Erev Shabbat Evening Service - Congregation Kol Ami - Salt Lake City, UT - March 21st, 2014

   I have been away from the Jewish community too long. My visit to Congregation Kol Ami reminded me of so many of things I love about organized religion. The Congregation Kol Ami is a community born out of the combining of a Reform Jewish Community with a Reform Jewish community. The group that was there for Friday was smaller, but still a big small congregation and had quite a few visitors like me who were there.

    Throughout the service there was familiarity and discussion of some of the ideas that the service covered, which I'll get into further down on this blog. There were two families present and when I arrived everyone was socializing.

       The service began with prayer in both English and Hebrew. One thing that Judaism and a few other faiths have that I found beautiful is that prayer is song, rather than them being separate. Which, along those lines...what does song mean in the Christian context? Is it considered prayer? Or only if it is a psalm? Within Judaism, every prayer is a song...and it is the this celebration of something greater, the unknown, God, Virtue and the Good (which was mentioned in almost all the prayers that were read today), is something I find important and beautiful.

    During the service the Rabbi lived the theme with making right with others and reminding us that the important thing was repentance and atonement to actual people we'd wronged or hurt. It took the sin beyond the abstract and was a call to action. It wasn't on God, it was on Us.

      There then was a discussion in identity and how we lose sight of the literal symbols in the book (The Red Heffer, Golden Calf or Temple of Solomon) as examples rather than seeing the symbolism and looking at the point of the stories and how the Red Heffer is noticing our own value versus the Gold Calf our mistakes and how it is important not to to forget.

    The service ended with us all introducing ourselves and check-ins on the congregation as whole who wasn't there in regards to how people were doing. It was lovely and I plan to visit again. This community, like the Sikhs and Episcopalians are ones I would like to be more a part of, even though I don't see myself converting to any faith.

     For this visit, was long overdo and reminded me of one of my communities back home (Bet Alef Synagogue) that I've missed visiting and taking part in.

Second Tuesday of Lent Memorial Mass - Cathedral of the Madeleine - Salt Lake City, UT - March 18th, 2014

        My turning up at the Cathedral of Madeleine was not planned. I'd originally only planned to explore around Temple Street, but soon found that the time I arrived at the Cathedral was right when Mass was supposed to start. Little did I know that I would be attending a memorial mass.

     One thing I noticed on the way is that the Catholic Diocese headquarters in Utah are right next to the Cathedral, as well as the Samaritan society. Like the other Catholic Churches I visited they like the Episocopals are active helping and feeding the homeless in their areas and Salt Lake City. 

    The mass this time was quite and reflective. There was no music and everything was said or chanted. On one side of the isle were family members of the departed, and on the other side visitors. I realized it was a memorial mass when the prayers were being said before communion. One of the prayers expressed, "To honor this individual with this Mass."

     Like any memorial, there was that quite sadness and passion...one had only to pay attention to see where people were in their thoughts. It was during this time that as a stranger, the most I could give was my silence and honoring the person in the mass.

    After communion a few of the people stayed after to reflect in the silence. As I made my way out I thought of the person who had touched the lives present here today and their relationship to this place and congregation.

St. Paul's Episcopal Church - Salt Lake City, UT - March 18th, 2014

     What an amazing adventure and experience my exploration of St. Paul's Episcopal Church was. I came here for the evening prayer that was going to be happening as a way to partially commemorate my job success, but it turns out the event was canceled since the man who hosts it is also a coach. This ended up being an awesome chance to explore the church and find my own ways of meditation and gratitude.

      First, the church is beautiful. It is a huge building made up of the Chapel, sanctuary and also a preschool and a pantry that serves the hungry and homeless. My appreciation of the Episcopals has grown even more since coming to Utah. I have not attended a church that did not provide food and resources to the community that the city is in. There were also flyers that provided information to people who experienced abuse and how to get help. Sadly, abuse seems to be ignored by so many organized religions. Power is seen as justification in and of itself and authority is to to be obeyed not questioned...which leaves the door open for a person to use that power to abuse (and later cover it up or victim blaming) as we have seen happen in many religious communities, but especially the conservative ones that have been in the news.

