Baptism of the Lord C

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

By Jay Beck and Tevyn East

we must rid our lives of the participation
in the greed driven schemes of these corporations
who are pushing and forcing the privatization
of the river of life, causing evaporation, (desertification)
leaving us choking on hot dry frustration.

But the thunder cloud cracks open with precipitation
Christ pours out blood and water singing new liquid sensation

all you who are thirsty come and see
and when you drink, remember me

this entire planet’s salvation
lies completely in its rehydration
and not only for some wealthy nation
but everywhere in all of creation.

These reflections on the Baptizer and the life and death realities of our current ecological crisis are excerpts from Carnival de Resistance’s show “Wade Through Deep Water”.

Tevyn East integrates her artistic gifts with faith-led resistance through her production company Holy Fool Arts. She produced and performed a one-woman show entitled “Leaps and Bounds” that critiques the growth-oriented economy and its impact on the earth, and which toured to more than 150 communities around North America and was made into a film in 2011. She is the director of the Carnival de Resistance, a traveling carnival, village, and school that focuses on ecological justice and radical theology.

Jay Beck is a percussionist, vocalist, drum-maker, and educator who has been performing, teaching, touring and recording professionally for many years, including as a member of the band Psalters. He seeks to aid resistance movements and develop reconciliation through studying the art forms and spirituality of oppressed nomadic and indigenous communities. He is a core organizer for the Carnival de Resistance and collaborates with his partner Tevyn East in Philadelphia to present theater that emphasizes the voice of the divine inside creation.

Wild Lectionary is a weekly blog on ecological justice themes in scripture, curated by Laurel Dykstra, gathering priest of Salal + Cedar, Coast Salish Territory.