INTERFAITH WORSHIP SERVICE

Interfaith Weekend of Prayer and Action for Sudan

 

Edited by

Rabbi Or N. Rose & Dr. Timothy Nonn  

 

Introduction

Shalom , Salaam, and Peace.

Welcome to the guide to the Interfaith Weekend of Prayer and Action for Sudan. On the weekend of November 7-9, 2008, we join other activists —religious and secular — throughout the world participating in events protesting the genocide in Darfur.

Tents can be a sign of loss and a sign of hope. Jerry Fowler, President of Save Darfur Coalition, said:

“For refugees, the tent is a symbol of loss. Every time they come back to their tents, they are reminded of what they used to have, what was taken from them, and their longing to return home. Yet, even though the tent represents loss, they immediately humanize their situation by creating a new life. In the camps in Chad, this is most obvious from the fences and screens they build around their tents with sticks and grass and the little plots they scratch out next to their tents to grow vegetables. Loss and hope exist side by side. This is not only true for uprooted people from Darfur; it is the human condition. Our ability to create and sustain hope in the presence of loss – even enormous loss – is one of humanity’s most exalted characteristics.”

It is our hope that by participating in the Interfaith Weekend of Prayer and Action for Sudan, by joining people of diverse faiths and backgrounds in spiritual and political activities, we will strengthen our resolve to help end the atrocities in Sudan and create an enduring anti-genocide movement. 

Welcome

            Opening music

Blessing of the Tents*

Sheltering God,
we thank you for your sustaining presence,
stronger than the desert winds,
more steadfast than the highest mountain,
as gentle as the laughter of a child.
Bless, we humbly ask, this dwelling, this simple tent.
Make of it a sacred space, that all who help create it,
all who offer their gifts through it,
and all who behold it shall heed your desire for justice,
your vision of safe dwelling and a peaceful life for all your beloved children.
Encircle with your care the people of Darfur:
the leaders, the children, the refugees, the soldiers, the peacemakers.
Show us all what we can do to help end the suffering,
that all will know at last what it means to dwell in your sheltering love.
Amen.

 

Rev. Julie Peeples

Congregational United Church of Christ, Greensboro, NC

Sending out the candles

The worship leader hands one candle each to four people who carry them from the altar to the four corners of the sanctuary.

Leader: “Carry these candles to the four directions of the universe.

“Take the first candle, love and compassion, to the east.

Take the second candle, hope, to the west.

Take, the third candle, justice, to the north.

Take the fourth candle, peace, to the south.

 

“Facing east, we remember those who suffer from hatred and indifference.

Facing west, we remember those who suffer from despair.

Facing north, we remember those who suffer from injustice.

Facing south, we remember those who suffer from war and genocide.”

Reflections on scripture

--In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

Genesis 1: 1-3

--In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God; all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:1-3

--Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth. His light may be compared to a niche that enshrines a lamp, the lamp within a crystal of star-like brilliance. It is lit from a blessed olive tree neither eastern nor western. Its very oil would almost shine forth, though no fire touched it. Light upon light; Allah guides to His light whom He will.

Surah 24:35

Opening Song: “Go Down Moses”

"Go Down Moses" is an African American spiritual that uses the Israelite liberation story to give voice to the pain, suffering, and hope of Black slaves in this country. The song was made famous by the great entertainer and activist, Paul Robeson. We have included the chorus and several stanzas below.

“When Israel was in Egypt's land

Let my people go,

Oppressed so hard they could not stand

Let my people go.

Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt's land

Tell ol' Pharaoh, Let my people go...

The Lord told Moses what to do, Let my people go,

To lead the Hebrew children through, Let my people go.

Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt's land

Tell ol' Pharaoh, Let my people go…

We need not always weep and mourn,

Let my people go,

And wear these slavery chains forlorn,

Let my people go.

Go down, Moses, way down in Egypt's land

Tell ol' Pharaoh, Let my people go.”

The First Candle – Love and Compassion

As we light the first candle, we focus on the compassion in our own hearts that allows us to hear the voices of the Darfuri people and recognize their suffering.

“The essence of love and compassion is understanding, the ability to recognize the physical, material, and psychological suffering of others, to put ourselves ‘inside the skin’ of the other.  We ‘go inside’ their body, feelings, and mental formations, and witness for ourselves their suffering.  Shallow observation as an outsider is not enough to see their suffering.  We must become one with the subject of our observation.  When we are in contact with another's suffering, a feeling of compassion is born in us. Compassion means, literally, ‘to suffer with.’"

Thich Nhat Hahn

Sign of Peace: Let’s share together a wish for peace: “ Shalom , Salaam, and Peace.”

