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| Image by Joseph |
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A GREETING
I cry to you, please, God of my ancestors,
Creator of the seas,
Ruler of all creation—hear my prayer.
(Judith 9:12 TIB)
A READING
Once more the evil trickster took him to a high mountain and showed him all the great nations of the world with their power and beauty.
"All of these I will give you,” the snake said smoothly, “if you will highly honor me and walk in my ways!” “Get away from me, Accuser (Satan)!” he responded. “For it is written in the Sacred Teachings, ‘The Great Spirit is the only one to honor and serve.’” The evil trickster could think of nothing more to test him with, so he slithered away to wait for another time. Then spirit-messengers came to give comfort and strength to Creator Sets Free (Jesus).
(Matthew 4:8-11 First Nations Version)
MUSIC
Artists: Diyet and Nive Nielsen
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
When my spirit is faint, you know my way.
(Psalm 142:3)
A REFLECTION
I find political strength through spiritual strength. Each day is a smudge and a prayer of gratitude for everything, even the conflicts, for they are my teachers. For those who do not understand me, hear me, empathize with the struggles of my people, I pray in gratitude for their well-being, their wholeheartedness, their clarity of mind and the full sweep of their emotions to be brought forward into their days, just as I pray in gratitude for my own. In this way, I find peace, because the truth is that we are one body moving through time together.
- from Embers: One Ojibway's Meditations,
by Richard Wagamese
VERSES FOR THE DAY
With you is wisdom, she who knows your works
and was present when you made the world;
Send her forth from the holy heavens,
that she may labour at my side,
and that I may learn what is pleasing to you.
For she knows and understands all things,
and she will guide me wisely in my actions.
(Wisdom 9:9a; 10-11)
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| Image by Adam Jones |
On this last day with Jesus in the desert, the Tempter offers Jesus the opportunity to compromise everything he has been and can be, for the sake of absolute power. The test is meant to convince Jesus that being a human with absolute power is equal to being God. In the First Nations Version of the text, the figure of the tempter is a trickster, a person who can shapeshift into different identities. Here, the trickster is a snake. Eventually, the trickster moves on and Jesus is immediately visited by spirit-messengers, who provide him with comfort and strength.
In our lives, we often question how much influence we have, or capacity to make a difference. Sometimes this is the natural result of having tried and failed in the past. On the other hand, sometimes it comes as a justification for not bothering to offer the effort in the first place. We might be tempted to believe that our own efforts won't change anything; that adding ourselves to a protest march won’t alter what happens as a result; that working toward decolonization, or seeking reconciliation, won't be won or lost by our efforts. These are temptations of ego, in which we measure the success of actions by our smallness or largeness within a situation, rather than our relationship to the larger whole. If we can offer support and encouragement to others, while we join into actions of change, then we are already making a difference. Upholding others is the beginning of transforamtion.
When we prefer to acquire power, as individuals or communities, for the sake of exerting control over others, we are as far from God's deepest desires for us, as we can possibly be. This is true especially when we acquire power through invoking the name of God and of Jesus, as happened in the colonization of Indigenous peoples. Lent is a time when we fast from those things we do that prevent us from living God's dream for the world. By doing so, we lay the groundwork for opening our hearts to transformation — for our communities and for ourselves.
How can we all learn to "live outside" our own preoccupations, so that we can appreciate the importance of each person in building God’s kindom? How can we see ourselves as part of how God seeks change in the world?
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The next devotional day is Monday, February 19th.
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A STORY OF ENDURANCE
The Dempster Highway stretches north-south from Inuvik to Dawson. This is the traditional lands of the Gwich'in peoples of many First Nations: Gwich'in territory runs across the areas also known as the northern parts of Alaska and the Yukon and Northwest Territories. Tundra, black spruce forests and long ranges of mountains fill the landscape. In today's video, a woman of the Tr'ondëk Hwëch'in First Nation remembers her own mother, by telling stories to her daughter. The daughter's work in turn continues the work of her grandparents in relationship to the land. When Jesus walked in the wilderness, he walked on land once traveled by his ancestors. How do you experience the land you live on? Who are the storytellers in your region who could help you learn its deeper and older history?
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LC† Awakened by the Spirit is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!