Love Your Neighbor Dinner - my first experience at a mosque

Tonight was a really cool night for me. I got to go to a mosque for the first time ever. I went to the Islamic Community Center of Phoenix for the "Love Your Neighbor Dinner." The "Love Your Neighbor Dinner" is really cool because basically it is a growing partnership between the Vineyard Community Church in Gilbert and the Islamic Community Center of Phoenix where members of each community get to come together and get to know one another. It was an awesome opportunity for Muslims and Christians to come together and dialogue about what it means to love your neighbor.

To be honest, if I did this a year ago, I would probably have been super nervous, afraid, and judgmental because of the misconceptions I have had of the Muslim community that have been heavily influenced by society and the media. But as I have learned more about Islam and more about Christianity, specifically Jesus, I was actually pretty excited to go and actually get to meet some Muslim friends.

From the beginning, I was struck by the hospitality and kindness of our Muslim hosts. They welcomed us cheerfully and went out of their way to serve us in any way they could. The whole night was about recognizing the similarities that Islam and Christianity have specifically around the topic of loving your neighbor. So at first, we got to hear Imam Mahmoud talk about what it means to love your neighbor from a Muslim perspective. Then, we got to hear Pastor Jack from Vineyard Church talk about what it means to love your neighbor from a Christian perspective. It was crazy to hear how similar both traditions were in talking about the importance of loving your neighbor. From the Islamic perspective, it was so interesting to hear the hadiths, or the Prophet Muhammad's sayings about loving your neighbor. It was essentially this idea that we were to go out of our way to serve our neighbor and treat them as we would want to be treated. There were many striking similarities to what we learn in Christianity.

After, the messages from both the Christian and Islamic perspective. We observed the prayer time and then we had dinner together. The Muslim members served us first and allowed us to get food first. The food was delicious! Then, we got to sit around tables and talk with everyone. I got to talk with Ahmed. He works with an organization that helps to re-settle refugees and help them in the adjust process. I really had a great conversation with him, and I felt like we connected pretty well. We exchanged information, and he gave me his business card so we could stay in contact and possibly go volunteer with the organization he is part of. It was so cool because Ahmed told me about how his organization is open to going and talking to others about different cultures and bringing awareness to them. I have been looking to establish connections with different communities, and it was so crazy that I was able to meet someone who was doing work in areas that I am very passionate about.

What was also really cool about the night is that many of my friends my simple church got to go the mosque together. There was 8 of us who were able to go, meet new friends, and get a better understanding of what Islam is really about and not just the perceptions we get in the media. Afterward, we were able to all get together and talk about our experiences. It was cool to see different peoples thoughts and experiences. It was a great learning experience for us all that really opened up our eyes to understanding our Muslim brothers and sisters. I am really excited to see what God is doing in our community as we are getting a chance to really get a glimpse of His heart and His love for all people. I am so thankful for the guidance and mentorship of Auntie Pei and Rick Love. They have been phenomenal in encouraging and supporting our community to keep digging deeper into the things God has in store for us.

It is so crazy because I probably would not be writing like this or being so excited about an experience like this in the past. Like I said, I probably would be scared, afraid, and confused. If you are reading this and thinking I am crazy, let me explain a little. Muslims and Christians have often been seen as having this fear and distrust for one another. But when you really get to know one another, you recognize that there are a lot of similarities, and you realize that they are real people. Muslims are real people who laugh and smile and joke and have fun. I had a great time getting to know some new Muslim friends and finding out that there are a lot of similarities between us. Now, there are obviously some big differences too. And as a Christian, I am not there to compromise my beliefs. But, I am looking for ways to find commonalities and find peace. There is a difference between compromise and peace-keeping.

I found it interesting that in answering the question about establishing peace, Imam Mahmoud stated that if the Jews, Christians, and Muslims would just read and follow their book, there would be peace. How telling is it that, we are all seeking peace. There are so many similarities with one another, but we choose to see the divides, and although they are significant in the eyes of many people. I am reminded of what Jesus said in Mark 9:

38.John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw a man using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he isn't one of our group."
39."Don't stop him!" Jesus said. "No one who performs miracles in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me.
40.Anyone who is not against us is for us.
41. If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I assure you, that person will be rewarded.

Did you catch verse 40? Jesus says, "Anyone who is not against us is for us?" Does that seem odd to you? I never caught this until it was pointed out to me. But this phrase goes contrary to everything we are taught many times as Christians and as Americans. See many of us are familiar with the phrase "If they are not for us, they are against us."

But Jesus is saying the complete opposite of what we know. He is saying if they are not against you...then they are for you. Think of what that means in terms of peace-making and building bridges. If people are not against you, they are for you. For Muslims and Christians, they are not against each other in many significant issues - loving your neighbor and making peace are a few of them. Now, not all Christians or Muslims adhere to all they are taught, which is a different issue. But if you look at the core teachings of both traditions, you will find similarities.

Jesus was all about establishing relationships and finding common ground in being able reach people and build relationships. Jesus didn't compromise who he was about. But he demonstrated that in finding commonalities, he could build bridges as a way to demonstrate His love. This is something that I really want to learn how to do. I want to be able to connect and relate to people, and like Jesus, be able find connections in which to build bridges that point back to him and show His love.