LIBERATION LECTIONARY ~ NATIVE HERITAGE MONTH

Live in the Land

“May each of us remember to share our stories with one another, because it is only through stories that we live full lives.” - from “A Blessing” by Luci Tapahanso

Daily Readings from Philippians 2

Sunday, Philippians 2.1-2 If there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
Monday, Philippians 2.3 Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves.
Tuesday, Philippians 2.4 Let each of you look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Wednesday, Philippians 2.5-7 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
Thursday, Philippians 2.8-10 Being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name
Friday, Philippians 2.14-15 Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world.
Saturday, Philippians 2.16-18 Hold fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured as a libation upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. Likewise you also should be glad and rejoice with me.

Reflection: Creation on the Ballot

This week, many people around the United States will be going to the polls to express their constitutional rights to democratic process. Millions of Americans have voted already. There is a contentious Governor’s  race in Georgia, where Black women’s power and testimony is under threat. Attempts to legitimize enslavement through imprisonment are happening in Tennessee and Louisiana and other states. Arizona faces blatantly racist voting rights threats. Many states continue to challenge and repress birthing person’s rights to decide for their bodies themselves. Social and political experts expect violence at worst, and repression, delays and confusion at best at the polls this week. What we can be sure of is that when we know the world we are striving to build, we will be confident in doing our best to make it a reality. As long as we live on these lands, the right to decide how we live is always on the ballot. 

Healthcare on the ballot means more than access to affordable doctors. Ask the Jana Elementary School community near Florissant, MO. The local school board recently decided to shut down Jana grade school that sits near a contaminated creek after a study funded by law firms involved in a class-action lawsuit found high levels of radioactive material inside the school. The school and its adjacent community spaces, including playgrounds, have had high levels of radioactive contamination stemming back to the 1940s, which is when atomic bombs were first created. To call this an “ongoing” issue is so far past an understatement. Students, guardians, parents and community leaders describe their feelings of outrage, helplessness and determination.  But no one has argued the link between life and land. Healthcare and education are hand in hand; they meet, thrive and survive on the land. 

When we participate in politics, we are striving to choose leaders who will not let literal radioactive problems go unaddressed for 80 years. We want leaders who can say the words “racism is wrong” without having a temper tantrum. We need elected officials who cannot be bought for 10 thousand dollars, an iphone, and the potential promise of a used luxury car. Where can we go when it feels like the democratic process is only more constantly wrought with problems? 

This week’s readings encourage us to look beyond ourselves, and even beyond each other, to the God who made us to be interconnected, to understand each other as partners in the survival and abundance of community. What other than selfish ambition could lead a team of people to build a school on top of radioactive waste? “Looking out for the interests of others” can change so much, so swiftly, in our hearts and in our homes, and in our habitats. The answer may not be immediate, but God has made it much more simple than we are often willing to believe. 

To honor the true owners of this land where we live, we must become a body politic that amplifies their best interest. To honor our babies, our legacies, our very futures, we must be a caring, communal people, setting our course for the well-being of all, not the highest interests of a few. The same is that very simple way. Take hold to that truth to honor our aging and elders, to honor our women, queer and trans beloved, to honor our different abilities in body, mind and emotion. 

The answer is simple. It is not easy, but it is plain. This is the land that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad. Go vote and be glad, garden and be glad, study and be glad, fellowship and be glad, clean up your neighborhood and be glad. Be glad in the God who made such a vast and vibrant planet for us to hope and strive together - into flourishing.

Prayer & Meditation: The Garden is Rich

This week we hope you will pray with the richness of creation. This season of stewardship brings us remembrance not only of the peoples whose heritage has true claim to these lands. This season reminds us of the beauty, wealth and life that this land itself provides. We are made to love the land that we are called to care for. We are made to connect to one another through the land that provides us air, water, nourishment, and habitat. None of us spends a second outside of our need for the earth. As we read, reflect and pray this week, let’s talk to each other about how we sense God’s call to stewardship. Let’s talk to each other about how we share God’s call to health, food and land justice. Spiritual health is tied to our physical commitments, concerns and locations. Let’s pause as often as we can this week to center ourselves on the very ground that God has made for giving. Center yourself and be grateful. Center yourself and be steadfast. Center yourself and sense the call of stewarding God’s creation, as a co-creator who is made to give back. 

The Garden is Rich

The garden is rich with diversity - With plants of a hundred families

In the space between the trees - With all the colours and fragrances.

Basil, mint and lavender, - Great Mystery keep my remembrance pure,

Raspberry, Apple, Rose, - Great Mystery fill my heart with love,

Dill, anise, tansy, - Holy winds blow in me.

Rhododendron, zinnia, - May my prayer be beautiful

May my remembrance O Great Mystery - be as incense to thee

In the sacred grove of eternity - As I smell and remember

The ancient forests of earth.
- Chinook Psalter

Music: People Making Music on the Land

Learn more about the Afro Indigenous music of Brazil, The Gamba

Rooted in drums, story telling and vocalizing, the Gamba is a tradition created by the collaboration of African and Indigenous peoples.  When Black people were stolen from Africa during the earliest periods of transatlantic trafficking, they often met Indigenous people upon arrival in the Americas, and the two groups recognized each other as fighting oppression, colonizing and terrorism. Culture, food, music, language and even government developed among the groups. Sadly there is very little historical memory available to view or listen to when doing searches on line. This week is an opportune time to acknowledge the disappearance of an artform that connected people groups from so far away, by wondering prayerfully about how the sounds of the Gamba music might be.

There are some who share a common memory of the music and culture, and their stories are now being protected by law in the country of Brazil, the nearest mainland to where the the Gamba was made. An hour long, independent documentary can be viewed here