Nine Eleven plus Ten

Imagine there’s no countries—it isn’t hard to do.

Nothing to kill or die for, and no religion, too.

Imagine all the people livin’ life in peace.—John Lennon

A decade following that fateful 9/11, Glenna and I drove the fifty miles from Burleson to Dallas for a special service of remembrance and reconciliation at Lovers Lane United Methodist Church. After a wistful andante violin solo, the congregation—Jews, Christians, and Muslims—sang in unison, “This is my Father’s world, O let me ne’er forget that though the wrong seems oft’ so strong God is the ruler yet.” We prayed, “Draw us together as people of faith to strive for peace, justice, and holiness.” The choir sang “Hine Mah Tov” while a Jewish woman danced its meaning. This was my first opportunity since Cambodia to enjoy a story-telling dance used in worship. Hebrew dance differs, of course, from Khmer, but is just as meaningful.

Imam Nihat Yesil, President of the Dallas Islamic Center, sang/chanted in Arabic from Surah 49 of the Qur’an—“Surely we have created you from a single (pair of) male and female, and made you into tribes and families so that you may know one another and so build mutuality and cooperative relationships, not so that you may take pride in your differences of race or social rank and breed enmities.” He then gave a short address. A woman sang/chanted in Hebrew from the shema—“Adonai elohenu Adonai echad”—and Rabbi Heidi Coretz of Hillel of Dallas spoke. Finally the pastor of the church read and reflected on Romans 12.

All this took place in a tastefully designed and appointed auditorium featuring America’s largest stained-glass window—donated to this Christian church by a Jewish man. After a few other items and a prelude in C minor by Bach, the service ended.

God and the true worship of him, contrary to John Lennon, are not the unimaginative, ugly, hide-bound ignorance from which humanity longs to be liberated so that it can finally live in peace and unity. On the contrary, one could easily argue that Lennon knows little of either history or psychology if he imagines that genuine, lasting peace is possible without God. We certainly haven’t managed it so far.