GOOD MORNING EVERYBODY

No, I’m not your new minister---Dave Hedgepeth will be installed July 25^th ---That’s next Sunday---don’t miss it. I’m Roy Merwin from Sun City and a summer senior citizen.

When I mentioned the possibility of giving a sermon, Alta said,

"You’re not qualified---maybe you could read a litany."

She is absolutely right, "I’m not qualified and I probably would stumble through a litany." But here I am. What subject and what exactly is a sermon?

I looked up definitions of a sermon: An often lengthy and tedious speech of reproof or exhortation.

Or, a religious discourse delivered as part of a church service. I got to thinking---maybe I could call it a message or an essay but still the question---on what subject? How about a subject that has many biblical references?

An idea came to me as a result of the 1987 funeral of my brother—in-law, Rollie. His wife, my sister, Marjorie, and my nephew Bruce were going through his clothes which were all first rate. His clothes fit me perfectly. Marjorie wanted to give me a hardly worn summer weight black suit and I said, "I don’t need this." Bruce replied, "Take the suit and PASS IT ON."

I thought, ‘what a poignant concept---to pass something GOOD on to someone who needs it.’ Helping others is referred to in the bible numerous times. This behavior seems so simple, but to adopt this philosophy as a part of life is another matter.

To understand when something is GOOD you need a theory of what is GOOD. Your experiences should be coherent with your theory and your theory should be consistent with reality.

John Stewart Mill, philosopher in the 1800’s, said it is GOOD to act to bring the greatest happiness to the greatest number of people. So long as no one is coerced and has liberty to follow their desires it probably is GOOD.

Another perspective---Do what you want as long as it doesn’t infringe on others.

My mind whirling---if what is defined as GOOD enough to be PASSED ALONG what is an example of the opposite? A story came to mind: This happened in a large open restaurant, very upscale. The waiters are all men and they transport the food on trays aloft balancing on one hand.

A waiter is balancing a tray of glasses of water and a clumsy customer sticks his leg out at the wrong time and trips the waiter. This is near the middle of the dining floor and water glasses are flung in all directions. Some glasses break and the waiter FALLS heavily and his face is cut on a broken water glass. Blood is streaming down his face onto the floor and a hysterical customer yells, "Is there a doctor in the house?"

Way over on the edge of the dining area a tall distinguished gray haired man gets up and responds loudly, "I’m a doctor---but HE’S not my waiter."

The really hard question is---what is GOOD? Most people would embrace the theory it is not GOOD to kill any people even in war and yet the USA and many other countries have enemies that think it is GOOD to kill INFIDELS.

This concept put into practice is not easy. Some people resent any help. You pick a recipient who doesn’t PASS IT ON---just takes advantage. Another aspect to this concept--- the recipient should always accept help graciously.

It follows, one’s philosophy, theory and religious training must be the basis of how a person determines that which is GOOD. Whether the grantor receives payment for the GOOD maybe is not so important? GOOD that is accomplished in secret (the benefactor doesn’t know who the grantor is) seems to be extra GOOD.

You can interpret this philosophy widely and extend it to the management and engineering team that designed the buses that were delivered to Logan. The persons generating the specifications, the engineering team, the production people all have PASSED ON their talents to help the handicapped and other riders. For instance the bus is equipped with a ramp that allows a wheel chair (powered or not) to come aboard.

There are many individual to individual PASS IT ONS. Some happen without our thinking much about it. An automobile slows down to permit a car turning left to proceed without stopping. A young person pushes open a heavy door for a senior citizen.

Others observing the act of a grantor to a person that benefits have examples literally PASSED ON to them.

I don’t know the local people well enough but I do know this area reflects an extremely kind atmosphere and right here many of you practice this RELIGIOUS CONCEPT.

I hope you won’t mind if I tell you some PASS IT ONS involving the Continental Apartment residents where I live during the summer.

It is GOOD when Dennis and Edith Reese give away most of their catch of Logan River trout to the summer citizens living at the Continental Apartments. This is a summer event that shows what PASS IT ON really means. There is June Witman who plays the piano in this church and Kim Deal who sings for us here. Let us not forget Dorothy French who does such an excellent job of setting up the programs at the Continental. Stewart Abram, bless his heart, straightened out my word processing problems. I say these are acts of GOOD and are in the PASS IT ALONG category. Many around us practice this GOOD DEED policy.

Some of you have read the fiction by Catherine Ryan Hyde entitled PAY IT FORWARD. Or you may have seen the movie or listened to the audio tape. It is a story about a junior high school teacher (Kevin Spacey plays the part in the movie) who challenges his class in social studies to come up with a plan to change our world for the better---and put that plan into action. Twelve year old student Trevor Mckinney’s idea was to choose three people for whom he would do a favor. When the benefactor thanked him and asked how to repay, Trevor told each instead of paying him back to PAY IT FORWARD by selecting three new people to do favors, in turn telling those people to PAY IT FORWARD. Trevor explains his idea by showing that the first three people PAYING IT FORWARD to three each makes 9 and 9 people PAYING IT FORWARD makes 27, etc.

Trevor puts his plan into action and runs into bad luck and the worst of human nature. His first choosing is a bum named Gerry and Trevor gives part of his paper route money to help him get cleaned up so he can get a job. But Gerry lands in jail and the hope for him is diminished. Some days you’re the STATUE and some days you’re the PIGEON.

NEVERTHELESS, the idea eventually expands with a history of many GOOD DEEDS and a journalist from a Los Angeles newspaper picks up the concept and has an article printed telling about the idea and various GOOD actions generated as a result. The video is recommended for the REST OF THE STORY.

In the children’s book PASS IT ON, Sandra Byrd writes about 12 year old Lucy Larson receiving an opal ring from her mother. One of Lucy’s grandmothers’ uncles had mined this opal in Australia and had given it to Lucy’s mother who had it set in a ring. Then her mother PASSED IT ON to her daughter Lucy when she became 12 years old.

A new building is being constructed on the north side of 700 North on campus. Across the street to the south, there is a USU Assisted Living Department that fixes and makes special equipment for the handicapped, even speech controlled computers for those that have limited use of their hands. That certainly is a PASS IT ON. Please attend one of their open houses.

In my opinion the recent turn over of political power to Iraq will lead to a better way of life for the people of Iraq---25 million strong. For the first time the people of Iraq are in many public and private discussions of, for instance, who should be the President of their country-----200 newspapers have cropped up in Iraq to print all kinds of views and news. This historic PASS IT ON certainly tops the list of all recent PASS IT ON’S---it’s awesome.

Logan is no stranger to PASS IT ON---it is alive and well. BUT, it won’t do any harm to REMIND us to look for this concept in action, and better yet to see OPPORTUNITIES to practice the PASS IT ON philosophy and to give THANKS for all GOOD DEEDS!

Thank you for listening to this RELIGIOUS CONCEPT.