How to Respond to those Voices in your Head?
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How to Respond to those Voices in your Head?

Sunday, May 23, 2021
at 5 pm EST


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Dear Friends:
Thanks to all for discussing ways to manage our time. I enjoyed people sharing the ways they make eternal time investments in their weekly schedule as a spiritual practice.

You can see past sermons here:
https://holycitydc.org/category/sermon/

How to Manage those Voices in Your Head
This Sunday my sermon will explore how we deal with those voices in our heads? Where do they come from? Are they good or evil? Do they guide us or lead us astray? I'll share insights from psychology and Swedenborg to try to sort this out.

Helen Sioris Transition to the Spiritual World
Helen Sioris, our church president, transitioned to the spiritual world early Saturday morning on May 15th. In April, she learned she had stage four cancer in her bones. She asked me to share this with her church community and she joined that Sunday service to ask for prayers and share her appreciation for our community.

She transitioned out of this life surrounded by a community who loved her deeply.

We are particularly grateful to Malcolm Peck how visited her almost every day and housed her in his spare bedroom for few weeks before she went to the hospital.

Last Friday her brother came to town to visit with her in the afternoon. I arrived Friday night and decorated her room with church posters and we discussed each one. We had a good discussion though she was in great physical pain. She was ready for transition and appreciative of all the support from the church community. She died later that night.

Just last week, Annabel interviewed her and we will be sharing that interview at her Memorial Service.

Funeral Friday, June 4th at 11 AM EST
A funeral for Helen will be held on Friday, June 4th at Murphy's Funeral Home in Arlington, VA at 11 AM EST. This will be followed by a Mediterranean luncheon which will be followed by a graveside service. Rev. Tafel will be presiding.

Murphy's Funeral Home

Memorial Service, Sunday, June 20th at 4 PM EST
Church of the Holy City will hold a memorial service for Helen on Sunday, June 20th at 4 PM EST. This will be broadcast to our members. Following the Memorial Service, we will have our last Sunday Service before summer vacation at 5 PM. A reception is planned for anyone who is able to join us in Washington DC. The final weekend in June is our national convention.

If you'd like to do a reading or share a story for either or both services, just contact Rev. Tafel (revtafel@holycitydc.org.). Please check out Maria and Annabel's lovely tributes to Helen that they posted on Facebook below.

New Member Shalonda Ingram
Our building director, Shalonda Ingram, has requested members into the Church of the Holy City community. After meeting with the pastor and gaining that recommendation, the board of directors voted in their last meeting to approve her for members. Per our bylaws, this desire to become a member is being formally announced here. If there are no objections, Shalonda becomes our newest member.

We are thrilled to have someone of Shalonda's integrity and spirit express interest, formally being a part of our community.

Membership
If you are interested in becoming a member, please reach out to me.

Swedenborgian Convention 2021 June 25-27.
The annual convention of Swedenborgian churches will take place online again this year and all are welcome to attend. Details below. Please pick a class or two to attend. Also, if you're a member we still have two voting options available. We need you at Convention!

https://convention2021.swedenborg.org/

Reading Group July and August 2021
A number of members have expressed interest in holding a reading group during July and August when the church takes our summer vacation. Let me know if you are interested and I'll do a group email introduction for those interested.

Look forward to seeing you Sunday.

Thanks for your help!

Rev. Rich Tafel
Tribute to Helen Sioris
by Annabel Park

A beautiful soul transitioned last Saturday morning. Her name is Helen Sioris, and she was seventy-nine years old. As the second child of Greek immigrants, she lived a life of feisty independence despite the discouragement from those around her. She had a long career at the World Bank and relished the fact that she was able to have a successful career as a single woman.

She was a seeker of moral and spiritual truths and strove to be kind and thoughtful to everyone around her. She was a member of the Church of The Holy City - National Swedenborgian Church for thirty-five years and was president for the last year and a half of her life. In a remarkable partnership with Minister Tafel, she oversaw our church transform into a sacred place of radical inclusiveness for all those seeking refuge from intolerance and hate.
Beto and I were able to visit her two days before she passed away. She and her brother were greatly comforted by Beto's gentle and loving presence.

I audio-recorded a conversation with her that moved me deeply. She wants all of us to know that civil dialogue is the most important tool for creating meaningful and lasting social change. She was alert, communicative, and at peace with her "imminent death," as she called it. I will share the recording during her memorial service.

It was a great privilege to witness Rich Tafel and church member and Helen's neighbor Malcolm Peck care for her with love and tenderness in the last weeks of her life as bone cancer ravaged her body.

I think I will look back on my conversation with her as an existential turning point. I understand so much better what it means to die with dignity and peace. I want this for myself and everyone I know.
I will see you on the other side, Helen. Rest In Peace.
A Tribute to Helen Sioris
by Maria de Los Angeles

Dear Helen,

I’ll be honest. Sometimes I wonder if in my eldercare and end-of-life work, I overcompensate for everything I wanted to do and never did for my parents. You see, history repeated itself this weekend. God wanted to remind me about intention and surrender -- the seed and evolving of love.
About five years ago, my father died while I was on the phone arranging for members of my Miami church choir to sing at his bedside for his upcoming birthday -- all just hours before my visit.
This past weekend, you died just two days shy of my visit, while I was making arrangements for the D.C. chapter of Threshold Choir to sing at your bedside, while I was making plans of what little joys I could bring to your pain and passing.

