Being Easter People in the Interfaith Environment

By Rev. Nell Green
Source: ABP News Blog

I sometimes preach a sermon entitled “The Four Little Candles.” The author of the original story is unknown. In it I tell the story of four little candles that were burning softly and quietly.  Listening closely you can hear them speak. The first little candle is peace. Lamenting that the world no longer wants to try and keep the peace the candle becomes tired and slowly goes out. The second little candle, faith, cries for a world that finds faith superfluous and unnecessary. A gentle breeze comes along and blows out the little flame of faith. Love, the third little candle angrily huffs that people don’t even know how to love the ones that love them, much less someone else. Suddenly, the candle ceases to burn.

Music - The Composition of Faith

By Ramona Siddoway

“Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life,” said German novelist Berthold Auerbach (1812-1882). In the early years of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Emma Smith, the wife of Joseph Smith, was asked to compile a book of hymns for the new church. What I love about this story is that while some new hymns were written more than half were selected from hymns already being used by other churches. I love the fact that, for at least some other Christian churches, we are still singing many of the very same hymns. While some of our doctrine may differ we share a deep connection with the music of faith and I feel a deeper sense of connection with other religions.

Temple Beth Torah To Receive Community of Respect Award

 

For the fifth consecutive year, Temple Beth Torah (TBT) is receiving an award on March 22 designating the Humble synagogue as a “Community of Respect.” This is an award given annually by the Anti-Defamation League to organizations that strive to share learning in respectful ways. Several activities qualified TBT for this honor. Among the highlights of interfaith activities was the participation by several of temple members in the Kingwood community’s interfaith March of Remembrance, in which second generation Holocaust survivors and temple members Hy Penn and Simon Wellner were keynote speakers.

“Mom, Who Killed Jesus?”

by Rabbi Laura Sheinkopf

 

Among the top ten things you do not want to hear coming out of your Jewish child’s mouth is, "Mom, who killed Jesus?"  I will always remember the moment I heard those words.  They came from my then five-year old son as he was sitting at the kitchen table in our home in Austin, TX.  It was the week of Passover, which coincides with Easter, and because we do not eat pasta or bread or anything with a grain that has risen, he was eating the staple of the Passover diet: a hard-boiled egg. It was actually the millionth hard-boiled egg of the day, and as I stood there at the sink, my back to him, peeling potatoes I was worrying about his cholesterol level and asking myself if that was something you should be concerned about in a five year.  And then, out of the blue I heard from behind me, "Mom, who killed Jesus?"

Spiritual Wellness on Campus Undervalued, In Need of Respect

By Trent Navran, Dandan Liu, Lara Wik
Source: The Rice Thresher

 

Two weeks ago, we traveled to the University of Chicago for Coming Together 6, an interfaith student leadership conference. The weekend featured lectures, dialogues and interfaith activities presented to a group of passionate students and community leaders from different faith traditions. Interacting with these individuals gave us a new perspective on the gamut of spiritual programming present on American campuses, such as chaplains, offices of religious life, interfaith chapels and interfaith councils.

God Speaks in Many Tongues

By Nancy Agafitei

Lent is a season of preparation in the Christian church year that begins on Ash Wednesday and fills the 40 days (excluding Sundays) leading up to Easter, the day celebrated as the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead after his crucifixion. In the ancient Church, the weeks leading up to Easter were a time of intensive preparation for the candidates who were to be baptized at the Easter vigil on Holy Saturday. This focus suggests that the season of Lent serves not only as a time to meditate on the suffering that Christ endured on our behalf but also as an opportunity to reflect upon our own Baptism and what it means to live as a child of God.