For the entire month of July, I have been talking about Muslims in my sermons, and how we as Christians relate to them. I believe it is important that we learn about the religion of Islam—because it is the second largest religion in the world today, in terms of followers, and because Muslim issues have become very important both nationally and internationally. Christianity is still the largest religion, with 2.1 billion followers around the world; Islam is second, with 1.5 billion followers, and third—and I admit this really surprised me—with 1.1 billion adherents: Secular/Nonreligious/Agnostic/Atheist. The third largest number of people in the world have no religion at all! Jesus said, “I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.”(John 4:35) He wasn’t talking about wheat. He was talking about people who need to hear the good news about God’s love for them. It’s as true today as it was then. We started this series by looking at Genesis, where we read “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”(Genesis 1:27) If we truly believe that all people have been created in the image of God, it will impact the way we see people and the way we relate to them. The second week, we looked at Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan. The Samaritan was a man who was from a people group despised by the Jews, but his kind actions showed the world the true meaning of what it is to love one’s neighbor. Jesus could have pointed out the theological differences between Jews and Samaritans. But he didn’t. Rather than debating the theological differences between Jews and Samaritans, Jesus reminds us that a person who believes differently can sometimes be the one who puts us to shame in their treatment of someone in need. When Jesus reminds us to love our neighbor as ourselves, we cannot choose to exclude Muslims from that definition of neighbor. Jesus does not give us that option. Last Sunday, we looked at the basics of what Muslims believe. We learned that although we all worship God, the most fundamental difference between Islam and Christianity is that Muslims do not believe that Jesus is truly God. Today we are going to look at Muslim practices, and we will wrap this up with a brief look at what our response might be based on what we have learned. We have already seen that Muslims do not worship Jesus. They do esteem Jesus, but only as a prophet. Since we base our salvation completely on God’s gift of grace through Jesus Christ, this is a huge difference. I think it would be fair to say that Christians base their salvation entirely on God’s grace, while Muslims base their salvation primarily on their own works. One of the clearest statements in the Bible of the grace that is so central to our faith is in Ephesians 2: 1 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Our salvation is a gift, based completely on the grace of God, which was demonstrated by Jesus’ death on the cross. Because of Jesus, we can know that our sins have been forgiven completely and we will spend eternity in heaven with God. This amazing grace does not mean we don’t have work to do. But we do good works out of gratitude to God for all he has done for us, not in order to earn our salvation. Of course, there’s a problem with this grace thing. Sometimes we get the idea that since we have been saved by grace, we don’t need to do anything. The problem with that is that we can wander away from the center of God’s will for our lives if we fail to serve him. It’s pretty easy for most of us to get a little sloppy with our service. It’s a good idea for all of us to stop and prayerfully examine ourselves to see if our lives are truly expressing the gratitude we feel toward God for all that he has done for us. Muslims, because their salvation depends on their behavior, tend to be more regimented in their religious observance. In order to become a Muslim, it is necessary only to repeat this simple declaration of faith: “There is no god but God (Allah) and Muhammad is the messenger of God (Allah).” This is the first pillar of Islam. The second pillar is prayer. Muslims pray five times a day: at daybreak, noon, mid-afternoon, sunset, and evening. They pray the same prayer each time; it is the opening passage of the Qur’an. They pray in Arabic, the language in which the Qur’an was originally written. The English translation of this prayer is as follows: “In the name of God, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy! Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, the Lord of Mercy, the Giver of Mercy, Master of the Day of Judgment. It is You we worship; it is You we ask for help. Guide us to the straight path: the path of those You have blessed, those who incur no anger and who have not gone astray.” Regardless of where they are, devout Muslims will pause five times each day, face Mecca (which is in present day Saudi Arabia), prostrate themselves, and recite this prayer. The third pillar of Islam is “zakat” which means purification. Zakat requires an annual contribution of 2.5% of an individual’s wealth and assets to be given to support the poor. The fourth pillar is fasting during the month of Ramadan, during with Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. The fifth pillar is the pilgrimage to Mecca. At least once in his or her lifetime, every adult Muslim who is able is required to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. As you can see, Islam has many built-in disciplines that help keep Muslims on the straight and narrow path. Muslims believe they will face a final judgment, when their deeds will be reviewed, and based on their deeds, they will spend eternity either in heaven or hell. What I have told you is a basic overview of Islam. I