Lent Day 20: Desmond Tutu and the Two Craigs

Too late, too tired for a long entry tonight, but just enough energy to cite an NPR story on Archbishop Desmond Tutu.  I'd like to say it was NPR providing an inspiring story, but the truth is every story I've ever heard about Tutu has been greatly inspiring.

I've often thought about his life and imagined what I would have done in his shoes.  I don't think I could have come close to what he did.  He faced such cruelty, meanness, and hatred, and yet his responses were/are always so full of love, compassion, and grace.  He truly loved his enemies, and by that I mean he wanted what's best for them, meaning God's love, compassion, grace... and forgiveness.  "Truth and reconciliation" in Tutu's own words.  The NPR story is entitled "We are 'Made for Goodness'" and that's the thread of all of Tutu's sermons.  And indeed every time I've seen him, irrespective of context, he has preached the Word of God and God's love for us.

I was fortunate, make that blessed, to hear him speak at the 2000 ELCA National Youth Gathering here in St. Louis.  I don't remember any of the details but I marveled at the theme of his story of forgiving his enemies.  He kept thousands of young people (and me) on the edges of their seats about his story, which by all accounts should have been ancient history to them.  Though the youth gatherings contain many "mountaintop" experiences, hearing his keynote presentation was "the moment" of that Gathering for me.  I was in tears by the end of his witness to God's love in action.

He's also appeared as a guest on my favorite (and pretty much only) talk show, the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.  Both men are charming and articulate, with the gift of gab.  Tutu preaches and lives  forgiveness and redemption; Ferguson is a living example of redemption.  I don't know if his redemption is related to his relationship with God, but as a recovering alcoholic, Ferguson is very aware of how close he was to self-destruction and death, and for me, every new show reflects how much he appreciates his life and the beloved people in his life.  It's a subtext that keeps me tethered to his show, but the truth is that he is so darn charismatic, clever, and funny, it's impossible for me to miss his show.  And Ferguson's subtext is what made the Tutu interview so scintillating:  he can turn on a dime between funny and poignant, and keep Tutu in stitches.  It was a pleasure to watch.

Clips:  Ferguson Intro, Ferguson Monologue Pt 1, Monologue Pt 2, Interview Pt 1, Interview Pt 2, Interview Pt 3,  Tag - What Did We Learn on the Show Tonight, Craig

And in doing my links research for this blog entry, I learned that Tutu was the one guest who changed Ferguson's life. 

Tutu popped at last year's ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans.  He wasn't there, but was quoted as the inspiration for some of last year's keynote speakers.  Craig Kielburger, founder of Free the Children, shared his stirring story of "being the change" in the world.  I just found on their website, Kielburger's reference to Tutu in his own words:

Do you have a morning ritual that gets you ready for the day, mentally/physically/spiritually?
Whether I'm reading it online line or spread out on my kitchen table, I always start my day reading the newspaper. That way I can catch up with what's going on in the world. Archbishop Desmond Tutu once told me the newspaper was like a menu laying out all the world's issues that need our help.
If you're passionate about local issues, it's your first couple pages. If you want to make a difference on national issues, go midway through. If your passion is changing the world, it's always at the end. Either way, it's conveniently divided out for you every single day.

(I guess I wasn't as tired as I thought...)



[This blog automatically feeds my Facebook Notes page; click here to see the original blog]

Jesus, Justice, Jazz and Beyond (ELCA National Youth Gathering)

Sitting at the Superdome for the first mass event (37,000 teens and counselors), my muscle memory kicked me hard: my only previous visit to the Superdome and New Orleans was for the ELCA youth gathering in 1997. Not only is this Gathering different because I actually have my own teenager participating, but also and mostly because I couldn’t get the CNN images of post-Katrina Superdome and Convention Center out of my head. In 2005 the world stopped to gawk in disbelief not so much at the physical destruction from the storm, but rather the aftermath of how people responded (or didn’t) to the crisis. And since then, the focus has mostly left New Orleans as a place that will take many years to recover, out of the news spotlight.

And yet in my Superdome seat, peering over the sea of t-shirts declaring “Jesus, Justice, Jazz” customized for congregation or synod, listening to the Peter Mayer-led House Band, watching the half-dozen giant-size monitors for close-ups of the stage, I sat quite comfortably, as if waiting for an NFL game. Indeed, among the championship banners hanging in the rafters, was a special one for the 2006 Fans of the New Orleans Saints football team – for supporting the team in the chaos-filled season immediately after Hurricane Katrina. In a way, this Gathering seemed like other youth gatherings, filled with inspirational speakers, cheering when one’s home city or state in mentioned, dancing in the aisles to the Christian rock/hip-hop warm-up music and mass worship with 37,000 young folk sharing communion.

