Landscape: Gauguin

Paul Gauguin, Sunken Lane, 1884. 

Indigenous Peoples Day

A regretful post. The Washburn side of my family (my mom's maternal grandmother) lived in Plymouth Colony during the 1600s. Lately I've been reading about New England’s King Philip's War, 1675-1676, in which some Washburn uncles fought. Proportionately it was America's bloodiest war, killing about 10% of the white population and perhaps 50% of the Native population. By contrast, the Civil War cost 2% of the country's population. Perhaps more tragically, it became the template for future white relations with Native populations: failures to live together, white claims to Native lands, the ugly perception of Native peoples as savages. The notion of Manifest Destiny began at this time in New England, if not the phrase itself.

https://www.history.com/topics/native-american-history/king-philips-war?fbclid=IwAR1aMGTMSo7SHoaWg4_fZDr72JgHAgyJxS43QZ6vPuAFYgUHAK2VI21En2M 

The Black Hawk War is another tragic conflict between white forces and Native Americans. I've an ancestor, Henry Brown, and a distant cousin, John A Wakefield, who participated in the conflict (through Mom's paternal grandmother). As this says, Chief Black Hawk led his people across the Mississippi into disputed territory. Governor Reynolds of Illinois called up the state militia to repel the "invasion" and the threat to white settlers. With the US Army entering the situation, the Natives were outnumbered 10 to 1. A few months later, the conflict ended, with about 70 settlers and soldiers killed, and around 450 to 600 Indians killed. Thus ended much of the Native population of Illinois, as the survivors were relocated. Two future US presidents, Zachary Taylor and Abraham Lincoln, participated in the war, and also several men who became US Senators and state governors. Wakefield--who was an early settler near what is now Brownstown, IL--wrote a history of the war, to defend Governor Reynolds' course of action against the "ruthless savages." Now we see what a tragedy it all was.

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/black-hawk-war-begins?fbclid=IwAR0BykmOBME4-uaJM6I6CitYnO0hnJmICMyombavXXsZFV836Yq0HExWz3A

Go Together, Go Far

Go Together, Go Far

Acts 2:14-18

Paul Stroble

(A devotion written for our church to complement the Sunday sermon. The title is provided by our pastor.) 

A Facebook friend posted this story on her page. I looked around the internet and discovered that it has been circulating on social media for a year or so. Pastor Andy Stanley, the attributed author, is a pastor in Atlanta and author of several books.

"Sometimes I just want it to stop. Talk of COVID, looting, brutality. I lose my way. I become convinced that this ‘new normal’ is real life.

“Then I meet an 87-year-old who talks of living through polio, diphtheria, Vietnam protests and yet is still enchanted with life.

“He seemed surprised when I said that 2020 must be especially challenging for him. ‘No,’ he said slowly, looking me straight in the eyes. ‘I learned a long time ago to not see the world through the printed headlines, I see the world through the people that surround me. I see the world with the realization that we love big. Therefore, I just choose to write my own headlines: ‘Husband loves wife today.’ ‘Family drops everything to come to Grandma’s bedside.’ He patted my hand. ‘Old man makes new friend.’

“His words collide with my worries, freeing them from the tether I had been holding tight. They float away. I am left with a renewed spirit and a new way to write my own headlines."

Beth told me about this story as I was thinking about this week’s scripture. Our scripture from Acts is the beginning of Peter’s great sermon that culminated in the first major Christian gathering.

If there had been news sources in Roman Palestine at the time, they might have mentioned that Jerusalem was filled with Jewish pilgrims for Shavuot (Pentecost), the 50-day harvest festival, in time for the gathering of the wheat planted the previous autumn. The news might have included reports on how good the harvest was. Perhaps the news would have included words from Caesar, or from Province Governor Pontius Pilate.

The gatherings of Christian communities might not have made any headlines. “Families sold some of their property and gave the proceeds to people in need.” “Struggling people feel cared about.” “Followers of Jesus gather in prayer.” “Woman finds friendship.” “Man finds peace after listening to a sermon.” “Group feels motivated to serve the needs of others.”

As in the Andy Stanley story, we have a clearer sense of life’s blessings and possibilities when we pay attention to the people around us. John Wesley reminds us there are no solitary Christians. In the context of the church, we certainly see each other’s personal situations and, also, painful humanness. We also see the Spirit working in one another’s lives. The Spirit gathers us and moves us. The Spirit aligns us with God’s heart.

But the Spirit aligns us as the body of Christ, diverse people who work together and need one another. Serving the Lord in the world, we do so together---and with God’s help, we can do amazing things together! We can write wonderful headlines about what God is doing in our shared lives.

Prayer: Dear Lord, bless us, Your body, and lead us to do your will and serve your world. Amen.