Unison Prayer for Darfur

 

We pray for the people of Darfur who have been terrorized and forced from their homes — for those who have fled to refugee camps, and who still live in fear;

We pray for those who have died, and for their families;

We pray for the women in Darfur who face danger every day as they leave their camps for firewood — may You watch over Your daughters;

We pray for the children of Darfur, especially those who face a frightening world without one or both of their parents — may they be protected and comforted;

We pray for the safety of the humanitarian aid workers as they feed and care for the people of Darfur;

We pray for the safety of the African Union's Mission in Darfur as they work in difficult circumstances;

We pray for the safety of the United Nations' Peacekeepers when they begin their duties in Darfur;

We pray that the world's leaders will be guided by You in their quest for justice and safety for Darfur's people — may they be inspired by Your humanity;

Remind us that we are all your children, and teach us to listen;

We pray that those who are causing death and misery in Darfur will turn away from racism and violence — may they be forgiven when they turn to You for guidance instead;

Teach us to rejoice in all the things we have in common and respect each others' differences;

We pray that people everywhere will strive to live in peace, tolerance, and respect, no matter what their faith or race — may we gain the wisdom, grace, and generosity of spirit to overcome our differences and live as one.

 

Archbishop Desmond Tutu

Anglican Church, South Africa

The Second Candle – Hope

As we light the second candle, we focus on the need for hope to be fulfilled through concrete action for peace and justice. We will act on our hope by asking the president-elect to fulfill his promise to end the genocide in Darfur. The Save Darfur Coalition has distributed these postcards as part of the "Be a Voice for Darfur Campaign." Please fill out a postcard now.

We also focus on the need to spread hope by raising awareness about the ongoing crisis in Darfur. Please take a moment to think of five people you can speak to about the genocide in Western Sudan. Below are the names of five people I will contact and ask to fill out the postcard to the president-elect:

1. ____________________________________________________

2. ____________________________________________________

3. ____________________________________________________

4. ____________________________________________________

5. ____________________________________________________

Reading : Kristallnacht , Night of the Broken Glass

On the evening of November 9, 1938, the German Government unleashed a pogrom against the Jews, burning down synagogues and smashing the glass fronts of Jewish shops in Germany and Austria. The pogrom's name comes from the German word for beveled plate glass and refers to the broken shop windows of the Jewish stores, hence Kristallnacht, or Night of the Broken Glass. On that night, 91 Jews were killed, 30.000 Jews sent to Dachau, Buchenwald and Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg concentration camps. 5.000 Jewish shops were looted, 191 synagogues attacked, bonfires made of Torah scrolls, prayer books and volumes of Jewish history, philosophy and poetry. From the time of Kristallnacht onwards, the momentum of the Holocaust gathered force and led to the wholesale persecution and the killing of six million Jews including one and a half million children.

We remember a night of darkness and fear that swept the heartland of Christian Europe like a scourge. We remember those who were persecuted. Jews for being Jews. We remember those who spoke out, brave souls who tried to save a world. And we remember the silence! How many stood aside, mute and unconcerned forgetting the divine command: "You shall not stand idle while your neighbor bleeds."

 

For the sin of silence,
For the sin of indifference,
For the secret complicity of the neutral,
For the closing of borders,
For the washing of hands from blame,
For the crime of forgetfulness,
For the sin of meaningless rhetoric,

Let us remember and never forget.

Let us now remember in silence.

At the end of 2 minutes of silence, glass is broken.

Roll Call -- UN camps in Darfur

Individuals are asked to display their United Nations Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) registration cards to provide pertinent information about food distribution, vaccinations for malaria, and monthly assignments for patrols collecting water and firewood in areas outside the IPP camp perimeter.

The Third Candle – Justice

As we light the third candle, we focus on the need for justice as the basis for an enduring peace in Sudan. The call for justice, for holding the perpetrators of genocide accountable for their crimes before the International Criminal Court, is the loudest among the people of Darfur. But their call for justice is rarely heard. So today we will listen to Darfuri leaders who speak out about the case on Darfur at the International Criminal Court.

( Show video of Darfuri civil society leaders speaking about the ICC charges:

http://blogfordarfur.org/2008/09/10/darfuris-speak-about-icc-charges/)

Justice includes sharing resources with one another, especially with those who have little or nothing. In your bulletin, you will find an envelope. In the spirit of this interfaith gathering, we encourage you to donate to one or more of the following humanitarian organizations active in Darfur: American Jewish World Service (www.ajws.org), Church World Service (www.cws.org), Lutheran World Relief (www.lrs.org), and Islamic Relief USA (www.irw.org).

Reflections on Charitable Giving

“I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare.”

-C.S. Lewis

“The best investment with the least risk and the greatest dividend is giving.”

-Sir John Templeton

“It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”

-Mother Teresa

“No wealth (of a servant of Allah) is decreased because of charity.”

-Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 2:247

Song: "Morning Has Broken"

“Morning has broken, like the first morning
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning
Praise for them springing fresh from the world

Sweet the rains new fall, sunlit from heaven
Like the first dewfall, on the first grass
Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden
Sprung in completeness where his feet pass

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning
Born of the one light, Eden saw play
Praise with elation, praise every morning
God’s recreation of the new day”

Yusuf Islam

(Cat Stevens, who changed his name to Yusef Islam when he converted to Islam in 1977, was barred from entering the U.S. from 2004 to 2006 due to an error in the anti-terrorism no-fly list.)

Reading : Planting Seeds

This is what we are about:

We plant seeds that will one day grow.

We water seeds already planted, knowing they hold the future promise.

We lay foundations that will need further development.

We provide yeast that produces effects beyond our capabilities.

We cannot do everything, and there is a sense of liberation in realizing that.

This enables us to do something, and do it very well.

It may be incomplete, but it is a beginning, a step along the way,

an opportunity for God’s grace to enter and to do the rest.

We may never see the end results,

but that is the difference between the master builder and the worker.

We are workers, not master builders, ministers, not messiahs.

We are prophets of a future not our own.

Archbishop Oscar Romero

                                                            El Salvador (assassinated by death squads in 1980)  

The Fourth Candle – Peace

As we light the fourth candle, we pray for peace in Darfur. We pray that God will use us as instruments of peace to heal a broken world and bring forth reconciliation between all peoples and nations. We pray that our experience today helps us to ignite the spark of peace within each of us. We pray that we may have the strength to carry forth this light into our homes, schools, offices, and houses of worship, creating a beautiful and bold flame of peace that inspires others to work for the freedom and security of the innocent people of Western Sudan.

“For, I can see that in the midst of death, life persists. In the midst of untruth, truth persists. In the midst of darkness, light persists. Hence I gather that god is life, truth, light.” 

                                                Gandhi

 

The Gandhian influence in some way still speaks to the conscience of the world as nations grapple with international problems. If we fail, on an international scale, to follow the Gandhian principle of nonviolence, we may end up by destroying ourselves through the misuse of our own instruments. The choice is no longer between violence and nonviolence. It is now either nonviolence or non-existence.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Reuniting the Candles:

The four candles are brought forward from the four corners of the sanctuary and placed inside the tent (if a tent is not available, they may be placed on the altar).

Leader: “Let us remember our brothers and sisters from Darfur who long to return home.”

At the end of 1 minute of silence, a bell is rung four times.

Song: Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

T'was Grace that taught my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear
The hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares
I have already come;
'Tis Grace that brought me safe thus far
and Grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me.
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yea, when this flesh and heart shall fail,
And mortal life shall cease,
I shall possess within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

When we've been here ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise
Than when we've first begun.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

Concluding Prayer

 

* An alternative for the “Blessing of the Tents,” when a tent is unavailable:

 

God, who can turn our worries into wings of joy and our sorrows into songs of thanks, let not our hearts be so troubled by the tragedies of this life's moment that we lose sight of the eternal life in Your Kingdom. Give comfort and solace to our brothers and sisters who suffer almost unbearable losses every second, minute and hour around the world. Strengthen our resolve to replace hatred with love, tension with trust, fear with understanding, and selfishness with caring and community. Heal, O God, all your people so that those who are hurt, may live in a world of peace, opportunity, and justice. Amen.

 

Marian Wright Edelman

Adapted from Guide My Feet

Appendix for Leaders:

Outline (approx. 70 minutes)

Introduction (2 minutes)

Blessing of the Tents (3 minutes)

Sending out the candles (5 minutes)

Song #1 (5 minutes)

The First Candle (3 minutes)

Sign of peace (3 minutes)

Unison Prayer for Darfur (2 minutes)

The Second Candle (5 minutes)

Reading (5 minutes)

Roll Call -- UN camps in Darfur (10 minutes)

The Third Candle (5 minutes)

Song #2 (5 minutes)

Reading (1minute)

The Fourth Candle (5 minutes)

Song #3 (5 minutes)

Reuniting the Candles (5 minutes)

Concluding Prayer (1 minute)

Materials:

Four large candles and candlesticks

One tent (optional)

Collection baskets at each table

Index-size cards for simulated “UN Registration Cards”

Large piece of glass, mallet, cloth and container

One copy of Darfuri civil society leaders (DVD—free from the Save Darfur Coalition, Zahara Heckscher, zahara@savedarfur.org)

Audio-visual equipment to show the DVD video

Postcards & pens for each table

Editors:

  Rabbi Or Rose is Associate Dean of the Rabbinical School of Hebrew College in Newton, MA. He is the co-editor of Righteous Indignation: A Jewish Call for Justice (Jewish Lights Publishing). A contributing editor for Tikkun and a member of the advisory board of Sh’ma, Rabbi Rose has written extensively on issues of religion and public life.

Dr. Timothy Nonn is the National Coordinator of Tents of Hope. He has a doctorate in ethics and is currently working on a history of the Darfur Movement from 2004 to 2009 entitled Go as a River: Finding God and Hope in the Struggle against Genocide.