My Community Group from church had an event this week to help us connect with Muslim folks in the area. The interfaith group, The Buxton Initiative, helped put it together and we had a pretty wonderful evening sharing food, fellowship, and discussing personal aspects of our respective faiths.
While we didn't sit down and start with Genesis and go through Revelation, it was great to instead be sitting around a table with folks in my community as we all chimed in to share the truth of the Gospel to which we cling, and to hear from the Muslims about their beliefs and personal faith.
I can't think of a non-cheesy way to say this, but it was incredibly heart warming to discuss these ultra-significant things with people I'd just met. And to hear how many similarities we have with them. It also helped me see my own faith with fresh eyes - what our distinctives are as Christians and how I can better understand and pray for Muslims that I meet.
We were, both Christians and Muslims, able to dispel a few misconceptions each group had about the other - I'll confess, I didn't know much at all about the specifics of Islam before that evening, so it was great to sit and listen to passionate and sincere Muslims talk about their faith, their frustrations, and hear them be encouraged to hear us talk about our faith as well.
I confess that I get too comfortable talking to those in my own circles and making assumptions about what they know or don't know about what I believe, and more importantly, about what God says about himself. It was great to hear "outsiders" discuss Christ and scripture - it stirred me up a bit and made me realize again what a gift our salvation is, and how I need to be returning again and again to scripture to cherish what God has given us in his Word.
I'm hoping these "strangers" can quickly become friends and that we can continue the good discussions we started this week with each other about those things that get to the core of who we are, why we're here, and what we believe and why.
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