Israel, Part II: An Old Prayer, A New Kippah, and a Hope for Peace

I prayed today at the Western Wall--the last remaining part of the Second Temple after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE by the Romans.  It is considered the most sacred site in all of Judaism.

I wore my new kippah (yarmulke) as I stood at the wall in prayer.  It is the traditional head covering men wear for prayer in Judaism.  I own a kippah.  I don't wear it often, but when we share worship with Temple Bat Yam, and in other similar setting I do.  And since we were going to be at the Western Wall, and then later in the week at Shabbat services at a Reform Temple here in Jerusalem, I decided to get a new one in the Jewish Quarter.  I mentioned this to my friend and co-leader on this trip Rabbi Steve Fuchs as we walked into the Jewish Quarter. A few minutes later he appeared at my side holding out a beautifully woven one, and said, "Here, try it on."  It is a most lovely gift!

When I prayed at the Wall I used several of the prayers I recite every day.  Prayers that have deep meaning for me personally.  I included the Eastern Orthodox Jesus Prayer, the Third Step Prayer, as well as several personal intercessions for my wife Linda, my mother and sister, the rest of my family, a parishioner who is grieving deeply a recent death, my former daughter-in-law's father who is very ill, and others.  I also prayed for the peace of Jerusalem.

Throughout the day we had been reminded of the underlying struggles in the Middle East, most especially in and around Jerusalem. And as I prayed I remembered the "we" version of the Serenity Prayer.  Instead of the usual "God grant me the serenity."  the "we" version begins "God grant us the serenity," and continues on using the first person plural.

It is an appropriate prayer for our world as we struggle to find solutions to seemingly impossible situations like that found in Jerusalem.  Because it really take all of us working together to solve the deep seated problems presented when different cultures and religions attempt to co-exist.  If we ant peace, we need to be accepting of others with their different beliefs, courageous in addressing the changes we need to make in our own attitudes, and wise enough to sort it all out.

So I prayed for the peace of Jerusalem in these words:  "God grant us the serenity to accept the things we cannot change, courage to change the things we can, and wisdom to know the difference."

Thanks Steve, for the new kippah, and for your friendship.  May our congregations continue to witness to the reality that the dream of peaceful co-existence is more than just a dream!