A Year of Engaging Native Voices

Advent marks the beginning of the liturgical year, which means an opportunity to reflect anew on important themes and to consider what sources we turn to for wisdom.

This past year we listened to the work of Hebrew scholar and womanist Dr. Wil Gafney, and highlighted the scholarship of feminist and womanist theologians.

In the coming year, I am inviting us to listen to the voices of indigenous scholars and theologians.

Our New Testament readings this year will all be drawn from the First Nations Version which is a recent translation from the Greek into contemporary English by a committee of Native American scholars using Native sensibilities.

Many of the names and titles in this version will sound fresh to our ears and some familiar concepts may take on new layers of meaning.

Make it stand out

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

If you’d like to have a copy of this translation for yourself you may purchase one here: https://firstnationsversion.com/book/firstnations-version/

In addition, for the first half of the liturgical year, taking us all the way to Pentecost, I will be accompanying our worship with highlights and selections from Robin Wall Kimmerer’s incredible book “Braiding Sweetgrass”.

There aren’t enough superlatives available for me to adequately convey how wonderful and insightful I find this collection of essays and I very much hope you will join me in reading it. If you read at the pace of 1 chapter a week you will keep up with me in worship, though I may skip around a little.

I encourage you to consider organizing book groups if you want to get even more from the experience. Braiding Sweetgrass is available as an audiobook, in paperback, hardback or ebook, at your favorite bookstore, or you can just click here:

https://milkweed.org/book/braidingsweetgrass

Let us embark on this year of engaging native voices with humility and joy.

Submission by Reverend Aric Clark