UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST in Simi Valley
Mardi Gras / Shrove Sunday - March 2, 2003
Anne G. Cohen

Isaiah 25:6-9

For Our Reflection:
Oye! Gracias a la vida
que me ha dado tanto
         la vida es una carnaval
por eso sigo gozando y cantando
                         -Cantante Celia Cruz

The Church says: The body is a sin.
Science says: The body is a machine.
Advertising says: The body is a business.
The body says: I am a fiesta!
           - Eduardo Galeano in Walking Words

God's Party: A Ritual of Rebellion

On that day when God's Realm comes to Earth, on that mountain called
Zion - where the human spirit and the body of humanity climbs to meet
God - in that time and in that place - God of All will make for All -
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,
of rich food filled with marrow,
of well-aged wines strained clear.
And on that day when God's Realm comes to Earth, on that mountain called
Zion -
God will destroy...the shroud [of grief and suffering]...
God will swallow up death forever...and wipe away the tears
from ALL faces,
and the shame of God's people will be taken away from ALL the earth.
On that day we will claim God as our own.  We will know this One for
whom we have waited.  And we will be deeply happy and join the party -
and God's hand will rest on that mountain we call home.

Mardi Gras - Fat Tuesday - "Carnival" - "The End of Flesh" - has its
origins and its destination  firmly planted in the Great Feast of the
One Who Made Us.  Before Christianity existed, there existed religions
planted in and harvested from the realities of Nature, God's Creation.
Spring was a time for Rituals of Fertility, Celebrations of the Rebirth
of Nature, Anticipatory Acts of Hope for good crops and a large family.

Page Two

When Christianity came along, Spring was the perfect time to celebrate
the Resurrection of  God's Spirit in the person of Jesus, to make
tangible their
belief in the Revelation of Jesus as Messiah, Christ, Giver of Life and
Hope.  The rituals were already in place with the feasting and singing
and indulgence in passion.  They were reinterpreted and incorporated
into this new form of spiritual behavior called Christianity.

However, while this absorption of culture was taking place, the church
was taking itself far too seriously.  And, you may have noticed that,
when a person takes themselves too seriously - they lose their sense of
humor.  Fanatics impose lots of rules - for people and for God - and do
not find their FAITH a laughing matter. You may have notice that, for
centuries now, the church has not had much of a sense of humor.  The
fullness of life has somehow gotten lost amid the ritual and somber
reenactment of tradition.

So what has the church done with the rituals of fertility and spring?
Christianity has "allowed" them to occur - early in the season - soon
after the sun begins to return to its fullness.  These rituals which
include spring cleaning (to remove the moldy winter household goods),
the bonfire to clean the neighborhood of this potential source of
illness, great feasts to empty the house of eggs and lard and sugar, and
licentious behavior - to let off those dangerous passions that have been
stored up all winter.  And then - the church imposes the season of
Lent.  After the Great Party - comes the time of reflection,
introspection, confession and preparation - preparation for the somber
yet celebratory ritual of spiritual resurrection.

In a sense, Mardi Gras has become by default a "Ritual of Rebellion" -
whose purpose is to allow people to do everything the church despises -
so that during Lent they can do everything the church requires.  It is
an acceptable form of chaos - indulging our dark and messy and steamy
humanity - the part of our Nature that drives our desire for order and
light - and The Holy.

The external point is social order.  So Mardi Gras is a controlled,
ritualized catharsis that seeks to head off potential social disorder.
The internal point is spiritual balance.  So Mardi Gras is a ritualized
enactment of our rebellious, insane, unholy psyches - giving a lift to
our law-abiding, rational, sacred psyches.  During Carnival we mask our
public selves and indulge and decorate and display our secret selves.

Page Three

What has been lost in the translation is that Mardi Gras is as much
God's Party as it is ours.  God MADE US THIS WAY - with an assortment of
passions to motivate and sustain us - with seasons of the self that
intertwine
with the seasons of the Earth.  Mardi Gras is an anticipation of the
Great Feast on the Holy Mountain of Zion - when God's Realm becomes our
REALITY.  God LOVES feasting and dancing and silliness.  God LOVES a
good party!  And if the institution of the church can stop being so
formal all the time, it might regain a sense of humor - and it might
regain some balance - and it might be a relevant organization that could
lead humanity TOWARD the Realm of God instead of AWAY from it.

We can't have a good Mardi Gras party without a story - so I will tell
you a story and then let us get on with this celebration of Life and Joy
and God's Love for ALL of CREATION.

The story comes from Tony Compolo, an Evangelical, Caucasian minister
serving in an African American Church.  He's also a sociologist teaching
at the University of Pennsylvania.

