“For though my faith is not yours and your faith is not mine, if we each are free to light our own flame, together we can banish some of the darkness of the world.”
~Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks

I did not hear about the events that happened at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australia until after worship this past Sunday the 14th.  The headlines this week in The New York Times and the articles that followed were hard to read:
— “The Panicked Moments When a Beach Celebration Became a ‘War Zone’”
— “Syrian-Born Australian Who Tackled Bondi Gunman Hailed as Hero”
— “Australian Leader Pledges Stricter Gun Laws After Deadly Bondi Shooting”

Two men (a father and son) brought long guns to Sydney’s famously beautiful Bondi Beach and opened fire upon hundreds of people who had gathered to celebrate Hanukkah.  This was the worst mass shooting in Australia in almost 30 years.  These men showed up to an annual celebration enjoyed by the Jewish community, a celebration attended by generations to enjoy the first night of the Festival of Lights.  It is awful to see individuals turn to violence as people gather together in community to observe an important religious festival.  Another horrible act of Antisemitism.

This week I was thinking of the work of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks.  Rabbi Sacks was an English Orthodox Rabbi and a philosopher, theologian, and author.  He wrote Not in God’s Name: Confronting Religious Violence to tackle religious extremism and challenge the very idea of anyone committing violence in the name of God.  Rabbi Sacks challenged the idea of exclusivism in religion—that one’s particular religion is the only path to God.  It is an important book to read to better grasp how to be compassionate in a multifaith and multicultural society.  In light of more violence in our world (and during a time of year that is important to people of varied faith traditions), I wanted to share Rabbi Sack’s beautiful words: “For though my faith is not yours and your faith is not mine, if we each are free to light our own flame, together we can banish some of the darkness of the world.”* 

May it be so.

Love,
Pastor Lauren

*The Rabbi Sacks Legacy, https://rabbisacks.org/ Sacks

Photo by Mario Losereit on Unsplash

Thursday Thoughts 12/18/25