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| We heard brief meditations from the Rev. Fran Hayes and Imam Elahi today, and Cantor Roger Skully sang prayers and scripture passages. |
Let Us Work Together for a More Just & Peaceful World
Interfaith Prayers for Peace at Littlefield Presbyterian Church
In the scripture
passage we just heard, Jesus is quoting from the prophet Isaiah[1]
and declaring that his mission is about liberation and mercy.
The Christian tradition shares the Hebrew
scriptures with Judaism, and we are
challenged by the prophetic tradition. We
hear the prophet Micah proclaiming: “What does the LORD require of you but to
do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”[2]
The prophet Amos lamented for Israel’s
sin, accusing them for trampling on the poor and taking from them an unfair
share.[3]
The prophet Isaiah proclaimed, “Woe
to those who enact unjust policies and institute unfair regulations, to turn
aside the needy from justice and rob the poor of their rights….”
In the Torah, we are taught “when an
alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to
you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you
were aliens in the land of Egypt.”[4]
Near the end of the gospel of
Matthew in the Christian scriptures, we hear Jesus teaching his followers that
the nations will be judged by how we treat those are marginalized and in need,
and that when we are merciful to them, we are doing it for Jesus: I was hungry
and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a
stranger and you welcomed me…I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick
and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.”
For those of us who long for a more
peaceful and just world, it’s painful to see the violence and need and
destruction, and we may long to do something. But it can feel overwhelming. What can one person or just a few people do?
The good news is that we don’t have
to do it alone. We can find common ground and people who share our concerns and
work together.
For example: I was reminded recently
that, in 2015, two Muslim groups--Islamic Relief USA and the Michigan Muslim
Community Council-- gave $50,000 each to help Detroiters whose water had been
shut off, saying, “It’s part of our faith to help.” They said they were hoping
this would be contagious and would encourage others to help their neighbors.
Christians, Muslims, Jews, and
others have been working in various ways to address the immediate needs and the
systemic causes of water injustice.
At a meeting to launch the new Poor
People’s Campaign, we heard Rabbi Alana Alpert tell about when the Poor
People’s Campaign went to Washington DC in 1968-- 49 years ago-- they
approached a downtown Jewish Community Center, asking that the building’s showers
be made available. The leaders of the
center rejected the request -- and the story could have ended there. But a
group of young rabble-rousers known as Jews for Urban Justice threatened a “pray
in”. The leaders changed their decision and opened the building to the
campaign.[5]
This victory meant the campaign
gained some structural support -- a tiny step. “But,” Rabbi Alana said, “it means more to me. To me it means that
ancient tradition can be harnessed by activist youth to push their community to
participate in the important movement work of their time.”
Rabbi Alana told us that learning about this was part of
a series of events that eventually convinced her not to give up on her
community and her tradition. And now she
is leading Detroit Jews for Justice, a new organization inspired by the legacy
of Jews for Urban Justice, who 50 years ago pushed their community to share
their resources. As Rabbi Alana said, “From generation to generation. Who knows what chain of events will come from brave actions we take today?”
As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “We must learn to live together as brothers [and sisters] or perish together as fools."
Our
commitment to peace and justice and reconciliation, and our love for our own
children, demands that we provide a better inheritance for them.”
For
all people of faith and goodwill, this is a time for us to find ways to come
together and work for a better, more peaceful, merciful, and just world--for everyone.
There’s
hard work to be done. But we can work
together to make a difference.
After worship, we invite you to stay for a
time, to enjoy refreshments and conversation.
We hope you’ll make a new friend today.
Talk with one another about your families—especially your children or
grandchildren and what kind of a world you want to leave for them.
Talk
about what teachings from your faith inspire and challenge you…and about what
common ground you see in our various traditions. Talk about the people who inspire
you and challenge you in your commitment.
Let’s
renew our commitment to change the world, beginning today.
Rev. Fran Hayes, Pastor
Littlefield Presbyterian Church
Dearborn, Michigan
September 17, 2017
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