Compolo flew to Hawaii for a speaking engagement and found himself wide
awake at 3:30 AM because of jet lag.  He was also hungry, so he found a
little "greasy spoon" on a side street near his hotel.  A large man
behind the counter said, "Wadda ya want?"

As Compolo sat drinking his coffee and eating a stale doughnut, the door of
the diner swung open, and much to his discomfort, in walked eight or nine
provocative and boisterous hookers.  He was embarrassed by their loud
and crude talk, and was about to make his getaway when he overheard the
woman sitting beside him say, "Tomorrow's my birthday.  I'm going to be
thirty-nine."

Her friend responded in a nasty tone, "So what do you want from me, a
birthday party?  What do you want?  You want me to get you a cake and
sing 'Happy Birthday?'"

"Come on!" said the first woman, "Why do you have to be so nasty?  I was
just telling you, it was my birthday.  I don't want anything from you.
Why should you give me a birthday party?  I've never had a birthday
party in my whole life, why should I have one now?"

Page Four

Compolo waited until they had all left, and he called over the large man
behind the counter and said,  "Do they come in every night?"  The answer
was, "Yeah."

Tony asked,  "The one next to me, does she come here every night?" 
"Yeah," said the man behind the counter, "That's Agnes.  She comes here
every night!  Why do ya wanna know?"

Compolo said that he had heard her say that it was her
birthday--tomorrow. 
"What do you say you and I do something about that?  What do you think
about  us throwing a birthday party for her - right here - tomorrow
night?"
A smile slowly crossed the man's chubby cheeks and he answered "That's
great!!  I like it!"

Calling to his wife, who was cooking in the back room, he shouted "Hey!
come out here, this guy's got a great idea.  Tomorrow's Agnes'
birthday. 
This guy wants us to go in with him and throw a birthday party for her -
right here - tomorrow night!"
His wife said, "That's wonderful! you know, Agnes is one of those people
who is really nice and kind, and nobody ever does anything nice and kind
for her."

So they agreed - Compolo would get some decorations and the Man at the
diner would bake a cake.  The woman who did the cooking must have gotten
the word out on the street because by 3:15 the next morning every hooker
in Honolulu was in the place.  It was wall to wall hookers -  and Tony
Compolo.

At 3:30 AM on the dot the door of the diner swung open and in came Agnes
and her friend.  Everybody screamed and sang, "Happy Birthday!"

Compolo writes, "Never have I seen a person so flabbergasted--so
stunned--so shaken.  Her mouth fell open, her legs seemed to buckle a
bit.  Agnes began to cry as the candles were lit.

The man behind the counter said, "Blow out the candles!  If you don't
blow out the candles, I'm gonna hafta blow out the candles"  which he
did after a few endless seconds.  Then he handed her the knife and told
her "cut the cake, Agnes!"

Page Five

Then Agnes said, without taking her eyes off of the cake--look, is it
all right with you if I --I mean is it O.K. if I kind of --what I want
to ask is....is it O.K. if I keep the cake a little while?  I mean is it
all right if we don't eat it right away?"

The man behind the counter shrugged and answered, "Sure! it's O.K.  If
you want to keep the cake, keep the cake.  Take it home if you want!" 

Agnes got off of the stool, picked up the cake, and carrying it like it
was the Holy Grail, walked slowly toward the door.  When the door closed
there was a stunned silence in the place.  Tony Compolo broke the
silence by saying,  "What do you say we pray?"  He later admitted,
looking back on it, it seemed more than strange for a sociologist to be
leading a prayer meeting with a bunch of hookers in a diner in Honolulu
at 3:45 in the morning.  But he felt that it was the right thing to do.
He prayed for Agnes, and for her wholeness and that her life might be
changed and that God would be good to her.

When he finished, the large man leaned over the counter, and with a
trace of hostility in his voice said, "Hey, you never told me you were a
preacher.  What kind of a church do you belong to?"   

In one of those inspired moments when we are given just the right things
to say, Compolo said, "I belong to a church that throws birthday parties
for hookers at 3:30 in the morning."

The man behind the counter hesitated for a moment and then, with
disbelief dripping from his voice, he replied, "No you don't.  There's
no church like that.  If there was, I'd join it.  I'd join a church like
that!"

*****

May we be a church like that.
And may we spread the invitation to God's Party across the land so that
NO ONE will be left out.

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CHILDREN'S TIME Mardi Gras

Did you know that God throws parties?
What kind of parties do you think God throws?

*****

One of the parties that God really loves is Mardi Gras.
And the biggest Mardi Gras parties that I know about are in two places,
Rio de Janiero in Brazil - and New Orleans, Louisiana.
They happen right about now - after Christmas and Epiphany - right
before Lent and Easter.
People get all dressed up in costumes and glitter and have big parades
and fancy dress balls - and throw beads and confetti to people.
They eat all kinds of special, fancy food and drink so much they feel
like they will explode!
They dance in the streets and stay out all night.
They sing to the stars and set off fireworks and play music and have as
MUCH FUN as they possibly can.

