Sermon from September 17, 2006

Paul Simon begins his song with questions that are asked again and again. . . judging questions: "How can you be a Christian? How can you be a Jew? How can you be a Muslim, a Buddhist, a Hindu?"

Then he continues: "Weak as the winter sun we enter life on Earth. Then everyone gets a tongue, and everyone hears an inner voice. If the answer is infinite light, why do we sleep in darkness?"

Folks, today is a day when we are called to lay down the layers of judgement and see the infinite light.

Five years ago, after 9/11, leaders of faith communities gathered at Yankee Stadium to worship together. Masses of people came together, some in deep, deep sorrow and some still hanging onto hope. Hangers were reaching out to comfort one another. Representatives from major faiths gathered on the podium to speak and pray from their traditions. A Christian pastor who prayed that day remembered this massive sense of humanity joined together - all holding hands, all touching one another - and as he prayed he experienced the hugeness of God's heart. It was profound. What came later was not. He was assaulted by letters of accusation that he was a heretic. Charges were brought against him. In the branch of Christianity he served, it is believed that there is only one true form of Christianity, and other faiths have no place. It was against his religion to share a podium with other faiths. He reflected on this. He said, "If a religion's purpose is to control or bring security, then it is not really religion. For religion's real job is to help us journey as we seek the divine."

This week we have heard the outcry of Islamic communities all over the world as the Pope, in a speech in Germany, quoted an ancient theologian, who said, "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman. . . ." I need to read the speech to make a real comment, but I do want to say the Christian Church is quick to judge others without looking at our own history of violence. Part of interfaith dialogue is confession. How is the Pope going to respond to the wounded Islamic world?

This week has brought to light the importance of interfaith dialogue.

It is important for us because we are part of a global community.
It is important for us because it expands our world view.
It is important for us because it helps us understand each other better.
It is important for us if we ever want peace.

We have a hard time getting along inside of Christianity, let alone with other faiths. But if we hold onto our faith as a security blanket as opposed to a guide, our lives will become insulated, and we will be isolated. We will fail to connect with our brothers and sisters.

A Hindu story explains it this way. We are each like a frog sitting in the bottom of a well. How do we describe the sky? We describe it by saying that it is a blue circle. The truth is that the sky is huger than a blue circle. We limit ourselves if all we ever see is the blue circle.

Another story: Our experience of God is like blind men each touching different parts of an elephant. The one who touches the trunk experiences the elephant as long and rubbery. The other, who touches the back, says that it is bristly. Another says it is tough and heavy, describing the foot. They could argue 'till the cows come home, trying to convince each other that the elephant is rubbery and long, or bristly or heavy. . . and they would miss the opportunity to better understand what the elephant really looks like. Instead, if they listened to each others' experiences, they could get a better understanding of this magnificent being that is standing before them.

None of us has the market cornered on God. None of us has the market cornered on truth. One of the hurdles that Christians have to deal with is Jesus' quote in the Gospel of John, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." From John's perspective, those were important words for early Christians to hear as they tried to build a religion in a hostile environment - they have the truth. If they believed they held the truth, they could hold on and survive. Can we be people who admit that we don't know the whole truth and still, with passion and great love, say we are people of Christ? For us, the way to understand God is not through our willpower, good works or the power of others. It is through Jesus. What does our faith hinge on? For truth is complex. I do know some truths for my life, on which my faith does hinge.

Truth #1: Luke 10:25-29
Jesus then told the story of the good Samaritan. Jesus, a devout Jewish man, was making a point. Samaritans and the Jewish had bad blood between them, nationally and religiously. They argued and argued over holy places. They considered each other enemies, they hated each other. And yet Jesus said, that Samaritan knows what it means to be a neighbor. He was saying relationships are more important than rightness. The Jesus I know as my Savior is one of relationship, resurrection, healing, love. . . and not judgement and rightness.

Truth #2
In the scripture we read earlier, Jesus was telling the Pharisees that healing was more important that following the laws. Compassion is more important that the rules.

Truth #3
Jesus did not exclude who he reached out to - Samaritans, Roman soldiers, tax collectors, Pharisees were his family and friends, that's why he gave them such a hard time. Jesus did not limit who he reached out to, unless he was tired.

Truth #4
Christianity has been influenced by other religions as it has grown and evolved. It has Jewish roots. Pagan influences impacted the religion as it grew in a Greek world. Buddhism has many sayings that are similar to Christian sayings. And the rosary came to the Christian church through Islamic and Buddhist influences. Now, I wear a prayer bracelet often, each bead offering a specific prayer. Religions evolve and change and grow. Why can't interfaith dialogue help us to do this?

Credo is a good word to use. It means "what I believe deeply" or "what I commit my life to." I have given my life to Jesus. I understand my life through his eyes. And out of my understanding of Jesus, I can speak and listen with compassion, desiring justice, peace, and love for my world. I can look into the eyes of my brothers and sisters - I don't judge them. I don't merely tolerate them because that means merely putting up with them. I seek to understand. . . seek to be enriched and to enrich. Seek to offer and receive God's wisdom. Seek to find common ground.

What is your credo - what do you give your life to?

Let us join together, all of us, to share our stories, our beliefs, our world views. Then maybe, maybe we can begin to understand the elephant who stands in the middle of our global room. Maybe, maybe then we can begin to understand the hugeness of God's heart, the intensity and vastness of the sky, and the reality of love.