June 26, 2023

Sunday Service on June 25, 2023

Triangle Family Church Sunday Service on June 25, 2023

Musical Offering

Sermon

Summary: Learning about meditation and its connection to our original nature and Union with God.

Highlights: 

  • Surprised to find a quote from Father about learning how to meditate.
  • Some recall Father speaking about meditation in the past, while others are not familiar.
  • Autobiography and speeches mention Father's meditation practices.
  • Importance of learning how to meditate as a way to unite with God and awaken our original nature.
  • Using a mantra as a simple and effective meditation technique.
  • Benefits of meditation include calmness, connection with God, and improved health.
  • Personal experiences of peace and embracing God during the meditation exercise. 

... Every human being has an inner connection to his or her original, eternal nature. Every person possesses elements of the ideal of creation within his or her heart. Therefore human beings have the capacity to overcome their sin, become complete, achieve union with God, and live infinitely happy lives. The goal of our prayers is to awaken that inner nature Jour original, eternal nature] and make it the core of our thinking.

Moon, Sun Myung, and Hak Ja Han Moon. Cheon Seong Gyeong. Seonghwa Chulpansa, 2015, p. 888 [Sun Myung Moon, Cheon Seong Gyeong, Book 8. Chapter 3.14].

Take two tuning forks and strike one; the other will vibrate with the same frequency. A well-rounded mind makes a good resonating vessel. It has the sensitivity to feel the spiritual vibration coming from the Subject Being.

Therefore, when living a life of faith, you need to take time to meditate. Meditate while longing for goodness. When you meditate, open the door of your mind ...

Then, God's original nature and your original nature will resonate together. The individual qualities of your mind [e.g ., your spring-like personality will resonate completely with those same qualities of God, uniting you in a complete relationship with the Subject Being. In that state, when you go out to pursue your desired purpose, God will certainly be with you.

Wilson, Andrew, editor. World Scripture II. Universal Peace Federation, 2011, p. 807

When you meditate, it helps to use a mantra. Mantras are words that we repeat over and over (usually for 20 minutes) that cause our mind to become calm and quiet, so we can resonate with God's mind:

Dear God, my heart is open. Please come rest, inside my heart.
Dear God, my heart is open. Please come rest, inside my heart.
Dear God, my heart is open. Please come rest, inside my heart.

During meditation, your mind will want to wander. When that happens, just gently go back to focusing on the mantra. Repeat it continuously for 20 minutes. Afterwards, write down any inspirations that come.

June 19, 2023

Sunday Service on June 18, 2023

Triangle Family Church Sunday Service on June 18, 2023

Musical Offering

Sermon - Ownership mindset and Victim mindset

Highlights:
  • The parable of the talents teaches the importance of using our talents for the greater good and not for personal gain.
  • Jesus and True Parents set examples of taking responsibility for the sins of humankind.
  • Seek the meaning and purpose of the talents we receive and use them to protect and serve others.
  • Attend Sunday service and tithe as a way to become owners of the church.
  • Pray for the strength to overcome challenges and fulfill our responsibilities as owners of God's creation. 

True Day of All Things Cake Cutting


Sermon transcript  Japanese translation

Good morning, brothers and sisters. I'd like to read the parable of the talents. It is from a New Testament Matthew chapter 25. The term "Talent" has two meanings. The one is skill as you know. The other is a unit of currency. The literal meaning of talent in this Parable is a unit of currency. But the parable also symbolizes the skills given by God. Let's read.

The Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  

And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’  His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 

And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’  His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’  He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’  But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed?  Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.  So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.  

Those who have much will receive more, and they will have more than they need. But as for those who don’t have much, even the little bit they have will be taken away from them.

What does the parable teach us?

Does the parable illustrate free market capitalism?
"The rich get richer and the poor get poorer."

Was Jesus a capitalist?
Did Jesus tell that the Kingdom of Heaven was like a free market capitalist world?

Some people say that Jesus was a capitalist because of this parable. As you know, many people think that Jesus was a socialist. It is not a topic today whether Jesus was a capitalist or socialist. I put the argument aside. I would like to talk about two kinds of mindset today; owner mindset and victim mindset.

First two servants thought what they can do more for goodness with talents they received from their master and took the actions.

