Mid-week Message

Greetings!

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” - Colossians 1:15-17

Today is National Indigenous People’s Day! One of the things that is central to their cultures is the natural world. They call the world creation and talk about God as Creator, just like we do. For them, every part of the natural world is alive and has its own story to tell. Luther Standing Bear of the Lakota once said, “The world is a library, and its books are the stones, leaves, grass, brooks, and the birds and animals that share, alike with us, the storms and blessings of earth.”

The Bible tells a similar story. Jesus is the Word of God. And, as Colossians says, Jesus is in and through all things. All things in creation are held together by Jesus. When we go out into the natural world, and simply listen, and experience the beauty and the life all around us, we are reading the library of books that Creation has to offer us. Since Jesus is the Word of God and Jesus is in all things, then reading the library of the natural world also teaches us something about Jesus.

Indigenous people are always saying that we need to reconnect with the land. So, on this National Indigenous People’s Day, go outside. Spend time in nature. Listen. Observe. Absorb all that you learn. The natural world tells a story. It tells of itself. It tells of our interconnected relationship with all living things. It tells us of God. It teaches us something about Jesus.

Grace and peace,

Rev. Sarina