"Faith" and "Religion"
Three Meals A Day
Harvard
Seasons
The Pledge of Allegiance
Cracking a Code
Japanese Musical Instruments
Sandwich
Cues
Giving Thanks
California
States of the U. S. A. #1
December
"Faith" and "Religion"
03/11/02
At this Penney Retirement Community, there are three different classes that meet in different places on Sunday mornings before the worship service. One class is for men, another is for women and the third, called the Dialogue Class, is for both men and women who are interested in exchanging their various viewpoints on both religious and social issues from different theological perspectives.. My wife and I attend the Dialogue Class, which is now reading and discussing the book "Why Religion Matters" by Huston Smith. On the Sunday I led the discussion, I presented my viewpoint which has developed over the years, beginning with a conservative religious environment until I left home to go to university. Following my studies at seven different universities and seminaries in three different states and one foreign country and research related to other religions during 48 years in Japan, I have come to the conclusion that "faith" is an integral characteristic of all human beings whether or not they are "religious" in the traditional sense. For some people, faith is related to a religion and may be expressed through certain religious rituals or creedal statements. However, it is obvious that many people, both in Japan and in the United States, take part in religious ceremonies and make a verbal profession of faith in a certain religion but whose lives are not consistent with that religion's doctrine. True faith is seen in one's attitudes toward others and the values and priorities evident in daily life. The conclusion of the meaningful 2nd chapter of the New Testament Letter of James is: "faith without deeds is dead." (651)
Three Meals A Day
03/11/06
One of the most popular places in this retirement community is the Dining Room. Tables in the Dining Room are different sizes, permitting four, six or eight diners to sit around them. There, we meet and enjoy stimulating conversations with residents from many different backgrounds, viewpoints, interests and experiences in countries around the world while eating. Meals are prepared three times a day, but the noontime meal is the most popular. At that meal, each table is given a number and when that number is called, diners seated there join the line of people who pass along the counter where the food is available. The menus change every day, but the noon meal always includes different kinds of meat, potatoes, salads, vegetables, soup, dessert and drinks. Diners choose the food they desire and take it on a tray to their tables. The hot food is served from the steamtable by the kitchen staff. The common term for the morning meal is "breakfast," for at that time the "fast" which lasted through the night is "broken." The noon meal may be called either "lunch" or "dinner." Usually, the main meal of the day is called "dinner," whether it is eaten at noon or in the evening. If dinner is eaten in the evening, the noontime meal is called "lunch," which is a lighter meal than dinner, but if dinner is eaten at noon, the evening meal is called "supper," which is also lighter than dinner. "Lunch" is a noontime meal and "supper" is an evening meal, but "dinner" may be eaten either at noon or in the evening. In the Dining Room here, it is customary for diners to offer a prayer of gratitude before eating. (650)
Harvard
03/11/07
In the year 1620, a band of Pilgrims who had been persecuted for their faith in England boarded a ship, the "Mayflower," to flee to North America. They arrived on the coast of what later became the state of Massachusetts and soon established churches in which to worship according to their beliefs. Leaders of this community recognized the need of a school to train clergymen and on November 7, 1636, 367 years ago this week, the General Court of Massachusetts ordered the establishment of a school for that purpose. Many community leaders had attended Cambridge University in England so the name of the town in which the school was established was changed to Cambridge and the first students were admitted in 1638. How to accumulate the needed funds to support this institution was a problem from the beginning, but when a young Puritan immigrant named John Harvard died that year, he left his library and half of his estate to that school, becoming the school's first benefactor. As a result, the General Court decided that the school should be called Harvard College. At first, the school was closely allied with the Congregational Church and was supported by state agencies, but over the years it has been increasingly supported by private contributions, following the example of John Harvard. During the second half of the 19th century, Harvard College experienced a period of unprecedented development and has become one of the world's most highly respected universities with many professional schools and the largest university library in the world, with a collection of over 8 million volumes. (657)
Seasons
03/11/08
