Impossible Friendship
Canon Sarah Snyder, director of an international centre for reconciliation based at Rose Castle in Cumbria leads this act of worship which focuses on peacebuilding.
Canon Sarah Snyder, director of an international centre for reconciliation based at Rose Castle in Cumbria, leads this act of worship which focuses on peacebuilding. The centre invites strangers and even adversaries to meet and work with one another. In recent months it has welcomed US Republicans and Democrats - as well as Israelis and Palestinians, Russians and Ukrainians.
Canon Snyder is joined in the castle by peacemakers who have been engaged is some of the world鈥檚 most protracted struggles, and reflects on how their faith inspires them in their work. She hears from Professor Ephraim Isaac is a Jew from Ethiopia, James Lual Atak, a Christian from South Sudan and Dr Sarah Ahmed, a Muslim from Iraq.
Two of the peacebuilders became good neighbours in the most unlikely circumstances. They live in a place of extreme violence, on opposing sides of the conflict in Kaduna state in Northern Nigeria. Pastor James Wuye and Imam Muhammad Ashafa recall their seemingly impossible friendship, and reflect on the difficult journey they鈥檝e taken towards healing and reconciliation.
Readings from Psalm 77 and Luke chapter 10.
Music includes Gorecki鈥檚 symphony of sorrowful songs, the 鈥渟mall symphony of religions鈥 sung by the interfaith Pontanima choir of Bosnia, and the hymn 鈥淐hrist is Our Light.鈥
Producer: Rosie Dawson
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Programme Script
Radio 4:听 Sunday worship from Rose Castle.听
The script below is a working document and indicative only of what is in the programme. It may concern notes and mistakes.听听
SS: Welcome to Rose Castle in Cumbria.听听 I鈥檓 Canon Sarah Snyder, director of the international centre for reconciliation based here at the castle. Together, we welcome strangers and even adversaries to meet one another, often for the very first time. In recent months Rose Castle [this place] has hosted American Republicans and Democrats, Israelis and听Palestinians, Russians and Ukrainians, and people on both sides of often forgotten wars.听听
Music under script: 听
Title: G贸recki: Symphony No.3 "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs" - 3. Lento (Cantabile semplice)听
Album: Gorecki: Symphony Of Sorrowful Songs听
Performers: Yvonne Kenny,听Adelaide Symphony Orchestra,听Takuo Yuasa听
Catalogue Number: 00028948130979听
This week marks the anniversary of the horrific attack by Hamas on Israel, and the start of a brutal war in Gaza.听听听
Today the potential for a wider war in the Middle East has never seemed greater. Elsewhere wars in Ukraine, Sudan, South Sudan and Yemen continue unabated. 听
We remember this morning all those whose communities have been destroyed, whose lives have been shattered by injury or the loss of loved ones, and who feel ignored and forgotten by the world. 听
笔谤补测别谤听
Lord, Our hearts are broken in pieces at the suffering and killing of your people.听
Our voices cry for peace and for justice.听
Comfort those who grieve,听
Console and heal the injured,听
Be close to those in fear and captivity, Restrain with your mighty hand those who perpetrate violence.听
Send us your wisdom in all that we say and do, That our voice may always seek justice, peace and security for all.听
础尘别苍.听
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Same music continued:听
Title: G贸recki: Symphony No.3 "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs" - 3. Lento (Cantabile semplice)听
Album: Gorecki: Symphony Of Sorrowful Songs听
Performers: Yvonne Kenny,听Adelaide Symphony Orchestra,听Takuo Yuasa听
Catalogue Number: 00028948130979听
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Psalm 77:听听
听笔谤补测别谤听
Lord, Our hearts are broken in pieces at the suffering and killing of your people.听
Our voices cry for peace and for justice.听
Comfort those who grieve,听
Console and heal the injured,听
Be close to those in fear and captivity, Restrain with your mighty hand those who perpetrate violence.听
Send us your wisdom in all that we say and do, That our voice may always seek justice, peace and security for all.听
础尘别苍.听
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My name is Georgia May, I鈥檓 etc鈥..听
Georgia tells us history of Rose castle, points out some ancient features, takes us into the chapel鈥. ( Rose Castle has stood at the border between England and Scotland for 800 years 鈥 a place of conflict for centuries. It was built to withstand the enemy 鈥 usually the Scots - and is fortified, with a moat. Throughout this time, it was also a house of prayer, and home to the bishops of the NW鈥 Roman Catholic, then Protestant.) Georgia takes us into the chapel 鈥撎
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Music:听
Title: You, Lord, are in this place听
Album: Celtic Chants - Celtic Music From Lindisfarne听
Performer: Keith Duke听
Georgia tells us about the work of Rose castle (theme of hospitality. entrance, 鈥淐ome, and have breakfast鈥.-听 When the church decided to sell it, we re-envisioned the castle as a house of prayer committed to peace and reconciliation. Instead of resisting enemies, we welcome strangers and enemies to meet face to face.听 Place of challenge 鈥 not comfortable -听听
听Music:听
Title: You, Lord, are in this place (verse 2)听
Album: Celtic Chants - Celtic Music From Lindisfarne听
Performer: Keith Duke听
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听Georgia tells us about the peacemakers 鈥..听
This week, we have welcomed some of the world鈥檚 most experienced peacebuilders to share their skills and wisdom with us all.听 They have seen change in communities听听
Music:听
Title: You, Lord, are in this place (verse 4)听
Album: Celtic Chants - Celtic Music From Lindisfarne听
Performer: Keith Duke听
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SS: Today鈥檚 Bible reading is familiar to many of us 鈥 it is Jesus鈥 story of the Good Samaritan, who helped a wounded man on his journey from Jerusalem to Jericho. The Samaritans were considered strangers and enemies by Jesus鈥 community, so to those who first heard it, this was a story of surprising encounter.听
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Reading: Luke 10:30-37听听
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MUSIC: 听
Title: 10 Ubi Caritas听
Performers: Chapel Choir of University College, Durham听
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SS:听 Here at Rose Castle we practice a way of reading sacred texts called Scriptural Reasoning. It brings together people who are different from one another, who may not share the same faith, and who may profoundly disagree.听 Its primary goal is to seek healing for our broken world. We鈥檝e asked three of our peace builders here with us, to share their responses to this story.听听听
