Nancy Kennedy, Grace Notes, 02/04/12

Circle this date on your calendar: Feb. 15, “John Frum Day.”

Celebrated on the remote South Pacific island of Tanna, on John Frum Day islanders dress up as American G.I.s, with “USA” painted in red on their bare chests and backs and march in perfect step with bamboo rifles on their shoulders.

According to a 2006 Smithsonian magazine account, on this “holiest of days,” islanders honor their messiah, John Frum. As one village elder explained, “John promised he’ll bring planeloads and shiploads of cargo to us from America if we pray to him.”

John Frum is said to dwell inside Yasur, Tanna’s sacred volcano. “Yasur” means God in their language.

No one knows why John Frum lives inside an active volcano, nor has any sober islander ever seen him.

But they believe he exists and drops treasures and gifts from the sky.

John Frum worship is said to have begun during World War II when American troops were stationed on the island and airplanes would bring them cargo and supplies. To the island natives who had no frame of reference, they interpreted what they saw as some sort of magic or miracle — giant objects filled with goodies coming down from the sky to their island.

Some say John Frum might mean “John, from America.”

After the war ended and the Americans left, Tanna islanders built symbolic landing strips and danced and chanted, hoping to encourage John Frum to bring them goodies — TVs, medicine, Coca-Cola, radios, etc. Frum followers believe he will come back on a Feb. 15.

Anthropologists call this a “cargo cult,” which form in other places of the world when modern technology meets an indigenous (“unmodern”) people, such as when an airplane brings food to them.
It’s reasonable to think that people would want “John from America” to come back and bring them more stuff. And maybe by wishing really hard or doing some sort of dance or performing some sort of ritual they might make it happen.

I heard about cargo cults while listening to a radio program about superstitions. The show hosts were talking about their own superstitions, like a lucky shirt that one of them always wore to job interviews because every time she has worn it, she got the job.

She said she knows the shirt has no power, but just in case….

That got me thinking about how I sometimes approach God. Even though I know all God requires of any of his children is to come to him, believing that he welcomes his own with open arms, sometimes — oh, who am I kidding? Often — I attach all sorts of caveats: “It’s been a long time since I’ve prayed or read the Bible, so first I better do something religious or God won’t listen,” I’ll think.

Or I’ll remember how once I prayed for something while kneeling with my head touching the floor and God answered so I’ll try that posture again, thinking (hoping) that it’s particularly “holy.”

It’s easy to believe that what I do brings the face and favor of God, but he doesn’t roll that way. It’s never my fervor; it’s never my faith. It’s never my rituals or posture, or even the words I use when I pray to him.

What gives me access to God is being his child, through my faith in Christ. That’s what gives me access and even the right and privilege to “come boldly to the throne of our gracious God (where) we will receive his mercy, and find grace to help us when we need it most” (Hebrews 4:16).

It’s his grace alone that allows me — bids me — to ask, seek and knock so that I may receive and find and have doors opened for me to walk through.

Unlike with John Frum, who may or may not come to visit his faithful followers, God promises to draw near to all who draw near to him.

Unlike John Frum followers, I don’t need to paint my body or march in perfect step to seek God’s face and have him accept me. Not even my lack of perfect obedience can keep God from welcoming me.
It’s his grace that bids me ask, seek and knock so that I may receive and find and have doors opened for me to walk through.

There’s no formula, no secret, no one sacred holy day.

There’s only mercy. There’s only grace.

Nancy Kennedy is the author of “Move Over, Victoria — I Know the Real Secret,” “Girl on a Swing,” and her latest book, “Lipstick Grace.” She can be reached at 352-564-2927, Monday through Thursday, or via email at nkennedy@chronicleonline.com.