Our Values Keep Us Resilient

Shalom Chevrei:

Last weekend, we witnessed acts of violence perpetrated against Jews and Christians. This weekend thundered with the warlike drumbeats of international conflict. Angry shadows continue to cast their darkness; it’s hard to take a deep breath. But the one thing that remains unchanged - one thing that can help us draw in a fuller portion of the vital force of life - are our Jewish values. They remain unchanged through thick and thin. We remain committed to peace, to security, to tikkun olam. Our values are what keep us resilient; our values are what keep us hopeful amidst threats to the contrary.

But just as we pray that all depends on God, we know that we must act as though all depends on us. While the inspiration for our values may be God-given, their actualization is human-driven. So, in this spirit of responsible action, I include here the following invitation from my colleague Pastor Fred Kinsey and our friends at ECRA:

SACRED SEEDS presents Reducing Gun Violence: How Can Our Communities Respond. Sponsored by ECRA (Edgewater Community Religious Association). Please join us on Sunday, January 19, 2020 at 3:00pm, at Emanuel Congregation, 5959 N. Sheridan. How has gun violence affected you? How can our communities respond to reduce gun violence? Sacred Seeds Congregations will take up this topic and help your congregation or community determine how you can best respond. ECRA is working with Nisan Chavkin of The Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago to form these community listening response sessions. We hope you can attend this important event. Contact Pastor Fred Kinsey at pastorfred86@gmail.com or (773) 878-4747 with any questions.

Please join me January 19th as we welcome Mr. Chavkin, the Council of Religious Leaders of Metropolitan Chicago, and our community-at-large for this important and hopeful conversation - one I pray will beckon us forward into a healing light and responsive action.

Make it a day of blessing and be a force for good!

Zei gezunt:

Rabbi Craig Marantz