The Fig Tree's Lesson

In winter the fig trees sleep,

replete with dreams of spring,

and within each bare, fragile branch and twig

an unfurled leaf lies waiting in possibility,

here and there, invisible

to our eyes.

Keep watch, the Teacher said,

eyes open. But not 

a dread-draught, like awaiting biopsy results,

the footsteps of the doctor down sanitized halls.

Observe.

Even as the branches tick together 

beneath leaden skies, the last

leaves discarded just weeks ago,

Edenic attire now scattered carelessly underfoot

as if walking into a Black Friday dressing room.

Observe.

Sit in silent, appreciative anticipation,

breathing, in union with the slumbering Earth,

who bears both your body and this fig tree

with gentle, cupped hands.

Keep watch in wonder.

Even before winter’s commencement

the certainty of spring

lies somnolent, expectant,

blossoming forth, even now

just beneath the chilled bark of the fig tree.

Come and sit tomorrow

and you may see some small sign.

You do not know the hour.

But already the burgeoning has begun,

first the buds, then the leaves,

then the inside-out flowers

envy-green to aubergine 

that fill the hand with pregnant, succulent heft,

to bloom on the tongue come Eastertide, 

gritty as honeycomb,

an Advent promise fulfilled.

--Leslie Barnes Scoopmire, November 17, 2023

Scripture reference: Mark 13:24-37, Advent 1B

Parachute

She would never have jumped alone and seeing
the world like an immense crevice she might
have abandoned the tandem jump if the
instructor hadn't had Greek god genes. He
smiled at her reassuringly, she nodded
and they were off, her fear turned to delight
with the motorcycle which gravity
had given them. She approved his delay
in pulling the cord. Then she realized he
was pulling the cord. She'd picked Icarus
instead of a god. 'Keep calm,' he yelled. Next,
more quietly, 'Sorry.' She scanned the ground for
haystacks piled ten high. She looked up and caught
a glimpse of the plane, a mocking feather.

-- David Beach (1959- ), Wellington-born prize winning poet, and mail sorter at the Australia and New Zealand postal services.

No Ordinary Sun

Tree let your arms fall:

raise them not sharply in supplication
to the bright enhaloed cloud.
Let your arms lack toughness and
resilience for this is no mere axe
to blunt, nor fire to smother.

Your sap shall not rise again
to the moon's pull.
No more incline a deferential head
to the wind's talk, or stir
to the tickle of coursing rain.

Your former shagginess shall not be
wreathed with the delightful flight
of birds nor shield
nor cool the ardour of unheeding
lovers from the monstrous sun.

Tree let your naked arms fall
nor extend vain entreaties to the radiant ball.
This is no gallant monsoon's flash,
no dashing trade wind's blast.
The fading green of your magic
emanations shall not make pure again
these polluted skies ... for this
is no ordinary sun.

O tree
in the shadowless mountains
the white plains and
the drab sea floor
your end at last is written.

--Hone Tuwhare (1922- -2008) One of the greatest Maori poets of New Zealand, NZ poet laureate from 1999-2000. Published in 1964.

St Andrew’s Day under the Southern Cross

GOD bless our land, our Scotland,
Grey glen an’ misty brae,
The blue heights o’ the Coolins,
The green haughs yont the Spey,
The weary wastes on Solway,
Snell winds blaw owre them a’ —
But aye it’s Hame, lad,
Yours an’ mine, lad,
Shielin’ or ha’.

It’s Hame, it’s Hame for ever,
Let good or ill betide!
The croon o’ some dear river,
The blink o’ ae braeside.

God bless our land; it’s yonder –
Far in the cold North Sea:
But ‘neath the old Saint’s glamour
It’s calling you an’ me:
Your feet tread Libyan deserts,
Mine press the wattle’s bloom,
But to-night we stand together
Among the broom.

It’s Hame, it’s Hame for ever,
Let shore or sea divide!
The croon o’ some dear river,
The blink o’ ae braeside.

God bless our land. We dream o’t —
The days aye brakin’ fine
On the lang, lane glints o’ heather
In the glens we kent langsyne.

