 | Lake Harriet Bandshell Service ... "3 Vantage Points" Sunday, August 19th, 2001 |  | |||
Editor's Note: We were fortunate enough to have 3 webreporters writing for this event. Each shared a unique perspective:
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The Earth Is In Our Hands -
Ecumenical Service at Lake Harriet
JoAnn Potts
Sunday, August 19, 2001 was the targeted date for St. Joan of Arc’s turn at hosting the ecumenical service held at the beautiful Lake Harriet Bandshell. The Prayer Partners of St. Joan of Arc have taken on this delightful annual task for the last 5 years or so. Previous to that, the staff of St. Joan’s handled it. The event has grown, the list of churches has grown, and the event has become increasingly more popular each year. A more colorful, beautiful, friendly audience of approximately 1100 people would be difficult to find anywhere. I will let my collaborators, Janice LaMere and Peg LaSota, tell you about the ambiance of this event through their photographs and viewpoints. The service itself was also colorful, beautiful, and friendly.
The theme of this worship service was “For the Beauty of the Earth” and as the name implies, we were reminded in many different ways that we were in a sacred space. The service included welcoming greetings in song and speech, prayers, a Gospel reading and a special response telling us to sow seeds of love from nature. The opening Native American prayer honored the earth as all stood and faced in four directions. The assemblage was blessed by Mary Eve Thomas as she dipped a fresh branch into a bowl filled with Lake Harriet water and sprinkled it while Patrick Stevens spoke the prayer. A solemn quietness filled the air during this lovely ritual.
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Read Pat's poem, MARPIYA WICHASTA AT LAKE HARRIET |
There was a lovely reflection by Pat about the history of Lake Harriet and the neighborhood, with some of his own experiences and memories of what this beautiful area has meant to him in his life. The service was filled with music, quiet prayerful times, laughter and words to think on within this worship service honoring the earth and its bounty. I learned from Pat that in the beginning, the lakes in this area were formed by glaciers and were named by the Native American dwellers of the day. While real names were given to Lake Calhoun and Lake of the Isles, poor Lake Harriet was originally called “The Other Lake”. Do you think the Native Americans became tired of trying to properly name those ten thousand plus lakes in Minnesota and just ran out of ideas?
Before Pat’s thoughtful reflection, there was a delightfully presented “conversation” between Julie Madden as God and Roger Dick as God’s friend, “Frankie” (St. Francis of Assisi). Frank was trying to explain to God what had happened to the beautiful earth wildflowers and prairie grasses that by now should be coloring the whole of the earth? All God could see were those patches of green rectangles especially in what is now called America. When Frank told God about what those Americans do with grass - plant it, cultivate it, cut it, bag it and pay to cart it away - God was aghast. Frank was just about to tell God about what happens to those beautiful falling leaves and decided that he had better wait for another time for that explanation.
After a thoughtful Litany on reverence for the earth with the sung response “For the beauty of the earth sing O sing today…” During the offertory collection, the beautiful “Canticle of the Sun” was sung. This hymn of praise reflects so much of Jesus’ philosophy of caring for the earth and the glory of God. “Praise for the rain, praise for the earth and the creatures and the beauty of flowers that help us to know the heart of love..” the song tells us. Next we stood together to say the Lord’s Prayer holding hands to solidify the connection we all have to God to the earth and to each other.
All this could have been enough, but the next part was such a delightful surprise and again showed us all how fortunate we are at St. Joan’s to have within our ranks such talent as was shown to us by Rachael Kroog presenting “Finding a Rainbow” just for the children! The many children in the congregation came forward - a cursory count might be 100 little ones - to an open area in front of the stage. Their eager eyes just knew that something wonderful was going to happen. They weren’t disappointed. The well-known Mr. Rogers' theme song was played by Joe Chouinard as the children walked ran and bounced towards the stage, ready to listen wide-eyed to Rachael. She talked to them about rainbows and where they can be found - EVERYWHERE! Then from her throat of many voices came all the characters of “The Wizard of Oz” from the evil witch’s awful laugh to the stuttering cowardly lion. She spoke of our having a brain, a heart and of course, courage to face whatever challenges life has in store for us all. It wasn’t only the children who learned lessons from Rachael. She even sang a little to help appease our longing to hear her lovely voice.
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The children who remained in front were given baskets of packets of wildflower seeds to hand out to the congregation. Many families wanted more packets so they could plant wildflowers instead of grass next year.
I am certain that most of the people in attendance might not realize all the time, research and creativeness, which made this collaborative effort possible. That is the “spirit of St. Joan’s” showing its best face and I, for one, am grateful to be able to participate in any small way. I thank God for the wonderful people that are associated with St. Joan of Arc. Aren’t we lucky?
Trying to find a parking spot at Lake Harriet in the middle of Sunday morning after the ecumenical service has started is a daunting challenge, but I persevered. In case anyone needs to file this away for the future, there are lots of (pay $1) spots near the tennis court, about three blocks west of the band shell.