have not talked about Islamic extremists. They are, however, a reality, and particularly since September 11, 2001, we are painfully aware of the destructive nature of terrorism. While most Muslims would tell you that theirs is a peace-loving religion and they are peace-loving people, it is also true that Islam has a history that includes violence. Now, to be fair, Christianity also includes violence in its history. There are Christian extremists who have done violence in the name of their religion. But today, we are seeing some very alarming things going on in the Muslim world. Further, we have had a large influx of Muslim immigrants in the past few years. Some of these immigrants are fleeing their countries of origin in search of political asylum. The messages we hear can be confusing. There are so many voices out there that it is difficult to know who to believe. I would warn you to be careful who you are listening to in this very complex issue. I don’t want you to be naïve. Jesus told his disciples, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.” (Matthew 10:16) At the same time, we are to be people of love, and not fear. I John 4 says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…” Generally speaking, I would caution you that if the voices you are listening to seem to be motivated by fear or leading you to be fearful, you might want to find another source for your information. One of the criticisms you have probably heard of the Muslim world is that they have been slow to speak out against Muslim terrorism against the West. That is partially true. However, it is changing. A very important open letter dated October 13, 2007 called “A Common Word Between Us and You,” was written to Christians. It was the result of a project supported by almost 300 Muslim clerics, scholars and intellectuals and more than 450 Islamic organizations. The letter is inviting Christian leaders to find common ground so that the two great religions can work towards peace. It’s very long. If you want to read it, you can find copies on the Internet. Here is one small quote from the letter: “Finding common ground between Muslims and Christians is not simply a matter for polite ecumenical dialogue between selected religious leaders…Christianity and Islam are the largest and second-largest religions in the world and in history... together they make up more than 55 per cent of the world's population, making the relationship between these two religious communities the most important factor in contributing to meaningful peace around the world…. If Muslims and Christians are not at peace, the world cannot be at peace. With the terrible weaponry of the modern world; with Muslims and Christians intertwined everywhere as never before, no side can unilaterally win a conflict between more than half of the world’s inhabitants. Thus our common future is at stake. The very survival of the world itself is perhaps at stake.” Many Christian organizations have written letters in reply. I have, if you would like to read it, a copy of the letter recently sent in response by the Baptist World Alliance. I was going to read it to you, but it is thirteen pages long, and I was afraid some of you might fall asleep. But let me know if you would like a copy. What can you and I do about this huge subject? This is about conflict between nations and religions on a huge scale. It seems overwhelming for folks like you and me, doesn’t it? I like to think of that song many of us sang as children that said, “This little light of mine, I’m going to let it shine…” Each one of us has a sphere of influence that includes the people we meet every day. That sphere of influence is our area of responsibility. Imagine if every Christian in the world—all 2.1 billion of them—would live as Jesus taught us to live! Okay, I know that’s not going to happen, but it is something we can pray for, at least. But let’s start with ourselves. Are you a good representative of Jesus Christ in this world? Today or tomorrow or the next day, you will probably cross paths with a Muslim. How will you treat them? Will you be distant and cold and suspicious? Or will you treat them with love and respect? Will you remember that this person was created in the image of God? Will you remember that this person, like the Good Samaritan Jesus told us about, might have something to teach you? Will you remember that God loves this person, and that even though this person might not believe it and might not be ready to hear it, Jesus died for his or her sins? Our salvation is possible only by God’s grace—it is not of our own doing, and we are not to think we are better than other people because of God’s grace towards us. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. I invite you to consider that the “good works which God has prepared” for you to do could even involve being kind and loving towards a Muslim. It’s worth thinking about. Prayer: Lord, we live in a very complicated, often very difficult world. Sometimes the issues seem to be beyond us. We hear so many conflicting voices that it is difficult for us to sort through and to know what we should even think. Help us to simply trust in you. And help us, while being shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves, to also be filled with your amazing love and grace. Remind us that your love and grace is not for us alone, but for the whole world. Forgive us when we want to keep your love for ourselves. Teach us to truly love our neighbors, no matter who they are. God, we continue to pray for peace in our world. And may each one of us be a light shining in the darkness wherever you have placed us. Strengthen us in your love so that we might reach out to our neighbors with your love. Amen