The Kitchen Sink
An occasional piece of paper
October 26, 2008
Vol. 11 no. 42

Everything But...
           The Protestant Reformation is being celebrated and remembered today and nearly 500 years later we hope it is not just a historical event, over and done with. The Reformation was intended to be a process that would not end, a way of being the church. However, like most human institutions, the Church has a habit of resisting being reformed.
           Occasionally grace leads us to an unexpected opportunity. The Gospel reading for this Sunday has nothing specifically to do with the historical Reformation, yet it coincides with an event affecting the way we are Christian today. Jesus was put on the spot again to say which was the most important law. Typically, Jesus replied with two - to love the Lord your God with all you have; and to love one’s neighbour as yourself. Deceptively simple, but a lot to talk about.
           In the fall of 2006 a group of Muslim scholars and theologians drafted a letter to Pope Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders, entitled “A Common Word.” The phrase is from the Qur’an and refers to the common heritage we share as People of the Book between Islam, Judaism and Christianity. The letter suggests that we study together our lectionary reading for today, to love God and to love neighbour as a way to begin.
           There has been tremendous response and several major conference drafting encouraging responses. Archbishop Rowan Williams wrote thoughtfully that Muslims and Christians should not simply reduce our commonality to these two commandments, but go further.
           Always reforming implies that we are open to doing and thinking something we haven’t thought about before. Genuinely talking with Muslims may make us more genuinely Christian. That’s reformed!