On the other hand, the last one did not think the meaning of the talent he received and took no action. He might have resentment to the master. He might feel that the life was not fair comparing to other two servants received five and two, much more than him. 

There is a English idiom born with a silver spoon in one's mouth. It means to be born into a very rich family and having a privileged upbringing. The similar expression exists in Korea and Japan, too.
the meaning is to be born into a very rich family and having a privileged upbringing and the similar expression exists in Korea and Japan too.
수저계급론 (Spoon class theory) in Korea. 親ガチャ (Parent lottery) in Japan. 

These expressions are usually used to show resentment or disapproval. What kind of mindset is seen from these expressions? 
It's a victim mindset. It is saying life is not fair and my life depends on my circumstances. I am a victim of my circumstances. Our thoughts tend to go towards victim mindset. Why?

Let's go back to the our ancestors. Victim mindset started from our first ancestors. It's Genesis 3 12-13 illustrating Adam and Eve’s excuse after fall.

The man said, “The woman you gave me, she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.”
The Lord God said to the woman, “What have you done?!”
And the woman said, “The snake tricked me, and I ate.”

Adam said; I fell because of God and Eve. I am a victim.
Eve said; I fell because of Lucifer. I am a victim.

Genesis 4:4-5.
The Lord looked favorably on Abel and his sacrifice but didn’t look favorably on Cain and his sacrifice. Cain became very angry and looked resentful.
Cain also fell into victim mindset when God did not take his offering. 

We often face challenges to fall into victim mindset. Job in the Bible is an example of one who faced the challenges.

Job was a righteous man who was always doing good deeds, had virtue and wealth, and was admired by everyone as a man of honor. One day, however, Job's situation changed drastically. His best friend betrayed him, he lost his fortune in a disaster, and his entire family died. Having suffered the pains of the world, Job said to himself, "I have done nothing wrong. I try every day to live as a respectable person. But why do I have to suffer like this?”

In the depths of despair, when Job prayed to God, "I cannot live any longer, let me die." Then he heard God's voice calling out, "O Job!” Job listened carefully, expecting God to comfort him, saying, "You have done well so far.” The voice of God sounded loud and clear.

“Gird up now thy loins like a man." Job 38:3

These were the only words God gave him.

But with these words, Job stood up straight. He realized that life was God's grace and not something we could create. Job decided to stand up straight and walk with his eyes fixed on God, so that he can live appropriately as a recipient of the grace.
God reminded Job the ownership mindset toward his life. 

When we face challenges in our life and are about to fall into victim mindset like Job, what do we need to remember?

God is a source of ownership mindset. This is from Divine principle. “The human fall is the result of man's own error. However, God, too, is responsible for the results, as the Creator. God has felt compelled to restore the result of man's error to its original state before the fall. 
God will save this world of sin full of grief by all means.”

When I first learned Divine principle and found someone would be responsible for the suffering of human kinds, I felt relief and hope.
Ownership mindset is ultimately mindset of Heavenly Parent. What do “Only Begotten Son”, “Only Begotten Daughter”, and “True Parents” mean?

Jesus and True Parents have ownership mindset toward all human kinds as Heavenly Parent does. They took responsibility for sins of all human kinds.

These are the examples how Jesus and True Parents took responsibility to have ownership mindset.
Palm Sunday is Sunday before Easter. Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem knowing he would be tried and crucified. If Jesus didn't go back to Jerusalem, he might have not been crucified. But he went into Jerusalem to take ownership and responsibility over all humankinds' sins. 

True Father went to prison six times. He could avoid but he took ownership and responsibility to save all humankind.

True Mother's determination. This is her message right after True Father's Ascension. “At the moment of Father’s ascension, I promised Father that I would work to fulfill all that he had desired to do for humanity until my last day on earth.”
True Mother’s Message: We will now make our Unification Church a living and breathing church on September 23, 2012

Someone may say that the terms “Only Begotten Son”, “Only Begotten Daughter”, and “True Parents” are used to make the person special and a godlike figure. The terms actually mean the determination to take full responsibility for humanity.