     My journey to the chapel started out with me running into a kind woman and her daughter who directed me to the chapel area where Evening Prayer and morning Mass are hosted. Here there is a candle lit for all those who have been abused. I lit one for the victims and survivors before talking briefly to a woman who might have been the priest and after read a prayer out loud in the prayer book before taking a moment of silence.

      The silence, sometimes there is nothing more prefect and beautiful. It was there I was able to reflect and simply be while resting after the walk it had taken to get there. Afterwords I found a library, with a ton of books. Every church should have a library...scratch that, any community should have a library. The potential to learn so much is just a flip of a page away.

      I was impressed with what I saw and plan on attending a service. It was nice being able to explore at my own leisure though, and to be welcome. I was a stranger and was treated kindly by every person I met here.

Second Sunday of Lent Evening Mass - Saint Vincent DePaul Parish and School - Salt Lake City, UT - March 16th, 2014

       My visit to Saint Vincent DePaul Parish and School was the perfect evening. The Parish and School are off the highway and are three buildings. The School, Holy Room and Chapel/Church where the services take place. It was a clear day and quick drive to get there.

         Outside the Holy Room is a statue of Vincent DePaul who was famous for the caring of orphans of children. It is because of this he's always seen holding a child. Next to the Holy Room is the Bell and Chapel. Outside the Chapel is a statue of Mary and a woman bowing to her.

    Saint Vincent DePaul is one of the simpler Catholic Churches I've been too outside of the UW Catholic Newman Center and some of the Churches in Romania and Peru, which I liked. It had a simple zen to it that was beautiful.

      The one thing that put me off from the experience was the prayer, which was mostly a call to bring people back to the fold. "Any sinners please consider rejoining the communion of Christ," and the prayers were very much targeted only at the Saint Vincent DePaul community, with the exception of a prayer to end wars. It was here that Ukraine, Venezuela, Syria and Sudan were in my thoughts and prayers.      

     As to why it was a perfect way to spend the day...it was a place that was peaceful and easy for reflection. When the Mass began there the readings, which were focused on the Transfiguration, in which Peter, James and John were present when Jesus was with Elijah and Moses and where God says, "This is my Son of whom I am well pleased." The priest spoke on this, and how Christians are pilgrims heading to that perfect place that the apostles experienced in that moment...that they are pilgrims being guided by God. He dealt briefly with the problem of evil (problems that happen aren't God's fault - free will), but that God can make possible growth in those times. He then described how the Eucharist is a part of that being both physical and spiritual food of God that can allow for a taste of that moment the apostles had with Jesus.

     After the sermon was a moment of silence, where I thought about the power of story. Whether the resurrection happened or not, it is pretty cool how a story inspired so much. The music was perfect too, the main singer reminded me of my mentor Lupe when I was in choir at the Catholic Newman Center at UW. I must say, I have not been to a Catholic Church that didn't have great music here in Utah. 

    After the sermon ended one of the women greeted me and gave me a calender and bulletin, since I was curious. I think I'll probably be visiting here again.

Saturday of the First Week of Lent Service- The Cathedral Church of Saint Mark - Salt Lake City, UT - March 15th, 2014

        My visit to the Cathedral Church of Saint Mark was for me a chance to see a lot of what I like about organized religion, mixed with the reason on why I don't see myself ever becoming a complete believer in a Deity, and why I consider myself Agnostic.

     What I like about religion is social action and involvement with helping surrounding area and community, the quiet place for thought it can give as well as a place to think on ethics and in many cases provide good ethics as well as social justice in regards to helping the poor and equal rights and treatment of women and members of the LBGTQ community.

     First to describe the location. The church is old, dating back to the late 1800's and has two buildings connected to it. The Episcopal Center of Utah, which is their headquarters and the Hildegarde's food pantry, which provides food to homeless in the area.
   

    The pantry is somewhere I could see myself volunteering because of the direct action and help it gives in peoples lives. It also doesn't discriminate like some religious agencies and groups do in regards to who they help and serve. This living love and treating all with fairness and equality is what I look for in any group, especially one that ties so much of its identity into something greater than itself.

         The main building has a gate and garden, as well as a bell at the very top. Inside the Cathedral is the main area with the altar and on the other side a beautiful organ, much like Cathedral of the Madeleine's, the Catholic Cathedral that is the street behind Saint Mark's. The area where we had the service was in a tiny chapel that was right next to the main altar. It was here that the Eucharist was kept and candles covered another altar.

