Native American Thanksgiving Liturgy

Native people in the Americas often get left out of our Thanksgiving celebrations, except in our retelling of the often apocryphal “first Thanksgiving” stories we learned in grade school.  Here is a meaningful call-and-response prayer from the Haudenosaunee native tradition to give some perspective on thanks and providence this Thanksgiving Day. Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Address

GREETINGS TO THE NATURAL WORLD!

The People

Today we have gathered and we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now, we bring our minds together as one as we give greetings and thanks to each other as People.

Now our minds are one.

The Earth Mother

We are all thankful to our Mother, the Earth, for she gives us all that we need for life. She supports our feet as we walk about upon her. It gives us joy that she continues to care for us as she has from the beginning of time. To our Mother, we send greetings and thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Waters

We give thanks to all the Waters of the world for quenching our thirst and providing us with strength. Water is life. We know its power in many forms – waterfalls and rain, mists and streams, rivers and oceans. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to the spirit of water.

Now our minds are one.

The Fish

We turn our minds to all the Fish life in the water. They were instructed to cleanse and purify the water. They also give themselves to us as food. We are grateful that we can still find pure water. So, we turn now to the Fish and send our greetings and thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Plants

Now we turn toward the vast fields of Plant life. As far as the eye can see, the Plants grow, working many wonders. They sustain many life forms. With our minds gathered together, we give thanks and look forward to seeing Plant life for many generations to come.

Now our minds are one.

The Food Plants

With one mind, we turn to honor and thank all the Food Plants we harvest from the garden. Since the beginning of time, the grains, vegetables, beans and berries have helped the people survive. Many other living things draw strength from them too. We gather all the Plant Foods together as one and send them a greeting and thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Medicine Herbs

Now we turn to all the Medicine herbs of the world. From the beginning, they were instructed to take away sickness. They are always waiting and ready to heal us. We are happy there are still among us those special few who remember how to use these plants for healing. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to the Medicines and to the keepers of the Medicines.

Now our minds are one.

The Animals

We gather our minds together to send greetings and thanks to all the Animal life in the world. They have many things to teach us as people. We see them near our homes and in the deep forests. We are glad they are still here and we hope that it will always be so.

Now our minds are one.

The Trees

We now turn our thoughts to the Trees. The Earth has many families of Trees who have their own instructions and uses. Some provide us with shelter and shade, others with fruit, beauty and other useful things. Many peoples of the world use a Tree as a symbol of peace and strength. With one mind, we greet and thank the Tree life.

Now our minds are one.

The Birds

We put our minds together as one and thank all the Birds who move and fly about over our heads. The Creator gave them beautiful songs. Each day they remind us to enjoy and appreciate life. The Eagle was chosen to be their leader. To all the Birds – from the smallest to the largest – we send our joyful greetings and thanks.

Now our minds are one.

The Four Winds

We are all thankful to the powers we know as the Four Winds. We hear their voices in the moving air as they refresh us and purify the air we breathe. They help to bring the change of seasons. From the four directions they come, bringing us messages and giving us strength. With one mind, we send our greetings and thanks to the Four Winds.

Now our minds are one.

The Thunderers

Now we turn to the west where our Grandfathers, the Thunder Beings, live. With lightning and thundering voices, they bring with them the water that renews life. We bring our minds together as one to send greetings and thanks to our Grandfathers, the Thunderers.

Now our minds are one.

The Sun

We now send greetings and thanks to our eldest Brother, the Sun. Each day without fail he travels the sky from east to west, bringing the light of a new day. He is the source of all the fires of life. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our Brother, the Sun.

Now our minds are one.

Grandmother Moon

We put our minds together and give thanks to our oldest grandmother, the Moon, who lights the night-time sky. She is the leader of women all over the world, and she governs the movement of the ocean tides. By her changing face we measure time, and it is the Moon who watches over the arrival of children here on Earth. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to our Grandmother, the Moon.

Now our minds are one.

The Stars

We give thanks to the Stars who are spread across the sky like jewelry. We see them in the night, helping the Moon to light the darkness and bringing dew to the gardens and growing things. When we travel at night, they guide us home. With our minds gathered together as one, we send greetings and thanks to all the Stars.

Now our minds are one.

The Enlightened Teachers

We gather our minds to greet and thank the enlightened Teachers who have come to help throughout the ages. When we forget how to live in harmony, they remind us of the way we were instructed to live as people. With one mind, we send greetings and thanks to these caring Teachers.

Now our minds are one.

The Creator

Now we turn our thoughts to the Creator, or Great Spirit, and send greetings and thanks for the gifts of Creation. Everything we need to live a good life is here on this Mother Earth. For all the love that is still around us, we gather our minds together as one and send our choicest words of greetings and thanks to the Creator.