Ay, we are Reubens, rovers,
‘Neath mony an alien star,
But flaunt the blue flag o’er us,
Pipe up the ” Braes o’ Mar,”
And steppe and nullah vanish,
And pomp and pelf and fame —
It’s gloamin’ — on a lown hillside,
An’ lads, . . . We’re . . . Hame.

-- Mary Symon (1863-1938), Scots poet and translator who wrote in the Banffshire dialect. This poem is for all the Scots abroad.

Image of the Southern Cross from the New Zealand observatory.

A Path of Stars

There are many things
I would like to tell you,
my darling

My darling,
I would like to tell you
in this life
everything will be okay

I would like to tell you
that you will walk upon a path of stars
that you will travel through the forest
and never lose your way

I would like to tell you
to look only at the stars
and not the gaps between them
to look at the sun
and not the clouds.

My darling, I would like to tell you all these things
for the same reason we read fairy stories to children
and weave their years with mythologies
because there is comfort is such lies
because I want the world you live in
to carry more magic
and less sharp edges.

But, on this dark night
I have run out of comforting lies.
My darling,
I cannot promise you a path of stars.
some days you will walk upon
unforgiving concrete or sharp-edged gravel
some days you will wade through quicksand.
Tonight, I cannot conjure stars
without the black between them.

My darling, I can only wish
when you walk through the dark and tangled forest
and lose your way a thousand times
that one day
you come across a clearing

where you can sit
and where the sun will find you
and warm your face
and where you can rest.

My darling
you can rest.


--Rose Peoples, New Zealand poet, lawyer, and student from Te Awakairangi/Lower Hutt

Image: "Enchanted Forest" by Madeline McGovern

Always on Waking

Always, on waking, I look out into treetops:
I lie beside you in the shimmering room
Where, whether summer morning, shell of dawn
Or dazed moonlight patterns leaves on walls
I wake to wide sky and the movement of treetops.

As the leaves flicker (thin scimitars of opaque
Dull green the eucalyptus bundles over her bark strips)
They become lucent; leaves lined with sunlight
With moonlight are no longer drab
But seem scimitars shining, are not now opaque.

While you are there I am nested among leaves;
As sparrows come each morning for breadcrumbs
So I look for your still face beside me;
Without your calm in the face of what wild storm
I am no longer nested, but desolate among these leaves.

—Ruth France, New Zealand poet

A Walk With Your Father

Before you do anything else, check your lungs.
Are they the right size for you, are you the right size for them?
Are they nice and snug against your ribs and spine?
Don’t worry if they’re a bit big for you, you’ll grow into them.
They must be full, however; you don’t want them empty.
You have a long way to go.

Put your hand inside your mouth and make sure
everything’s in it’s place, check that all the pipes and hoses
leading from your lungs into your mouth are in position and in good nick.
You don’t want any leaks or sudden explosions
this is your air we’re talking about.
Close your mouth securely around this apparatus.

Next check your weight. If you are too heavy
or too light you won’t get anywhere. By the way
there’s no need to take a whole lot of extras with you.
Some people strap expensive knives to their legs and wear protective gloves.
There’s no real need for any of this – an ordinary old sharp knife
from the kitchen drawer will do. And just your bare hands.
You may need to signal to each other.

Now pay some attention to your skin.
It should feel secure and warm
but also allow plenty of room to move freely.
There are any number of colours available nowadays –
they all do pretty much the same job.

Your feet, are they the right size?
If they’re too large you will tire quickly,
too small and you’ll be left behind.
You’re probably looking at feet
about the same size as his.

Your eyes – spit in them.
It keeps everything clear.

That step you’re about to take
will have to be wider than you’re used to.
Don’t forget to move forwards, not backwards.
Keep your hand on your mouth so everything stays in place
when you break the surface.

Mihi to Tangaroa. Mihi to Hinemoana.
Now get yourself in under there,
immerse yourself.

Do it now, go.
He’ll be right behind you.

--Hinemoana Baker (1968- ), New Zealand (Maori) poet, teacher, and musician born in Christchurch 

Advent

The Advent moon shines bright and clear;
These Advent nights are very long;
Our lamps have burned year after year,
And still their flame is strong.

