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June, 2020 This year, since Muslim families
were affected by “social distancing” and other
restrictions on gatherings imposed by the
coronavirus pandemic response like the rest of
us, a National Iftar was held
online. The Iftar is the meal that observes the
breaking of fast after sundown during Ramadan,
usually shared with friends and extended family.
Speakers included Congress members
Representatives Rashida Tlaib, André Carson, and
Ilhan Omar. Another major speaker was Dr. Ingrid
Mattson, London and Windsor Community Chair in
Islamic Studies at Western University in London,
Ontario, Canada. Dr. Mattson told her audience
that, “Ramadan is proof that we can live
differently. Our rhythms, habits, and priorities
are not fixed once and for all. We can choose a
better tomorrow.”
For Muslims, Ramadan is a month of fasting, self-restraint, prayer, introspection, and community. These values apply to Christians as well. This is what Isaiah wrote about the kind of fasting our God desires: “‘No, this is the kind of fasting I want: / Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; / lighten the burden of those who work for you. / Let the oppressed go free, / and remove the chains that bind people.’” (Isa, 58:6 New Living Translation). Such a “fast” indeed represents a way of living differently. If justice becomes a “rhythm” and compassion becomes a “habit,” we can create the “better tomorrow” of which Dr. Mattson spoke. The coronavirus pandemic has also shown us that we can live differently, that we can have different rhythms, habits, and priorities. We can worship online, we can remain indoors whenever possible, and we can practice “social distancing.” But we can still be “the church” (Matt. 18:20). “The church” is those who follow Christ. And following Christ means turning from the world, in church-speak, “repenting.” The word translated “repent” in the New Testament is the Greek word “μετάνοια” or “metanoia,” meaning “to think differently after.” When we repent, we think differently, and when we think differently, we act differently. Paul described it like this: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think.” (Rom. 12:2a NLT). Other translations render it as “be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” God has the power to make us new. Some people also say that “repent” means to “turn.” I learned that definition myself when I was younger. So when we repent, we turn from sin, from the path we were on to the path that leads us to salvation (Matt. 7:14). We “choose a better tomorrow.” When the first disciples left their boats or tax booths or whatever they were doing when they met Jesus, they also set their lives on new paths. Everyone who encountered him had a choice of how he or she would respond. They could turn, follow him, and begin again or remain as they were. In a recent message, Pastor Kim also preached about new beginnings. Each new beginning creates a new ending. Every new today creates a new tomorrow. We are called to take part in creating a new tomorrow, a new future, a better future. This responsibility isn’t just for Muslims. As Christians, we are called to help transform this human world into the kingdom of God. We have always been called to live differently. Both Islam and Christianity teach, as Dr. Mattson observed, that “we can live differently.” Jesus came to save “sinners,” people who had been written off by the religious authorities of the day, people who—it was assumed—couldn’t “live differently” (Luke 5:32, 19:10, 1 Tim. 1:15). For Christians, the power of the resurrection is the power to be transformed, to be “born again.” Our God is in the business of making things new. “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Cor. 5:17 NLT). If we live as citizens of God’s kingdom, as denizens of “a better tomorrow,” others will see and know that our faith is genuine. “Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.” (Eph. 4:23-24 NLT.) |
