Holy Saturday - March 30

Saturday was the highlight of Easter weekend, much to my surprise as S and I took part in an atypical worship service.  Over time, it's slowly becoming more a part of our life to take part in demonstrations here and there - in support of missing Indigenous women, in opposition to government policies, in solidarity with the Idle No More movement.  S came home from work one day and mentioned the "Lament on the Line" demonstration to take place near Gretna (two hours south of Winnipeg) in front of the Enbridge oil pumping station.  Wanting to support the initiative of those who organized it (which did include S!), we signed our family up for the bus heading down. 

I expected to make signs with the kids, thinking of lines like " . . . with some things you can't expect a resurrection" or the great Dr. Seuss quote (among many) from The Lorax:  "Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.  It's not."  S explained how no placards were necessary.  Various participants would lead us through public confession regarding our complicity in the oil industry and our grief over the damage to creation as a result. 

We, including the kids, had a really good time on the bus there and back, getting to connect with various people we slightly knew or didn't at all.  

I didn't take photos.  We were both moved to tears and felt our spirits surprisingly engaged through the service.  It was far more meaningful than if it had been a demonstration.  There is an article and video here that help capture it, which I  encourage you to watch.  As a bonus, you can catch a glimpse of the kids!

Afterward, we all set out for hot chocolate at Cedar Lane Farm, home of one of the event's participants. It was such a treat for my city kids.  They had free access to play in the hayloft and roam the large barn full of humanely cared for animals, including two massive hogs weighing in at around 1000 pounds.  The extremely dirty laundry from the whole day was worth the experience!

After our long day out, I noticed the discussion as to the efficacy of the day's events on Facebook feeds.  Some people questioned why the event happened in the first place (what's the point in a Christian faith journey).  Others mocked to varying degrees the participants for thinking it would do any good or for using fossil fuels to attend the event or for blaming Enbridge and oil companies for the problems when we are the ones purchasing their products for our lifestyle needs.  Still others showed support or wished they could have attended.

I know we didn't bike to the event, I fed my family snacks (non-locally grown) out of plastic containers, flushed toilet paper multiple times throughout the day and enjoyed returning to my heated home.  Some of those in attendance are much further away from dependance on oil - they have composting toilet systems at home, garden, shop locally, preserve foods to use throughout the whole year, intentionally live car free, etc.  Yet no judgements were cast as we all mourned our complex involvement with oil and prayed for change.   I love the humility and grief I witnessed.  I love that attending such an action, though granted not changing Enbridge's plan to expand their pipelines there, helps me gain resolve to change my habits in hopes of lightening my impact on nature, teaching my children to make more ethical choices than I have.  They are little steps (which do seem pointless against the lobbying power of oil industries), but little steps in a good direction are so much better than no steps.  I rely on that grace.  I hope one day I'll have courage to take bigger ones.

But for a weekend typically spent grieving the death of Jesus and then celebrating his resurrection, it felt so fitting to focus on the slower death of his Creation and long for its new life.  Holy Sunday is yet to come.  Whether there is hope that it will or not is yet to be determined.