God's October Suprise

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Churches could invite Jews, Muslims, and others to join in learning about and celebrating the teachings of Francis of Assisi.

Synagogues could invite Muslim scholars and spiritual leaders to teach on Rosh Hashanah--when Jews are reading Torah passages from the saga of Abraham, Hagar, Ishmael, Sarah, and Isaac--how it is that Muslims understand that family story. Then there could be open discussion of the differences, the similarities, the wisdom in each of the versions of the story.

Synagogues could set aside a time during Yom Kippur or the Shabbat just before, or another special time during the month, to read and discuss the Torah's story (Gen. 25: 7-11) of the coming together of the estranged brothers Isaac and Ishmael to bury their father Abraham, and then to achieve reconciliation at the Well of the Living One Who Sees Me. They could invite Muslims to join in some part of that day or in the break-fast (by Muslims called Iftar) at the end of the day.

Some communities could together take public action during the month--

to protect the human rights (like immunity from torture) that are implied by the affirmation of all three traditions that every human being is made in the Image of God;

to heal the earth--God's creation--from the disastrous climate crisis of the global scorching caused by human arrogance and idolatry;

to seek peace in the whole region where Abraham, Hagar, and Sarah sojourned;

to insist that public resources be used to feed the hungry and empower the poor, rather than to swell the treasuries of the mighty.

Since the confluence of sacred dates will continue in the fall of 2006 and 2007, we have three years to seal the connections that flow from this miracle of time--so as to last when we are again on our own, no longer surprised by God. May it be sufficient to surprise each other in the aura of God's caring!

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