It Takes Two

We watched Into the Woods recently at the Los Angeles Ahmanson Theatre. We've seen the Broadway recording and the movie but had never seen it on stage before. The songs are marvelous and the play itself is a fascinating exploration of fables, expectations, aspirations, and disappointments. What seems like a fairy tale with a happy ending soon ends up with confusion in the woods.

And as any person on a journey, whether on the Camino de Santiago or in our daily struggles, we sometimes are lost in woods. And we don't know we're lost. Or we play it safe, stay out of the woods, and never realize that we're not making any progress on our journey, not when we just lock ourselves up, locking up our hearts, shutting out our dreams.

As Pentecost approaches, I think about the Holy Spirit coming alive in each of us, emboldening us, enjoining us. It was God's visit to the disciples, just sitting in their rooms, giving them the ability and the courage to come out and speak truth.

I think it's appropriate that LGBT pride celebrations happen around the time of Pentecost. The protests that sparked these annual celebrations were ignited when the oppressed and maligned, blackmailed and abused drag queens of New York's Greenwich Village finally had enough. And they were inspired to speak out, stir up trouble, make their different stories of oppression in their different voices heard. That's a Pentecostal story to me.

Rev Ed Bacon, the former Rector of All Saints Episcopal Church of Pasadena, sent me an email this morning, as a response to a series of emails, that just said "Holy Ignition! Alleluiah!". And I thought, "that's a Pentecostal message!"

I think of the Holy Spirit igniting each one of us to see past our fears, our hurts, our ills. The Spirit challenges us in times of deepest, darkest trials. By ourselves, we cannot do it. We cannot change. And though we hear the message of Christ, though we hear the message of justice, is that enough to get us out of our places of comfort? Or our places of pain? Or our places of self-satisfaction?

No, it takes two. We need the Holy Spirit to help us follow Christ, and She's there if we want Her. I think the Holy Spirit's breath is a powerful but quiet force. We can't hear it unless we are open to hear Her.

And when we do listen, we can invite Her into our hearts. We can live together, move together, breathe together.

And in those dark woods, I think we discover what God made us to be.

I realized during my morning contemplations that a song from Into the Woods reminds me of what's possible when we're lost or weak or scared or hurting. So I sang it with the idea of the Holy Spirit descending into each of us.

You've changed You're daring You're different in the woods More sure More sharing You're getting us through the woods If you could see You're not the man who started And much more open-hearted Than I knew You to be It takes two I thought one was enough It's not true It takes two of us You came through When the journey was rough It took you It took two of us It takes care It takes patience and fear and despair To change Though you swear To change Who can tell if you do It takes two You've changed You're thriving There's something about the woods Not just Surviving You're blossoming in the woods At home, I'd fear We'd stay the same forever And then out here You're passionate Charming Considerate Clever It takes one To begin, but then once you've begun It takes two of you It's no fun But what needs to be done You can do When there's two of you If I dare It's because I'm becoming Aware of us As a pair of us Each accepting a share Of what's there We've changed We're strangers I'm meeting you in the woods Who minds What dangers I know we'll get past the woods And once we're past Let's hope the changes last Beyond woods Beyond witches and slippers and hoods Just the two of us Beyond lies Safe at home with our beautiful prize Just the few of us It takes trust It takes just A bit more And we're done We want four We had none We've got three We need one It takes two It Takes Two Into The Woods Stephen Sondheim

I sang these words and I recognize how I'm different in the woods.

But it takes two.