Creation

Opening Reflections:

The heavens declare the glory of God,
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
-Christian Bible, Psalm 19:1

In the sky there is no distinction 
of east and west;
people create distinctions 
out of their own minds and 
then believe them to be true.
- Buddhism

He it is who created for you all that is 
in the earth. Then turned he to the heaven,
and fashioned it as seven heavens. 
And he is knower of all things.
-Islam, Qu'ran 2:22-29

Scripture Reading:

Listen to this, Job;

stop and consider God's wonders.

Do you know how God controls the clouds

and makes his lightening flash?

DO you know how the clouds hang poised,

those wonders of him who is perfect in

knowledge?

You who swelter in your clothes when 

the land lies hushed

under the south wind,

can you join him in spreading out the skies,

hard as a mirror or cast bronze>

Bible, Job 37:14-18

  

Moment of Reflection: 

Scripture Reading:

For the beauty of the earth,

For the glory of the skies;

For the love which from our birth,

Over and around us lies;

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This, our hymn of grateful praise.

For the wonder of each hour,

Of the day and of the night;

Hill and vale, and tree and flow'r,

Sun and moon, and stars of light;

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This, our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of ear and eye,

For the heart and mind's delight;

For the mystic sense of harmony,

Linking sense to sound and sight;

Lord of all, to Thee we raise

This, our hymn of grateful praise.

-Folliott S. Pierrepont, 1868

Moment of Reflection

Sermon

The Buddha considered knowledge 

important only as it remains practical. 

He rejected speculation about such matters as God,

the nature of the universe, and the afterlife,

urging his followers to focus instead on the

Four Noble Truths by which they

can free themselves from suffering.

A man called Malunkyaputta approached the

Buddha and demanded that the Buddha

explain the origin of the universe

before he would become a disciple of the Buddha.

Then the Buddha said that he would

not go into a discussion of the origin of

the universe. To him, gaining knowledge about

such matters was a waste of time because

a man's immediate problem was his

own suffering and his task was to

liberate himself from the present state of affairs.

To illustrate this, the Buddha related the parable of

a man who was shot by a poisoned arrow.

This foolish man refused to have the arrow removed

until he was told who shot the arrow,

what he looked like, the kind of wood the arrow

was made from, so on. The Buddha said,

that before the man could learn such information

he would be dead. Similarly, our

immediate task is to be enlightened,

not to speculate about the metaphysical.

-

Memory Verse for Today:

The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful,
to be honorable, to be compassionate, 
to have it make some
difference that you have lived, and lived well.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Closing Prayer:

O' Great Spirit,

Who's voice I hear in the winds, and whose breath

gives life, life to all the world, hear me!

I am small and weak, I need your strength and wisdom.

Let me walk in beauty and make my eyes

ever behold the re and purple sunset.

Make my hands respect the things you have made 

and my ears sharp to hear your voice.

Make me wise so that I may understand

the things you have taught my people.

Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every 

rock and leaf.

I seek strength, not to be greater than my

brother, but to fight my greatest enemy

which is myself.

Make me always ready to come to you 

with clean hands and straight eyes.

So, when life fades as the falling sunset,

my spirit may come to you

without shame.

-Native American Prayer

Biddulph, Desmond and Flynn, Darcy. Teachings of the Buddha: The Wisdom of the Dharma, From the Pali Canon to the Sutras. London: Duncan Baird Publishers, 1988.

The Holy Bible(NIV). Colorado Springs, CO: The International Bible Society, 1984.

Dalai Lama and Cutler, Howard. The Art of Happiness. New York: The Penguin Group, 1998.

"Prayers for strength and comfort." Accessed November 14, 2012. http://www.prayer-and-prayers.info/prayers-for-strength/prayer-for-strength-and-calm.htm.