Making plans in this year of waiting. Waiting. Waiting for the pandemic to end. Waiting for the vaccine. Waiting to see you again.

Before this year marked by patience, there were Sundays.

At the sanctuary, I could hear your cane tapping the floor. Tap tap. Acoustic hello. “Helen is here,” I thought. Though I was facing the altar on the first pew, perhaps those sitting behind me could see me smile as my shoulder blades stretched. A happy sigh. “Helen is here.”

I would rush to you when you cried offering testimony. I would hold your hand when we sang together. No, correction. I would hold your hand and then quiet myself as I couldn’t harmonize with your angelic soprano soaring out of a tiny body into the nave. I would listen to your long yarns at social hour, not only because you were my friend and I loved you, but also because you reminded me of my mom. I could see her in your eyes, a sea of kindness.

It takes a village to help someone die. And our little Swedenborgian village -- “we’re small but with big hearts,” as I like to say about the capital’s Church of the Holy City, was there for you during the pandemic working on behalf of one singular intention -- to ease your suffering. Our pastor and others helped you along the way, and I’m so grateful.

My sweet friend, before there was anything, God said let there be light and that was the first intention. And because we’re part of a mystical tradition, let me play with words. God also said let there be love. But with that love came infinite surrender into unbounded vastness. What was once created out of nothing can never be destroyed into nothing.

The seed and evolving. Intention and surrender. The primordial sound. The beauty of the fading note.

I like to think you and my father chose a bigger choir. Maybe I didn't quite make it to the nursing home. I’m still singing for you in my heart. I ask you what song you’d like to hum. And then I just listen. Shh. Shh. Just listen. The still small voice of love.

I love you.
Maria



"How to Heal Our Divides"




Featuring Church of the Holy City


This past year I was approached by Brian Allain a book publisher and manager of the website Compassionate Christianity. He was looking for Christian leaders who were bridging the barriers. Originally, he was interested in our work of holding political dialogue in the church.

But when he learned about our vision for a spiritual entrepreneur incubator in our church, he asked me to submit one of the chapters with a short summary of the work at Church of the Holy City. This is an incredible opportunity to put a spotlight on our unique ministry at the church.
Here is our website https://howtohealourdivides.com/



Sunday Service Order

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Light a Candle
Open the Word
Greetings and Check-In
Take a Deep Breath


Invocation
Bless us as we gather today.
Weave us into a community showing forth your power and tenderness.
Bless us and our differences and undergird our courage to stand together.
We call on you today to gather us in your love.
Lead us to better know you and glorify you on each step of the journey of our lives.
Amen.

Confession
Psalm 51 
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness:
according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.


Scripture Readings

Matthew 16:2–3
“It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.” And in the morning, “It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.” You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.


Exodus 3:1–8
There the angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in a flame of fire out of a bush; he looked, and the bush was blazing, yet it was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I must turn aside and look at this great sight, and see why the bush is not burned up.” When the LORD saw that he had turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Come no closer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” He said further, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the LORD said, “I have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt.”


Swedenborg Insights:
These spirits were extremely malignant, arousing things that had been delightful, and following closely in their own thought all and the very least details with a mind to finding out how they might ensnare, and destroy me. (Spiritual Experiences §3966)

It is otherwise with those whom the Lord leads. . . . Such are enlightened when they read the Word; for the Lord is in the Word, and speaks with everyone according to [their] apprehension. When such hear the speech of spirits, as they sometimes do, they are not taught but led, and this with such precaution that [they are] left to [themselves]; for every
, as has been said before, is led by the Lord by means of affections, and from these [they think] as if from [themselves] in freedom; if this were not so [they] would be incapable of reformation, nor could [they] be enlightened. But [people] are enlightened variously, each according to the quality of his [or her] affection and consequent intelligence. (Apocalypse Explained §1183)


SERMON

Offering
Please give generously to our ministry
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Community Prayer with Lord's Prayer
(congregation responds, "Lord hear our prayer.")

Benediction
Now may the peace that passes all understanding be with you all this day and forevermore.
AMEN

Discussion Time Follows the Benediction
This time is for those who would like to remain after the service to ask questions and hear the questions of others.

Guidelines:
Participate by asking questions first.
Be curious and open-minded in your participation in the views of others.
Keep your questions to no more than two minutes.
Speak once until everyone has spoken.
Listen deeply to the questions of others and show you've listened before speaking.


Spiritual
Entrepreneur
Resources

Webinar worth watching, just click the title on spiritual entrepreneurship:

Braver Angels Podcast click the title:




Scott Smith's New Book
Church member, Scott Smith's book came out describing a step-by-step process for our government to replace the current tax system with a more equitable way to support those at economic levels.

New LinkedIn Page-Please "like"
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