good morning. this is "news 4 your sunday." hello. i'm pat lawson muse. this is supposed to be the season of joy and peace and good will, but for some who keep up with the news and follow the daily headlines, it might be easy to believe that the nation is plunging into chaos on a number of fronts. we've invited a group of faith leaders to give us their opinions about that. here is theight reverend marion edgar buddy, rob buy uce lustick from the washington hebrew congregation

welcome all of you. so nice to have you all with us today. what about that question? do you believe the country is plunging into chaos and what those who do to believe that, bish is bishop buddy. >> there's certainly no shortage of chdos. t think that it's a plunge that's categorically different om other challenging times that we have faced as a nation. but the question is what do we do? how do we respond to the struggles and the chaos that we confront and how do we as people of hope and people of faith offer the best of what we have to give to theeoe of our communities to have rilience and the capacity to turn what is a challenge into a greater good. >> imam sharif, do t we have capacity to turn it into good? >> absolutely. in the muslim faith we aave

formal prayer, we're up and we're down. that's t alert us in life there's going to be ups and downs. we're seeg a downside right now. there's always going to be a bright a side,ays more good if we just look. goodness is always on the rise. we're seeing so many good things happening. people are coming together that we've never seen before. it's a rainy day today, but the sun is still shining. for some there may be a cloud cast and may create some doubt, but give hope and know that that sun is still shining, when those clouds go away, we'll see that sunshine again. >>rabbi, is it just a matter of trspective? >> sometimes ink it is a matter of perspective, but i also think we have to rep rate between things that happen in our world and the nature of our world. we alsoryn our cou have to recognize our democracy has a phenomenal resilience.

this has not been the first time weede f challenges. the government is a government for the peoplehend of people and i think the people are speaking. we've had unprecedentedmarches. we've had people that are being engaged in ways -- a couple of years we were talking about politica apathy. we just had a midterm election where we had more people voting than ever before. there can be a silver lining to the cloud. i think we have to have the leadership and the moral leadership to make sure that we keep our heads up. >> there seems to be a level of concern now i that higher and more intense. a recent nbc news "wall street journal" poll shows eight of ten americans, 80%, believeun the y is mainly or totally divided. nine out of ten call the political divisions a serious issue. the chasm that's opened up has separated neighbors and families

and friends and made for pretty difficult conversations around the dinner table. the question many are wondering is do you see a way back? >> may not a way back, but a way forward. i think the conversations around polarization, there's certain things you can't unsay and there's certain wounds that can't be covered over, and so the task is to look ahead -- when you'ved into the abyss, some of the worst things we can say and do to one another, and arguably there have been other times in history where we've said equally harsh things to each other, what can weo for genuine reconciliation, general incoming together. often that happens when we're fashioned with a crisis that affects all of us. so it dsn't really matter if you're red or blue, we're in the community thto. >> imam shareef, you can't unsay what you say. is there reconciliation, you

believe, in light of some of the things that have been said and some of the ways that people now see things? >> we see it all the time. certainly as people of faith, we see it all the time. our faith is upo repentance, et cetera, opportunity to start anew. can't go back, but as our bishop said, you can go forward. theivides have always been there, we're just seeing it open up in way that's challenges us. challenges bring out the good potential in our good human souls. >> rabbi lustig, can our faith traditions play a role in healing? >>lutely. i come from a tradition where the differences -- we've always had differences. we've always had difference of opinion. in fact, our town keeps both the majority and minority opinion. differences are not and

polarization is not the problem. the lack of civility is the problem. i think faith has a lot of ways to play that. n to important that we lis each other and that we face each other. many of our traditions say the only place we're going to find god is face to face with another individual. so i think we have to beble to listen to the other a ful hol wholly. i think religion can play a role in making sure we teach those ekills and acuities to our children and m sure we practice them ourselvhr. i know the of us participate in gatherings together, often put out things to the community at times ofys holihich shows that we can approach god in a different place, but we can have mutual respect and harmony in what we think is creating theommon good and the common wheel. >> all right. going to take a quick break. we'll continue right aer this. ♪

