Saturday, January 1, 2022                                       (today’s lectionary)
The Eighth Day of Christmas
Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God
New Year’s Day
Clothe yourselves with compassion
And besides all those titles, today is called “God’s Day” in the Unification Church. When I was a member in the 1970’s we often went to a movie on God’s Day. I remember seeing Rocky with my mobile fundraising team (MFT), and getting a pep talk afterward from Doug, our team leader. We should all think like Rocky! Nothing’s gonna stop us!!
The Lord said to Moses, “Speak to Aaron and his sons. This is how you shall bless the Israelites. The LORD bless you and keep you. The Lord let his face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.”
Officially, we were expected to prepare three days for this special day dedicated to God, and then spend three days afterward continuing to offer thanks to God our Father. This would mean fasting, then feasting, then fasting again. We didn’t do that on the fundraising teams, though. What Rev. Moon didn’t know didn’t hurt him.
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son.
The complete name of Rev. Moon’s Korean church is The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity. Sometimes we felt inspired, as the first Christians must have. Other times we were caught in the rules and regulations like later Christians were, and we didn’t feel inspired at all.
When we asked people for money, which we did in cities and small towns, morning, noon and night, sometimes in factories and bars, sometimes door to door in trailer courts, we kept it simple. At least I did. “Hi, my name is Dave. We’re helping young people. Can you help us?” I carried cookies or flowers or candy or butterflies in plastic cubes or whatever else we could find. “People usually give us $5 for three.” And they did. Why not? Who doesn’t want to help young people?
May God bless us in his mercy. May God have pity on us and bless us; may he let his face shine upon us. So may your way be known upon earth; among all nations, your salvation.
I didn’t feel guilty about anything. We were helping young people, as far as I could tell. Everyone I knew in the church was a young person. We got up early, prayed hard, worked harder, ate simply together in the evening, sang a song or two, and slept. In sleeping bags, several guys or girls to a room, in motels across the United States.
The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in the manger.
I learned how to count paper money quickly, efficiently, and pass it all along. I had no idea where it went, and still don’t. Until things began to change in my own life, for two years I was dedicated to the propositions of Rev. Moon and his “unifying” religion. I re-learned how to pray and sing spiritual songs and hymns, and I especially re-learned how to be thankful.
Thinking of Colossians 3:12-17, the wedding verses I share with couples, well … that’s the jist of what I re-learned. How to live. For me, that experience was priceless and continues to bear fruit every day in my life. I was going down a very different path before I met Angelina, my “spiritual mother” in the church on the streets in Berkeley, a woman who happened to have the same name as my physical mother.
So on this New Year’s Day, forty plus years later, I’m full of thanks again, for the gifts and guidance God has poured into my life, year by year by year.
And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart.
Here we go again.
(Numbers 6, Psalm 67, Galatians 4, Hebrews 1, Luke 2)
(posted at www.davesandel.net)
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