They are Dr Ephraim Isaac, a Jew from Ethiopia James Lual Atak, a Christian from South Sudan and Dr Sarah Ahmed, a Muslim from Iraq听听
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Scriptural Reasoning: 3 participants 鈥 6MINS.听
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Music:听
Title: P盲rt: Da Pacem Domine听
Album: Arvo P盲rt: Lamentate听
Performers: The Hilliard Ensemble听
Catalogue Number: 00028947630487听
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笔谤补测别谤听
As we are, we come to you, O God.听
We offer to you the hostilities that shape us, the hostilities we carry, the hostilities that carry us.听听
鈥︹ove us from hostility to hospitality.听
Be our guard, for we guard ourselves too much.听听
Be our protector, that we need not overprotect ourselves.听
Create in us a space, a room, a place鈥斕
free and friendly space where the strangers are welcomed鈥攚here enemies are reconciled听
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SS: Two of the peacebuilders here at Rose Castle have become good neighbours in the most unlikely circumstances. They live in a place of extreme violence, on opposing sides of the conflict in Kaduna state in Northern Nigeria. Some years ago, their trauma pushed them to imagine a different way to relate to one another, for the sake of their wounded communities. We listen now to Pastor James Wuye and Imam Muhammad Ashafa as they recall their seemingly impossible friendship. Together, they reflect on the difficult journey听 they have taken towards healing and reconciliation ..听
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JAMES: My knowledge of Imam prior to our chance meeting was that he was a leader of a Muslim group who are hardliners, who do not think anything positive about the Christian.听
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And I know him also as an orator. In his debates, he tries to bring out false, his perception of the holy text of the Christian. So that's the kind of person I know, but a very strong leader of a Muslim group who can do anything in the name of Islam.听
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MUHAMMAD: Before I met James, I know James is one of the leadership of the youth arms of the Christian Association of Nigeria and one of the top leadership in Kaduna state. I saw him as a Christian extremist from a very strong Protestant group who trouble us. They are promoting the culture of violence against my people and reference to a lot of challenges that has happened in the past, specifically challenges that has to do with Christian youth versus Muslim youth in conflict situations.听
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And very often, in the name of protection of our places of worship, we do use to fight physically. After the unfortunate crisis of 1992, specifically, and unfortunately happened to be one of the leadership on the Muslim youth side, defending the Muslim community. And he happened to be on the side of the Christian side, defending Christian community as a Christian youth leader.听
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So that was the scenario we have before we met. One of my spiritual teacher and two of my cousins were murdered in the community where he is a group, these groups have overriding influence. And we went to physical fight.听
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My groups attack him and chop off his hand. That's why he lost his hand. We have not met physically until when we met inside the government house.听
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JAMES: And behold, and it's funny actually, I got an enemy in a place where I cannot flex my muscle. So that was the chance meeting. We didn't plan to do it and the meeting was quite painful because if I had my boys around, seeing the man that we have sought after for a long while, I'm sure if it was elsewhere, it would have been bloody.听
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But it was in the government house. I felt anger. I felt as why on earth can they even bring this kind of people to such a posh place? His place is not here.听
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His place is somewhere else. So I had, I don't know whether it's called palpitation. I don't know.听
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SS: During the 1990s war in Bosnia, Catholic Franciscan, Frior Ivo Markovich worked tirelessly and very courageously to build bridges between the warring parties, often reminding them what their religious traditions share. He exemplifies how often just one person can be a catalyst for peace, even during times of endless violence. He founded the Pontanima interfaith choir, which tours the world听 with their songs of peace 鈥 including this 鈥渟mall symphony of religions鈥.鈥澨
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Music:听
Title: Small Symphony of Recordings听
Performers: The Pontanima Choir, Sarajevo听
Prayers 鈥︹..with Christian peacemakers and the Rose castle team. ..听
鈥淟et us pray with one heart and one soul 鈥 Lord come to our aid, grant us peace, teach us peace, guide our steps in the way of peace.听
听Open our eyes and our hearts and give us the courage to say: Never again war.鈥 Lord Hear Us.鈥澨
Lord graciously hear us听
May we be at home in our own house鈥斕
that we may be healed of hurts we carry in the soul鈥 May we know brother and sisterhood鈥 that we may know kindness, know beauty, laugh easily鈥 Nudge, guide, entice, goad us, Oh Lord,听 to live within your will.听听
so that within this flesh/our bodies, within this house in which we live, we may be at home with you, our neighbour, with ourselves.听
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Our Father听
Who art in heaven听
Hallowed be your name听
Your kingdom come, your will be done听
On earth as it is听 in heaven听
Give us this day our daily bread听
And forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those that trespass against us
And lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from evil
For thine is the kingdom,
the power and the glory
for ever and ever, Amen听
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SS: Blessed are you, Lord God, creator of day and night:听
to you be praise and glory for ever.听
renew your promise to reveal the light of your presence.听
By the light of Christ, your living Word, dispel the darkness of our hearts that we may walk as children of light and sing your praise throughout the world.听
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听听Music:听
Title: Christ be our Light听
Performers: Exmoor Singers of London听
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Broadcast
- Sun 6 Oct 2024 08:1091热爆 Radio 4