A particular period of time may be called a "season," which is derived from a Latin word meaning to plant. There are many kinds of "seasons," including the four natural divisions of the year, spring, summer, autumn and winter. The astronomical beginning of those seasons is determined by the mutual positions of the sun and the earth. Spring and autumn begin with an equinox (on March and September 21/22) and summer and winter begin with a solstice (on June and December 21/22). In the traditional Japanese almanac, however, the seasons begin earlier and the winter season begins this weekend. Not only does the winter season begin early in Japan, but the Christmas season begins early there also. For most Japanese, Christmas has more of an economic or social significance than a religious meaning and there are many more representations of Santa Claus than of Jesus during the Christmas season. On a Japanese short-wave radio broadcast a few days ago, it was noted that a major store on the Tokyo Ginza had started its special Christmas/yearend illumination display. In the U. S. A., Christmas decorations and preparations usually begin after Thanksgiving Day, the 4th Thursday of November, and in the church calendar, the season of Advent, which is a preparation for Christmas, begins on the Sunday nearest November 30 and includes the four Sundays before Christmas. There are seasons in our lives also and during the cold and bleak winter season, it is good to remember that, according to Psalm 74:17, God is in control of both summer and winter and that winter will always be followed by spring. (658)
The Pledge of Allegiance
03/11/12
Because the national flag is considered the symbol of one's country, patriotic citizens treat it with deep respect. In certain communities, schools and other organizations in the United States of America, the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag is regularly recited. At that time, it is considered proper for those reciting it to stand at attention and face the flag, placing their right hands over their hearts. The present official wording of the Pledge is: "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." This Pledge, in its original form, was first printed in a Boston magazine for young people in 1892 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of America's discovery. Fifty years later, in 1942, the Pledge was officially recognized by the United States Congress and, in 1954, the phrase "under God" was introduced into it. Since the first part of the 1st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," this phrase has now become the focus of national attention because the atheist father of an elementary school pupil in California has charged that forcing his daughter to repeat that pledge violates the constitutional protection of religious freedom. This very controversial issue must be decided by judicial authorities, but I cannot help but consider the problem in the light of the crisis faced by Christian families in Japan during the nationalistic fervor of wartime Japan. (654)
Cracking a Code
03/11/14
One kind of "code" is "a system of symbols, letters or words given certain arbitrary meanings, used for transmitting messages requiring secrecy." During wars, it is customary for military forces to make use of codes to communicate so that the enemy does not understand the messages. At times, a foreign language may be used as a code language. To "crack the code" means that the coded messages are no longer secret and that the enemy understands them. During the Pacific War, it was a great advantage for the United States to have cracked the code of Japanese forces while the Japanese were unable to crack the code related to assaults of the U. S. Marines. This code was based on the complex and unwritten language of a native America group known as the Navahos. The son of a missionary to this group of native Americans had suggested the use of this language as a code which would be difficult to break. Since it was understood only by members of that native American group, it was not only the Japanese forces that could not understand it. A group of 29 Navaho code talkers were recruited into the Marine Corps to transmit messages and the Japanese were unable to crack that code. Later, a major in the Marines stated that "were it not for the Navahos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima." Communication between people of different cultures is difficult and a common language is desirable. For Christians, the message from God was most clearly communicated in the person of Jesus Christ, the Word which became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1-14). (655)
Japanese Musical Instruments
03/11/16
