DREAM of A CARNIVAL! - Bryan Hupperts
Posted by: prophetic <prophetic@...>
by Bryan Hupperts
I dreamed I went to a carnival billed as The GREATEST
CARNIVAL SHOW on EARTH! As I pulled in to the lot,
there were smiling greeters with flashlights who guided me
expertly as I parked.
I exited my vehicle to the sound of excitement, the glare
and flash of multi-colored lights and the screams of thrill
seekers on the various rides. The cacophony was almost
overwhelming. I followed the crowd of people who were
happily murmuring about the various things they had come
for: blessings, thrills, to be fed, to be entertained.
I had just paid the full admission price when someone started
walking towards me from the shadows. While I could not
quite recognize his face, I knew he was a friend. He said,
"Why are you wasting your time and money here?"
"But," I stammered, protesting, "This is the greatest carnival
show on earth." He was silent for a moment, then replied
simply, "We´ll see." And off we walked together into the
charged, frenetic atmosphere that was the carnival.
The sights and sounds of merrymaking were amazing! This
was a traveling show and it brought out the crowds. There
were singers, actors, dancers, and those skilled at rhetoric,
yet each seemed hell-bent on outdoing the next person. "Is
this some sort of contest? Is there a prize?" I asked my
guide. He replied, "Yes, it is a contest, but they already
have their reward." I didn´t grasp his cryptic remark and
shrugged it off.
We walked down the midway amid the swarming crowd.
There was so much competing for my attention that it was
difficult to focus. There was a Big Top with the curious
sign that read Trap Ease; perhaps it was a typo. The finely
dressed ringmaster told jokes, made people laugh, and
encouraged people to buy his videos and tapes "for a
blessing," but I didn´t hear the rest since we kept on
walking. I wasn´t sure why, but I began to be uneasy, afraid.
Carnies would hawk their particular game and attraction
promising fame, wealth, beauty, and personal satisfaction
if I would only step up and lay my money down. At the
nudging behest of my quiet companion, we stopped at a
game of Balloon Pop.
The fast talking carnie assured me that all I had to do was
pop the balloons with a dart and I would win fabulous prizes.
I paid the fee, took careful aim, and threw dart after dart but
I kept missing. Was this game rigged? My friend then
handed me a curiously bloodstained dart with the word
TRUTH inscribed on it, and said simply, "Use this." I took
it, aimed carefully, threw it and popped balloon after
balloon. The carnie shrieked and finally excommunicated
me from his booth - no prizes awarded. He accused me
of cheating!
There was a trained Lion of Judah in a cage doing tricks
for the ringmaster to the squeals and delights of the crowd.
"Make him heal," yelled one. "No, make him bless me with
money," cried out another. And the strange thing was that
the lion seemed to be going along with it. However, as I
got closer to the exhibit, I looked into the lion´s eyes... It
was not the Lion of Judah at all, but instead a killer lion
stalking its prey, seeking someone to devour. He was a
fraud, but he looked almost like the real thing. I jumped
back and we walked away as the beast growled menacingly at us.
There is not space to tell of the baptismal dunking booth,
or the house of smoke and mirrors that distorted reality
through the haze of religiously themed rose-colored
glasses. Especially disturbing was the Fortune Telling
Prophet who, as his sign promised, would give you a
guaranteed, genuine Word From God for an Activation
Fee of $40.00. I was ready to kick over his crystal ball,
but my companion stopped me. "This is their festival,
not mine," he said. We walked away.
The carnival was overcharging for the love feasts of
corndogs and lemonade and I kept getting the feeling
the food and attractions were supposed to be provided
for free, but perhaps it was just a feeling. After all,
business is business.
And then a wave of nausea began to rise in my throat as
I took the spectacle in. It was like music without a melody,
or a painting without color. There was a growing sense of -
violation. And suddenly, in the distance like a welcome
breeze on a hot, humid day, I heard a quiet sound, almost
like a chorus of voices rising in song. I turned and began
to walk towards the music, walking away from the
beguilement and clang of the carnival.
My head began to clear and, as I was walking away, the
lettering on the carnival signs began to rearrange to read,
THE GREATEST CARNAL SHOW ON EARTH! "How do
I get out of this madhouse? I am almost ready to hurl,"
I asked. My companion agreed, saying, "I am almost
ready to vomit, too." He pointed me towards the Tunnel
Of Love. As I walked towards it, I began to notice others
quietly leaving the carnival one or two at a time,
sometimes in small groups, walking away from the
carnival following the drift of the music that led inexorably
towards the little boats that rode the gentle waters of
the Tunnel of Love.
As I stepped into the little boat, my companion spoke
from behind, "I´ll see you on the other side where we will
dine together," and he was gone. And in the Tunnel of
Love there was no fear. The clang of the carnival began
to fade as the music and singing grew louder. It was, it
was... worship, but worship as I had never experienced,
for it was borne of passion and offered up in Spirit and
Truth! It washed over me, cleansing me, inviting me to
join my voice to the swelling chorus of adoration and
praise sacrificed to the Most High God. And as the
darkness began to fade as the Tunnel of Love gave
way to LIGHT!
-Bryan Hupperts © 2004