Interfaith Thanksgiving services help to strengthen understanding

From New Jersey (and no, there's no relation)

Rabbi Jim Simons instructed those attending a Thanksgiving interfaith service Sunday night in Haworth to treat the holiday as a beginning — a chance to begin to become the people they can be.

Simons, of Temple Beth-El in Closter, gave the sermon at St. Luke’s Episcopal & Our Savior Lutheran Church, and was joined by clergy from Cresskill, Demarest, Hackensack and Haworth. The Northern Valley service has been held about five years.

Simons compared Sukkoth, which he called the Jewish Thanksgiving, to the secular Thanksgiving. He said Sukkoth and Thanksgiving are different holidays, and somewhat higher holidays, because “Sukkoth is the one holiday that we give thanks for the blessings we have right now, not 3,000 years ago,” Simons said.

Imam Musab Sasa, of the Bergen County Islamic Center in Hackensack, read a short selection from the Quran that focused on appreciation — that Allah would multiply what you have.

“If you always look at what someone else has in their hand,” Sasa said, “you will live your life in misery because you will always be comparing what that person has and you don’t.”

A reading from Jewish scripture focused on charity, and a reading from Christian scripture focused on listening to the word of God.

More here-

http://www.northjersey.com/community/religion/Interfaith_Thanksgiving_services_help_to_strengthen_understanding_.html