‘Watchman, what of the night?’ we cry,
Heartsick with hope deferred:
‘No speaking signs are in the sky’,
Is still the watchman’s word.

One to another hear them speak,
The patient virgins wise:
Surely He is not far to seek,
All night we watch and rise.

The days are evil looking back,
The coming days are dim,
Yet count we not His promise slack,
But watch and wait for Him.

Weeping we hold him fast tonight,
We will not let Him go
Till daybreak smite our wearied sight,
And summer smite the snow:

Then figs shall bud, and dove with dove
Shall coo the livelong day;
Then He shall say ‘Arise, my love,
My fair one, come away!’

The Advent moon shines cold and clear.
We watch and wait.

--Christina Rosetti (1830-1894), English romantic poet , devout Anglican, and advocate of the Oxford movement

Becoming a Redwood

Stand in a field long enough, and the sounds
start up again. The crickets, the invisible
toad who claims that change is possible,

And all the other life too small to name.
First one, then another, until innumerable
they merge into the single voice of a summer hill.

Yes, it’s hard to stand still, hour after hour,
fixed as a fencepost, hearing the steers
snort in the dark pasture, smelling the manure.

And paralyzed by the mystery of how a stone
can bear to be a stone, the pain
the grass endures breaking through the earth’s crust.

Unimaginable the redwoods on the far hill,
rooted for centuries, the living wood grown tall
and thickened with a hundred thousand days of light.

The old windmill creaks in perfect time
to the wind shaking the miles of pasture grass,
and the last farmhouse light goes off.

Something moves nearby. Coyotes hunt
these hills and packs of feral dogs.
But standing here at night accepts all that.

You are your own pale shadow in the quarter moon,
moving more slowly than the crippled stars,
part of the moonlight as the moonlight falls,

Part of the grass that answers the wind,
part of the midnight’s watchfulness that knows
there is no silence but when danger comes.

--Dana Gioia (1950- ), American poet and former executive at General Mills

My Father and the Fig Tree

For other fruits, my father was indifferent. 

He'd point at the cherry trees and say, 

"See those? I wish they were figs."
In the evening he sat by my beds 

weaving folktales like vivid little scarves. 

They always involved a fig tree.
Even when it didn't fit, he'd stick it in.
Once Joha was walking down the road
and he saw a fig tree.
Or, he tied his camel to a fig tree and went to sleep. 

Or, later when they caught and arrested him,
his pockets were full of figs.

At age six I ate a dried fig and shrugged. 

"That's not what I'm talking about! he said,
"I'm talking about a fig straight from the earth – 

gift of Allah! -- on a branch so heavy
it touches the ground.
I'm talking about picking the largest, fattest, 

sweetest fig
in the world and putting it in my mouth."
(Here he'd stop and close his eyes.)

Years passed, we lived in many houses,
none had figtrees.
We had lima beans, zucchini, parsley, beets. 

"Plant one!" my mother said.
but my father never did.
He tended garden half-heartedly, forgot to water, 

let the okra get too big.
"What a dreamer he is. Look how many
things he starts and doesn't finish."

The last time he moved, I got a phone call, 

My father, in Arabic, chanting a song
I'd never heard. "What's that?"
He took me out back to the new yard. 

There, in the middle of Dallas, Texas,

a tree with the largest, fattest, 

sweetest fig in the world.
"It's a figtree song!" he said, 

plucking his fruits like ripe tokens, 

emblems, assurance
of a world that was always his own.

--Naomi Shihab Nye (1952- ), Ferguson-born Palestinian-American poet, translator, and author, from 19 Varieties of Gazelle.

Joha is a trickster in Arab tales.

Scripture reference: Mark 13:24-37 (Advent 1B)

Mana

when you flow through my body

I know
I am caught in the current of a river
larger than the length of my own lifetime
it bends where we have all been before
same rapids
other waters
our veins
my blood
I know
I am in the flow
of something greater than my own self

--Karlo Mila (1974- ), New Zealand poet, of Tongan, Pālagi and Samoan ancestry. Mana is an untranslatable Mari word (actually in 29 languages in the Pacific) that means honor, a supernatural life force, prestige, charisma, which can be inherited but also can grow or decrease according to one's actions (like karma).

