Make Friends
This past weekend, Friday night to be exact, my wife, Vicky, and I were invited to participate in an Iftar meal. I had no idea what an Iftar meal was when we were invited. I will assume that many of you who are reading this, also do not know what it is, so I will explain it. For the Islam religion, we are currently in the month of Ramadan. It is the holiest month of the year for Muslims. It is similar to Lent for Christians. It is a time in which Muslims reflect on their relationship with God. The primary way they do this during Ramadan is through Fasting, which is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. From sun up to sun down, Muslims are forbidden to eat or drink anything. The meal they eat at sun up is called "Suhur" and the meal that eat to break the fast is called, "Iftar." It is this meal, that Vicky and I were invited to attend.
We were not the only non-Muslims in attendance. In fact, I think if you were Muslim, you were in the minority that night. The Mosque, invited faith and community leaders from around the Fox Cities. In attendance were mayors, sheriffs, non-profit directors, a state assembly representative, leaders from other faiths and family members from all those listed previously.
The evening was terrific. We were immediately welcomed by a few teenagers who were kicking a soccer ball around. They instructed us to the proper doors to enter and then we were asked to remove our shoes and shown where to place them. Once inside, I saw a couple of familiar faces, Aktar and Mamadou. I have met them both previously from the Interfaith Build and they each greeted me with a big hug and a generous smile. I introduced them to Vicky and thanked them for inviting us. One of them explained how the evening would flow. Mamadou, as the President of the Fox Valley Islamic Society would welcome everyone and then Aktar would explain a bit about Ramadan. (This ended up being done in conjuction with another Muslim gentleman.) After that, various leaders from around the community spoke briefly and graciously about being invited to join them in the breaking of their fast. We ended with the opportunity to ask questions. The hour scheduled for this time flew by, and the next thing I knew, it was time for their scheduled prayer before they could break their fast. We were invited to watch. One gentleman lead the call to prayer as others all lined up in rows behind them. Then, following a recording, they recited/sung their prayers and bowed, kneeled, and stood at various times. It lasted about 15 minutes and then we were invited downstairs to the basement for a feast.
Needless to say Vicky and I had a fantastic time. Now, that is not to say that I wasn't nervous walking in. We were. I had never been to a Mosque (This particular Mosque was built 40 years ago and looked like a small house. They will be moving just down the street as they build and newer and bigger builder in the near future.) In fact, I had thoughts of finding an excuse not to go. I could have had other plans and I was a little tired of being with people. I didn't make an excuse to skip and attended and I am so glad that I did. It was not only fantastic, it was fascinating. The people there were some of the most hospitable that I have experienced. The food was tremendous. Most importantly, I learned a lot and made new friends. Aktar's wife (I forget her name as I type this) sat next to me and Vicky and we talked with no issue whatsoever.
Here is the thing. How many times have you said, or heard it said, "I don't know what I am going to talk to that person about?" I know there are times in which conversation just doesn't flow, despite our best efforts. But there are times, more than we care to admit in which conversation doesn't flow because we don't think we have anything in common with the other person. Has the following ever occurred to you? You are on vacation in another state, or even another country and you meet someone who is also from Wisconsin. It is like you immediately become best friends. You recall towns that you are both from, or restaurants that you both love. You start talking about people that you both know, hoping to find a connection.
You find a connection because you want to find a connection. If you had met this person while walking down the street, or sitting next to you in the movies or in church, chances are you wouldn't have talked to them. You would have just gone about your day, but meet them in a foreign place, in an unfamiliar setting and they can become like a best friend.
The trick is to want to find things in common with people. Sometimes we are really good at it. Normally, though, we are good at it with others who look and act like us. We are comfortable with them and assume that we have things in common with them. This puts us at ease and makes things easier. With people who are different, we become wary. We are nervous. We wonder what will we talk about. We forget, that in the end, we have the most important thing in common. We are human. We are a creation of God. We are created in the image of God. It doesn't matter if the person is from the same state as we are, has the same color skin as we do, worships in the same kind of building. As Lutheran Christians, we believe that God is the author of all creation, that all is sacred, there is nothing secular.
Jesus was known for eating with people who were not like him. It made others uncomfortable. But that was not Jesus' problem, that was there problem. Jesus didn't see another person as someone who was going to elevate or diminish his social status. He saw other people as people. People who were looking for love and acceptance and forgiveness. He asks us to do the same. If we can do that, I don't think we will have any problem finding something to talk about with other people and they will become our friends.
Take a few minutes to watch the video above titled, "Make Friends." It is about 2-3 minutes long and it consists of religious leaders from around the world encouraging all of us to get to know one another and make friends with one another. I am glad that I did this past week.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Tim
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL 2017
