Compassionate Together: COMMUNITY INTERFAITH SERVICE Kufic design of one of the 99 names of God, from the Muslim tradition The Eve of Thanksgiving Wednesday, 25 November 2009 7:30 p.m. Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church 7500 Greenwood Ave North 206.783.2350 www.prlc.org
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Welcome! For many years, the churches of Phinney/Greenwood have collaborated to sponsor a Thanksgiving Eve Service for our members as well as the wider community. Last year, we decided to try something new to celebrate the religious diversity in our Seattle community and give thanks for the many ways we have been blessed. Representatives of Masjid Umar Al-Farooq, Temple De Hirsch Sinai, Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhist, as well as the Protestant and Catholic churches of Phinney/Greenwood have met together to plan this second annual interfaith service of thanksgiving. We have rejoiced in the friendships we have made and we hope each one of you who are in attendance this evening will become acquainted with someone from a tradition that is not your own. To come to know one another is perhaps the richest blessing. Artwork. Square Kufic design that means ar-rahim, The Compassionate, the Granter of continual sustenance. Ar-Rahim is one of the two Names that God refers to Himself by most often in the Qur'an. It is often found paired with the name ar-rahman, The Most Mericiful. Mercy may imply pity, long suffering patience, and forgiveness, all of which the human needs and Allah (The One or God), the Most Merciful bestows in abundant measure. But there is mercy that comes before the need arises. The grace which is ever watchful and flows from Allah, the Most Gracious, to all His creatures, protecting them, preserving them, guiding them, and leading them to clearer light and higher life. This is ar-rahim, the Compassionate. Allah's mercy is in all things and for all things. All nature serves a common purpose which is for the good for all His creatures. Our faculties and our understanding are instances of His grace and mercy. Each unit or factor among His creatures benefits from the others and receives them as Allah's mercy to itself. In its turn, each contributes to the benefit of others and is thus an instance of Allah's mercy to them. His mercy is universal and all pervasive. Ar-Rahim is the constant overflowing of the mercy to his believing, faithful servants. So let us be patient in order to receive this mercy. The history of calligraphy in the Islamic world begins with Kufic writing, distinguished by its angular letters and lack of diacritical marks. This script is thought to be named after the city of Kufa in Iraq. As Kufic reached perfection, it superseded other earlier attempts of improving calligraphy, and became the only script used for copying the Holy Koran for the next three hundred years. Square kufic is one of the different variants of kufic script that avoids all curved lines and is marked by its angular lines and maze like look. Musicians. We are grateful to our musicians for the evening. Valerie Shields, organist, serves at Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church and Temple De Hirsch Sinai. Beth Ann Bonnecroy, choir director, serves as chancel, vesper, and handbell director at Phinney Ridge Lutheran. David Freedel, who calls us to worship this evening with the Shofar, is a member of Temple De Hirsch Sinai. He has a Yemenite Shofar purchased in Jerusalem. Reception: Fellowship Hall, lower level. You are invited to a continued celebration of unity and thanksgiving over refreshments and conversation. Please join us. There will be pies on each table, and other foods on a large serving table. Where possible, the names and ingredients of the foods will be identified. Please join us downstairs, and please mingle with others. Make new friends. Childcare, Nursery and Classrooms: Sanctuary level. Throughout the evening childcare is available in the church nursery and classrooms. These are located on the same level as the area in which we are worshiping. Turn left as you exit the main doors of the sanctuary and follow the signs into the education wing hallway. Restrooms: Sanctuary, Balcony, and Fellowship Hall levels. Facilities for men and women are dispersed throughout the building. An usher will be happy to guide you. 3
As you arrive this evening, please feel free to greet the persons sitting around you. The service will begin with the blowing of the shofar, as noted to the right. The clergy and lay leaders in the procession and seated at the front this evening represent a Mosque, a Buddhist monastery, a Jewish temple, and six Christian congregations in the North Seattle area. Their vestments each have historic and traditional significance and you are welcome to learn more about them from each of the leaders following the service this evening. Gathering Music Calls to Worship The blowing of the Shofar Buddhist Jewish A shofar can be made from the naturally hollow horn of any kosher animal. They can be large or small but are best known and often referred to as ram's horns. The shofar is one of the oldest musical instruments. In Jewish tradition, it is blown during the services celebrating the new year holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur as well as daily during the month of Elul, the month that precedes Tishrei, when the new year is celebrated. According to Jewish law and tradition, four different types of sounds are made and are repeated a number of times. These four different sounds are Tekiah, a single note held for a few seconds, Shevarim, three separate shorter notes, Truah, a wavering series of short notes, and Tekiah Gadolah, or literally Big Tekiah. Some traditions ask that these notes be blown in very specific ways but that the final note, the Tekiah Gadolah, should be blown as long as the shofar blower can hold the note. Sounding the shofar is always a part of the celebration of joyous times for the Jewish people. In addition to marking the celebration of the new year, the sound of the shofar also serves as a wake-up call as the Jewish people consider their deeds over the past year and obligations to the community in the year to come. The Adhan Muslim During the chanting of the Adhan, the clergy and lay leaders of the various faith communities enter in procession and take their places in the front. The adhan, or call to prayer, is made to announce the time for each salah. The salah is a prayer that is performed in congregation or alone 5 times each day just as it was practiced in the time of the Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and send him peace. One person makes the adhan to let people in the area know that it's time to gather to pray. A few minutes after the adhan, a second call, the 'iqamah, is sounded to announce the beginning of the salah. When one is sounding the adhan, they are not only calling the human beings to pray, but also the animals, the 4
