Miraculous birth.

       Only begotten son.

       Promise fulfilled.

       Tests. Trials.

       Ultimate sacrifice.

 

       I will be contemplating these powerful ideas while I pray the morning service on Christmas day.

       As I do every day.  

       Really?

       Really.

        In Judaism, our prayers each day begins by retelling the story of the only begotten son of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac. Born miraculously in their advancing years. Fulfilling G-d's promise that from Abraham, a great nation will arise. After several trials, Abraham is tested one last time and asked to sacrifice his only son to G-d on Mt. Moriah.

        Bet you thought I was talking about another miraculous event.

        That was intentional.

         Not to show the parallels in the narratives but by my astonishment in how all great religions seem to convey their most important ideas through the power of the Story. Notice: I capitalized the word Story. The Binding of Isaac. The Birth of Jesus.  Isaac, Sarah, Abraham, Jesus, Mary, Joseph. These are not made up characters, myths, and adventures.

        To the non-believer, no evidence is available to prove the veracity of these events. To the believer, no evidence is ever needed.

         These Stories are far too precious and too important to simply be relegated to literary analysis or historical and archaeological study.

         These are Stories. Stories given to us by our ancestors, passed along to our children to offer us hope and promise, that bind us to the timeless ideas that give our lives meaning, that teach us how to raise our children and how to lift our eyes to the Heavens. How to remind ourselves that we can rise above the mundane, extend our hands to those in need, and live with the challenge of sacrifice and hold on to the promise of a better future.

        Every day, a Jew remembers the binding of Isaac and the lessons of sacrifice and devotion to G-d.

I'll tell you more about that another time.

         This week is Christmas.

         And this religious Jew is drawn to the powerful Story of that special child my Christian neighbors and friends cherish as their Savior.

          It is a Story of hope and peace, salvation and goodness. A Story told again and again about a promised child to grateful families that will redeem the world.

          Is it my Story? No, but it is one I can love since I, too, have Stories that touch my heart and my soul. Stories like the Binding of Isaac, given to me by my ancestors and passed on to my children. Stories that conveys similar ideas that touch, inspire and give me hope.

          We all share common Stories as we travel together along the path of life.

          And when we learn to open our religious hearts and minds, we can discover how not only our ideas are similar but the very Stories we tell are similar as well. Not because they are made up, but because in our love of G-d and thirst for the Divine Encounter, the Adventures that we tell about powerful events and extraordinary people allow us to rejoice in the beauty of G-d's gift of faith, hope and promise.

         Marilyn and I want to wish our many Christian friends a joyous, meaningful, and safe Christmas. We are so blessed to share our lives and our paths together. We rejoice with you in the promise of G-d's blessings today and celebrate not only our friendship but in the Stories we tell and share!