Saturday, May 16, 2009
The stories of faith are large and small
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I can't remember whose idea it was to perm my hair the day before my baptism at the age of 12.
While the words of the preacher and the sensations of immersion have long since faded from memory, a few images remain crystal clear.
I can still picture the baptismal tank that sat in front of a perspective painting of the Jordan River -- meant, of course, to create the illusion that we converts were standing in the holy river where John the Baptist immersed Jesus.
But most vividly, I recall the image of my head in the mirror after the dunking. I resembled nothing so much as a mutant Chia Pet.
I remember my grandmother crying softly in the pew beside me as I stood later in the congregation, a cloud of potent chemical vapors eddying around me as I gave my post-baptism testimony.
Women readers will fill in the blanks here, knowing that anyone in her right mind waits at least two -- and preferably three -- days before shampooing newly permed hair. Otherwise, you tend to look and smell something like a wet poodle.
If I were a theologian, I might title this column the hermeneutics of hair and try to tease some broader meaning from the experience.
But really it's just a reminder to me, as I begin my tenure as your religion reporter and columnist, that our stories of faith are not just about ideologies and theological concepts. They're not just about religious leaders and church politics.
Some are moving. Some sad. Some funny. But all are about people -- Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist or no affiliation at all -- and how we live out our faith despite our doubts and imperfections.
A friend once told me no subject is too small for prayer. Not even hair.
In this spirit, you and I begin a journey. I'm here to listen to and to tell your stories of faith, be they large, or small.
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The Roanoke Valley Interfaith Hospitality Network is set to hold a "Footsteps for Families: A Walk to End Family Homelessness" fundraiser from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Salem. Founded in 1997, the network helps provide food, temporary housing, day care and other services for homeless families with children. For more information, visit www.rvihn.com/events.html or call 343-9982.
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Swine flu has some Christians worried about the safety of drinking from a "common cup" during Communion. Although the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has for many years declared the infectious disease risk from the common cup as very low, some churches are modifying their practices and reassuring congregants that they may abstain from the wine while taking Communion. For more information, visit tinyurl.com/r4gqzl.