trees and all of the creation, seen and unseen, to the remembrance of God. The Prophet Muhammad, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him, once asked his companions, "If someone took a bath 5 times a day in the river flowing by his house, would there remain any dirt on his body?" "Such is the example of one who offers salah 5 times a day. Allah removes the dirt of his faults from him." The meaning of Allah is literally: The One. This word is akin to how we use the word God in the West. A common misconception is that Allah is a different God than the One God spoken about in other monotheistic traditions. In the 7th Century A.D., Muhammad re-established the pure teaching of Ibrahim (Abraham), may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon the both, who testified that there is only the one God. Tibetan Buddhist Refuge Prayer Buddhist Welcome Pastor Hoffman, the host pastor serving at Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church, offers a welcome to this second annual Inter-faith service in our community. Readings for the Sacred Texts Hebrew Bible Leviticus 23:33-36 New Testament Matthew 25:35-40 Holy Qu ran Jewish Christian Muslim Commentary on the Texts and Compassion Teaching on Loving-kindness and Compassion Compassion in Islam Invitation to Offer Gifts Buddhist Muslim Jewish Offering The gifts of canned goods given as you arrived this evening will be given to those in need through Northwest Harvest. Money given this evening will be given to the U.N. World Food Program. Checks can be made to PRLC. Offertory Anthem Combined Choir As the gifts of money are received from you in your pews by the ushers, the choir sings a setting of How Can I Keep From Singing? arranged by the contemporary Seattle composer Karen P. Thomas. Anthem composer Karen P. Thomas is director of choirs at University Universalist Church and also of Seattle Pro Musica.. 5
Offering Prayers Jewish Christian This prayer is offered by The Rev. Carol Jensen, Pastor of St. John United Lutheran Church. Creator and sustainer of all living things, we gather tonight from diverse traditions with different ways of understanding and honoring you, yet we are united in our desire to give thanks for the abundant blessings we have received for the beauty of this place we call home, the bounty of the land, the love of family and friends, and the opportunities for work and for service. We humbly offer these gifts that have been collected as an expression of our thanks. We pray that you would strengthen the bonds of friendship between us and deepen the compassion within us so that together we may seek a better future where every human being will have enough to eat, a place to live, and protection from danger. Fill each one of us here this night with the power of your love and mercy so that we might be sisters and brothers to one another and to all the earth. With joy and thanks we pray. Amen. In Praise of the Messenger of Allah and Glorification of The One In Islam, there is a belief that God has sent His revelation through the Messengers to the people of their time. He sent the complete Message to these chosen individuals who were the physical manifestations of the Message. From Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and to the last Messenger, Mohammad (peace and blessing of Allah be upon all of them), the Message has been sent in the most perfect form. They are revered in Islam above all others and have the special designation of Rasulu-llah or Messengers of God. 6 Muslim
Benediction Christian The final blessing is offered by Father Crispin Okoth and spoken in his native Swahili. Mungu baba mwenyezi, tunakushukuru kwa wakati wa neema, baraka na uwepo wako tulioshiriki. Almighty God we thank you for the moment of grace, blessings and your presence that we have just enjoyed in a very powerful way. Na sasa tunaporudi makweti, tunakuomba ubariki kila mmoja wetu jioni ya leo. And now as we prepare to go back to our homes, we ask for your blessings and protection upon each and everyone of us present here tonight. Recessional Hymn #717 Let Justice Roll Like Streams Christian The sacred texts of each tradition will be on display in the narthex following the service and your are encouraged to come and see them. A representative of each faith will be by the display to answer questions that you might have. Please approach the texts with reverence and care. Since the time of Moses and Aaron, Jews and Christians have eagerly received the word of blessing at the conclusion of worship. Benediction means a word of well-wishing. It s significance is made the more powerful as we believe the words are not the blessing of a human voice, but of God s voice. The text of our closing hymn was written by 20th century author Jane Parker Huber. Its images are drawn largely from the Old Testament book of Amos. Please join us downstairs in Fellowship Hall for a time of conversation over refreshments. Blessed Thanksgiving to All! 7
Service Participants: LEADERS and COMMUNITIES of FAITH Rabbi Daniel Septimus, Assistant Rabbi Carin Freedel Signing for the Hearing Impaired David Freedel, Shofar Temple De Hirsch Sinai Seattle and Bellevue, Washington tdhs-nw.org Fr. Crispin Okoth and Ms. Mary Volk Priest Administrator and Pastoral Assistant for Faith Formation St. John the Evangelist Roman Catholic Parish crispin.okoth@tin.it 206.282.2810 The Rev. Carol Jensen, Pastor Intern Matthew Keadle St. John United Lutheran Church 5519 Phinney Avenue North 206.784.1040 stjohnunited.org His Holiness Jigdal Dagchen Sakya Khempo Jompa Thenphel (Ritual Prayers) Tashi Paljor, Omze (Chant Leader) Dr. Jeffrey Schoening, Ph.D. (Translator) Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism 108 Northwest 83rd Street Seattle, Washington 98117 The Rev. Wes Nordman, Pastor Woodland Park Presbyterian Church 225 North 70th Street 206.782.3776 The Rev. Katie M. Ladd, Pastor Woodland Park United Methodist Church 302 North 78th Street 206-.784.6969 www.woodlandparkumc@gmail.com The Rev. Paul E. Hoffman Lead Pastor Jo-Ann Cress, Hospitality Chair Valerie Shields, Organist Beth Ann Bonnecroy, Choir Director Phinney Ridge Lutheran Church 7500 Greenwood Avenue North 206.783.2350 Azam Junejo, Khaled Zaki, Jamil Vaughn Shoot, and Owais Jafrey Masjid Umar Al-Farooq 5507 238th Street Southwest Mountlake Terrace, Washington 98043 425.776.6162 www.farooqmasjid.org 8