          Now for the service. At the service there were four people present, including the priest. The priest was a kind older man from Tennessee. The service began with the Confession of Sin and after Trisagion, which reads:

Holy God,

Holy and Mighty,

Holly Immortal One,

Have Mercy Upon us.

   After were the readings, which were Genesis, when Abram is blessed by God and goes out, followed up by Paul's Letter to the Romans about how Spirit can only beget Spirit and Flesh can only beget flesh, and ending with Jesus's famous quote from that day's reading from John about "No one can come through the Father except through me," and that the "Son did not come to condemn, but to save."

 

        The homily described faith as the main thing that Grace is something so beyond us that we can never understand it, but that it gives us more than we know. I understand the idea theologically of Grace but find that I can't fully believe in it or really anything like it...whatever comes from something that I cannot see or know I can only doubt. This is a major reason I don't think I could join most organized religions. I may think there is something greater simple due to probability for the complexity of life and possibilities of the universe. But I cannot know. There is no way for me to test, so I continue to explore and learn and grow. It is in these halls that the ethics of Christ's life are an inspiration to me and the social action in the community of truly living with love towards all. 

    It was a great service and I enjoyed talking to the priest and two of the colder congregants afterword. We mostly talked about how much Salt Lake City has changed and a bit more of the community of Saint Mark's. Who I look forward to visiting again.

Wednesday of the First Week of Lent Service - Prophet Elias Greek Orthodox Church - Holladay, UT - March 12th, 2014

      What an experience tonight was. This was my second time visiting the Orthodox Christian community, and my first time visiting a Greek Orthodox Church. If you want to go to a place where a service is set up for full devotion, this would be the place.

    First, to describe the setting. The setting is like crossing into a portal to the past. At the entrance there are three icons where I made the sign of the cross at each like the person before me and after crossed into the sanctuary. The sanctuary doors glass is dark enough that you cannot see what is inside. Once inside you are greeted by chandeliers, candles and a huge golden covering with life-size icons on an Angel (I think Michael), Prophet Elias, Mary and the baby Jesus and a few others. These are doors to the back where other icons and the altar is, the one area not covered except by a red curtain when the Eucharist is prepared. 

     A few minutes before the service started one of the priests (there were four of them) began chanting prayers. These prayers lasted until the Lenten service began and continued on from there. The only time when the chanted prayers stopped is when the head priest came from behind the curtain where the Eucharist was prepared on an altar below on Icon of Jesus on the cross and when the time for communion began.

     There were certain times where myself and most of the older folks crossed themselves and that was when "Hallelujahs" were said three times, and "By the Father, Son and Holy Spirit." There were also a few times were there was full bowing, such as during the communion prayer, and at one point the head priest bowed to all of us and we returned it...it reminded me of the Buddhist "Namaste." (The light in me honors the light in you).

    Besides the setting there were some other major differences I noticed, for one the Eucharist chant was more descriptive on it being a good meal intermixed with us becoming like Christ from the experience and that our kindness should be a living sacrifice to God. The kindness as a living sacrifice was something I very much agreed and supported.

    The experience was very long in the best way possible, there was respect for the people and the service taking place and the prayers/chants were like mantras with a positive and good message greater than the self. The theme was letting God transform intermixed with accountability to the self and to God...it was a somber service but not consumed by it...the somberness was reverence for the event taking place and honoring something greater that all were a part of.

   Suffice to say, I am looking forward to my next Orthodox Church visit and hopefully having a good conversation with one of the priests at some point during my stay here in Utah.

Tuesday of the First Week of Lent Mass - Cathedral of the Madeleine - Salt Lake City, UT - March 11th, 2014

       My experience at the Cathedral of the Madeleine was troubling in some of the best and worst ways possible...it kind of encapsulated everything I like and dislike about religion which made of a fascinating experience. For a bit of context there is currently a Western Conference on Canon Law being hosted in Salt Lake City so there were tons of Priests and Bishops at the Cathedral...most were from the west coast but one had come over from Lebanon. Because of this there was almost a conference and concert feel about it at the beginning, mostly because the Bishop who looked like Richard Dawkins thanked people at the beginning and the end, and pointed out how great the music was. This was one of the things that took me out, it made something that was supposed to be transcendent and greater than self like any other public event where there are a lot of important people present. 

