Rev Fran: Islamophobia

"Fear Not"

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness on the day of judgment, because as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love. We love because he first loved us. Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. The commandment we have from him is this: those who love God must love their brothers and sister also. - 1 John 16b-21

For those of us who long for a better, more peaceful world, it’s painful to see so much of what’s going on in the world… in our nation… and in our communities. There’s so much bigotry and hatred and fear. Fear of the “other.” Fear of “them”—of “those people.” Fear of change. Fear of anyone who doesn’t look and act like us. Fear of terrorism and crime. Fear of losing status or privilege. Fear of economic insecurity. The list could go on and on.

Last week we observed the 15^th anniversary of 9/11. Since that time, the longest series of wars in American history, violations of human rights, trillions of dollars spent, and loss of thousands of lives have all failed to resolve or reverse the causes of the violence that struck us, or to make us safer or less fearful.

We grieve the loss of American lives, and we also need to grieve the loss of civilian lives due to our nation’s military actions. Our armed forces apparently don’t keep track of deaths resulting from our military actions.[1] But the estimated documented civilian deaths from violence following the 2003 invasion of Iraq is estimated to be between 163,000 to more than 182,000.[2]

Fifteen years after 9/11, as we remember and reflect, we need to ask ourselves whether our reliance on war and violence have made the world a better and safer place—or more divided, polarized, and dangerous. I don’t have any simple answers for you today. But as people of faith we need to be praying about this.

In our nation, in the midst of all the violence and hatred and injustice in our society… in the midst of racism and Islamophobia and anti-Semitism… in the midst of all the need-- it’s easy to feel overwhelmed… and despairing. We live in such a fearful time, and the rhetoric of the political campaign season has magnified it. Fear breeds animosity and hate. Hate breeds more fear. It’s a vicious cycle.

It can feel overwhelming. What can one person or just a few people do?

We can begin by praying together… and forging bonds of friendship and solidarity… getting to know one another better… opening our hearts and minds to one another… and finding ways to work together to change our communities… and change the world.

Some of us have been working on these things. Imam Elahi and I have been working together in our Dearborn Area Interfaith Network group (and its predecessor Dearborn Area Ministerial Association) for the last 19 years. Cantor Roger Skully has been involved with other interfaith groups in metro Detroit. Years before—back in the 1980’s and 1990’s, the Rev. Bill Gepford and others did some pioneering interfaith work in Dearborn and the metro Detroit area.

Our commitment to peace and justice and reconciliation, and our love for our own children, demands that we provide a better inheritance for them.”

On this Sunday before International Day of Peace, we are challenged to re-commit ourselves to PEACE… to live our lives as if we believe that peace is possible.

Christians…Muslims…Jews…Sikhs…Hindus…Buddhists… and 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, more loving world. We can work for a less fearful world, because love casts out fear.

There’s hard work to be done. But together we can work together to make a difference.

After worship, we invite you to stay for a time, to enjoy refreshments and conversation. I hope you’ll make a new friend today. Talk with one another about your families—especially your children or grandchildren and about what kind of a world you want to leave for them.

Let us renew our commitment to change the world, beginning today.

May it be so!

Rev. Frances Hayes, Pastor
Littlefield Presbyterian Church
Dearborn, Michigan
September 18, 2016

Note: This was part of our Interfaith Prayers for Peace event, in observance of International Day of Peace. We also heard a sermon from Imam Muhammad Elahi from the Islamic House of Wisdom in Dearborn Heights, and Cantor Roger Skully from Downtown Isaac Agree Synagogue in Detroit sang prayers and a benediction.

[1] “We don’t do body counts.” – General Tommy Franks. https://www.iraqbodycount.org/

[2] https://www.iraqbodycount.org/

Luke 19:41-42; 2 Corinthians 5:16-20

"As Jesus came near and saw the city (Jerusalem), he wept over it, saying, "If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes."

For those of us who long for a better, more peaceful world, it’s painful to see so much of what’s going on in the world… in our nation… and in our communities. It can make us weep!

For many of us, it’s the images of children that haunt us the most. A staggering number of Syrian refugees are children and teens. We were shocked and grieved a few weeks ago to see the photo of the body of a toddler washed up on the shore. And now we learn that another refugee child has been found dead on the shore, and more are missing at sea.

Many of us mourn when we remember there are millions of other children who die each year on this planet with little notice-- of malnutrition and of illnesses that could be prevented or treated if the world cared enough.

Here in the United States, the Department of Agriculture reports that around 10 percent of households with children are food insecure—unable to provide adequate, nutritious food for their children. More than 1 in 9 children in Michigan live in extreme poverty, at less than half the poverty-level income.

The rate of gun deaths in children and teens in the United States is shockingly high.

            Many of us are troubled by events like the massacre of 9 African-Americans gathered at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston for Bible study in June by a white racist   and other race-related violence.
            In a neighbor city—Sterling Heights—there’s an ugly conflict over a request to build a new mosque.
            The list could go on and on…

I don’t know about you, but I find myself mourning all this violence and need and destruction… and longing to do something. But it feels overwhelming.

So-- what can we do? In the midst of all the violence and hatred and apathy in our society… in the midst of racism and Islamaphobia and anti-Semitism… in the midst of all the need-- it’s easy to feel overwhelmed… and despairing. What can one person or just a few people do?

Some of us have been working on these things. Imam Elahi and I have been getting to know each other and working together in our Dearborn Area Interfaith Network group (and its predecessor Dearborn Area Ministerial Association) for the last 18 years. Cantor Roger Skully has been involved with other interfaith groups in metro Detroit.

Some of you are part of one or more interfaith Facebook groups whose purpose is to build bridges of understanding—hence the names “The Bridge” and “Our Bridge.”

In the Christian tradition, we believe that Jesus came to embody God’s love in the world. When people came to Jesus and asked him which commandment in the scriptures was the most important, Jesus answered, “’You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”

In Luke’s version of this, he tells how someone said, “Who is my neighbor?” and Jesus went on to make it clear in the Parable of the Good Samaritan that our neighbor is anyone God puts in our path-- even someone we might have considered to be an enemy.[1]

In the center of the passage we heard a few minutes ago from the apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth, we hear that God has reconciled us to God’s self through Christ, and has entrusted us with the ministry of reconciliation. Christians are not to look at anyone from a human point of view. We’re not to see people who are different in some way as those other people. We’re called to look at people through God’s eyes of love and to see our common humanity.

I think we need to spend more time doing interfaith scripture study, so I could share a passage like one of the ones we’ve heard today, and say, “Here’s a text that’s important to our faith. What’s a text from your tradition that connects with it? Where’s the common ground?” Can we do that? Will we do that?

Our commitment to peace and justice and reconciliation, and our love for our own children, demands that we provide a better inheritance for them.”

On this Sunday before International Day of Peace, we are challenged to re-commit ourselves to PEACE… to live our lives as if we believe that peace is possible.

Christians…Muslims…Jews…Sikhs…Hindus…Buddhists… and 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 world.

There’s hard work to be done. But we can work together to make a difference.

U2 sings a song that begins like this:

“Every generation gets a chance to change the world….”

Today, let’s renew our commitment to change the world, beginning today.

May it be so!

[1] Luke 10:25-37; also Matthew 22:36-40; Mark 12:28-31

Rev Fran

Sunday, September 18, 2016

"Fear Not". One of 2 sermons preached in our Interfaith Prayers for Peace at Littlefield Presbyterian Church on September 18, 2016

"Fear Not"

Sunday, September 20, 2015