It's always been a goal of mine to visit churches of other faiths. I've been blessed to have always had a knowledge of the truthfulness of the LDS gospel. However, I also believe that understanding other faiths can help me become a better, more empathetic person. What I didn't expect, is that I would learn how to improve my own personal worship.
So this morning a friend and I went to a Seventh Day Adventist worship service. It was neat to see that their beliefs are actually very similar to those of the LDS church. The first lesson I learned was at the beginning of the service. They began with everyone standing up, walking around greeting each other and welcoming everyone. The thing is, they didn't just approach their friends. Many people approached my friend and I, making us feel comfortable and welcome. It created a feeling of love throughout the room.
The second lesson I learned was in their specific greeting "Happy Sabbath." These two words said so much for me. It reminds you that it is the Sabbath and a special day. It also reminds you to have joy in worshipping.
My favorite part of the service was singing hymns. Because I had never sung these songs before, I was paying extra attention to the words and was really able to feel the Spirit. I was reminded of Doctrine and Covenants 25: 12 "For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads." I definitely felt that this was true today in that the people really seemed to be praying through song. It made me want to pay closer attention to my LDS hymns and sing them as though I'm praying.
They passed around a collection bag which I was expecting, but then they also blessed the money afterward. The wording of that prayer made me think about my tithing. Specifically they prayed that the donated money would bless the lives of others and that those who donated would have enough left for their needs. I want to be better at kind of consecrating my money to the Lord rather than just giving it up.
In another prayer, they mentioned that we had come together to "encounter the Spirit." Something about that wording made me think about how I prepare for my Sunday meetings. I need to start praying that I'll be open to the Spirit and any inspiration that may come my way. Really that's how I was able to gain these insights; I had prepared myself to learn something new.
This was a really great experience and I'm excited to learn about others as well. Next week: Catholics!
