The Pastor's Corner

A Message From Our Rector

Roger Williams Thought Maypoles were Great!

When I was in the 3rd or 4th grade in my public elementary school, in Boston, we learned of Roger Williams, founder of Rhode Island. He had been an Anglican Priest when he came from England to the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In 1636 he ran afoul of the Puritan establish-ment, and fled to what is now Providence, where with the Narragansett Indians living there at the time, he established a colony advocating religious freedom. There were Jews and freed African Slaves included in that colony -- or so I was taught in 1938. In my grade school I learned that he did a maypole dance with the Native Americans, and this shocked the religious from New England to Georgia. As students, our teachers took us out at recess and we did maypole dancing at recess. (I’m not sure if that is in the curriculum of any schools today.) I will note for those of us living in Delaware – Brandywine environment, Andrew Wyeth’s last painting was of a fictional maypole dance of his subjects who were dancing at his death. He said they were making up for all the indignities he put them through while posing for him.

Now, what has all that to do with our faith journey? Well in May, we have two great religious “feasts”. The High Holy Day, we call “Mother’s Day,” May 13th (not to be confused with Mothering Sunday celebrated by St. Paul’s in Lent), and, the truly significant feast of Pentecost on the 27th of the month. In early England, there were certain groups who celebrated Pentecost, “Whitsunday,” with maypole type dances. I think this is where Roger Williams got his ideas.

The point of this history lesson is to remind us of the freedom and joy that we have in our faith journey. We are not bound by rigid rules of do’s or don’ts, but rather by a Spirit that is like the wind, blowing where it will, and as long as what we do is not demeaning to God or his creation, I believe he says, “Go for it; Enjoy! That’s what life is about. Sing, dance, love, provide and care for.” Oh, I do think Jesus danced and sang at the wedding at Cana; I’ve never seen a good Jewish wedding where the men didn’t. It just didn’t get included in the story.

Now, since I have planted a whole lot of “heretical” or non-pious seeds in this article, let’s see what the April showers do for our May flowers. I have planted a whole lot of zinnia and marigold flower seeds, and am pleased that my prayers for rain have at last been answered.

However, one last thought. Although Pentecost is in late May, the Holy Spirit is in each of us asking that we proclaim, live, and compassionately provide a joyous, prayer-filled witness to all. That they might see that God is not gloom and doom, She’s maypole frivolity too! Enjoy the spring and God’s multiple blessings,

In Christ's Resurrection    love,

John+