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we're talking with area faith leaders about the condition of the world. during thi season of cele tation. we werking about minding a way to use faith to bridge our visions and to sort of bring us all back together as a country. how is what we're seeing happening in the country, politics, economics and all the issues thateem to be top of mind for so many, how iit impacting your members? what are you saying to them? how are you ministering to them? everything that we worry about or see on the screen of our public live is vivid out in each individual's lives in one form or another. you can imagine a congregation or group of congregations and every dynamic we consider is held in someone's heart in that l y. to be mind the fact that we're not talking abstractions

but very real people witheal circumstances is the big thing i would say. and to draw from the fact thatd gon't give up on us, that we are resources to bear on the situations tt we find ourselves on. the primary message of the christian faith at this time of year is that god does not give on god's people and there is always hope. there is light shining in darkness and there is a reservoir of strength upon which we all can as you said, we are called to be the best we can be to one another in terms of compassion and mercy and loving kindness. >> imam shareef, she said god doesn't give up on his people. does god give up on anyone? >> he's not a good waiting for things to go back so he can for sake us. we're waiting for us to turn to him. it's part of the nature of the

human being. he shows us that universally when that baby turns, that's generally something there. have faith when it comes from themother. the mother doesn't have to say how am i going to feed this child? the food is right where thean mother to hold the child, right by the heart. that's to tell us to always hava fait goodness that something will always transpire to feed the hope you have.r neose your hope. >> rabbi lust d, how you minister to people who are hurting, who feel despondent, who feel disappointed, who feel like they've lost hope, that the good in man is somehow slipping away? >> i think history has proven for us that we've been through difficulttimes, a they're real examples of people that stand up and who shi in moments like this. i think sometimes our focus is too much on the problems and not

on the people that are doing goodorks and doing good things because we live in a world that's failed with diversity all the time, with acts that are sometimes evil, but acts that are also good. i think one of the things is, as we mentioned before, the idea of perspective. was just told a story which i love, a rabbi sees a kid who is talking on the pay phone - back when we had pay phones -- and he's trying to cajole his mothe to come get him, berating the mother. turns to the kid an says why are you doing that? you live a block from here, billy? he said, well, i guess i'm selfish. what did the rabbi say? he said you're more than that. we have to remember as a society and as a people, we're m what is the present. we're much more and have the opportunity to be much more. when we recognize that instead

of following the moment that's wrong and talk about what we have t opportunity to make right, i think the world will change in many ways. that is not to be really pollyanna about anything, because we face real problems >> i was goi to say, and i know you do this beautiful at your congregation. commiter thing we ourselves to is to walk alongside one another in pain and sorrow. there's a great aspect of deep solidarity that you don't have to pretend that you're feeling good. if you lost seone that you ve, you can come here and find solace and compassion and peoe wh will love you through your pain and not try t fix it because there are some things -- it would be an insult for me to to someone, well, you know, cheer up, it's going to get better, when you'r in that deep moment of pain. all of our traditionsave this well of compassion and understanding and graciousness

that allows us t walk alongside one another because we've all been the. >> on the friday night after what happened in pittsburgh, had members of every faith who were on our beam ma who lit candles andere there. their presence was simplye console someone, not what we say. there's a tedhe talk a kid says you can pretend to care but you can't pretend to show up what happened afterwards is all of the clergy showed up in our coregation and we had an evening of solidarity which gave hope to the darkness, and that's what we do. we're only going to disspet darkness by creating light. that's what we try to do. >> that's the key what we're hearing isinvolvement, activity. we're told when things are going on that you can't really control, first of all, see what you can do. if you can physically do

something, then your own self propels you to do something. if you can't physicay do anything, then at least speak, speak with your tongue. if you can't speak, at least hate it in your heart. we're all responsible. when things happen in theha environments something we all share. we have a responsibility to respond to what's happening. just like a child, that shows us in the state of nature, university, children are always seeking to be useful. regardless of what's going on, if you pull themhe here something happens to give assistance and help, theyegin toeel differently because now they're involved in bringing about some change. true. all right. we'll be right back. stay with us. z339qz z16fz y339qy y16fy

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shareef, how much do you think people's differences distracts from the work that faith calls them to do? >> you have a panel before you that we do a lot of work t together, t to overcome the distractions. we're part of a lot of different faith groups. we're working in the community. they're only a distraction when they're not known, when you're not familiar with them. you know t saying, the things you don't know you begin to mark as hatef or wrong. if you can't control it, you try to destroy it. we s andot of times and we encourage others to do the same, spending a lot of time getti to know your neighbor, who is in the environment. that brings the walls down. the good news is we're seeing a lot of that happen now. we're seeing massive protest, massive rallies of people coming together that would have never come together and in theof cour them coming together.

