Forty Days with Jesus: A Vision Quest. A Lenten Devotional used with permission from Larry Jent.
February 14
Going to the Wilderness
Matthew 4: 1 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. Imagine. Close your eyes and imagine that you have been sent to redeem the world. In Jesus’ time Messiahs (chosen ones) were not rare. In fact, they were a dime a dozen. There were [read more…]
February 15
Cheap Grace
Jeremiah 6 13 “From the least to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; prophets and priests alike, all practice deceit. 14 They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious. ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.” When it comes to spiritual growth, one of the [read more…]
February 16
On the Shoulders of Ancestors
Mark 1:1-3 The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way”— 3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, [read more…]
February 17
Going to Water
Mark 1:9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Baptism was Jesus’ doorway to public ministry. It marked a new direction in his life. Sometimes this gets lost in translation. The Gospels say that John came preaching a baptism of repentance. We tend to think that [read more…]
February 19
Spiritual Shopping Cart
Luke 4:2b [Jesus] ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry. We live in a time of Supermarket Spirituality. It is very cool to be spiritual but not religious. People want to push their shopping buggy around the aisles of spirituality and choose whatever looks appealing. “I’ll [read more…]
February 21
With the Wild Beasts
Mark 1:12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him. The Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness. The word here conveys extreme—almost violent—action. It is the same [read more…]
February 22
Visions of Eagles
Isaiah 40:28 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his wisdom is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. 30 Even youths will faint and be [read more…]
February 23
The Words You Speak
Matthew 15:10 Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand. 11 What goes into someone’s mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them.” There is great power in the spoken word. In the beginning, God spoke the word of Creation. God [read more…]
February 24
Warrior Spirit: Standing in the Gap
John 10:7 Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and [read more…]
February 26
From Warriors to Elders
Matthew 4:18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once [read more…]
February 27
You Must be Born Again
John 3:3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again… 7 You should not be surprised at my saying you must be born again.” When a learned religious person came to talk about spirituality with him, Jesus did not fool around. [read more…]
February 28
In Covenant with the Land
Jeremiah 22:29 O land, land, land, hear the word of the Lord! Disputes in ancient Israel were often settled by lawsuits. The plaintiff and the defendant would plead their case in the market place or at the city gates. Elders would listen to the complaints and the lines of defense. To strengthen their [read more…]
February 29
Telling Trickster Stories
Luke 18:1 Then Jesus told them a story to teach them. I come from a long line of story tellers. I had to go to college to find out this was an art form. In my family, we always called it swappin’ lies. But that doesn’t mean our stories were not true. A [read more…]
March 1
I was Hungry and You Fed Me
March 22 Matthew 25:35 I was hungry and you fed me. The story of the treatment of Native people is a dark spot on the history of this great land. As we heard yesterday, the land remembers and bears witness, even when we forget. There are many parts of that story that are painful to [read more…]
March 2
Touching Seven Generations
Deuteronomy 5:9 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, 10 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. The idea of generational blessing [read more…]
March 4
Give it Away
Luke 6:29 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. Native people believe that we make ourselves sick when [read more…]
March 5
Mitakuye-Oyasin
Romans 12:5 In Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. Native people believe that all life is connected. The actions of one affect the lives of all. The Lakota say mitakuye-oyasin—all my relations. These days every Native nation uses those words. We say them at [read more…]
March 6
Wheels within Wheels
Ecclesiastes 3 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens. a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time [read more…]
March 7
Growing the Garden
Genesis 2:15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. When you think of Indians—REAL Indians—what do you see? Most of us see bare chested warriors on painted ponies, chasing buffalo across the great planes. The truth is that [read more…]
March 8
When is “Good” Good enough?
Luke 18:19 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.” You know the expression, “She really puts her heart and soul into her work.” For Native people that is not an exaggeration. The work of your hands is also the work of your soul. It is a [read more…]
March 9
Telling Sacred Stories Today
Our sacred stories are not about a time 400 years ago when we used to be somebody.[read more…]
March 11
A Wise Old Elder
A couple of anglers were hiking deep into the mountains, looking for ice cold trout streams. They happened to come across an ancient footpath, then an equally ancient cabin. Rocking on the front porch, puffing a pipe, was a Native man wearing an “FBI” cap (Full Blooded Indian). He looked to be older [read more…]
March 12
Very God and Very Man?
John 19:26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” Early Christians did not have any problem convincing people that Jesus was divine. Their world was full of gods [read more…]
March 13
Redeeming our Tears
Isaiah 35:5 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. Yesterday we talked about incarnational theology: the belief that God is literally with us in this world. This is part of mainline Christian tradition, [read more…]
March 14
Seeing the Sacred Fire
Proverbs 11:14 For lack of guidance a nation falls, but victory is won through many advisers. These days many fools are keeping their own counsel. Instead of using social media to connect with more people they turn it into a virtual echo chamber. They only listen to those who agree completely with their [read more…]
March 15
Turtle Island
Jeremiah 8:7 Yea, the stork in the heavens knoweth her appointed times; and the turtle and the crane and the swallow observe the time of their coming. The New Testament speaks of two kinds of time: chronos and kairos. Chronos is the kind of time you can measure with a watch or a [read more…]
March 16
Small Seeds of Faith
April 6 Matthew 13:31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds [read more…]
March 18
A Little Precious Wisdom
April 8 Proverbs 3:13 Happy is the one who finds wisdom, And the one who gains understanding; 14 For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, And her gain than fine gold. A common misconception about Native people is that our pre-contact civilization was primitive at best, lacking hallmarks of advanced (i.e., European) [read more…]