In conclusion, how to have ownership mindset? The first thing to do is to reflect talents we have. You may think "I don't have any talent". Our life itself is gift from God. God gave our life and our life came from many sacrifices. You are born because of your mother's sacrifice. Mothers hold babies in their stomach in nine months. Without that sacrifice you could not be born.

The next point is to seek the meaning and purpose of the talents you receive. 

Then think like Heavenly Parent and use the talents for public. Those who are born with more talents than others are commit to use them for the world and other people, and that he/she must never use those talents for personal gain.

We become owners of our talents if we use our talents for public.
Let us become the Owner of Cheon Il Guk! The Family Pledge all of one to eight start from our family Owner of Cheon Il Guk. We are expected to become the Owner of Cheon Il Guk. Small steps we can take is to attend Sunday service and the tithe as the owner of Triangle Family Church. You may come to Sunday service especially for young ones because you have no choice to come, because your parents come to church. But eventually you should come to Sunday service as a owner of Triangle Family Church. You have seven days 24 hours. If you offer your small portion of time just 2-3 hours a week, then God will bless all of your time.

If you tithe 10 percent of your income, then God will bless all your income. 

Let us pray. Dear Heavenly Parent, thank you for this day. We gather here to attend Heavenly Parent. Heavenly Parent expects us to be the owner of the Creation. That's why you gave us responsibility and expect us to fulfill our responsibility, become owner of the Creation, and enjoy the Creation. Unfortunately, Adam and Eve couldn't fulfill their responsibility and fell into victim mindset. Throughout human history, people fell into victim mindset. Then Jesus and True Parents came to this earth to teach us to be owners. They showed us the example to be owners. They took full responsibility for sins of all humankinds. They went extreme suffering course, but they never complained, never gave up, kept taking responsibility. They expect us to take some portion of responsibilities, become owners, and enjoy fully over God's Creation. Heavenly Parent, it is not easy. We face many challenges in our life. But let us remember our life came from God. It's a gift from Heavenly Parent. Let us have strengths to overcome challenges and let us be owners of Cheon Il Guk. Thank you, Heavenly Parent. I'd like to report everything in the name of Blessed Central families.

June 05, 2023

Sunday Service on June 4, 2023

Triangle Family Church Sunday Service on June 4, 2023

Musical Offering

Sermon

Summary:
The sermon discusses the concept of restoration through indemnity and the importance of paying off indemnities. It also emphasizes the need to pray and pay more indemnity to shorten the duration of the indemnity period. The sermon highlights the importance of being a dedicated and determined person, attracting others to help and support you. It also mentions the significance of thinking about and paying indemnity for the people in the village. Overall, the sermon encourages the congregation to persevere and fulfill their mission, as it will lead to the salvation of the nation.

Key Insights:

  • The sermon emphasizes the concept of restoration through indemnity, which is a central theme in the Triangle Family Church. It explains the different levels of messages carried by Father's and Mother's voices, highlighting the importance of understanding their perspectives.
  • The sermon emphasizes the need to pay off personal, member, and district indemnities, indicating the significance of fulfilling these responsibilities. It encourages members to pray and pay more indemnity to shorten the duration of the indemnity period.
  • The sermon emphasizes the importance of being a dedicated and determined person. It states that such individuals attract support from others, including conscientious people, good people in villages, and even angels from the spiritual world. This support aids in overcoming obstacles and achieving success.
  • The sermon highlights the significance of paying indemnity for the people in the village. It states that by doing so, a lasting connection is created, and the villagers will be reluctant to see the individual leave. This deepens the impact of the mission and fosters a sense of unity.
  • The sermon presents the formula of paying indemnity as a universal principle that can be applied to any situation. It encourages members to try it repeatedly and observe how God helps them. It suggests that the more opposition one faces, the more prosperous their mission will become, ultimately leading to victory.
  • The sermon introduces the memoir of Mother, which offers a personal perspective on her daily life and mission. It highlights her sacrifices, dedication, and the challenges she faced while fulfilling her responsibilities as a mother and a leader.
  • The sermon encourages members to align themselves with the overall goal of world peace and to go beyond fulfilling their own small church goals. It emphasizes the importance of teaching the principle through action and love, attracting others to join the movement. It also highlights the role of community and unity in multiplying the power of love.


Sunday School - Science Experiment with lesson - Parting Red Sea