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PASS IT ON
April 18th, 2004
John T. Crestwell, Jr.

Reading from Black Elk Speaks
Pg 150 then except on 149

I have often marveled at the love and respect Native Americans pay to Mother earth and to their ancestors. There is something very precious in the way they understand life. Life is cyclical. The power of life is in what Black Elk called the “sacred hoop”. They expect to live, to find their place in the circle of life, to function in their role as a part of nature and then to “go gentle into the night” as they find their place with the earth once again, in death.

One of the other things I love is that many Native Americans have a deep respect and reverence for their elders. They understand that the Grandmothers and Grandfathers carry the wisdom of the ages. But it is obvious when you look at our world today with the many issues facing the elderly like healthcare, those outrageous medical expenses, social security, crimes against the elderly, and just genuine disrespect, we are not in touch with people who sacrificed and paved the way for us to be here today.

If it were not for my grandmother I don’t know where I’d be. My grandmother, Nana, as she was called, was a powerful force in my family. She taught my mother the importance of church, and demanded that her grandchildren be involved in activities to keep their fragile and active minds on something productive. And this title “Nana” is appropriate for her. In some African cultures this is a title for one who is the head of a tribe. It is like saying, “You’re royal highness!” She was surely worthy of the phrase, as she was my family’s matriarch and patriarch. Nana gave money and fed us when the funds in the household were coming up a little short, and she always had quiet but directed words of wisdom that helped my mother make it through a rough day raising two children on her own. She made a difference in my life. I know that now. And she lives in me.

I know you have elders who have gone before you who have made a difference in your life. It’s a beautiful thing!

Well, this is why I thought it would be important today to hear from our, what I call, “seasoned adults” who have been members of the church from the very beginning or shortly after Davies church was founded. Their stories remind us that this building did not just appear out of thin air but that it developed through the years with lots of love, sweat and tears. Many have come to us here at Davies, made their mark, and left us with lasting memories that keep their spirits alive each and everyday. As long as we remember and pay homage to their commitment to this church, they live and we honor our past.

You know, I can understand if some of you, who have been here a long time, might be a bit uncomfortable with all of the “stuff” that’s going on. With all of this talk of growth and change, I can understand if you are apprehensive. For we live in a society, as I said, that does not honor its elders. We live in a society that says when you get to a certain ripe age, “Well, your life’s over GET OUT THE WAY. NEXT!” We don’t care to learn from our past, and as a result, we continuously repeat the vices of generations who did not listen. It’s a sort of cyclical purgatory. But if we listen, if we take note of the lessons the past teaches, we could create a brighter present, and a colorful future. The grandmothers and grandfathers teach these lessons whether in a tribe, family or church.

And so here we are, your leadership, asking you to trust us in carrying on what you older members have built; asking you to trust us that we will not make a mockery of what you have sacrificed for; asking you to trust us with the future of this place, your sacred space; asking you to trust us that we will not forget the impact of your commitments. I hold that trust close to my heart.

Another aspect of Native American culture and spirituality is that at a certain age, boys become men and girls become women anywhere from ten to twelve years old. Can you imagine? This would mean my son, J.T., would be a man in a little over a year 1/2 and Kennedy, my daughter, a woman in three years. My, my, my… The point is, and I briefly mentioned this, Native Americans do not fight the natural progression of life. Many Native American cultures believe that once a girl or boy’s body matures to a point where they can procreate, they move into their role as an adult. There are other rituals they have for celebrating the varying stages of life too. The change does not frighten them. We can learn from this… Our culture, Western civilization, fights the process. You know… Stay young as long as you can, get plastic surgery, a lift here a tuck there, stay on the Atkins diet for twenty years, try to look like your twenty when you’re fifty, you know what I’m talking about. I’m not talking about health. I’m talking about our obsession with not accepting what life is. We fight. I fight it. I’m guilty too…

We have to somehow develop the calm assurance that change is okay. It is life. And death is okay. It is life. If we look at our lives as relay race— I think this analogy works if you allow me to be a little creative…

You have this round track, the track of life. And you have the players all on the same team working at the same cause—get around the track. The goal is to pass the baton successfully to the next person without dropping it. If you are truly in rhythm with your team then the team will probably make it around very quickly and gracefully. Place, or where you finish is not important in my analogy. If you’re a little out of sync with your baton, your team will still make it around the track but not without struggle. And even if you have continuous drops of the baton, it will take your team awhile to come on home, there will be a lot of suffering, but they will still find their way around.

The point is we all run this race and should pass the baton smoothly. When we fight the flow we are fighting nature. I’m saying that accepting our place in existence, whether we are young and need to find time to respect and learn from our elders or we are old and must look to pass on our wisdom, we need not fight where we are, rather we must be willing to pass the baton.

The last leg on the relay is called the “anchor leg”. As we move through life we start as the first leg of the relay and move on to the second leg and third leg and eventually we have to run that anchor and bring it on home. How will you run your leg of the race wherever you are?

I was talking with Race Dowling on one occasion and I asked him how he makes since of his mortality as an Atheist with no belief in an afterlife? He said that he lives to leave a legacy that is positive and meaningful; to leave a legacy that does not dishonor his past and to pass on whatever gems he has to his children and those with whom he comes in contact. He believes his eternal life is in passing a bit of himself on to others.

What are we passing on this morning? Are we passing on a bit of who we are to the next generation? Are we learning from those who have gone before us?

We have a lot to do in the coming months. I ask that you embrace the change. Share your stories even more. I ask that you pass on your commitment and pass on your love to all the new faces we see. And to these beautiful new faces, I ask that you honor our seasoned adults, our grandmothers and grandfathers. Let us move through this race of life, passing the proverbial baton of love to each runner so that as a church and as individuals we might leave a little of us behind and “go gently into the night.”

“It only takes a spark to get a fire going,
and soon all those around can warm up in its glowing
That’s how it is with LOVE once you experience it;
you spread the love to everyone; you want to pass it on.

What a wondrous time is spring, when all the trees are budding;
the birds begin to sing, the flowers start their blooming.
That’s how it is with LOVE once you experience it;
you want to sing, it’s fresh like spring, you want to pass it on.

I wish for you my friend this happiness that I’ve found;
you’ll find this joy within, it matters not where you’re bound
I’ll shout it from the mountaintop; I want my world to know;
the light of love has come to me, I want to pass it on!”

Pass it on: Adapted
Music/Words: Kurt Kaiser, 1969

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