FORGIVENESS

Starkville's flower pickin' forgiveness

by John Fischer

In May of 1965, Johnny Cash was arrested for picking flowers on private property in Starkville, Mississippi. In 1970, he recorded "Starkville City Jail," memorializing the event in a song that was released, appropriately, on his San Quentin live album. A year ago last October, the city of Starkville inaugurated an annual flower picking music festival posthumously pardoning Cash of his crime and the pardon is good for one year, renewable at the next year's festival. Johnny Cash would be proud. Such an event celebrates two of his favorite themes: sin and redemption. I like this for three reasons. The return to the scene of the crime. Sin is real. It can't be erased, and there are consequences. Nor is anyone above the law. I don't know what the legal charges against him were, but "drunk and disorderly" was probably a part of the flower picking caper, thus a night in the Starkville city jail. We may allow a smile about this sin, but there are sins we are all guilty of that bring only sorrow. Sin must be confessed and paid for. In the case of Johnny Cash and the rest of us, Christ has already served the sentence. That doesn't erase the crime; it issues a pardon. The renewable pardon (as long as it's accompanied by music and celebration). The pardon is good as long as you make sure you celebrate it. I think we could make good on more celebrations of our forgiveness. I guess that's what Easter is all about, but somehow, some of it gets lost in religious tradition. The Starkville flower pickin' festival brings it home. I like the idea of an annual pardon, good until next year's celebration. Sounds a little the Jewish Day of Atonement. Of course God's pardon through Christ is once and for all, but celebrating it every year is a good reminder of how much we need it. The music. It's a little like dancing on your own grave. God clearly likes festivals. He instituted a number of them for the nation of Israel, and some go on for days. How about you? Where would you want to stage your atonement party? The 2nd annual Starkville festival featured Johnny's two daughters and his favorite songwriting buddy. Who would you want at your pardon party?

You know, you have to really believe it to celebrate it.