Gathering in response to the Spirit's call
to make peace, not war;
to make justice, not oppression;
to build bridges, not erect barriers;
to heal the earth, not despoil it; and
to renew and expand our democracy

We members of the families of Abraham - Jews, Christians, Muslims - invite you, and all people of good will, to join us in creating circles that celebrate the prophetic vision of our traditions, both in attitudes and actions.

Sharing Sacred Seasons 2006-7

Shalom, salaam, peace!  

In the fall of 2006, several sacred seasons of the Abrahamic
faiths will come together. At a moment of history when
religious conflict and violence have re-emerged bearing
lethal dangers for each other and our planet, God has given
our spiritual and religious traditions an unusual gift of
sacred time.

Let us celebrate this rare confluence of THE PEACE OF
ABRAHAM, HAGAR, & SARAH by praying and learning with each
other and by acting together to --

SEEK PEACE, PURSUE JUSTICE,
FEED THE POOR, HEAL THE EARTH,
SERVE THE ONE

In 2006 and 2007, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the
Jewish month of the High Holy Days and Sukkot will coincide.
During this sacred month will come also  the Feast Day of
St. Francis of Assisi (October 4), and the Worldwide
Communion Sunday of Protestant and Orthodox Christians
(October 1).

The convergence of these dates will then not recur for
another thirty years. We call on our generation of the
families of Abraham to join in these efforts.

In accord with the ancient tradition that Abraham's tent was
open on all four sides to welcome travelers from everywhere,
we invite into this celebration not only the three main
families of Abraham but also on the fourth side others who
share these goals. In that context, we note that Mahatma
Gandhi's birthday is on October 2 and that Buddhist, Hindu,
and other festivals also come during this sacred season.

Ramadan begins (depending on sighting of the new moon) about
September 22-24 and ends about October 22 with Eid al-Fitr,
the Festival of Breaking the Fast. The month-long commitment
to fast from dawn to dusk each day offers food and life-
abundance as a sacrifice, focusing on devotion to God
instead of on material success, and calls us to turn toward
each other in repentance.

Rosh Hashanah begins the evening of September 22;
Yom Kippur falls on October 1-2;
Sukkot begins the evening of October 6.
The month is one of turning toward God and toward
harmonious relationships among human beings and the earth.

St. Francis of Assisi stood almost alone among the
Christians of his day in opposing the Crusades and investing
months of his life in studying and praying with Muslims.

We urge specific communities to choose from among the many
rich moments of the month a focus-time for learning from the
past, celebrating the present, and transforming the future.

*
For example, we encourage shared celebrations on
Sunday, October 8 --  one of the dawn-to-dusk fast days of
Ramadan and also the second day of the festival of Sukkot --
or on Monday, October 9, a civil holiday.

In the spirit of the Jewish prayer: "Spread over us the
Sukkah of Shalom," we could gather in the fragile,
vulnerable, leafy Sukkah hut to celebrate a joyful fast of
Ramadan, to joyfully break the fast together after sundown,
and to learn joyfully from such teachers as Francis of
Assisi and Gandhi - all of whom taught that true security,
true peace come from sharing the truth that we are all
vulnerable, all fragile, all connected with each other and
the earth.

We encourage our religious communities to take action to
protect human rights, heal the earth, and, in the regions
where Abraham, Hagar, and Sarah sojourned,  seek peace.

We urge those of all our traditions to begin NOW, in our own
cities and neighbourhoods as well as nationally and
internationally, to plan with each other how to use these
sacred seasons to carry out God's will that we live together


* Perhaps in clusters of congregations, each community could
host one meal for members of the others, after nightfall on
any of the evenings of Ramadan.

* .Jews could, in line with old tradition, invite "sacred
guests" from other traditions into the open, leafy Sukkah;
invoke Sukkot blessings upon all "seventy nations" of the
world; and implore God to "spread the sukkah of shalom" over
us.

* Muslims could invite other communities to join in
celebrating some aspects of Eid el-Fitr (the feast at the
end of Ramadan), and Jews and Christians could (as in
Morocco) bring food to the celebration of the end of
Ramadan's fasting.

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

*Synagogues and mosques could eat together in an evening
break-fast (Iftar) and then join in reading and discussing
both the Jewish and the Muslim teachings of the story of
Abraham, Hagar, Ishmael, Sarah, and Isaac.


This statement, initiated by The Tent of Abraham, Hagar, & Sarah,
http://www.tentofabraham.org, has been endorsed by:

Rev. Bob Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches; Dr. Sayeed Syeed, secretary-general of the Islamic Society of North America; and Rabbi Peter Knobel, along with The Shalom Center, the Jewish Committee for Isaiah's Vision, ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal, and its rabbinic body Ohalah, Pax Christi and the Fellowship of Reconciliation, and many other groups.