Religious Education Update: April 12, 2009
A New Ecumenism
This past week, President Obama held a Seder in the White House, believed to be the first Seder celebrated by a sitting US President in his home. Tomorrow, our President will host the annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House lawn. How wonderful it is to have a leader who honors the faith traditions of diverse religions. I personally believe that President Obama’s open mindedness must trace back to his Sunday School attendance at the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu as a child. However, I also admit to having a personal bias in regards to the value of Unitarian Universalist religious training.
The holidays of Easter and Passover are, of course, directly linked in the story of Jesus. Jesus, an observant Jew, had returned to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover with his disciples. His Last Supper was a Seder, and is still remembered in the Christian celebration of communion. Unfortunately, the events that followed the Last Supper led to difficult relationships between well established Judaism and the new Christian religion. These difficulties continue to this day.
I am grateful that Unitarian Universalism seeks to honor the wisdom of many faith traditions. We can celebrate freedom with our Jewish friends at Passover time, and remember Jesus’ message of love with our Christian friends. At Easter, we also celebrate spring and new life as Pagans have for thousands of years. As UU’s, we can work for greater unity and understanding between believers of different faiths, in order to promote peace. This Sunday, let us celebrate freedom, love, life and peace.
Marlene Abel
Director of Religious Education
This past week, President Obama held a Seder in the White House, believed to be the first Seder celebrated by a sitting US President in his home. Tomorrow, our President will host the annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House lawn. How wonderful it is to have a leader who honors the faith traditions of diverse religions. I personally believe that President Obama’s open mindedness must trace back to his Sunday School attendance at the First Unitarian Church of Honolulu as a child. However, I also admit to having a personal bias in regards to the value of Unitarian Universalist religious training.
The holidays of Easter and Passover are, of course, directly linked in the story of Jesus. Jesus, an observant Jew, had returned to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover with his disciples. His Last Supper was a Seder, and is still remembered in the Christian celebration of communion. Unfortunately, the events that followed the Last Supper led to difficult relationships between well established Judaism and the new Christian religion. These difficulties continue to this day.
I am grateful that Unitarian Universalism seeks to honor the wisdom of many faith traditions. We can celebrate freedom with our Jewish friends at Passover time, and remember Jesus’ message of love with our Christian friends. At Easter, we also celebrate spring and new life as Pagans have for thousands of years. As UU’s, we can work for greater unity and understanding between believers of different faiths, in order to promote peace. This Sunday, let us celebrate freedom, love, life and peace.
Marlene Abel
Director of Religious Education
posted by ddodd @ 2:36 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home