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Psalm 35: GOTCHA! ——– Do not let those gloat over me who are my enemies without cause; do not let those who hate me without reason maliciously wink the eye. They do not speak peaceably, but devise false accusations against those who live quietly in the land. They sneer at me and say, “Aha! Aha! […]

John 19: Completely God, Completely Human ——— When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” ——– As he gave his own life, Jesus paused to look after his mom. It is a […]

Isaiah 35: Redeeming our Tears ——— But he was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. ——– Hundreds of years before Christ, Isaiah prophesied the Savior would redeem our suffering. For Indians, this is more than pretty words. […]

Exodus 3: Sacred Stories, TODAY! ——– God said to Moses, “I AM who I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” ——– The great “I AM” is never in the past tense. God did not say, “Hey, y’all remember how we used to do […]

Deuteronomy 5: Touching 7 Generations ——– I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. ——— There are many […]

Luke 6: Giveaway! ——– If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. ——– A common Native belief is that we make […]

Matthew 25: Small Acts of Kindness ——— I was hungry and you fed me. ——— From 1831 to 1833 the Choctaw were forced from their homelands in the Deep South to a reservation in Oklahoma. It was impossible to recreate their traditional ways of life in Oklahoma, and difficult to create any sort of prosperity. […]

John 3: Born Again–The Womb of God ——— Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again… You should not be surprised at my saying you must be born again.” ——— You must be born again–born from above–born of God. Those words are familiar […]

Romans 12: All My Relations ——– In Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ——– The Lakota have a traditional saying: mitakuye-oyasin—all my relations. It’s a phrase that says all life is interconnected, and we all need that connection. Native people all over America have adopted those […]

Luke 18–Telling the Story ——– Then Jesus told them a story to teach them. ——– Jesus loved telling stories. So do I. Maybe that puts me in good company. Many of Jesus’ stories feature tricksters. They guy who was going to tear down his barn to build a bigger one tricked himself out of a […]