Happy Sun’s Day

Announcements:

I am announcing that starting today I will be preaching a series with an overall theme.  I get more into this theme in the actual sermon section below but I wanted to announce that this series will go on for quite a while.  The Book of Rabyd is a Legacy Project of mine.  Something I want to pass on to the family after I am gone. It is a basically a list of Life Principles, Points of Wisdom and Family Sayings that were passed on to me or I discovered and I seek to pass on to the future generations of those of the Raby lineage. I simply seek a unique way to do it and The Pagan Pulpit fits.  I will probably make a separate post of it to stand alone, but I want to use the framework of the pulpit to get the inspiration going.  Hope you enjoy it.

To the rest of the announcements:

We don’t pray here – we figure God, the gods and goddesses, or whatever powers that be either know already, don’t give a fuck, or are busy with more important matters than our petty stuff. We also kind of assume that they expect us to do stuff that we can do for ourselves, and that we will do them ourselves and not be lazy. We also believe in being good friends, so we don’t presume on our friendship with the powers that be by asking them all the time for stuff while giving them nothing in return.

We also don’t take an offering here.  We figure the powers that be probably don’t need it.  Let’s be honest, offerings are not giving to the divine powers, they are given to an organization to support it.  Just being honest. God, the gods or whatever never see a dime, farthing or peso of that money; it all goes to the church, mosque or shrine.

Opening Song: Master of Puppets (S & M) – Metallica:

Figured I start the service with something epic.  Probably a candidate for one of the top five best metal songs of all time.  Combine it with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra and great crowd participation and you get one epic piece and moment in time.

Poem: “Untitled (Never Be Sorry?)” by Caroline Carter

This poem is something that pulls me right now. If that makes any sense?  I simply view my past as a Christian as a toxic place and I have moved on.  It is hard for others to accept, but their acceptance of my choices cannot influence me one way or another.

Meditation:

Song of Preparation: “Amen” – Halestorm:

I always marvel at people when they use the term “Amen:” in church.  Most of them don’t even know what it means.  Basically, when you say ‘Amen’ your testifying that you believe that what you just heard is true. With this song for me – “Amen”

Text: 

Introducing – The Book of Rabyd

Sermon:

In life I have heard a lot of things.  I have also pondered, thought, felt and experienced life.  I have loved so deeply that it has led me to mountain tops and the lowest valleys of emotion.  I have tried to act in justice to the point where I have fought tyranny in my own life and in the lives of others. I have above all tried to live a wise life full of balance between love and justice with varying degrees of success.

Along the way I collected in my head a list of Life Principles, Points of Wisdom and a Few Family Sayings.  The Book of Rabyd is my attempt to categorize these and place them into an organized form for future generations to read.  The original version appears here: The Book of Rabyd (All Things Rabyd)

It was written in this form from February 2015 to July 2015.  It needs revising. Mostly my faith and religion of the time need to be removed and everything take on a more inclusive form.  Because of this there is going to be some of the part of The Book of Rabyd that will be deleted. others will experience wholesale revision and others will be left alone and continue to stand.

The Book is divided into three sections: Life Principles, Points of Wisdom and Family Sayings.

Life Principles are things that are the core to what I believe is effective life philosophy.  I have found them to be true the vast majority of the time and form the highest level of the hierarchy of The Book of Rabyd.  They are the core and everything flows from them.

Points of Wisdom are wise sayings that I have collected over the years that resonate with me.  Like all wise sayings they have their limits and require wisdom in understanding them and application to life. They have been found by me to be rather helpful in navigating life.

Family Sayings are simply that.  Things various family members have said resonate with truth and are worth passing on to the next generation.  Some of them are from family members that are dead so there is a preservation of memory attached to this as well.  This was actually the unfinished part of the Book of Rabyd that was still in progress.

In truth the entire book is not a closed canon.  It always subject to review and debate. Over the coming months I plan on preaching it one verse at a time.  There will be a second post on Sun’s Day in the afternoon that will be The Book of Rabyd in its pure, non-Pagan pulpit form.  But I want to preach it first.  I think through that I will gain some addition insight.

I hope you enjoy it.

Closing Song: “Here’s to Us” – Halestorm:

One final “Skaal!!!” before we part.  Here’s to us.

Parting Thought:

 

So true.  I ithnk most of people’s personal problems stem from two factors:

1) Not accepting who they are and trying to be somebody that they are not

2) Not accepting the mystery of life and that life itself is mysterious – and that is a good thing.

I remain,

The Rabyd Skald – Wandering Soul, Bard and Philosopher. The Grey Wayfarer.

Skaal!!!