      To the Bishops credit though, his sermon was wonderful, and the reading was the one where Jesus first tells his followers to say the Lord's Prayer. This prayer is a call that our words don't matter that God already knows everything anyway, so it is about how we choose to live...what we do with the time that given to us. This sermon nailed the theme of service and sacrifice of Lent and was great.

      The sad thing was during the service people were taking pictures...yep, it strikes me as the kind of thing you don't do...I mean a Church service is supposed to be more important than a concert or a movie right? Folks were taking a picture of him during the service. I took pictures, but I waited to before and after...if I were up there speaking I wouldn't what lights blinking in my face or people taking pictures of the place I'm preaching...isn't the content of the words more important than the beauty of the place?

     For positives that brought me into it...the music...the choir was angelic, and that would not be an understatement. They were all ages and all the songs were sung in latin, giving it an even greater feeling to it. The psalms also were beautifully sung and focused on important things like justice.

      The most important thing that took me out of it were two things - one was how people aren't welcome to camp outside the Church (there are a fair amount of homeless in Salt Lake City) and the other was the homeless man behind me. Here was where he'd come for rest and to be safe...I hope when he eventually got kicked out that he had somewhere to go...the church provided a place for him during the service and with the Samaritan Society next store...but the church itself was not a permanent sanctuary. Shouldn't a house of God be that? What can we do to help? What can I do to serve?

Ash Wednesday Night Mass - Saint Thomas More Catholic Parish - Sandy, UT - March 5th, 2014

       What an experience and way to end the night. To start with, finding the parish was a bit difficult, though now that I know where it is, I don't see myself getting lost again. When I arrived the readings had already been read...since it was the High Church though, it didn't matter as much since they were the same readings at Saint James Episcopal Church.

   Before I get into how the sermons differed though, I want to describe the Parish. The Parish is huge, this is where the Masses take place, but their is a whole other building that I wasn't able to get in the picture due to the lack of light and batteries dying on me. The Parish is simple like the Episcopal Parish, yet grand like any Cathedral. You can see it the design outside and it is inside as well. The tapestries have detail (a purple crown of thorns on a purple tapestry) and a Virgin Mary done in an elongated style (same with the risen Jesus). The Parish is a large congregation, when I arrived I wasn't able to find a seat until a few minutes in. The congregation is also diverse ranging all over the place in age and ethnicity. This is true of most Catholic Churches I've attended I've found.The music was amazing. There was a choir who all different age ranges and the music was traditional mixed with modern (a saxophone player was a part of the band).

    When I received the ash for the second time today, the words were "Repent and follow the Gospel," which was a very different emphasis than "From Dust you came and dust you shall return." The Catholic one had more emphasis on guilt for needing God versus the Episcopal emphasis on mortality and needing God. Both were good in their own ways and add as long as either doesn't consume. Being consumed by any emotion is extremely unproductive in regards to any sort of growth or helping others.  

    Now for the sermon, the sermon emphasized penance and remembrance of Jesus's time in the desert. That we should live on less and give more (as an interpretation that fit perfectly), and that we should not glorify ourselves (which again makes sense as far us not feeding our egos).

    Since I'm not a Catholic I didn't take the Eucharist and left after the song. It was a powerful experience and the Church is definitely worth another visit.

Ash Wednesday Noon Service - Saint James Episcopal Church - Midvale, UT - March 5th, 2014

      Saint James Episcopal Church was the perfect place to spend my afternoon of Ash Wednesday. The church is large but simple, inside there are rafters, a simple altar and purple tapestries in honor of the coming of Easter. The congregation is the largest Episcopal community I've seen outside of Issaquah and Olympia and the Priests and Deacons are all older.

 

        Getting to the Church was an experience in and of itself. From where I'm staying it was an hour walking up hill, which lead to great reflection once I was there. I was able take time to explore the grounds and found the memorial to one of the members who died. There was also an amphitheater behind the Church and in front, "God is Love." A message that is very New Testament God and Christianity.

     The service itself was very powerful. I didn't have a program, but because of it being High Church, I knew what to say at the right time in regards to the congregation call and response and even the psalms were familiar. It was a silent service and there was no music, all psalms were read and there were many moments of silence and reflection throughout the service. Suffice to say it was my type of service. The priest who spoke, spoke about reflection and incorporated in that we face ourselves in our relation to others is key. The reading from the Bible was Matthew where Jesus said only the hypocrites trumpet their good deeds and that good deeds should be done in secret and that what rewards we get are in Heaven and that is how we should live.

