From a famous and radical sermon: "I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood." Martin Luther King Jr., I have a Dream. Slavery in the USA was finished with Abraham Lincoln's emancipation bill but segregation between whites and blacks had not been realized fully even in a 100 years. Praise God much progress has been made since this speech.
Sermons at the mosque are usually predicable. First there are readings from the Qur'an in Arabic. Then what often follows are admonitions to be better Muslims.
The format is something like this: The preacher stands by the niche in the front of the mosque which also indicates the correct direction for Islamic prayer. He gives his 'Salam' followed by the prayer call. The preacher then gives readings or recitations from the Qur'an in Arabic followed by the first part of his sermon and ends it with a prayer from the Qur'an. The sermon is divided into two parts. The second half of the sermon starts with praise to God and 'Salam' to Mohamed. It ends with a prayer from the Qur'an.
I recently took a group of Bible college students for a visit to Friday prayers. This time there was a visiting scholar who addressed the faithful as 'slaves of Allah'. His message was that God is love but with conditions. The speaker claimed that God shows love to the believers if they 1) obey Mohamed 2) follow the rules of Islam and 3) show love to fellow Muslims. Then he went on to say that suffering or testing is a sign of God's love. It's an opportunity to work off sins. He emphasized that we all sin. Even catching a cold is an opportunity to pay for sins. He said the backslidden are not tested as much by Allah. If a Muslim passes the test of suffering he has a better chance at entering heaven.
A Muslim 'slave' is obligated to follow all the rules of Islam. He has no rights and can't question God, his master. What is decreed for him will come to pass. He is a slave of God until he dies.
The words "bondservant or slave and servant" used as metaphors in the New Testament indicate absolute devotion to Jesus. Paul, Timothy, James, Peter and Jude all describe themselves as "bondservants of Christ". This was their response to Jesus.
Jesus said "my burden is light"(Matthew 11:30). We receive immense benefits when we go Jesus way. We receive freedom in Christ. I too want to respond --"here's my life, take and use it."
My Muslim friend welcomed input from non-Muslims when he arrived. Sadly, as he becomes more settled into the Muslim community, he has become rigid in his thinking. Halal and haram are now very important words to him.
Dear God, I pray for my Muslim friends who are holding on to the only identity they know. I pray that they would seek freedom. Amen.
