"Sound of the drumsBeating in my heartThe thunder of gunsTore me apart...."-AC/DC (Lyrics from Thunderstruck)
Every first Saturday in May since 1875, (except for the COVID year) the Bluegrass State unfurls a carpet of red roses for beautiful thoroughbreds and an array of B-list celebrities. It is the most famous horse race in the United States held at the "majestic" Churchill Downs; the Kentucky Derby.
A couple weeks before the horses run for approximately two-minutes, us Kentuckiana folks join together in the spirit of unification and harmony to grab a crowded spot on a sliver of azure grass to either chatter teeth or sweat through tank tops, (the weather here ain't right) to watch an airshow and the epitome of a fireworks spectacular (now with drones!) Many of our peoples who don't want to get stuck in the great Exodus of traffic afterward, wisely stay home. You can catch it all in the comfort of your own home (like us) while chilling in your PJs after grilling and filling on burgers and cheesy brats.
The ritual of the Kentucky Derby Festival and it's fancy fireworks kickoff, Thunder Over Louisville, is doctrine everywhere here (it brings in a boatload of revenue.) My son decorated a coloring page of a jockey silk last year (which he emblazoned with dragons) in school and they have snacks, games and races to celebrate. We all grew up this way. It's the Southern Indiana/ Kentucky way of life.
But- shouldn't our way of life be seeking the way of everlasting life? Glorifying the creator of these galloping steeds and Earth-shattering illuminations?
We can look at these radiant sky displays in a different sense. Fireworks give us the opportunity to look toward God and to his awe-inspiring works if we just focus our attention.
"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" Psalms 8:3-5
When David writes these words, these sacred songs, he is dumbfounded that God could even care about man; that he would choose humans over angels to rule the Earth. I feel the same way, David.
I appreciate God all the more when I am looking at a coral colored sunset, the ruby-throated hummingbirds plumed in Emeralds sipping at my Shepherd's hook feeder or while gazing upward at bursting, brilliant blooms in the night sky.
Thank you God, for it all.
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