Rain

I can hear you
making small holes
in the silence
rain

If I were deaf
the pores of my skin
would open to you
and shut

And I
should know you
by the lick of you
if I were blind

the something
special smell of you
when the sun cakes
the ground

the steady
drum-roll sound
you make
when the wind drops

But if I
should not hear
smell or feel or see
you

you would still
define me
disperse me
wash over me
rain




-- Hone Tuwhare (1922-2008) One of the greatest Maori poets of New Zealand, NZ poet laureate from 1999-2000.

Pākaitore

They formed a circle, holding hands.

What cop would break such brittle wrists
stretched round this smallest of small lands?

The statue gone, the plinth still stands.
The fig tree squiggles, bends and twists.
Its branches circle, holding hands.

Some years the garden fills with bands.
The vocals roll, the beat insists,
all round this smallest of small lands.

Movers and shakers, firebrands,
rock standing firm, song that resists;
all in that circle, holding hands.

The grassy bank, the river sands,
the landing place that still exists
beside this smallest of small lands.

The years move on, and time expands
the distance, but the tale persists:
they formed a circle, holding hands,
around this smallest of small lands.


-- Airini Beautrais (1983- ) New Zealand poet. From  Flow: Whanganui River Poems, Victoria University Press, 2017.


Background for this poem, found at Best New Zealand Poems :


‘In 1995, Whanganui iwi occupied Pākaitore/Moutoa Gardens for 79 days. The occupation sought to restore mana over the site, a former pā and trading place, and to highlight treaty claims and tino rangatiratanga.

‘When police came to intervene, a group of supporters of the protest organised an action, holding hands around the park to obstruct police entry. The poem says the circle was “all round” the park; however, this is an exaggeration. I asked Whanganui Quaker and Treaty issues educator David James for the story. He replied:

“There were something like 200 there on the day, but they were still not enough for a complete circle, so the police could indeed have walked straight on via the courthouse side. The mayor found it useful to say that they couldn’t have come on to the evict the occupiers because of the risk to the old people who were on the picket line—but we weren’t all old at all, though there were ninety-year-olds involved. So it was the mayor who started the notion that it was a complete circle, and it’s also gone into Māori lore as that. Two other important things: We were facing outwards towards the police and the other citizens, some of whom were lined up on the opposite river bank to see the action, leaving our Māori allies free to do what they needed to inside. Symbolically that’s an important stance for allies—interacting with our own and not crowding Māori or monitoring them . . . And at the end, when the action was ending, Moana Jackson came out from Pākaitore and went round thanking every individual, and saying that to the best of his knowledge it had been a unique stand by Pākehā in support of Māori.”

‘The protesters were not evicted and eventually left the park peacefully at dawn on 18 May. In 2001 a tripartite agreement concerning management and ownership of Pākaitore was signed by iwi, local council and the Crown.’

I Saw the Maori Jesus

I saw the Maori Jesus
Walking on Wellington Harbour.
He wore blue dungarees,
His beard and hair were long.
His breath smelled of mussels and paraoa.
When he smiled it looked like the dawn.
When he broke wind the little fishes trembled.
When he frowned the ground shook.
When he laughed everybody got drunk.

The Maori Jesus came on shore
And picked out his twelve disciples.
One cleaned toilets in the railway station;
His hands were scrubbed red to get the shit out of the pores.
One was a call-girl who turned it up for nothing.
One was a housewife who had forgotten the Pill
And stuck her TV set in the rubbish can.
One was a little office clerk
Who'd tried to set fire to the Government Buildings.
Yes, and there were several others;
One was a sad old queen;
One was an alcoholic priest
Going slowly mad in a respectable parish.

The Maori Jesus said, 'Man,
From now on the sun will shine.'

He did no miracles;
He played the guitar sitting on the ground.

The first day he was arrested
For having no lawful means of support.
The second day he was beaten up by the cops
For telling a dee his house was not in order.
The third day he was charged with being a Maori
And given a month in Mt Crawford.
The fourth day he was sent to Porirua
For telling a screw the sun would stop rising.
The fifth day lasted seven years
While he worked in the Asylum laundry
Never out of the steam.
The sixth day he told the head doctor,
'I am the Light in the Void;
I am who I am.'
The seventh day he was lobotomised;
The brain of God was cut in half.

