The CATHEDRAL TIMES The weekly newsletter of the Cathedral of St. Philip · Serving Atlanta and the World · July 3, 2022
DOWN PEACHTREE LIKE WATER By Dan Murphy, Director of Communications
I love the Peachtree Road Race. More than that, I love how many other people love the Peachtree Road Race. I’ve run Peachtree the past two years, thanks in large part to my wife’s reminder that while it’s fun to watch, there’s something special about being in the crowd, running. I’d spent the previous 5 years on the sidelines, watching from the Cathedral lawn as 60,000 runners, walkers, and wheelchair racers strode down past the church at mile 2. With the holy water sprinkler and Dean Sam Candler giving “Blessings to you! Blessings to you! Blessings to you and you and you!” there is a notable shift to our side of the street as the passers-by look to cool off and find new energy in the words and water. Several years ago, I headed to the top of the Cathedral bell tower for a bird’s eye view of the race. When I got to the top, I looked south down Peachtree Road, and I was floored. The sheer volume of people moving in the same direction, a mass of humanity six lanes wide and nearly a mile long, down the hill toward Peachtree Creek and around the bend toward Cardiac Hill, was like a beautiful river, flowing through town as one body. I’ve always been struck by the movement of water in rivers and creeks. There’s something about the fact that it keeps moving, no matter how much time passes, that has me mesmerized. With rivers, there is always something new, always something carrying the water forward. Something about that makes me realize I’m in the presence of a power greater than myself, in the presence of the holy. Recently we headed out to Sweetwater Creek, with its rock outcroppings and natural pools, to get a break from the heat. As I went down in the river to play, I asked my son if he wanted to try something new. I’d been eyeing a spot nearby where the rapids sped up before hitting a straightaway, creating a flume 25 yards long but only a few feet deep – perfect for a quick, powerful ride to the next calm spot downstream. I reminded him of the rescue position we use when we end up in any fast-moving water: facing downstream on our backs, with toes poking out of the water. As soon as I stepped into the current, I could feel a visceral reminder of an old adage: the river is king. The power of the water pulling me downstream, dunking me and then spitting me back out, my tailbone crashing into a submerged rock, the sound of the churning current — all in just a few seconds before pulling over into the next eddy. I popped up and let out a big belly laugh, looking upstream at my son who was ready to ride the river next. The thrill of a natural waterslide was magical, and it was holy, and it was fun. God is like that creek, and like the Peachtree Road Race. God is that unmatchable force, pushing us downstream as one body toward the Kingdom of Heaven. My hope lies in the length of the river, because while sometimes the rocks try to divide the water, eventually the water comes together. And in the midst of very challenging times, when strife and war and division have me feeling parched, God calls on us to have hope for what is to come: “I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19). When I’m running the Peachtree – and especially when I’m struggling to push forward – I find that it’s helpful for me to look around and see who’s there with me. It’s a great swath of humanity! People of all races and genders, orientations and beliefs, moving together as one body. We are the water, the spirit of God in the world. I am reminded that together, we can overcome even the greatest division. Together, we can smooth the rocks of hatred. Together, we can be that great tide of mercy for the poor, the weak, the powerless. Together we can, in the words of the prophet Amos, “let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream” (Amos 5:24). Together, we can move forward toward the Kingdom of God.