Today I prayed with my new friend and colleague Mohamed Ibrahim and his thriving community (the Islamic Society of the Seacoast Area) at the Dover masjid. Stepping out of the damp darkness, I was welcomed so graciously by the Imam and his people, and reminded of the power of prayer in connecting human communities and transforming strangers to friends. Mohamed's teaching was especially powerful and poignant, as he encouraged his friends to practice their faith in the most disciplined and expansive way possible. The depth of his own commitment resonates in every one of his words, and in his being. And so it is with the community itself.
I drove to ISSA after a meaningful hour in Durham with one of our newest small groups, a circle of women seeking depth in practice and accountability in friendship on the Christian path. I'm struck by the profound connection--my ministry and Mohamed's preaching. Like my new friend, I too see my work as a teacher's calling, inviting curious and devoted believers into spaces where risk, balance, compassion and prayer play and mature in our human hearts.
At this crossroads in my 30 years of ministry, I'm more and more committed to the kind of collaboration and shared prayer I experienced, just briefly, at Jumu'ah Prayer today. The reconciling oneness of God moves in this way, without eclipsing our sweet traditions, to reveal brotherhood, sisterhood and kinship in our communities and partnerships. And I am, indeed, blessed to be doing this kind of work!
