Suffice it to say, the last several days have been challenging. The world news has been dominated by the horrific oil spill off the Gulf Coast as we have watched untold species of animals threatened, people's livelihoods destroyed, and the fragile ecosystem of which we are all part be harmed in ways that will have a reverberating affect for years to come. The Twin Cities area has been gripped in the horror and sadness of murders and people seeming to have gone mad with violence. And from a national standpoint, once again the people of New York City have been catapulted into the dark hole of fear by a car equipped with explosives in the middle of Times Square.
It is difficult to know how to hold, much less pray for, such overwhelming pain and suffering. And yet, in most churches across the country and our state, that is just what we did yesterday. We looked with confused eyes and open hearts into the community that shapes our faith and then raised our words, and our prayers that could find no words, heavenward. We did this in trust, in faith, and in hope.
After offering these prayers in church, I headed to the annual gathering in Powderhorn Park for the May Day parade and celebration. This yearly event held on the first Sunday of May signifies the coming of summer with a beautiful ritual celebration of the return of the Sun, a 15-20 foot immense puppet carried across the lake by canoes. May Day is the single most elaborate production of In the Heart of the Beat Puppet and Mask Theater, a theater dedicated to creating community and change.
This year's theme was:"Uproar! A call to be fully present to the uncertainties of these shifting times." Its goal: to stop to inhale the immense beauty of the world we share, to exhale a thunderous Uproar!, an embrace of multitudes joining together with collective strength for the present and future health of the world. This theme was arrived at by a huge number of people coming together for conversation and creativity as they talked about the things that troubled them and those that brought them joy. As all ages are present to one another, listening, sharing, building trust, images begin to appear to the people from which the huge puppets are created for the parade. It is truly an act of collaborative creativity that has the power, not only to trouble complacent thought, but bring such hope.
That was what happened for me yesterday. Carrying the pain of a sorrowful world, I was reminded what can happen when people come together for great good, to create something bigger than themselves, full of beauty and promise. I was reminded that this is the gift of the seasons, the gift of the way in which the universe works; the coming together of smaller pieces to form a more beautiful whole that has potential no one single part can fully imagine. I was reminded of what happens when the Spirit blows through any given situation bringing a dose of hope to hearts that are heavy.
As the Tree of Life was raised at the arrival of the Sun from its journey by canoe across the lake, I was heartened by the truth that life always trumps death. As the wind blew through the dancers, musicians and puppeteers connecting them with the goodness that lives at the core of Creation, I felt the prayers that had been spoken earlier take flight making their way to the heart of the Great Healer. Hope was once again reborn.
For images of this fabulous event, please visit www.hobt.org.
