Walking That Silly Labyrinth

On a cold and rainy afternoon in Iona, Rev Ron decided to create our labyrinth on the beach.  I half-heartedly went along.  When I got to the beach, Rev Ron was already drawing circles in the sand with Anna’s (our adopted Dutch friend) pointed-tip umbrella.  Mary was holding a piece of paper with a copy of the labyrinth design alongside him.  All others (there were about 10 of us) were scattered about picking up rocks and shells by the water.  I sat on a big rock by the road with my ski parka shell on.  I could hear the raindrops spattering on the hood of my parka.  Rev Ron must think this is fun.  I was sleepy and cold.  I thought about my bunk bed at the McLeod Center and the puffy white comforter.  Before I could doze off, Mary came over and said I need to go pick up things to decorate the labyrinth.  I walked by the labyrinth to the beach.  I saw two crooked twigs tied together with seaweed in the middle of the labyrinth.  I asked Roger  (our adopted Dutch friend) what it was. 

 He seemed offended, "t’s a cross I made," he said.  "It doesn’t look like a cross," I said, "it’s a crooked plus sign." Everyone had their shoes off.  Not me, I’m not walking on the cold wet sand with my bare feet.  I began picking up shells, one by one, from the sand.  When I had a handful, I took them back to the labyrinth and placed them on the lines Rev Ron drew, circling the crooked cross.  This is going to take forever.  (Dutch) Roger came over to where I was squatting on the sand with his pebbles and said, "Wow, look how pretty the labyrinth looks already with all the shells."  Really?  He began lining his pebbles next to my shells. I stood up and examined our work.  It does look sort of pretty, I thought to myself.  Rev Ron said, "Let’s walk the labyrinth."  The umbrella tip stabbed in the sand marked the entrance to the labyrinth.  OK, let’s get this over with so we can go back to dry land.  I was the first to begin.  As I took the first few steps, I’m thinking, this is silly, kiddie drawings in the sand, a bunch of crazy adults walking around in circles on the beach, in the pouring rain, I wonder what the passerbys think of us…I kept walking. I began thinking what a labyrinth is.  It is similar to a maze because of the concentric circles and lines, but upon closer inspection, it’s different from a maze.  There is only one way in and one way out.  It doesn’t try to trick you and lead you to dead-ends like a maze does. I’ve never walked a labyrinth  before.  No one spoke. Everyone seemed absorbed in their own thoughts. My steps slowed and became more deliberate. There is only one path to God, and that is through his Son. Each step I take on this path is a step closer to God. Each step toward the center and toward the cross reaffirms my commitment to Him. This is a serious promise, like a couple renewing their wedding vows, but even more so. I reached the center of the labyrinth. I had just renewed my covenant with God. I turned around and began walking back, a little disappointed that I reached the center so quickly. I passed (Dutch) Roger as he was making his way toward the center. He was holding rosary beads in one hand and his lips were moving silently.   I stepped out of the path so as not to collide with him. He shook his head, turned his body sideways and said, no, we share the path. After everyone had walked the labyrinth, Rev Ron gathered us around to say a prayer. We huddled in a circle, arms around each other, heads down, and rain dripping off hairs, hats and hoods. We were all smiling, as if we just shared a big secret. A commitment to God also means a commitment to each other. We are interconnected, intertwined, and interwoven threads of the same fabric. We are all of the same body and of the same blood. I had learned that a long time ago, but had not really given it much thought. Somewhere between the silly lines in the sand and our circle of arms in the rain, I was awakened and reminded that the path to Christ is not an isolated path. As the Iona community emphasizes in their intentionally-inclusive daily activities—their ecumenical worship, dormitory living and sharing of tasks and meals, our worship flows into our daily living. We are all on the same path. Our love of God is inseparable from our love of humanity. Sometimes we have to step out of our comfort zone into the rain to see that more clearly. -- Phuong Bui