Yesterday we had our first "Good Friday Prayerwalk for Peace" amongst the churches of Monterey Park. We had no idea who would come since it was at 1pm, but garnered at least 70 odd people across a wide variety of ages. I thought it was a great show of unity as a concrete example of what "Church of the City" looks like when we talk about it in Kingdom Causes.Anyway, from a more personal reflection, I had the chance to carry two crosses during the prayerwalk: the gold processional cross to lead the walk, and the simple wooden cross at the end of the line. Carrying the processional cross out on the streets of Monterey Park carried mixed feelings--one of being a little proud to be so publicly witnessing on the streets, saying "We are Christian" to the gawkers and pedestrians on the sidewalk we almost barreled over at times. And then a strange feeling about how this gold cross represented the sort of Constantine/Crusader emblem of conquest and triumph in much of Church history.
Then I got a call from my intern who asked for me to slow down, since she was holding up the back with the wooden cross. She called TWICE to ask me to slow down. So I ended up transferring the cross (while still holding the heavy stand for it) over and having the group proceed while I waited to see what the hold up was.
After all the prayerwalkers had passed me, I saw way off at the street corner of Garfield and Garvey my intern with the wooden cross and one elderly, deaf woman walking very slowly towards me. We walked together for a short while, but the stand for the gold cross needed to go to the front of the line. I told my intern to go on ahead with the stand, and I would walk with this woman with the wooden cross. And so we did, a veritable two person prayerwalk, with me holding this wooden cross that now felt foolish and strange, and also a marked contrast to moments before: no longer leading the crowd, but now with the one almost forgotten, the one easily marginalized.
I was glad to be able to be first and last during the prayerwalk. If I had spent too much time leading the way, the way of the cross would not have included those most easily forgotten and marginalized. Maybe next year, we'll have the leader and sweeper switch places at each transition, so as not to forget this central aspect of bearing the cross of Christ.
It was a Good Friday.
yah, i agree. the large wooden cross did start to feel a bit foolish with just the elderly woman and me. but then, i was reminded of the "foolish" cross-bearing walk Jesus had to make by himself with people jeering and sneering at him. made my foolishness seemed much smaller and yet still in odd participation with him... especially when a little kid on the street told me that i looked like Jesus!
ReplyDeletei just wrote about this experience in my journal. as i reflected back, i realize that maybe the elderly woman was not marginalized at all. my conversations with her were so vibrant and stimulating (emotionally and spiritually). and the simple life experiences she shared with me were inspiring. it was (and not to use the term simplistically) incarnational. perhaps she was actually "leading" the way.
ReplyDeletejust a thought. =)
It's probably a truism to say that when we actually pay attention to those the mainstream deem "marginalized," we find a richness and depth to those we encounter. They are no longer a label or an object of pity, but vibrant interesting people. I don't like using that term, because it produces an "us" and "them" mentality. But good or bad, that's the way you have to talk about others with most people. I don't know if we can come up with better terms or labels that would be better
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