Rising From The Ashes

"Well, religion has been passed down through the years by stories people tell around the campfire. Stories about God, stories about love. Stories about good spirits and evil spirits."

~ Andrew Greeley, Roman Catholic Priest

Camp Mission Meadows, Lake Chautauqua, NY (07/23/2016)

     Not visible in this photograph is the faint smoke plume rising from the ashes of what had been a decent fire the evening before. Just about 10 hours earlier there had been about 150 junior high students and their camp counselors gathered around this campfire, telling stories, singing songs and praying.
     Around campfires we tell stories.  In Junior High, being a cool kid was directly tied to your ability to cause your friends sleepless nights over the zombies and vampires that your mind would manifest into tales of horror. Campfires facilitate relationship.  We sit around them and chat, as if the world melts away.  I want to propose something else.  Campfires foster healing because campfires promote telling.  Around campfires, even the shyest of us, tell stories.  We muster up enough courage, as if the embers of the fire fuel our hearts, to speak out.
     As we listen to the stories of those gathered around us, we find space and openness to begin to tell our own stories.  "Storiest about God, stories about love. Stories about good spirits and evil spirits." Around campfires we become not only good listeners, but we find the value of the story.
     Our stories are meant to be told. Our stories are meant to be found in the midst of God's story and the story of his people. We are meant to sit around campfires.  Perhaps the Church should reclaim and resign the art of campfire storytelling? Perhaps every house of worship should have a communal campfire in their yard.
     As we speak around the campfire, we burn down walls of division.
          As we speak around the campfire, we learn to tell our story and we learn to tell it well.
     As we speak around the campfire, the stories of our lives rise from the ashes
          and the flames of the Holy Spirit ruminate in our souls.
     As we speak around the campfire we are healed.