovingly kill you. Just my son registered that yesterday as he was being properly 8 years old. Geese!

I resent bad products especially produce from a store. I resent my car for being too hot on hot days. Could I have a gazillion gazillion resentments that have to be forgiven?

Though some religions think they own forgiveness don’t buy that. Forgiveness is ethical no religious. Chew on that for a bit. I also like the “for” part. Just saying. No answers here.

It happened again. Sermon was perfect. Logical with fantastic grammar and a great subject of "Remarkable Times". Did it Friday and Saturday. Proofread and set to publish today. The perfect Sermon again. It stunk of lack of love. So this is from 4 am to now.

I need to get intoxicated with love and scream. Thanks friends.