Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Devotion - Wednesday, September 23

Welcome to the first day of Fall!  As you mark this date in your heart, you might also note that this is also Yom Kippur (for our Jewish friends) and Eid al Adha (in the Islamic community.)  Jewish and Islamic "days" begin at sundown, so Yom Kippur and Eid will be over when the sun goes down today.  Our "First Day of Fall" will continue till midnight.

This also means that Yom Kippur and Eid had begun by the time we gathered last evening for our Tuesday Night Bible Study.  While our text for the evening was I Corinthians, the discussion which proved to be the most moving was our talk regarding God's attitude toward those of other faith traditions.

This is also an issue in current political debates, so I want to tread lightly and not seem partisan.

There is a wide range of responses to the question of how God views others.  And this short devotion will not settle the question, nor will it allow for sufficient sensitivity to the views of others.  But the coincidence of the calendar and last night's discussion compels me to encourage those of you with a wider understanding of God's family.  While some will condemn Jews or Muslims or Hindus or Buddhists, that is not the position taken by the denomination of which I am a member (and many of you as well.)  Our deep, deep appreciation of God's grace makes it impossible for us to consider anyone as a non-recipient of God's gifts.

If you are of a mindset to do so, risk extending greetings to others on this Feast Day.  Ask a Jewish or Islamic classmate to tell you more about Yom Kippur or Eid al Adha (if you just say "Eid" they will know what you mean.)  Pray for all God's children, regardless of our religious tradition, that we might model the love, forgiveness, understanding, and compassion of which our sacred texts speak.

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