Dancing the days,…

Hello, Friends!
      I wish all of you could have been with John and me for Sunday’s AAIM Thanksgiving service.   I wish that every year, but this particular time was especially numinous, radiant, full to absolute bursting with God’s loving, joyful, hopeful, peaceful Spirit.
      Because of the events of last week, with Hyde Park Baptist’s “uninviting” AAIM from its facilities at the last minute, and the community’s amazing response, we were all more gratefully awake to what this annual worship experience represents—a lovely, creative reflection of what the human family can actually look, sound, and act like—a family!
      Some of you may have seen the photo in yesterday’s paper, of the Muslim sheik and Jewish rabbi sitting side by side, attentive to the proceedings as a little girl peeked over them both.   That little one, the sheik’s daughter, actually spent much of the service rambling around behind the pulpit, crawling on both her dad’s and the rabbi’s lap, walking out to survey the gathered people with mild interest while she sucked her thumb, and sometimes sitting on the floor looking up at her dad, the other leaders, and especially the singers, drummers, and musicians of different cultures,  with apparent delight.
      No one grabbed her, shushed her, or corralled her.   No one even frowned, or tsked, or seemed anything other than delighted by her presence.   And I’m sure many of us particularly delighted in what this beautiful bright little spirit represented Sunday, along with all the other young ones (dozens of them) who were assembled, mostly on the floor at the front of the sanctuary, with their families.
       They are our reason for doing this thing called interfaith ministries, or anything called ministry by any name.   They are the bright present, and the even brighter future, if we don’t blow it, by giving into ignorance, prejudice, and fear.
      I never get away from that service without being brought to tears, and this year was no exception.   This year, though, they were tears of real joy and gratitude, rather than of longing for the “if only” of genuine harmony.
       This year all of us gathered at Congregation Beth Israel, and so many more throughout our community, are much more keenly aware of how much good will there really is, for real dialogue, real understanding, real relationship, real and lasting peace.
      Sometimes it takes a stimulus from a contrary position, to get our attention, and to impel us to stand up, speak out, and come together for what really matters—and for what, I believe, is God’s will for us all—that we welcome the little children, and one another as God’s children—that we enjoy the dance, together, and keep on rejoicing, as we work for more open hearts, more open minds, more open doors, everywhere.
       I look forward to dancing, and to opening, with you this Sunday, in our Advent season, and in all our days to come.

Shalom,
Sarah