It is the custom of a group of residents in this retirement community to attend a Friday morning Coffee Concert in the nearby city of Jacksonville once a month. There, we enjoy beautiful music played by the professional Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra following an informal time when coffee, tea and cookies are available in the lobby. At the last concert, the man sitting next to me asked if there were any special musical instruments peculiar to Japan. My answer was that there are three such instruments: koto, shamisen and shakuhachi. The koto and shamisen are stringed instruments and the shakuhachi is a wind instrument. The koto is a lyre with 13 strings over a wooden sound-box about 180 centimeters long and about 30 centimeters wide. It is placed on the floor and the player kneels beside it and plucks the strings with small plectrums attached to the thumb and two forefingers of the right hand. The shamisen is a small lyre, similar to a banjo, having three strings. The body is covered with catskin and the strings are plucked with a triangular ivory plectrum. The shakuhachi is a vertical Japanese flute made from the base of a bamboo stem. It has five holes and is about 50 centimeters long. These traditional Japanese musical instruments were usually played in rooms with straw-matted (tatami) floors. In my experience, I have only seen the koto played by females and the shakuhachi played by males, but the shamisen may be played by both. In the 150th Psalm, the last chapter of the longest book in the Bible, we are told to "praise the Lord" with seven different kinds of musical instruments. (661)
Sandwich
03/11/18
In the lunch boxes of many workers and students who take lunches with them to eat at lunch time will be found various kinds of sandwiches. A "sandwich" is a couple of slices of bread with a filling such as meat or cheese placed between them. The story behind this word is an interesting one. Originally, Sandwich was a proper noun. It was the name of one of the port towns on the southeastern coast of England which formerly provided ships and men for the British navy. An "earl" is a British peer, ranking above a viscount and below a marquis and in the year 1660, an admiral in the British navy was given the title "Earl of Sandwich." When the English explorer, Captain James Cook, discovered a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, he named them the Sandwich Islands in honor of a British politician, John Montague, who was the 4th earl of Sandwich. Now, these islands are called the Hawaiian Islands and they are the latest addition to the United States of America. This 4th earl of Sandwich served as lord of the admiralty during the American Revolution when British forces were defeated. Nicknamed "Jemmy Twitcher," this earl of Sandwich was an inveterate gambler who was famous for his round-the-clock sessions at the gaming boards. "Jemmy" used to order his servant to bring him pieces of meat between slices of bread so that he could continue gambling without loss of time. Eventually, such a bread-and-meat combination was given the name "sandwich" and now this word may also be used as a verb to denote the inserting of something tightly between two other things of differing character or quality. (656)
Cues
03/11/22
The 17th letter in the modern English alphabet is the letter Q. In English words, a Q is always followed by a U. Actually, it is really an unnecessary letter for its pronunciation is the same as that of the combined letters K and W. There are three different English words pronounced the same as the letter Q. The one spelled q-u-e-u-e denotes a long braid of hair, a pigtail, or a long waiting line of people. I have never worn a queue, but I have stood in a queue while waiting to buy a ticket for some event. One of the other two words, spelled c-u-e, designates the long, tapered rod used to propel the ball in billiards and pool. I have seldom made use of this kind of cue. The third word, also spelled c-u-e, is used in dramatic productions as a signal for a speech or action to begin. I have had experience with such cues in dramas in which I played a part. A phrasal verb, "cue in," is used to inform someone of late news that that person had missed. The periodical published by the University of Dubuque, which I attended, was named "The CUE." That periodical both informed readers of late news related to the university and sometimes stimulated new speeches or actions. During the latter part of my first year at that university, I served as the Sports Editor and during my second and third years there as the Business Manager of that periodical. It was at that school that I met the girl who became my wife and recently we have enjoyed looking at old copies of "The CUE," now turning brown and yellow, and reading articles that included our names in school events of almost sixty years ago. (659)
Giving Thanks
03/11/23
In the minds of many people, "prayer" denotes a request or petition made to a deity. It is often in times of trouble, uncertainty and fear that people pray. In the Bible, however, "prayer" signifies communion with God and includes confession, praise and thanksgiving. In the 100th Psalm, we are encouraged to worship the Lord with gladness and joyful songs, with thanksgiving and praise "for the Lord is good and his love endures forever." Too many religious rituals focus on petitions rather than on gratitude. In Japan, November 23 is a national holiday, Labor Thanksgiving Day, established in 1948 to recognize the importance of labor and to be thankful for its produce. Traditionally, this was the day when the emperor ritualistically partook of newly harvested rice, supposedly in the presence of his ancestors' spirits. In the United States of America, the fourth Thursday of November is now observed as Thanksgiving Day. The American Thanksgiving Day tradition is rooted in the celebration of the Pilgrims, who arrived in the "new world" in the fall of 1620. Following great hardships in getting settled and a bleak winter, during which about half of the 101 passengers of the ship which brought them from England died, they constructed a number of wooden houses and, with the aid of a Native American, planted and cultivated fields of corn and barley. Following an abundant harvest in 1621, Native Americans were invited to join them in a Thanksgiving celebration that lasted three days and strengthened the mutual ties between the "newcomers" and the "natives." Giving thanks, however, should be a yearlong custom. (664)
