April 15

Today is the traditional birthdate of Guru Nanak, in 1469 (although some traditions place his birth in the fall). Guru Nanak was the founder of Sikhism and the first of ten human gurus (teachers) for this faith. His primary teachings were about sharing the abundance of creation, working honestly, and meditating on the oneness of God. He also emphasized mystical non-duality, that all things are connected, as a way of reconciling the radical monotheism of Islam with the polytheism of Hinduism. He is claimed as a saint by several different faiths. According to legend, after his death, Muslim and Hindu followers both tugged at his burial cloth, but underneath found only a pile of flowers. 

Today is the birthday, in 1889, of Asa Philip Randolph, a civil rights and labor leader who organized the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. With Bayard Rustin and others, he also helped craft the Freedom Budget for All Americans, which connected racial and economic justice. Americans still have a problem understanding that racism and oppressive policies actually hurt everyone, not just Black people. 

Today also marks the date of the murder, in 2011, of Vittorio Arrigoni, an Italian activist and journalist for Palestinian freedom. He criticized both Israeli policy and Hamas, and was kidnapped and murdered. 

Today also marks the death, in 2008, of Bishop Krister Stendahl, who served as Bishop of Stockholm and as dean of Harvard Divinity School.

Today also marks the death, in 1889, of Father Damien, who ministered to lepers in Hawaii until he was overcome by the disease himself. The Episcopal Church honors him with a feast day today. 

Today also marks the signing of the Roerich Pact, an international agreement that "historic monuments, museums, scientific, artistic, educational and cultural institutions" should be protected during both peace and war.

Reflection: 

I think it’s important to remember the Freedom Budget for All Americans on tax day, because it seems especially important to remember that national budgets—and tax policy—are moral documents and express our values as a nation. As a pastor, during sermon series on money, I would always tell members that our checkbooks reflect our priorities. Right now, our country is taxing the poor at higher levels than billionaires, and slashing infrastructure and services that benefit everyone.

Krister Stendahl came up with “Three Rules for Religious Understanding,” which I first read in Barbara Brown Taylor’s book Holy Envy. They are: 

“Holy Envy” is the appreciation (not appropriation) of aspects of other faiths. It is a recognition that all religion is “syncretic,” in that it borrows from other traditions. Christianity borrowed from Judaism, Judaism borrowed from Egyptian monotheism and Canaanite religion, and so on. Holy envy is why I admire Sikhism’s tradition of langar, a weekly holy meal of radical hospitality in which everyone gets fed. The liturgy of communion can sometimes look downright stingy to me after experiencing langar. 

Prayer: God of one name and many names, you call use to pursue a dream of universal flourishing for all beings; turn us from the path of self-aggrandizement and death to communal cooperation and life. Amen.