Sunday in Amman

Today we worshipped at an Episcopal church in Amman. The congregation was prepared for us as they provided us with the hymns, creeds and responses written in English. The pastor had also provided us with a summary of his sermon in English. When we sang or read two languages could be heard and at one point in the service the Islamic call to prayer could be heard in the distance. This was a truly multi-cultural experience.

The topic of the sermon was Peace. Three questions were posed and answered. What is peace? Where do we find it? How do we achieve peace?

According to this pastor, peace is a way of thinking and a way of life. It is innate in people that they work for external peace. Real peace is not the absence of war and violence rather it is a way of life. This is why Jesus stressed the fact that peace is at the core of Christian teachings and of the gospel message. Real peace is on founded in truth, justice and equality, freedom and respect for all.

The pastor said that we find peace in Christ. Christ is the source, maker and giver of peace. Peace is something that the children of God are called to pursue and make.

He concluded by saying that we achieve peace by living the message to love God and people at the same time. This is the commandment Christ gave us and we are reminded of, each and every time we draw near and partake of his body and blood. "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself." This is our mandate: to make our world one of peace, love and happiness, for peace is justice and justice is peace. Blessed are the peace makers, for they are the children of God.

After the service we were invited to join members of the congregation for brunch. We sat at round tables intermingled with church members, many of whom spoke English. One woman I spoke with said that her family was forced out of Palestine by the Zionists in 1948. Her father always thought he would be able to return to his home and carried the key to their house in his pocket until he died. The 82 year old organist of the church said that he and his family were forced to leave Palestine in 1950. His father was a gifted violinist who owned a Stradivarius. He said they destroyed everything in the house including his father's violin. "I can't tell you the horrible things they did to us," he said.

Several speakers made short presentations on different topics. The pastor's wife talked about the work they are doing to empower women in the church and in governmental and non-governmental organizations. Women work with refugees and in the areas of human rights and family violence. One man spoke of the impact refugees have had and are now having on Jordan. There were waves of refugees entering Jordan in 1967, 1987, 1994 and 2003 after the invasion of Iraq. He said that in a country of 6 million people, 1.5 million are refugees. The cost in dollars is 2 million a day. A neuro-surgeon talked about health care for the Palestinian refugees. The source of his information is personal experience and the World Health Organization and the United Nations. He said that 75% of Palestinian health care workers can't get to work and patients experience long delays at Israeli military checkpoints. Seventy-five percent of Palestinians live below the poverty level of $2 a day.

I was surprised at the number of Palestinians in Jordan-some of whom have been here for many years. Jordan seems to have been welcoming and accepting of the many waves of refugees coming there over the years.