The Family of Abraham Gathers at the Well

I almost slept through the sacred song service held every Sunday evening at 8 pm. I arrived at 8:30, in fact and was blindsided by what may turn out to be my most powerful experience at Chautauqua. The service was an observance of the three faiths that stem from the family of Abraham. The moving and beautifully created service was accentuated by 3 young people, representing Judaism, Christianity and Judaism who led in the readings, storytelling and song service.

Symbols were in abundance, creating a visual treasure trove. Overhead were 5 incredibly beautiful light blue cut-paper panels, done in the style of retablo by Nancy Chinn (http://www.nancychinn.com/) depicting Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Ishmael and Hagar. On the stage were 3 huge candles sitting in a large well of water. Smaller candles were scattered all over the stage and large arrangements of grasses were in the background. These symbolized some of the commonalities in our faith traditions - the significance of water in a desert culture, the holiness and sacredness of light & the garden scenes found in each of the sacred scriptures.

The emotion came for me, when we were invited to participate in the blending of the water. As the young people cut pieces of the grasses, hundreds came forward to take the grass and dip it in the well which was holding the 3 candles. By the time I was back in my seat, the tears were beginning to form in my eyes and the huge lump in my throat preventing me from singing. I was so tremendously touched by the hope that was present in this amphitheater filled with maybe 1000 people that the tears finally began to flow down my face.

I can't put words to all the feelings. Perhaps, they were tears of hope. Perhaps, they were tears of shame. For sure, they were tears of wonder. All I can say, is they went deep and seemed to come out of nowhere. I can see as I write, my snippet of grass on the dresser, where it reminds me that while we are not a unified people, we are are able to work towards a family reunion.

A Water Prayer by Kok-Heong McNaughton
I am but a drop of water.
Alone, I would disappear,
Dried up by the scorching sun
Or sucked up by the dry, thirsty earth.

But together we can wear out stones,
Carve out the Grand Canyon,
Make streams and rivers,
And find our way to the sea.

The last surprise for me came before the benediction - A Gift of Prayer Shawls. 3 shawls, made by Women4Women Knitting4Peace were presented to the 3 Abrahamic Youth, who model our hope for a lived community of peace, justice, and tolerance. You can find patterns for these shawls through the link on my blog - just click on the picture of the blessing of the shawls.