Election Campaign
California
The Star-Spangled Banner
Capitol Cornerstone
Constitutional Amendments
Apples

Election Campaign
08/09/04

On November 4, “the Tuesday after the first Monday of November” this year, electors who will select the new president and vice president of the United States of America will be chosen by those citizens who exercise their right to vote. Now that both major political parties have officially chosen candidates, a vigorous election campaign will be conducted until that date. “Campaign,” derived from a Latin word meaning “open country,” originally denoted “a series of military operations, undertaken to achieve a specific objective within a given area,” but it may also signify a project to attain a political goal. During this campaign, some campaigners will drink champagne, a sparkling white wine originally produced in Champagne, a region of France. Two years ago, when I preached a sermon on the Sunday following Election Day, I tried to stimulate the minds of the congregation by choosing the following strange sermon title: “Election(s): Human and/or Divine (!?)” On Election Day, American citizens (s)elect their representatives by voting. But “election” has another deeper, theological meaning: “predestination.” Some theologians affirm that all events in individual lives, in society in general and in the world at large have been “predestined” by an almighty God, who is working out a divine plan, which will eventually be accomplished. Whether an exclamation point or a question mark is chosen for the sermon title depends on one’s perspective. There are conflicting views depending upon whether the “free will” of the individual or the “predestination” of God should be emphasized, but the possibility that both elements may be involved should also be recognized. (1170)

California
08/09/08

During my school days, the United States of America consisted of 48 contiguous states. The last two states included were Arizona and New Mexico, which had joined the Union in 1912. In 1959, two noncontiguous states were recognized, and each one moved the national boundary further west. Alaska, the 49th state, displaced Texas as the largest state, and Hawaii, in the Pacific Ocean, is the only island state. Until 1959, the westernmost and second largest state was California, which became the 31st state 158 years ago, on September 9, 1850. The name, “California,” evidently comes from an old Spanish poem in which it signified an “earthly paradise.” Previously, this territory was a Spanish possession, but following Mexico’s revolt against Spain in the early 1820s, it became a Mexican province and then asserted its independence in 1836. After the U.S. Mexican War in 1848, it was ceded to the United States. At that time, just before the Civil War, the U.S.A. was divided between 15 states that recognized slavery and 15 that did not, so when California was admitted as a free state, it tipped the balance. Reports that gold was discovered along a river in California attracted many people in what has been called the California gold rush. Now, the nickname of this state with the greatest population is “Golden State” and the state’s motto is “Eureka,” a Greek term meaning: “I have found it!” As we consider terms related to this physical or political state of California, we should be reminded of their metaphysical or spiritual implications as well. (1171)

The Star-Spangled Banner
08/09/13

A piece of cloth attached to a staff may be called a “banner.” Many schools, clubs, companies and other organizations have banners with special symbols, letters or words on them to represent them. The flag representing a state or nation may also be called a “banner” and in 1931, the U. S. Congress officially designated a poem entitled “The Star-Spangled Banner” that had been combined with an old English tune, the national anthem of the United States of America. That poem was written 194 years ago this week by Francis Scott Key, a young lawyer who had been detained on a British ship during the bombing of Fort McHenry, near Baltimore, Maryland, by British forces in the War of 1812. This bombardment continued for some 25 hours and when it ended on the morning of September 15, 1814, and Key saw the national flag with its “stars and stripes” still waving, he was inspired to write this poem. The flag that Key viewed had 15 stripes and 15 stars because two additional states (Vermont and Kentucky) had entered the Union after the original flag with its 13 stars and 13 stripes had been created. “Spangle” denotes a sparkling object and that was the impression the flag waving in the breeze that morning stimulated in Key’s mind following the two days and nights of bombing. So the final two lines of each of the four verses in that poem refer to the “star-spangled banner” which waves “O-er the land of the free and the home of the brave.” Obviously, the Kimigayo national anthem of Japan has a very different history and significance. (1172)

Capitol Cornerstone
08/09/17

The place where two lines meet is called a “corner.” Buildings constructed in the traditional way with straight walls have corners where the walls intersect and a special stone deposited at such a corner is called a “cornerstone.” In the traditions of certain countries, a cornerstone ceremony is sometimes held to attract attention to the beginning of construction of an important building. On September 18, 1793, 215 years ago this week, a memorable capitol cornerstone ceremony was held in the capital of the United States of America. As we consider that ceremony, we are faced with another example of a strange characteristic of the English language. Did you notice the different spellings of two homonyms in the previous sentence? “Capital,” spelled with an “a” in the third syllable, has a number of different meanings related to finances and grammar, but in that sentence, it refers to the city where the official seat of government is located. It is derived from the Latin word for “head.” “Capitol,” referring to the building in which a state legislature assembles, is pronounced the same, but is spelled with an “o” in the final syllable. This word is derived from the name of a temple in Rome in honor of the mythological supreme god, Jupiter. If the first letter is capitalized, it denotes “the building in Washington, D.C. occupied by the Congress of the United States.” George Washington, wearing a Masonic apron, conducted the Capitol Cornerstone ceremony in 1793 according to Masonic rituals for not only was he president of the United States of America, he was also the grand master of Maryland’s Masonic Grand Lodge. (1173)

Constitutional Amendments
08/09/23

When the word spelled t-e-a-r is pronounced to rhyme with “ear,” it denotes a drop of liquid from the eye, but when it is pronounced to rhyme with “air,” it may signify a rip in a cloth which needs to be mended. To “mend” means to repair something that has been torn or broken. When an “a” is added to the beginning of “mend,” the new word, “amend,” has a similar meaning: “to improve or make better.” The official document that includes the rules to be followed by members of an organization may be called a “constitution” and weaknesses in the original document may be changed by adding constitutional amendments. When the United States of America declared its separation from Great Britain in 1776, it composed a Constitution which was approved by the 13 states in 1788. The first 10 amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights, which emphasize the rights of citizens and include recognition of their basic freedoms, were ratified in 1791 by the first session of the First Congress; since then many other amendments have been added. It is not only the national or federal constitution that is amended. Each of the fifty states has its own state constitution that periodically requires amendments as times and situations change. In the coming national election in November, legal residents of this state of Florida will also vote for or against a number of constitutional amendments. The legal language involved in constitutional amendments is sometimes difficult to understand, so recently an evening meeting was held in this retirement community to explain the amendments, which we will approve or reject. (1174)

Apples
08/09/28

My wife and I have many fond memories of beautiful cherry blossoms in Japan—whether along the street, in a park or in our yard. We recall, however, that the cherry trees with the beautiful blossoms did not bear any fruit. Apple trees, on the other hand, after generating pretty blossoms, also produce edible fruit. In Japan, I often did not return home until late at night, following evening meetings, so it became the custom of my wife and me to eat our dessert together late at night, followed by a fresh apple as the climax of our evening meal. We continue to follow that custom even now and we have recently read articles regarding the healthy benefits that apples generate. In ancient days, the pupil in the eye was thought to be a round object similar to an apple, so something very precious and greatly treasured was called the “apple of the eye.” In the Old Testament book of Psalms (17:8), the poet prays that God will keep him as “the apple of his eye.” In the story of Eve’s temptation, recorded in the 3rd chapter of Genesis, no mention is made of the kind of fruit she took and ate, but some interpreters/readers imagine it to have been an apple. A legend about William Tell, a national hero of Switzerland, tells of his being ordered to shoot with a bow and arrow an apple that had been placed on the head of his son. He did so, but when asked why he had brought another arrow with him, he replied that he was planning to shoot the tyrannical steward who had given the order if he had killed his son. (1175)