Church and the Three-Ring Circus

I write this message while I am attending the third annual Living Stones Partnership meeting held at the Circus Circus resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. This is the annual meeting of the partnership of dioceses, seminaries, individuals, and communities of faith interested in mutual/shared ministry. Through the partnership, communities explore ways to assist and support persons in discerning their gifts and then empowering them to use those gifts as God and Christ are calling them to do. At its essence it is a matter of letting the light of Christ shine forth, much like the focus of the Epiphany season’s Sunday lectionary readings of recent weeks.

 

As I meet with colleagues and friends in this city of bright lights and overstated opulence, light and brightness surround me. Christ is right here, serving the thousands of people who work very hard in the entertainment and hospitality business, those who support those businesses, and the many who are suffering from financial or other adversities.

 

But Las Vegas also is a city of noise. The clamor of slot machines, as well as the voices of patrons and workers, surround me. I meander through the floors of smoke and noise, making my way to meetings and to quieter spaces where I can concentrate on what I am here to do. I attend these meetings not to bathe in opulence or escape the snow but instead to grow my gifts in empowering, guiding, and assisting ministers in the Church and world.

 

 But I cannot escape the three-ring circus motif of where I am staying. It reminds me greatly of the Lenten season that we enter in just a few short weeks. We leave the season of light and begin the more penitential season of Lent. On Palm Sunday, we read the Passion of Christ and begin our “red” Holy Week filled with emotion and sadness. We immerse ourselves in the sadness of the Good Friday wake, only to celebrate the Feast of the Resurrection three days later. Alleluia! The alleluias are jarring after 40 alleluia-less days of personal reflection and worship.

 

Yet, Lent is not a season of calm. In many ways, it is a “three ring circus” of another nature. Whether Lent begins in February or in March, we enter Lent in the midst of uncertain weather patterns, posing its many risks for our friends and neighbors. We devote additional time to shoveling, de-icing, and stoking wood, pellet and coal stoves. We devote additional time to checking on friends and neighbors to make sure that they are warm, safe and fed.

 

We exit our season of hibernation from regular educational, social, and fundraising activities. The flurry of other circles of activity begins, with ebbs and flows as the different activities draw our community members together. We now must make choices between immersing ourselves in one circle of activity, catching a glimpse of this event, or perhaps a glimpse of that. We foster the energy that surrounds us as we support and encourage one another. The simultaneous rings of action trigger laughter and new discoveries, as we learn and tap into each other’s stories and gifts. It is a glorious and energy-creating beauty to behold. And the greatest joy is in confirming once again that, with God’s help, we can do and be all that we are called to do and be.

 

Theresa+