as a society, who are americans? it's not just one racial or religious demographic. it's only to the extent that we ignore opportunities we have witht those tre right in our neighborhoods and our communities. >> rbi lustig, what does our faith call us to do about tough issues. we've got the migrant problem in this country. there's hate there's violence. >> i think one of the things o about each our traditions, and particularly i can speak to my tradition, there's a distinct coupled between faith and action. so a belief isn't really a belief if i can't demonstrate that belief in some demonstrable wa t when wek about dealing with the immigrant issue and other things,raurtion says 32 times it says to welcome the ng st. we have as a congregation, as

many of bishop budde's congregation, the muslim communy, we've adopted a family and work with lutheran social services, and because we were once immigrants and we need to take care of the immigrant. we have stood shoulder to shoulder and talked about -- had demohetrations when was the separation of children from their parents because we know that that is something that we don't feel is a moral act. whether it's protests, whether it'syctually physica taking on and getting everything for a family that's coming, these are the ways that we address these issuoupled with action. look,ll in of this, we have a nation that's one of the nalthiest nations the world and yet we have people below the poverty line and that are hungry each and every day. because there is a new flavor of problem today, wan't ignore

the pain of people who are in our own back yard. we allo work that. >> bishop budde? o as the two of you were talking, i was thinking abo the times where in the name of justice or in the name of compassion, religious leaders fi themselves in conflict with one another because we genuinele he world differently as to how we might accomplish at goal or we may be at odds because we're holding on to different goals in equal measure that don't allow us to be in easy alignment. i thi i theue then for us is to stay in conversation, to not fallrey to t temptation to demonize someone because they hold a different perspectiv and yet not lose one's own sense of moral agency when the te come to make a position. you mentioned the migrant issue. i was invited to go to the

border to spend time wit people working right on the border with people crossing over, and there's every dimension of opinion about what we should do from people coming from oth parts of the world. when you actually look into someone'see eyes and them for a human being, no matter what your positions are on theis es, you have a human being in front of you. and i think that's where our faith traditions tell us you can't compromise on the need for compassion and mercy when you have another human being standing there asking for your assistance. so there's where we -- we have to be willing to have the hard conversations with each other and yet also believe that we have something to learn from each other, and every once in a while we have to risk disagreeing for the sake wf a truth th feel god compels us to abide by. that's not easy.

martin luther king, in his lifetime he had a lot o enemies in his own tradition. that's part of our call as ll, stand in that uncomfortable place of never knowing for certain, but trying to follow the best lights that were given. >> i think creating that sense of diague is s important because it's now more than ever, and it's how we respond to those differences that are so important. we all right. e got to take another break. but we'll be back. stay with us.

so this is the season of giving and providing for those in need which we're called to do as people of whfaith. are some of the ways where you're helping your members turning it into action. >> that seems to be the path that all of us ars memf the

faith community must walk. it's not seasonal. it's daily. daily acts of compassion. it's lovely to have seasons that highlight it and bring more into that utconversation,hen to use that as a stepping stone for sustained action, that's our daily work. >> imam shareef. >> we have a saying, that god says to invest in the soul the physical body is something going back to the earth, but the soul is going to last. how do you invest in? by giving. we encourage them to be involved and sharing with others. even a smile, that's t share. if someone doesn't have a smile, give them one of yours. we just celebrated our congregation, our 1 milonth meal. these volunteers have run 87 ckings with over 2,000 volunteers.mp an amazing acshment. and this is one congregation.

inso everybody can do some and the wishes for the new year, if we wake up in the morning and simply look at everybody with meet and do what our traditions say, we're created in the image of god and treat that individual as if they're created in the madge of god, we'll have a new day and a new year. bishop budde, what is your prayer for the new year? >> among them, that we not give up hope and that we trust that we're not alone and that there is a path toward a greater good, and that our best days as a people are yet ahead of us. that's my prayer. >> imam shartf? >> t we always look for opportunities, to share, to explore, to learn and not cut that off when the opportunities are in front of us. any of t we'll have those opportunities in the new year to come. >> i expect you're right. rabbi lustig, you prayer for

2019, for the new year. i >>l take a quote from i think it'sah oinfrey that says cheers to the new year. it's another year to get it right. so simply that the hope is that, you know, we're not meant to be perfect. we're not going to get everything right. but we need to keep trying to get it right. this isn opportunity for us to do right and to be right and to try to have the compassion t rbe theht type of people. there's great ho. so i look forward with that hope to the new year and the turning of a new page. >> rabbi bruce lustig,m i talib shareef and reverend edgar budde, thank you all for sharing your hathoughts. >> you. happy new year. >> thank you for being with us. i'm pat lawson muse. to logon to any of our programs, logon to nbcwashington.com and search community.

have a won srful holidayson. we'll see you next week.

president trump, if you want to open the government, you must abandon the wall. >> day two of the partial government shutdown is under way no clear end in sight. >> let's work together. let's be bipartisan. >> the halls of congress are empty as hundreds of thousands of federalt workers w in limbo. with just two days before christmas, many wonder how long will it last. news 4 is working for you. a live look this sunday morning at the white house.fe it's a dnt view this christmas for president donald trump. trading the south florida palm trees for the d.c. chill. he's spending the holiday at the white house as t g