Give thanks

Our “neighborhood” Interfaith Thanksgiving Service will take place at Saint Anne’s this year on November 24 at 4pm. The tradition is that the seven worshiping communities rotate who is the host, and the prior year’s host is the preacher at the service. That means we will be getting to hear from Rabbi Lawrence Rosenthal of Ahavath Achim, and the rest of the service will include little bits of each tradition’s liturgies and worship styles.

Here’s Hannah on the importance of Interfaith Worship 

One of the requirements for priests in the Diocese of Atlanta is to attend seminary. Buddy, Edith, KC and I all attended Candler School of Theology at Emory University to earn our Masters of Divinity degrees. We each had our own reasons for choosing to study there, but one of the biggest draws to Candler for me was that there was an opportunity to learn alongside students of many faith traditions. While Candler is formally affiliated with the United Methodist Church, I was part of an Episcopal and Anglican studies cohort, and also had classmates who were Catholic, Baptist, Non-denominational and Presbyterian. Several of my friends were discerning which denomination they felt most connected to, and there were constant opportunities for interfaith dialogue. 

Now  that I’m out of seminary and spend most of my worship time at Saint Anne’s, my biggest opportunity for interfaith worship is at friends’ weddings. I always enjoy seeing the choices that are made in their liturgies, how religious or not religious their ceremony is, which readings are selected, how their officiant preaches, and just getting the full experience of worship. It is such a joy to share in different kinds of worship together, and I am always especially touched by how God’s presence and glory is revealed in all kinds of settings. 

This  month, I’m getting to experience interfaith dialogue and worship through the planning of our annual Northside Parkway Community Interfaith Thanksgiving service. This is a decades-long tradition that Saint Anne’s has participated in alongside Northside United Methodist Church, Trinity Presbyterian Church, Northside Baptist Church, St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, New Hope AME Church, and Ahavath Achim Synagogue. Last year, I participated in the service at Ahavath Achim, and had the joy of seeing many of you there, as well as friends, friends’ parents, and neighbors who I have known for years but didn’t realize worshipped just down the street from us. 

This year, Saint Anne’s is the lucky host of this incredible service, which will take place on November 24 at 4:00PM. The tradition is that the seven worshipping communities rotate who is the host, and the prior year’s host is the preacher at the service. That means we will be getting to hear from Rabbi Lawrence Rosenthal of Ahavath Achim, and the rest of the service will include little bits of each tradition’s liturgies and worship styles. 

It is such a meaningful tradition for us to spend this time before the holidays with our neighbors who share both similarities and differences with us. Some of you probably have families where sitting at the dinner table requires being in conversation with people you don’t always agree with.  Interfaith dialogue and worship are wonderful spiritual practices that can help us learn about those who subscribe to different beliefs, customs and ways of seeing the world, and gives us an opportunity to be in community with them. It isn’t about proselytizing others to our own religion, nor is it meant to create a “melting pot” where all religious identities are conflated into one. Our differences matter, and there is room for all of us to worship God together. Worshipping in this way also  allows us to strengthen our own faith identities, as it spurs us to articulate our particular beliefs, why we feel that way, and may help us  uncover some aspects of our faith that we can take for granted. 

I would love to worship with you and our neighbors on November 24, but even if you can’t make it to the Interfaith service, I hope you can remember what a holy thing it is to share space with those who think differently from you. Whether it’s at the Thanksgiving dinner table, at the polling place, or somewhere out in the community, know that God’s love can be experienced anywhere in the world, and that we are all a part of God’s beloved family. 

See you in church, 

Hannah