I know the scandal enveloping NJ Governor Chris Christie is the big story of the moment, but if you’re getting weary of that, here’s something else to think about for the weekend: Interfaith relations
Not something you’ve talked about lately? Probably not. It’s hardly on most people’s radar screen, but in the long run it may be more important to building a better world than anything else you will read about in the news today.
My wife, Joy, and I have become close friends with a Muslim family in our community. It started when we asked Khaled Elabdi if he would speak to the church we were serving at the time. Before he would accept he said we had to come to his home that Friday night to break the great Ramadan fast, the annual month long fast to commemorate the Qu’ran being revealed to the prophet Mohammed.
We went, he came and spoke at our church (several times) with his wife, Tess, an American he met while she was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco in the 1980’s, and our friendship began to take root.
The weekend after this past Christmas Khaled and Tess hosted a social event with Muslims and Christians for mutual friends of theirs and ours who were visiting from North Carolina. As it turned out, my son and his wife and our 8 year old granddaughter were also visiting from Iowa. They chose to go to the dinner with us.
I could describe the evening, but my son said it better than I can when later that evening he posted the following reflections on his FaceBook page.
“Tonight, our family spent time at friends of my dad’s, Khaled and Tess, in Lakeville, MN. They hosted us and a number of other friends at their home for some of the most delicious food (Moroccan) I’ve ever had. If you’ve never eaten at a Muslim’s home before, do it. The food is fabulous and it never stops coming.
During the evening, the conversation turned to religion with both Muslims and Christians sharing their various ideas on faith in a spirit of peace, respect, and understanding. It sounds cliche but after a few minutes it was easy to see that our commonalities were much more abundant than our differences. Of all the wonderful memories I’ve had this holiday season, tonight was my favorite. It was the most ‘Christian’ experience I’ve had in a long time.”
That experience had a significant impact on all of us, one of those serendipitous moments you never forget. I continue to think about all that was said in that amazing conversation around the table that night, and I bet everyone else who was there does, too.
And even though none of us is in a position to influence the state of the world, we just might have the power to make it a better place where we are in our own small way…one place, one table, one meal, one conversation, one group, one friendship at a time.
It really is true. Lighting a candle is better than cursing the darkness.
linnposts.com 
Amazing. My mom used to sing, “If everyone lit just one little candle, what a bright world this would be.” That stuck with me and I have always tried to do that. You reminded me that this is something we all need to do every day. I wonder if my mother had any idea the influence she had on her youngest child, and how we can pay it forward. Thanks, Jan. And your son is a good writer, too.
Yes he is, Kay. Thanks.
Touching and transcendent, Jan, as is the nature of…light.