Why do you think people do this?

*****

One reason is that in New Orleans, anyway, the weather is right.  Its
starting to warm up from Winter but its not too hot and sticky like it
is in the Summer.  Its a good time of year to come out of the house into
the streets for a party -so people party hearty.

Another reason is that parties are FUN.  We human beings LOVE to have
fun - so we find an excuse - in this slow time of year - to throw a big
party and invite the world to come.

Another reason is that GOD LOVES PARTIES.  Mardi Gras is a time to say
to God, HEY GOD - We sure are glad that you made us and gave us the
whole world to live in a play with.  Thank you, God, for making us happy
and giving us each other and giving us imaginations and the ability to
dance and sing and love each other.  Its kind of like a big THANK YOU
party to God.  And God comes to dance and sing with us.

I don't know if you noticed, but there are special colors for Mardi
Gras.  What are they?
GOLD is for the King (God is like a King) - Gold represents the King's
Power.

GREEN is for New Life (God gives us New Life) - so Green represents our
Faith in the New Life that God brings to us.

And - PURPLE - is for Passion (God is Passionate - which is why God
throws such great parties!) - and one of the things that God is
passionate about is JUSTICE - without which there is no true love
- so purple represents Justice.

And we wear masks - why do we wear masks?
One reason is so that we can act silly and dance and sing - and no one
will know who we really are.  And tomorrow morning - the masks will be
gone and we will all be very proper again and no one will know the
difference.

Would you like to do something silly with me?
I want everyone to have some beads to remind them of God's Love for them
- sort of a "party favor" to take home from God's Party.
Will you help me throw them to everyone?
And of course you can keep one - your favorite color, of course.


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BULLETIN
KIDS STAY IN WORSHIP TODAY!!
*********************************************

Mardi Gras Celebration Music
Welcome and Community News

+ Call to Worship
The light of the Great Spirit is upon my people;
It is making the whole earth bright.
My people are now happy!
All beings that move are rejoicing!

+ Hymn of Celebration Every Time I Feel the Spirit Hymnal # 282

+ Opening Prayer (unison)
Adapted from "Statement of Faith" by Ann Weems
Say only the parts you really believe!

We believe in God, in Jesus Christ,
  in the Holy Spirit, and in you and in me.
We believe the Holy Spirit has freed us
  to worship as a community.
We believe the Holy Spirit works through
balloons and ministers
daisies and wiggly children
clanging cymbals and silence
drama and the unexpected
choirs and banners
touching and praying
spontaneity and planning
faith and doubt
tears and laughter
leading and supporting
hugging and kneeling
dancing and stillness
applauding and giving
creativity and plodding
words and listening
holding and letting go
thank you and help me
scripture and alleluias
agonizing and celebrating
accepting and caring
through you and through me
through Love.
We believe God's Holy Spirit lives
  in this community of dancing, hand-holding
  people where lines of age and politics
  and class are crossed.
We believe in praising God for Life.
We believe in responding to God's grace
  and love and justice for all people.
We believe in the poetry within each of us.
We believe in dreams and visions.
We believe in old people running and children leading.
We believe in the Beloved Community within us.
We believe in Love.

Conversation with Our Children On Mardi Gras Day by Fatima Shaik
Reading from the Jewish Prophets Isaiah 25:6-9
Stories of Celebration God's Party: A Ritual of Rebellion

+ Hymn of Celebration We Are Marching in the Light of God
Hymnal # 526

Our Joys and Concerns and an Offering of Prayer
We Offer Our Gifts So That Our Lives May Be Our Prayer
 Offertory
Prayer of Dedication (unison)
Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all. Amen.

+ Hymn of Celebration When the Saints Go Marching In CBS # 81

+ Commissioning (responsive)
One: We have worshiped God together.
Many: Now we go our separate ways.
One: May the spirit which has blessed us here...
Many: Be your spirit in each day that comes!

+ Sung Response
When the saints, when the saints, when the saints go marching in;
O Lord, I want to be in that number when the saints go marching in!

Mardi Gras Celebration Music

WORSHIP NOTES
The cross marks (+) in the order of service are an invitation for those
in the congregation who are able to stand to do so.
The New Century Hymnal or "Hymnal" has a black cover.
The Chapel Songbook is a blue, looseleaf notebook.
Call to Worship is the "Sun Dance Song" from the Dakota Tribe, USA,
Gifts of Many Cultures by Maren Tirabassi and Kathy Wonson Eddy p.4
Opening Prayer is adapted from "Statement of Faith" by Ann Weems in
Reaching for Rainbows p.17
Prayer of Dedication is the fourth verse of Hymn #177 Pilgrim Hymnal