University Temple United Methodist Church - Seattle, WA - October 27th, 2013

      The University Temple United Methodist Church is a church I've been meaning to go to for a while. It is a beautiful church I pass every time I visit University of Washington. The church sits right across the street from campus and on my visit up to Seattle I planned to go with a friend who I've done church visits with in the past.

      What I knew about the church before hand was that it was highly involved in social justice in the area. It hosts a needle exchange to help addicts recover, a thrift shop and coffee shop that is extremely cheap and made for those who have little, and at one point they hosted a GLBTQ Church in their building. Suffice to say I had a lot to admire going into this.

    Well I was not disappointed, though there were two things that turned me off from the good I experienced. The first was the greeters felt too eager. It was hard to really just have time to self and let everything sink in, since there is a lot to see in the church...most churches this big and this beautiful tend to be High Church churches like Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, Episcopal and Lutheran. Every greeter greeted me more than once and even asked if I could wear a name tag. For a guy who likes being anonymous during these kinds of things, that was not something that was all that comfortable. 

    The second factor was money. In the talk about the churches goal for what they needed to raise a main focus was on how generous the congregation was before most of the members went up to give their pledges, this does not include the basket being passed before the sermon. I know churches need money to support themselves, but they've never mixed very well to me. 

      There was a lot of positive though. The message was Christian while at the same time remaining universal. The premise is confronting the Burning Bush within yourself (Holy Spirit, confronting ego, etc.) you can be transformed and that it is difficult. He talked of his own experience with this doing street ministry for drunks and homeless and how God forced him to confront his prejudices and grow through them and become more Christ like in the process. I liked it because confronting the truth about ourselves is how we grow. Weather that is an outside being inside of us, or just us facing ourselves is beside the point, the outcome is the same when truth and honesty are involved. It was one of the best sermons I've heard since doing this blog. 

      Lastly, the music was beautiful...there were many songs that I knew from Handel's Messiah, to Our God you Called to Moses and Joyful, Joyful we Adore Thee. I do like all the good the church does, and it was an overall great experience with a wonderful friend. 

 

My friend Kyle's Wedding - Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral - September 14th, 2013

    What a glorious day it was. This was my first wedding I've attended since my parents remarried and suffice to say this was how I always imagined a wedding to be. Friends and family all there supporting the couple, an organ playing in the back as I waited for it to begin and the processional with the best men and women and the families with their sons and the ring-bearer.

    The wedding was my friend Kyle's wedding and his marriage to his husband. I didn't know Leland all that well (having only met him once), but I saw how happy he has made Kyle since their getting together, which was more than enough for me.

    The wedding was at the Episcopal church so it was an Episcopal ceremony. The priest explained the significance of the marriage (love between the couple shared with one another and with their community) before the two readings were done after the Declaration of Consent. They were about celebration and relationship: Philippians 4:4-9 and Colossians 3:12-16. After which was the sermon before the most powerful part.'

   The sermon talked about how marriage is a blessing to the couple and to the community and how the love exchanged between both is like God with us. It was beautiful and nailed what I appreciate about religion. Religion can bring this between groups and people and add the authority of a group that which benefits the individuals and in how the couple is benefited the group is too.

  Next was the exchanging of vows. The vows were read by the priest and repeated by the couple and seeing the emotion in the eyes and face of the couple...love is difficult to describe but that was one of the greatest definitions before us all.

   First was the Lord's Prayer and after the intercession which was prayers for the couple from the community for the married couple.

  After was the final blessings and final pronouncement of the marriage. Congratulations again Kyle and and his husband! May you know contentment and happiness in your marriage.

   Afterwords I was fortunate enough to make more friends and celebrate Kyle's marriage with his friends and family.