On the eighth day the sun did not rise.
It did not rise the day after.
God was neither alive nor dead.
The darkness of the Void,
Mountainous, mile-deep, civilised darkness
Sat on the earth from then till now.

-- James K. Baxter (1923-1972) one of New Zealand's greatest poets.

Travelling

How normal it feels
to get around new places—
how basely, physically normal it is
for our feet to touch the ground
and propel us forward, step after step
exactly as they do anywhere.

And if these roads home
one day become
the rivers they once were—
though we might have to pedal the currents
or steady our soles on pebbles—
we’ll soon get used to it.

A flavour’s only new at first taste;
and common sights become invisible;
and love dulls into something necessary;
and in grief we think this new lack
is impossible to live with but we do.

-- Jane Arthur, New Zealand poet, from Craven, 2019

New Zealand

(for Monte Holcroft)

These unshaped islands, on the sawyer’s bench,
Wait for the chisel of the mind,
Green canyons to the south, immense and passive,
Penetrated rarely, seeded only
By the deer-culler’s shot, or else in the north
Tribes of the shark and the octopus,
Mangroves, black hair on a boxer’s hand.

The founding fathers with their guns and bibles,
Botanist, whaler, added bones and names
To the land, to us a bridle
As if the id were a horse: the swampy towns
Like dreamers that struggle to wake,

Longing for the poets’ truth
And the lover’s pride. Something new and old
Explores its own pain, hearing
The rain’s choir on curtains of grey moss
Or fingers of the Tasman pressing
On breasts of hardening sand, as actors
Find their own solitude in mirrors,

As one who has buried his dead,
Able at last to give with an open hand.

--James K Baxter (1926-1972), one of the greatest of New Zealand's poets

When I Head Home I Like To Be On The Left Side Of The Road So As To Be Closer To Where I Am Heading

I walk home with a bouquet of flowers held up
like an explorer holding up a torch,
in the early days of these days.
The flowers do not emanate
light, but they do catch the eyes of the people
I might like. The flowers will sit by my bed
waiting for when I open my nose from sleep.

--Maeve Hughes, New Zealand poet, musician, and artist based in Wellington

Iona Invitation to Communion 5

This table does not belong to any denomination,

church or community.
It belongs to Jesus.
It was at table that he met people,
heard their stories and shared his.
It was at table that he deepened his friendship
with poor folk and prostitutes,
the business class and puzzled bystanders.
It was at table that he shared profound insights
into who God is and what God wants.
And it was at table, with bread and wine,
that he initiated the sacrament we now celebrate.
So come to this table.
Leave behind any baggage of arrogance or unworthiness.
Do not think, ‘This is not for me.’
Think rather of Jesus saying, ‘I am for you,’
and accept his invitation to be the friend
he cherishes and longs to feed.

--from the Iona Community

Iona Invitation to Communion 4

We are here because Jesus has called us –

strangers and friends,
locals and visitors,
believers and doubters,
the certain and the curious.
It is always a mixed company that Jesus gathers
and invites to his table where, in bread and wine,
he meets us
and through him we, who are different,
are joined to each other.
So come,
not because you understand,
but because you are understood.
Come,
not because of how you feel,
but because God has food for you.
Come, not because you deserve a place,
but because Jesus invites you,
just as you are.

- from the Iona Community

Iona Invitation to Communion 3

As Jesus broke bread,
we break this bread.
As Jesus shared wine
we share this cup.

-- Iona Community

Iona Invitation to Communion 2

Take this bread, share this wine.

In these Christ comes to us
with love from God.
The gifts of God for the people of God.

-- From the Iona Community

Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address, Iroquois Confederacy

Haudenosaunee Thanksgiving Address

Iroquois Confederacy 

(Ganonhanyonh- The Words Before All Words)

 

Today we have gathered and we see that the cycles of life continue. We have been given the duty and responsibility to live in balance and harmony with each other and all living things. So now, we bring our minds together as one as we give our greetings and our thanks to one another as people.

NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.

