the three magi in Savannah

An Imam, A Minister & A Rabbi Come to Services...

That was the title from the Congregation Mickve Israel's website for the event yesterday. As that organization was the host of the event, they were certainly welcome to call it whatever they pleased. I know the rabbi there is known for his sense of humor, and that is a very good trait for a man of the cloth to have, regardless of the religion served.

I prefer to regard the event as the coming of The Magi.
Now, before you think I'm referring to the beings mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible, let me set you straight.
Those "three" Magi (the actual number varies in different translations) were men who studied the stars to gain understanding of the human condition.
These three Magi are men who study religious documents and science in search of a better understanding of the human condition.
Their messages of hope and capability and community are both timeless and timely. Here in the United States of America, where everyone has a guaranteed right to the pursuit of happiness, the race card is repeatedly misplayed of late. Specifically, ever since President Obama - a black man - was elected, a rift has erupted, creating an informal civil war fought on streets and city blocks, in boardrooms and in classrooms, out in public and behind closed doors, between family members and among strangers.
In the last year, there have been repeated incidents in which young black men have been killed by white policemen. The media, in all of its forms, have stoked the madness to a fever pitch across the nation.
Of course, people forget that the media - and I include print, internet, radio, and television versions - is a for-profit business, first and foremost, dependent upon advertising dollars to feed its hordes of "news" gatherers. Advertisers only pay if there is an audience present, so the media tends to report only those choice bits of a story which will create controversy.
What matter is the story is accurate? They can always issue a correction the next day, right?

The problem arises when the majority of people who give heed to the media believe the tales being told are the entire truth.
That is exactly what has been occurring of late, with misinformed groups reacting violently toward businesses and organizations which are not at fault, looting and burning and destroying the livelihoods of many.

This Tri-Faith Service and Discussion has arrived right on time to help lead the good people of this town back from the brink of despair.
The real shame is how few people were in attendance.
The real shame is this is the third year of this annual event and the media said nothing about the event. Not in the newspaper, not on the radio, not on the television, not on the internet. I know this lack of acknowledgement to be true: I have actively searched for any word of this interfaith event for the past four days and found not even a single mention of it.
If not for the bulletin from the church I attend, I would not have known of it and would have missed it, as I have for the past two years.
I am blessed to have been present.
I was even moved to tears a time or two during the service and, later, during the post-lunch question and answer session.
Truly, I was blessed.

Reverend Hester provided the first sermonette. As is his habit, he led with a humorous story about a would-be farmer who sees a message of "P C" and interprets it to mean "Preach Church". However, he was not a very good minister, leading one in his congregation to suggest that perhaps the letters meant "Plant Corn"?
"Pray Constantly" is the most helpful interpretation of the anagram. If we are praying, we are searching for answers outside of ourselves, seeking help from God and all in this universe, choosing to continue to hope.

Rabbi Haas was next. He had led the introductory part of the Tri-Faith Service and, 'up at bat' again, he kept his sermonette brief. He spoke of the prayer in which God is thanked for "bringing bread from the ground". But God doesn't do that, as we know. We have been given the tools of intelligence and creativity needed for planting crops and transforming flour into the staff of life. Those are God-given tools and we must be mindful to use those abilities to solve problems.

Imam 'Ali kept his sermonette shortest of all. His message was simple: One Creator, One Creation (female, not male), One Community. We are all related and have a responsibility toward each other and for each other.

Hope.
Capability.
Community.

I took the above photograph. Rabbi Robert Haas, of the Congregation Mickve Israel, had already removed his stole by the time I approached the three to ask their permission. Reverend Billy Hester, of Asbury Memorial United Methodist Church, welcomed me onto the platform and introduced me to the others. Imam Maajid 'Ali, of the Masjid Jihad Mosque, greeted me warmly and beamed as I snapped the photo.
I am so grateful to these three men for reaching out to the people of Savannah.
To them, I have one message.
Keep preaching, even if only the choir shows up.
The choir always needs practice.
And sometimes, just sometimes, those choirmembers may even sing the song where others may hear it...