But it was more than that. Much more. For three consecutive days, dozens of buses departed from multiple locations at coordinated launch times. 12,000 people per day fanned out across the region, an ocean of orange volunteer t-shirts spreading across the metro area, to fill backpacks with school supplies for the coming school year, to work literacy programs with grade school students to paint murals for schools re-opening for the first time since Katrina, to clean up Katrina-muck still mired in the Ninth Ward and many more projects. It was a herculean task just to deploy that many people, let alone work their projects.

Bethel’s own project was removing weed trees (Chinese Tallow) that invaded and dominated what had been majestic oak and pine trees. 80% of those trees were destroyed overnight – changing the ecosystem classification from a forest to shrubbery zone, almost literally in the blink of eye – and any oak and pine saplings have been choked out by the invasive species ever since. Our youth did a great job that day, clearing a small but significant swath in the Fontainebleau State Park that will hopefully allow some oak and pine to thrive. Our site administrator wasn’t a park ranger but a retiree who volunteers his time for the Sisyphean task of almost single-handedly fighting the weed trees. He had no idea what to expect that day, but had to quickly shift from working with a handful of folks to mentoring and supervising 120 orange shirts. By his own admission, he didn’t shift quickly to his new role but he persevered, glad to know that his mentoring work would cover the next two servant event days. I had to break the news to him that our workgroup was the first of three different workgroups; I’ve never seen a man’s face so subtly yet clearly laugh and cry simultaneously without twitching a muscle.

We worked hard and enthusiastically that morning, “being the change” – the unofficial Gathering slogan – and after the work was done, some of us jumped in the clean, fresh, cooling waters of Lake Pontchartrain (just a few hundred yards from our work zone) and then picnicked on Subway (restaurant) sandwiches before climbing on the bus back to New Orleans. I didn’t jump in the lake (insert your own punch line here), but found a shady spot in the picnic area with others in our group who judged that our work clothes wouldn’t dry out in time for the return bus ride. We struck up a conversation with two sisters who had brought their families for a day out. We shared our stories (on our work bus there were also congregations from Jamestown, NY, and Wasilla, AK), and the sisters recounted to us their tales of evacuation to separate cities (Shreveport and Tulsa), despite their best intentions to remain together. We discovered it was their first time back to this state park since Katrina and the park had only re-opened just a few weeks prior. We later learned that the official park ranger had lost his home in the floods (along with many irreplaceable historical artifacts collected by him and his wife) and relocated nearby the park, mostly because they (and many others) could not afford the new rates for New Orleans insurance.

As we reacclimated to the New Orleans city rhythm that evening, THE ice-breaker question (as we waited in many lines) to/from strangers for this Gathering was “Hey, what was your service event?” which replaced the previous Gatherings’ ice-breakers of “Where are you from?” and “What did you think of last night’s speaker?” And as much as we made new friends among the Gathering with a sense of camaraderie at the Superdome events, the most telling sign of our presence in New Orleans was among the locals.

I’m pretty sure it wasn’t just our (as in Bethel’s or all the other teens’) presence. It was God’s presence, as in Jesus-died-and-rose-for-us and the Holy Spirit called us to New Orleans to be God’s presence to rebuild and redeem Creation as God had intended it.

No, our presence in New Orleans was reflected in a joke by a passing motorist as we walked by a statue (as I discovered later ironically it was General Robert E. Lee). As we were about to cross the roundabout, a driver stopped and asked us “Hey, y’all know why that statue is facing north?” We shrugged our shoulders. “’Cause you never turn your back on a Yankee!” He then added in softened, sincere tones, “Thanks for all the work y’all are doing here.” And proceeded on his way.

For me, those 2005 CNN images of the Katrina-ravaged Superdome have been replaced by more than just 37,000 young adults recently rocking out in it. It’s also been supplanted by the park rangers and volunteers, the picnicking sisters and the somewhat random sarcastic/sincere grateful motorist, sharing their stories and their appreciation. This Gathering may not have garnered much national media attention (although ELCA Bishop Mark Hanson did read a letter of thanks from President Obama at the Gathering’s last evening) because feel-good stories, especially religious/church-led efforts, don’t make for good news. But they do make for Good News. And that blessing is more than enough for me.

To see some of Bethel’s photos and videos from the trip, please visit http://byg-jjj2009.blogspot.com/