Now our minds are one.

Closing Words

We have now arrived at the place where we end our words. Of all the things we have named, it was not our intention to leave anything out. If something was forgotten, we leave it to each individual to send such greetings and thanks in their own way.

Now our minds are one.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0914798/

Based on the children’s book by the same title, the film is just as powerful. Two 8-year-old boys become unlikely friends in Nazi Germany — one the son of a Nazi commandant and the other an imprisoned Jew.  Seeing the Holocaust from the perspective of its youngest observers and participants really puts the atrocity in perspective.  We watched the movie instantly on Netflix.com, and you should see it any way you can.  It isn’t pretty at times, but it’s important.  We need these stories to remind us that we’re all humans and need each other.

Religion, Morality, and Youth

dCheck out this fascinating episode of NPR’s “On Point with Tom Ashbrook” that aired this morning.  It’s called “Religion, Morality and Youth,” and asks what compass or hope guides people from 18-29 in 2009.  His guests are Harvard Humanist Chaplain Greg Epstein and sociologist Christian Smith.  I hope you’ll listen to the entire hour, because at about the 20 minute mark, you might hear a call from a voice you recognize. (click on “Listen to this Show” at the top of the page)

http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/10/religion-morality-and-youth

On a related note, we’re consulting with Landon Saunders and Mike Cope on a new project to get 18-29-year-olds in small groups asking the question, “What Really Matters?”  Check out their vision at heartbeatlife.org.

Summit

Anyone headed to Summit (formerly Lectureship) in Abilene next weekend? If so, make plans to drop by the class I’ll be facilitating:

Colonies of Heaven: Re-Envisioning Church at the Margins
A Different Way of Living
Tuesday, September 23, 8:30 a.m.
BSB 117

It’s a part of a three-day conversation with myself, Kent Smith, and Tod Brown. Tod and Kent will be covering “A different way of telling” and “a different way of leading,” respectively.  Should be a challenging time.

You also won’t want to miss the Abilene CD release show from The Rocketboys, of which my brother is a member. That takes place in the Bean Sprout on Wednesday at 8:30 pm, immediately following Donald Miller’s keynote talk.

Hope to see you there!

Video: Health-Care Hermeneutics with Jon Stewart – Steve Holt – God’s Politics Blog

Just posted over at the God’s Politics blog:

Video: Health-Care Hermeneutics with Jon Stewart – Steve Holt – God’s Politics Blog.

Healthcare

As I was reading Roger Ebert’s well-worded defense of healthcare reform on his blog, I was reminded of how irrational people can be when their “principles” are affronted. Let me explain.  Ebert confronts nearly all of the prominent statements from opponents of the president’s healthcare reform plan, point by point.  Here’s an excerpt:

Many of my readers opposed the Obama plan, some of them in great detail. I will not try to simplify their arguments; you can read them for yourself. But here, in broad outline, are some of their most common statements, and my responses:

It is “socialism.” Again, yes. The word socialism, however, has lost its usefulness in this debate. It has been tainted, perhaps forever, by the malevolent Sen. Joseph McCarthy, who succeeded somehow in linking it with the godless Commies. America is the only nation in the free world in which “socialism” is generally thought of in negative terms. The only nation in which that word, in and of itself, is thought to bring the discussion to a close.

It is wrong for ideological or philosophical reasons. Readers have written about their belief in Federalism, Free Market Capitalism, strict Constitutionalism, personal liberty, Libertarianism, and so on. To one of these readers I wrote something like: “Do you think your views on federalism will be of much interest to unemployed wage-earners unable to obtain coverage for their families?” To another, I wrote: “I hope your philosophy will be of comfort if you develop a serious illness.”One reader said that the only things the Constitution guarantees us are “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” and Congress should enact no laws about anything else. Actually, it’s the Declaration of independence that mentions “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” but never mind. Some might believe universal health care would be of great assistance in enjoying life and the pursuit of happiness. It is a peculiarity that some of those happiest to cite the Constitution are the least interested in its Bill of Rights.

(he lists 6 or 7 more — which I’d encourage you to read — including an appeal from the Gospel of Matthew)

First off, I enjoy his questions to “people of principle” about how they benefit those most in need, including themselves if a tragedy should occur.  As it is with many fiery debates in the public sector, it seems that those who yell the loudest many times have no direct connection to the issue at hand.  (ie, knowing someone without healthcare)  Second, I was thinking about “socialism,” and all the socialized things we enjoy in this country.  Post offices.  Schools.  Retirement. The list goes on.  I’m sure there are more.  I don’t hear healthcare critics calling for the shuttering of school houses because education is not one of the explicit “guarantees” of our founding documents.  Also not hearing stories of people mailing their social security checks back to Washington, D.C.  “I always use FedEx for sending letters and packages to friends and family … do my taxes have to go toward a ‘public option’ for mail?”  Maybe I’m just not listening hard enough or looking in the right places.

