The Rev. Randy Calvo on the First Congregational Church of Sunderland, United Church of Christ.
STAFF PHOTO/PAUL FRANZ
This weekend, Jews are celebrating the feast of Passover. Passover started at sunset this previous Monday and ends at sunset this coming Tuesday. Normally, Passover and Easter coincide on the calendar. Nevertheless, this can be a Jewish intercalary year. The Jewish calendar relies on the lunar cycle. To be able to preserve the seasonal affiliation of the Jewish feasts, an additional month have to be added to sure years as a way to compensate for the lunar 12 months being 11 days shorter than the photo voltaic 12 months. That is why Easter and Passover are weeks aside this 12 months.
Nevertheless, this separation permits me the chance to simply accept a really gracious invitation from a pal to hitch in her Passover Seder, to hitch together with her household and pals within the intimacy of her dwelling as we bear in mind God’s liberation of the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. When Passover and Easter share proximate dates on the calendar, Holy Week tasks make acceptance of such an invite virtually not possible for me. Since this text must be submitted to the Recorder every week upfront, I can not share my experiences from the night of April 22, however I can share a few of the backstory.
The Sunderland Congregational Church, United Church of Christ, is a member of the Sunderland Human Rights Activity Drive, which emerged in response to the homicide of George Floyd on Could 25, 2020. These are these stalwart souls on the intersection of Routes 47 and 116 in Sunderland each Monday morning.
A subgroup of the Activity Drive was organized to cope with the dramatically growing instances of antisemitism in the US, up 140% this 12 months. The Sunderland Church was wanting to be an energetic participant in planning and presenting such a program, and we’re proudly its cosponsor. The church voted additionally to buy an out of doors banner declaring, “Church buildings for Center East Peace.” Each the Activity Drive and the church understand that there’s a distinction between supporting or opposing Israel’s governmental coverage at any given time, and opposing antisemitism on a regular basis.
Right here I communicate for myself. I really feel obligated to work in opposition to antisemitism as a result of as a church pastor, as an ordained consultant of the church, I’m ashamed of the church’s and Christianity’s historic function in persecuting Jews. For the longest time I used to be naïve concerning the systemic Christian assaults on Jews and Judaism.
For me, Lent is the holiest time of the 12 months. The willingness of Jesus to simply accept crucifixion stays for me the final word testimony of God’s ineffable love for all folks. I noticed in it solely the great and holy. Then, I used to be confronted by Marc Chagall’s portray, “White Crucifixion.” I by no means realized till then that Lent and Good Friday had been terrifying prospects for Jewish communities by means of the centuries, instances when violent antisemitism could be instigated and condoned by the church’s theology and preaching, and in addition that the Jewish Jesus who lives on the middle of my religion suffered together with each antisemitic insult and assault.
Then, I visited the Lenox Library this previous summer season and bought “Constantine’s Sword: The Church and the Jews” by James Carroll, which was his personal story of discovering the scandalous historical past of institutional Christian antisemitism. Nearly as quickly as Christians had energy it was used in opposition to the Jews. And sadly, a few of this was justified by Gospel passages. I perceive the exegesis behind John 8:44 and Matthew 27:25, however in purposeful isolation they’re damaging texts which were co-opted to justify generational bigotry.
A extra unbiased studying of Jesus’ story is that he was executed by the highly effective. Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan write of competing processions into Jerusalem on what’s now often called Palm Sunday. In a well-orchestrated march, the Roman governor Pontius Pilate entered the town from the west main imperial cavalry and troopers representing the violent energy of the empire, whereas a spontaneous peasant protest ushered Jesus into Jerusalem from the east, with Jesus selecting symbols of peace (Matthew 21:5 // Zechariah 9:9-10).
It was the highly effective who executed Jesus. These are sometimes the enemy of Jesus’ ministry, his care and compassion for all folks, particularly the powerless. It was, nevertheless, way more expedient in charge the Jews from the time the New Testomony was being written, by means of the ages and to the current.
I’ll attend the Passover Seder and share within the highly effective message of God’s liberation, and share it with folks whose religion is as legitimate and sacred because it ever was. My religion doesn’t supersede their religion. I because the pastor of this native church will stand subsequent to an area rabbi as we collectively welcome friends into the Sunderland Church Chapel for the antisemitism dialogue. I hope that these small acts could coalesce with these of others to assist proper the previous and current wrongs which have misrepresented Christianity’s beliefs of broad and loving acceptance and welcome, and that they might unmask the false theology that has been used to justify antisemitism in Jesus’ title. I do that not solely as an act of anti-antisemitism, however as a result of my Christian religion expects it.
The First Congregational Church of Sunderland, United Church of Christ, has ministered to our native communities since 1717. The church’s web site is www.scc1717.wordpress.com. Our Fb web page is discovered below First Congregational Church of Sunderland. The church’s cellphone quantity is 413-665-7987. In case you want to attain Rev. Randy Calvo, e mail him at [email protected]. Sunday worship begins at 11:00 a.m. The plans for the antisemitism dialogue on the church’s chapel and the later exhibit on the Sunderland Library usually are not but finalized. Please test in for updates. Our due to the Harold Grinspoon Basis for his or her beneficiant monetary assist of those efforts.
