 |
| "Moon over northeast Greenland." Image by Michael Studinger. |
†
A GREETING
Give me Wisdom, who sits beside your Judgment seat,
For I am your subject, the child of those who attend to you.
(Wisdom 9:4a;5a TIB)
A READING
And behold! My waterway became a stream
and my stream became a river.
Once again I will send forth my teachings,
shining like the dawn,
that its light may be viewed far and wide.
I will send forth my teaching like prohecy,
and will it to future generations.
Let it be known that I have not toiled just for myself,
but for all who thirst for wisdom.
(Sirach 24:30-34 TIB)
MUSIC
Artists: Diyet and Nive Nielsen
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
When my spirit faints within me, it is you who knows my way.
(Psalm 142:3 TIB)
A REFLECTIVE QUESTION
Is it possible to change the world, and mend your own wounds at the same time?
- Aaju Peter, speaking in "Twice Colonized," a documentary about her life.
VERSES FOR THE DAY
Wisdom is beside you and knows all your ways
and was present when you created the universe.
She is aware of what is acceptable to you
and what is in keeping with your Law.
Send Her forth from your holy heavens,
and dispatch Her from your glorious Judgment Seat
to work at my side
and teach me to do what is pleasing to you.
She knows and understands all things
and will lead me with discernment in everything
that I do,
guarding me with Her radiance.
Then my life’s work will be acceptable to you,
and I will be able to judge your people rightly
and be worthy of the judgment seat of my ancestor.
(Wisdom 9:9-12 TIB)
†
 |
| Iqaluit, Nunavut. Image by snikrap |
Today is International Women's Day, when we pause to reflect on the struggles and achievements of those who identify as women all over the world. Today's reading from Sirach helps us to reflect especially on the wisdom of those who are knowledge keepers in their communities, cultures and contexts. In the biblical story, wisdom is personified in the feminine, and is held in highest regard as being close to the creative energy of God.
In the Hebrew Bible, Wisdom is a model of God's yearning for our wellbeing, in contrast to the more intellectual learning that comes from studying the laws of the Torah. Wisdom is prized as a virtue, alongside justice and kindness. In some extra-canonical books of the bible, Wisdom is an aspect of God and Wisdom is God. In the decades after his death and resurrection, Jesus came to be thought of as an embodied form of Wisdom.
In many Indigenous cultures, women are held as matriarchs and offer prominent leadership to their communities. Women carry the cultural memory of the community and women are often leaders as well. They are carriers of wisdom and knowledge. In today’s music we hear from two women who represent the polar communities in Canada and Greenland: Diyet (Southern Tutchone, from the Yukon) and Nive Nielson (Inuk, Greenland).
Aaju Peter, pictured below, is a Canadian-Greenlandic lawyer and activist, writer and artist, educator and cultural adviser whose extraordinary life story is profiled in two short documentaries, one of which, “Twice Colonized,” is linked below. Speaking six languages, including two different versions of Inuit language, she became a lawyer in her forties and has since travelled throughout the world advocating for Inuit peoples. She was awarded the Order of Canada in 2012, and now lives in the territory of Nunavut, which Inuit leadership helped to form. She has advocated for the right of the Inuit to hunt seal and is working to help establish a permanent Indigenous forum at the European Union. In the coming years, as the Arctic becomes more populated by outsiders, her voice will be an essential one for upholding the rights of the Inuit and their lands. Peter was born in Greenland and sent to Denmark to be educated. She returned to Greeland as a young adult, and then moved to Iqaluit where she raised her children and became a lawyer and advocate.
How can the wisdom of Indigenous knowledge keepers help us in this time of increased territorial speculation among nations? How much will we be ready to uphold Inuit coastal rights alongside the other boundaries we care about?
* * * * * * * *
AN IMAGE OF WISDOM
Aaju Peter, photographed by Donald Michael Chambers. From "The extraordinary life of Inuk activist Aaju Peter," an article on the website of CBC Docs, from September 13, 2023. "Twice Colonized" can be watched here on CBC GEM and is 45 minutes long.
It is highly recommended.
* * * * * * * *
The next devotional day is Monday, March 10th.
Resources in today's devotion:
Scripture passages are taken from The Inclusive Bible version.
Full lyrics for "Outside" are not independently available.
†
LC† Streams of Living Justice is a devotional series 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. 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!