STUMBLING BLOCK
I guess there are Christians who are emotionally moved by this sort of thing:
Participants in a tri-faith Thanksgiving service were greeted not once, but three times, upon entering Church of Our Savior on Monday night.
Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders each welcomed the more than 70 worshippers who attended the annual gathering, held this year at the Episcopal church in Martinez.
“This is an important service,” said the Rev. John West, the rector of Church of Our Savior. “This is an important service because it brings us together.”
Each leader read from his holy scriptures and thanked God for his goodness in an hour-long service of prayer and song as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches.
It was West’s first interfaith service. The Augusta native moved back to the area last summer after serving a church in Richmond, Va., for several years.
“This is the first time I’ve ever done a service like this and, I have to tell you, it was awesome,” West said. “To come together and share a service, to share a feast as a community, is really something special.”
Christians who have never read this, for example.
As with everything else, it comes down to the Cross. If you believe that Jesus’ death was either a political hit or a piece of first-century Jewish performance art, I suppose it’s possible to “worship” with anybody. But if you believe that Christ’s crucifixion is your ticket home to your Father in heaven, you can no more worship with people who don’t believe that than you can offer sacrifices to Zeus.
And saying this “derides” no one’s religion. It simply states an incontrovertible fact. We have differences thatcannot be wished away and to suggest that they can be or should be is not only a lie, it is a particularly offensive and insulting lie.
Because which course of action honors God more? Facing up to our irreconcilable differences, trusting that our heavenly Father will someday resolve them and then spending our lives doing unto all others as we would have all others do unto us? Or pretending that our differences aren’t there or don’t really matter all that much?
Thanks to Jackie.
Participants in a tri-faith Thanksgiving service were greeted not once, but three times, upon entering Church of Our Savior on Monday night.
Christian, Jewish and Muslim leaders each welcomed the more than 70 worshippers who attended the annual gathering, held this year at the Episcopal church in Martinez.
“This is an important service,” said the Rev. John West, the rector of Church of Our Savior. “This is an important service because it brings us together.”
Each leader read from his holy scriptures and thanked God for his goodness in an hour-long service of prayer and song as the Thanksgiving holiday approaches.
It was West’s first interfaith service. The Augusta native moved back to the area last summer after serving a church in Richmond, Va., for several years.
“This is the first time I’ve ever done a service like this and, I have to tell you, it was awesome,” West said. “To come together and share a service, to share a feast as a community, is really something special.”
Christians who have never read this, for example.
As with everything else, it comes down to the Cross. If you believe that Jesus’ death was either a political hit or a piece of first-century Jewish performance art, I suppose it’s possible to “worship” with anybody. But if you believe that Christ’s crucifixion is your ticket home to your Father in heaven, you can no more worship with people who don’t believe that than you can offer sacrifices to Zeus.
And saying this “derides” no one’s religion. It simply states an incontrovertible fact. We have differences thatcannot be wished away and to suggest that they can be or should be is not only a lie, it is a particularly offensive and insulting lie.
Because which course of action honors God more? Facing up to our irreconcilable differences, trusting that our heavenly Father will someday resolve them and then spending our lives doing unto all others as we would have all others do unto us? Or pretending that our differences aren’t there or don’t really matter all that much?
Thanks to Jackie.
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