California
03/11/25
The third largest state in the United States of America and the state with the largest population is California. The first known occurrence of this name is in a long, romantic, Spanish poem written in the early 16th century where it refers to an island in the ocean. The name was probably coined by the poet, Garci Ordonez de Montalvo, who was probably influenced by the names of certain Spanish cities. When Spanish explorers reached the tip of the peninsula of what is now called Baja (or Lower) California, they thought it was an island and named it California. Baja California, which separates the Gulf of California from the Pacific Ocean, is now divided into two Mexican states and the present state of California was originally called Alta (or Upper) California. Many cities in California have Spanish names, including its largest city, Los Angeles, meaning "The Angels," and many bear the Spanish names of saints, including San Francisco, San Diego, San Jose, San Bernardino and Santa Ana. Many of these cities are the result of missions founded by a Spanish missionary of the Franciscan order, who was born 290 years ago this week, on November 24, 1713. The first mission founded by Junipero Serra, in 1769, was San Diego and a Serra pageant re-enacting his arrival there is presented annually at the old mission station. A sculpture of Friar Serra, representing the state of California, may be seen in the Statuary Hall. Many citizens of the U. S. A. are not aware of the meaning of the names or the historical origins of the cities in which they live. Learning about them may be stimulating and even inspiring. (665)
States of the U. S. A. #1
03/11/27
Today's message is a quiz related to various states of the United States of America. At the present time, there are 50 states. How many of them can you name? Forty-eight of them are contiguous on the North American continent. Another one on the same continent, the largest state, is separated from the other 48, and one is a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean. Do you know the names of these two states, the latest ones to be included? The names of ten states have two words in their names, five of which include the directions of North, South or West and four include the word "New." How many of them can you name? The smallest state also has two words in its name. Do you know its name? The state with the longest name in one word has 13 letters in its name and another has 12 letters. Do you know their names and can you spell them correctly? Three states have names with only four letters and three have names with five letters. How many of these can you name and spell correctly? Finally, what state do you think has the largest population and which has the smallest population? Now, all states have abbreviations consisting of only two letters. There are eight states with names beginning with M and, in some cases, it is confusing which abbreviation is used for which state. In a subsequent message, I will provide the answers to these questions, but I would like to know your reaction to such a message as this--asking questions in one message and giving the answers in a later message. You may contact me through the "Mail to Clark Offner" heading on the "Timely Words" title page. (660)
December
03/11/29
There are a number of words in English that begin with the prefix "d-e-c" which is related to the Greek word for "ten." Among them are decimeter, meaning one-tenth of a meter, decade, a period of ten years, decimal, a number using ten as the base and Decalogue, the Ten Commandments which are the heart of the Old Testament moral law, written in the 20th chapter of the book of Exodus. Whether or not displaying the Decalogue in government buildings is a violation of the constitutional separation of church and state is an ongoing problem in the U. S. A. Another word beginning with this prefix is the 12th month of the year: December. The name of this month, along with the names of the previous three months has remained the same even after the calendar was changed from ten months to twelve. This final month of the year, according to the Gregorian calendar, is a busy one in many countries. In fact, the traditional Japanese name for this month literally means "teacher run." In countries and communities with large Christian populations, the month centers on the celebration of Jesus' birth on Christmas Day, December 25th. The four weeks preceding that Feast of the Nativity are the Advent Season. "Advent" is derived from a Latin word meaning "coming" or "arrival" and this is a season of preparation for the first coming of Jesus, the Christ. While buying Christmas gifts, putting up Christmas decorations, preparing for family gatherings and yearend parties, time should be found to quietly meditate on the meaning of the celebration and to thank God for the love revealed in the gift of his Son. (666)