    It was a powerful sermon and I definitely plan on visiting again. The focus on reflection and silent action spoke to me of integrity and that you have to be clear with yourself in order to be clear with God and that for many the time before Easter is when they do that, in reflecting and in facing ones shadows, being reborn in the light.

Canyons Church - Cottonwood Heights, UT - March 2nd, 2014

      After my visit to Mountain Springs Community Church, I made my way down the street to Canyons Church. Canyons is a Southern Baptist Church. Baptist Churches are the Churches I usually end up seeing besides Mormon Churches in the suburbs of Utah, so they are pretty widespread here.

     My experience at Canyons Church was mixed. First, I want to describe what the interior was like. The Church is very polished and fancy versus the Zen simplicity of Mountain Creek Community Church. The windows are stained glass and once your inside it is like crossing into a place where a concert venue meets a seminar. The music is also very much like a concert, the plus being that there is a lot of passion.

    When I arrived my first thought was the Gospel of Wealth - Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace was being discussed and to buy the book and DVDs...when I think the problems of religion I think selfishness and money...so that wasn't the best impression coming in, seeing that a decent amount of time had been put apart for that seminar.

    After the invitation for the congregation to take part in Financial Peace - Surprise! Time for collections. Need I say more.

   You're probably thinking it was negative experience from here on, but it wasn't. The actual sermon itself had merit to it. It was about working out spiritual muscles which ended up being live how God wants you to live by serving others. Your saved, now live it! That was something I could get behind and was a contrast to the focus on the self that had been talked about before. The sermon used many props - a cleaner the preacher had bought from a traveling salesman, a golf club, and water weights...and that were used to illustrate different points during the sermon on the lead up of the point to have a relationship to God by serving others.

    After there was the call to accept to be "Saved," and the last song. It was a mixed experience overall, revealing both the positive (service) and negative (Gospel of Wealth) that religion so often brings. I don't see myself coming here again but it was an interesting experience nonetheless.

Mountain Springs Community Church - Cottonwood Heights, UT - March 2nd, 2014

 

  Mountain Springs Community Church was an amazing experience, and a good reminder of how to live in general and virtue behind what I admire about Christianity when it is at its best. The service began with an early fellowship where there was coffee and I met a few of the people there. The church is small and made up of about 5 to 7 families that I could see. They were kind and open when I said I was just exploring communities in the area.

   Next the service began with opening music. The music was christian rock meets jazz, since one of the musicians was playing the Clarinet which added a calm organic feel to the songs and gave them a slightly different feel than most churches where I have heard Christian Rock played.

     Mountain Springs Community Church is a Reformed Christian Church, which arose out of John Calvin and strictly following the Bible. This in my opinion is mixed when meeting some old Testament passages and New Testament passages which aren't based in virtue or love (see people being condemned to Hell, tribes being annihilated in the name of God, etc.) but today I saw the good that is in the Bible (as their is in most religious texts).

     The sermon was about Isaiah 58:6-9, which is about how God calls us to do more than just follow the rules, that there is no point. That God calls us to justice and to serve the poor and save the oppressed. It was powerful and outside of God being a factor of why it should it be done, something I believe is just and virtuous. The pastor described the work the youth are doing with IMPACT in South Dakota serving the poor and how it is so easy for Christians and people to follow in to checklisting all they need to be good:

1. Go to church.
2. Serve my church.
3. Accept God into my life.
4. Give to the church.

    The pastor described how that misses the point though, that Isaiah was calling people out on doing that but that God wants more. He than tied it into Jesus's words of "What you did for the least of these, you did for me." (Matthew 25: 31-46).

    It is these words and action that are religion at its best. It is so easy for us in general to be unable to see beyond ourselves and ourselves can include our friends, family, partner and even community we consider ourselves a part of. Religion and in this instance, Christianity at its best is the call to be more, the call to see that who we are is a part of everyone else and it is in that action that we become our best.

   Afterword I discussed the sermon a little bit with the pastor and one of the middle aged guys there, it was a great experience and I plan to visit again and bring that action that was described in the sermon in to my life.