Once I did find a perfect spot (by the tennis courts), I realized that being late had certain advantages. I could take a nice walk by a beautiful lake on a Sunday morning. Once you are past a certain point of lateness, and when you are attending a service that has people coming and going all of the time, you can relax and stroll. And, relaxing and spending time with a lot of happy people is what this service is all about.
It was interesting approaching the bandshell that way. It was a good way to savor the joyous atmosphere. There were a lot of people there for the service, but there were also a lot of people that stopped as they were passing. They would stand and watch for a while, and then finish their walk. A few of them sat and stayed, too.
| My favorite part of the service at the lake is the kids and dogs. Kids have a certain freedom when they are outside. They love it. They climb and run and crawl. Some sit and people-watch, some dog watch. But all of them love it. And the Dogs! They think that they are in heaven. They have their favorite people, and their leashes, and all of those kids to watch, and those other dogs! Wow. |
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It is a very nice feeling as the people leave, too. It isn't as strange as it sounds. Some groups wander off slowly, some stay and talk. Everyone is happy, and ready to go on with their days. They have celebrated and prayed together in the early morning sun, and they are happy. What could be better than that?
In school like style, this Sunday’s SJA worship service at the Lake Harriet band shell was an “awesome” field trip! Contrary to some beliefs, Sunday worship is spatially grand in the outdoors. Lake Harriet as a backdrop was picture perfect giving more meaning to all the “wondrous gifts” right there in front of us. I was evenly impressed with the beautiful day, soft winds off the lake, clear blue sky above, and, after the oven roaster weeks behind us, we celebrated in heavenly temperatures. With the climate on our side the crowds gathered to fill all the seats and continued to stretch out on the lawn. It was "leisure day" to say the least. Unlike an average Sunday at SJA, dress was lake wear casual: Eye catching sun hats dotted about, sandals, shorts, t-shirts, sunglasses everywhere, and Hawaiian shirts galore!!!
As I covered the grounds what was striking was the enormous numbers of families. And the fact that celebrating can take place anywhere. Anywhere there are people eager to appreciate the beauty we live in. Chronologically, the crowd ranged from the elderly to the newborn. So many families taking in the special service calling all those within earshot to join in. We could’ve possibly swayed some newcomers with our enthusiasm. Julie Madden wanted us to extend our welcome with out-stretched hands to each and every passerby. I’m sure there were a few in the crowd. The nice part of this summertime celebration is the fact that it’s so easy to attend. No drastic parking problems( aside from Janice's), gorgeous scenery, and possibly a trolley ride afterwards.
The carefree ease of the morning was juxtaposed by the significance of Lake Harriet as a historical marker of our city. Pat Stevens' walked us through stories of the first pioneers and Native Americans in the area. The idea stemming from part of Pat Stevens' reading was how we enjoy and acknowledge this area with daily usage in it’s own special way within the community, participating by frequenting the lake and gathering inner sweetness from it. I identified with Pat’s recollections as I too have grown up very close to the lake and spent my entire life bypassing it in my daily routine. Yes, I too have swum, canoed, biked, cruised and lingered here.
Attention was paid to the children today also. They were invited to participate in a story telling by Rachael Kroog. Kids were gathered off their blankets, out of their strollers and off the laps of Moms and Dads to sit in front and listen. They danced and sang and cheered Rachael along. I watched their faces light up as she sang to them. How delightful to see how free spirited they were in making themselves comfortable upfront along with being totally engaged in her character antics. It was just as entertaining , if not more so, for the adults!
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| Editor's Note: My family and I had the pleasure of attending the Lake Harriet Service. My wife and I both loved the service, but sometimes it is the little things that have the most impact. After the service we went to the park to have a picnic. As we were walking from the park back toward the bandshell, I observed the greatest lesson of the day. Long after most people had left, Prayer Partner Pat Stevens and his wife, Irene were leaving the stage. Pat was carrying the bowl of Lake Harriet water used in the service. Rather than emptying the water onto the grass or even the pavement, Pat purposefully walked to a small sapling planted near the bandshell and poured the water for the small sapling to drink. I am sure that I, and maybe Irene, were the only ones who saw this. It was not part of the service nor for show, but an intentional act by a man practicing what he had just preached.
As we go through our daily encounters this week, let us be mindful of Pat and the little sapling. Always be intentional about doing the right thing, no matter how insignificant it may seem. Those small acts nourish our souls for the bigger things that lie ahead. |
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The skeptic in me would say, "Surely that little bit of water was insignificant to the health of that tree." But that water was not for the tree, it was for Pat and anyone who happened to see it. Pat received more nourishment by doing that symbolic little act than the sapling did. It was an intentional act that serves as a self-reminder to always be aware of our actions and how they impact the earth.