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| Lake Winnipeg, Manitoba. Image by Darrell Neufeld |
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A GREETING
With my music in my heart in the night,
I meditate and my spirit searches.
(Psalm 77:6)
A READING
When the great crowd of the people learned that he was there, they came not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death as well, since it was on account of him that many were deserting and were believing in Jesus.
(John 12:9-11)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
Learn where there is wisdom,
where there is strength,
where there is understanding,
so that you may at the same time discern
where there is length of days, and life,
where there is light for the eyes, and peace.
(Baruch 3:14)
A REFLECTION
For you today, my friends, I raise sacred smoke. For you who are troubled, confused, doubtful, lonely, afraid, addicted, unwell, bothered or alone, I raise sacred smoke. For those of you in sorrow, grief or pain, I raise sacred smoke. For those who work for people, for change, for spiritual evolution, for the upward and outward growth of our common humanity and the well-being of our planet, I raise sacred smoke. For those of you in joy, in the glow of small or great triumphs, who live in love, faith, courage and respect, I raise sacred smoke. And, in the act of all of this, I raise it also for myself.
- from Embers by Richard Wagamese
VERSE OF THE DAY
Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,
and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.
(Psalm 141:2)
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| Red River, Manitoba. Image by Robert Linsdell |
The Path of the Paddle finds its end at Whiteshell Provincial Park in Manitoba. A series of interconnected rivers and lakes leads to Lac Bonnet and the Winnipeg River which ultimately finds its way to Lake Winnipeg. On that lake's southern most edge is the mouth of the Red River, that runs north and south through the city of Winnipeg. The Red River has a storied history. In recent decades, it has been a focus of the search for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit people. In recent weeks, landfill sites in Winnipeg have produced evidence of some of those who have been missing. Like the graves of residential school children, there are no words for the devastating impact such discoveries have on families.
Earlier this week, the story of Mary's anointing of Jesus was a moment for reflecting on the gifts of those in community who give generously to each other. That story takes place on the eve of Palm Sunday. Today's reading picks up immediately afterward as news of the raising of Lazarus brings many new followers to Jesus and stimulates deep concern and fear among the Jewish leaders who were already under pressure from the Roman authorities. The positioning of the Lazarus story in John so close to the events of Holy Week, makes a direct connection between perceived power and actual authority: Lazarus is believed to hold the power of conversion for some; but the Roman authorities are the actual powermongers. It can be very hard to understand what stimulates the human impulse toward murder. The raising of Lazarus by Jesus is a gift to that family, even as it precipitates a murderous series of events.
For many Indigenous families searching the Red River, however, there is a different hope for a different kind of 'raising.' Finding the remains of loved ones offers the chance to bring closure to painful losses. The struggle to explain and understand what has happened becomes tangible if some part of them is recovered. But here, too, there are those who wield power. The politicians, police and authorities who are uncooperative or unresponsive in searches can be compared in some ways as contemporary Romans. The raising of a loved one is the same for Mary and Martha as it is for the sisters and brothers of those who are believed to be lost in the Red River.
Holy Week is a chance for us to change this narrative. Holy Week is a time when we can confront the murderous impulses in ourselves and our communities by confessing them and bringing them to Jesus as he moves toward his own murder. In following the story of his death and resurrection we can be born anew into a desire for transformation. This Holy Week, how can we lift up all who are innocently killed by those acting with privilege and power? What is our deepest hope for humankind?
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A STORY OF RESISTANCE
"This River," by Elle MacPherson and Katharena Vermette uses Vermette's poetry as a point of inspiration as it profiles the work of Drag the Red, a Winnipeg-based Indigenous effort to try to search the Red River for possible signs of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. The project was founded after the discovery in the river of Tina Fontaine in 2014. The film is slightly longer than usual, a tradition of the Saturday offering, with the hopes that there might be more space for viewing.
The next devotional day is Monday, April 14th.
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Resources in today's devotion:
Scripture passages are taken from the New Revised Standard Version.
Full lyrics for Stolen Land by Bruce Cockburn, sung above by William Prince and Elisapie Isaac,
can be found here.
William Prince is from Peguis First Nation on Lake Winnipeg.
Elisapie was featured in the Magpie River story -- Day 26.
Richard Wagamese was an Ojibwe writer. Find out more about him here.
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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!