A Thanksgiving Celebration

I have been feeling a bit discouraged about the state of interfaith activity. But last night we had our first, hopefully annual, Lompoc Interfaith Thanksgiving Celebration. We didn’t have everyone there we’d have liked, but we did have Baha’i, Jewish, Methodist, LDS, Disciple, and what I’ll call other. We had readings from Scripture, the Qur’an, a Native American prayer, George Washington, William Bradford, and the Baha’i prayer book. We also had the Lompoc Master Chorale sharing sections of Vivaldi’s Gloria. All told, we have almost 150 in attendance. Not huge, but a remarkable turnout, and something powerful to build on for next year.

I share this because I do think it speaks to a hunger for conversation. It also points out the fact that some who were absent chose to be absent because they feel their Christian faith would be damaged if they shared in a service that crossed religious boundaries. While this service had a distinctly Christian outline it offered other faiths to speak to our common heritage in America, a country that despite its many faults has provided people of all faiths -- sometimes grudgingly – a place to stand.

So, I say: Happy Thanksgiving! And give a word of encouragement – your faith can only be strengthened by coming together and hearing each other’s prayers.
Cross published at Faithfully Liberal

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