Some coincidences.... aren't.

[captainsblog]

Two Sundays ago, on the anniversary of 9/11, we were back in the Rochester church of our marriage and of Emily's christening. The preacher (who married us there 24 years ago tomorrow) gave a moving and timely message (you can hear it here) about the need for tolerance, and forgiveness, and mutual understanding on that day remembering a still-in-our-sight tragedy.

Two hours ago, back here at home, our current minister made an equally moving and timely statement (there'll be an audio link to the September 25th sermon here eventually) about those continuing needs in all our lives. He spoke of the suicide of Jamey Rodemeyer, and of the ways in which his life was so lacking in tolerance, and forgiveness, and mutual understanding from those around him.

Both of these extraordinary speakers of the Word ended their sermons with the same story- each paraphrased slightly differently, but ending with the same essential message:

There is an old rabbinic story in which the Rabbi asks, “Children, how can we determine the moment of dawn, when the night ends and the day begins?”

One person responded, “When I see the difference between a dog and a sheep?”

“No,” said the Rabbi.

A second person said, “It is when I can see the difference between a fig tree and a grape vine?”

“No,” said the Rabbi.

“Please tell us the answer,” begged the students.

The old Rabbi responded, “You know when the night ends and the day begins when you can look into the face of any human being and have enough light to recognize that person as your brother or your sister; when you can say, ‘I see myself in you.’ Up until that time it is night and the darkness is still with us.”

As it happened, in today's service, we observed the christening of a baby boy on his first birthday (who took the same delight in playing with Rich's wireless headset that our daughter had taken in drooling on Susan's decorative bow close to 20 years ago;). One of the responses in our tradition is for the parents to pledge "to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves." Whether that comes in the form of a blatant visible act of jihad, or a sleazy and underhanded form of bullying, they are evil and unjust and oppressive nonetheless- and I urge all of my brothers and sisters, whatever and ifever their faiths, to join us in that resistance.

Comments

[firynze.livejournal.com]

That's beautiful.

[captainsblog.livejournal.com]

I emailed both of them- I'm sure they know each other from minister stuff, but they probably did not know they'd used the same text. I referred to it as a "concurrence" because it seemed not to be coincidence. Rich replied:

Someone once told me that coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous. Especially that’s true, I think, when there’s such meaning attached to it.


The story of the rabbi is one I first heard in Troy, N.Y., in the late 1980s, and I still trot it out on occasion. I remember it far more frequently than I use it.

I haven't heard back from Susan yet- she runs a much bigger shop over there- but I'll be interested to hear where she picked it up.

[liddle-oldman.livejournal.com]

Even I'm moved by that one.

[bill_sheehan.livejournal.com]

I've used that one in a couple sermons. It's one of my favorite bits of rabbinical wisdom.