All that said, I’m not sure the plan that’s on the table is the best we can do.  But that’s not what this post is about.  It’s about thinking through our arguments for or against something, putting ourselves in the shoes of another, and doing it with civility.

A Post

Having been called out by my mom to start blogging again, I must respond. I really want to blog regularly, believe me. My dilemma is not that I have too little material, but too much. I have sensed that the content of this blog is changing, but into what I don’t know. I want it to be less “religious.” Not less spiritual, less inspirational, or less action-inducing, but less “religious.” As I persist within a post-religious culture, I become less and less satisfied with circular conversations among “insiders,” instead concerned with how those who feel far from God can feel his presence and the joy that accompanies it.

This is partly why I decided to make this a gardening blog this summer, though I haven’t done a very good job of keeping that up either.

So, I ask, what should this blog be? I’ve been doing it for about 4 years now, and I feel it changing. It’s no longer the sounding board for a deconstructionist and method-happy grad. student, a venue for connection with other people of faith during a dry season relationally, or a creative outlet for a frustrated wannabe writer.

So what is it? Does it matter? Should I hang it up and just write for multi-contributor blogs like God’s Politics and Jesus Manifesto? I really covet your opinion/s.

Joy

I am coming to believe more and more that the hope of our world is people of faith living lives of exuberant joy.

Farmer John

We went with some friends to a screening of a delightful documentary, The Real Dirt on Farmer John, last night in Lowell.  Our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) publicized the film because it’s about an eccentric northern Illinois farmer who is able to reverse the fate of his farm by selling shares of his harvest to Chicago residents desiring organic vegetables using the CSA model.  This is a movie about agriculture, yes, but also about forgiveness, community, abundant life, spiritual discovery, and self-expression in the face of misunderstanding.

To find out about his CSA (Angelic Organics) or purchase a DVD of the film, click here.  Check out the trailer below.

Courage

If there’s an excuse I can cite for not posting as frequently lately, it’s that the “little hater” got to me.  If you don’t know what I mean, check out this video.

We’ve also been enjoying the summer, or Boston’s excuse for one, with great visitors from out of town, farm-fresh local veggies, great neighbors, cat-naps in the afternoon, and awesome spiritual partners in the journey.

I’ve also felt the need of late to “re-center.”  I can so easily take my eyes off of what really matters in life and those practices that contribute to a flourishing life.  I’ve been working through Marjorie Thompson’s Soul Feast, which explores the deep traditions of spiritual practice in Christian history.  For me, someone who has a tendency to shelve practices I feel are outdated or irrelevant, Thompson’s book revives and redeems many of those practices, many of which have in fact lost their robustness.  The reason I picked the book back up, though, is because it culminates in the reader writing his or her Rule of Life.  Saint Benedict had his rule, a list of guidelines that he and his community lived by that can be summed up in this short phrase: “pray and work.”

I want to create Rule for myself, a list of non-negotiables meant to keep me centered on loving God and man and seeking the truly “good life.”  Part of my Rule will undoubtedly be “courage,” but not the “courage” of thrill-seekers and daredevils … I prefer the great Henri Nouwen’s definition (from two entries in his devotional book, Bread for the Journey:

A Courageous Life

“Have courage,” we often say to one another. Courage is a spiritual virtue. The word courage comes from the Latin word cor, which means “heart.” A courageous act is an act coming from the heart. A courageous word is a word arising from the heart. The heart, however, is not just the place our emotions are located. The heart is the center of our being, the center of all thoughts, feelings, passions, and decisions.

A courageous life, therefore, is a life lived from the center. It is a deeply rooted life, the opposite of a superficial life. “Have courage” therefore means “Let your center speak.”

Spiritual Courage

Courage is connected with taking risks. Jumping the Grand Canyon on a motorbike, coming over Niagara Falls in a barrel, walking on a tightrope between the towers of New York’s World Trade Center, or crossing the ocean in a rowboat are called courageous acts because people risk their lives by doing these things. But none of these daredevil acts comes from the center of our being. They all come from the desire to test our physical limits and to become famous and popular.

Spiritual courage is completely different. It is following the deepest desires of our hearts at the risk of losing fame and popularity. It asks our willingness to lose our temporal lives in order to gain eternal life.