 

We are all thankful to our Mother, the Earth, for she gives us all that we need for life. She supports our feet as we walk about upon her. It gives us joy that she continues to care for us as she has from the beginning of time. To our mother, we send our greetings and our thanks.

NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.

 

We give thanks to all the waters of the world for quenching our thirst and providing us with strength. Water is life. We know its power in many forms — waterfalls and rain, mists and streams, rivers and oceans. We are grateful that the waters are still here and meeting their responsibility to the rest of creation. Can we agree that water is important to our lives and bring our minds together as one to send greetings and thanks to the water? With one mind, we send our greetings and our thanks to the spirit of Water.

NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.

 

We turn our minds to the all the Fish life in the water. They were instructed to cleanse and purify the water. They also give themselves to us as food. We are grateful that we can still find pure water. So, we turn now to the Fish and send our greetings and our thanks.

NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.

 

Now we turn toward the Plants. As far as the eye can see, the Plants grow, working many wonders. They sustain many life forms. With our minds gathered together, we give our thanks and look forward to seeing Plant life continue for many generations to come.

NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE

 

With one mind, we turn to honor and thank all the Food Plants we harvest from the garden, especially the Three Sisters who feed the people with such abundance. Since the beginning of time, the grains, vegetables, beans and berries have helped the people survive. Many other living things draw strength from them too. We gather all the Plant Foods together as one and send them our greetings and our thanks.

NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.

 

Now we turn to all the Medicine plants of the world. From the beginning they were instructed to take away sickness. They are always waiting and ready to heal us. We are happy there are still among us those special few who remember how to use these plants for healing. With one mind we send our greetings and our thanks to the Medicines, and to the keepers of the Medicines.

NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.

 

We gather our minds together to send our greetings and our thanks to all the Animal life in the world. They have many things to teach us as people. We are honored by them when they give up their lives so we may use their bodies as food for our people. We see them near our homes and in the deep forests. We are glad they are still here and we pray that this will always be so.

NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.

 

We now turn our thoughts to the Trees. The Earth has many families of Trees who have their own instructions and uses. Some provide us with shelter and shade, others with fruit, beauty and other useful things. The Maple is the leader of the trees, to recognize the gift of sugar when the people need it most. Many people of the world use a Tree as a symbol of peace and strength. With one mind, we send our greetings and our thanks to the Tree life.

NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.

 

We put our minds together as one and thank all the Birds who move and fly about over our heads. The Creator gave them beautiful songs. Each day they remind us to enjoy and appreciate life. The Eagle was chosen to be their leader. To all the Birds — from the smallest to the largest — we send our joyful greetings and our thanks.

NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE

 

We are all thankful to the powers we know as the Four Winds. We hear their voices in the moving air as they refresh us and purify the air we breathe. They help us to bring the change of seasons. From the four directions they come, bringing us messages and giving us strength. With one mind, we send our greetings and our thanks to the Four Winds.

NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE

 

Now we turn to the west where our grandfathers, the Thunders live. With lightning and thundering voices, they bring with them the water that renews life. We are thankful that they keep those evil things made by Okwiseres underground. We bring our minds together as one to send our greetings and our thanks to our Grandfathers, the Thunders.

NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.

 

We now send our greetings and our thanks to our eldest Brother, the Sun. Each day without fail he travels the sky from east to west, bringing the light of a new day. He is the source of all the fires of life. With one mind, we send our greetings and our thanks to our Brother, the Sun.

NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.

 

We put our minds together to give thanks to our oldest Grandmother, the Moon, who lights the night‐time sky. She is the leader of woman all over the world, and she governs the movement of the ocean tides. By her changing face we measure time, and it is the Moon who watches over the arrival of children here on Earth. With one mind, we send our greetings and our thanks to our Grandmother, the Moon.

NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.

 

We give our thanks to the Stars who are spread across the sky like jewels. We see them in the night, helping the Moon to light the darkness and bringing dew to the gardens and growing things. When we travel at night, they guide us home. With our minds gathered together as one, we send our greetings and our thanks for the Stars.

NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.

 

We gather our minds together to consider the Wisdom Keepers who have come to help the people throughout the ages. When we forget how to live in harmony, they remind us of the way we were instructed to live. With one mind, we send our greetings and our thanks to these caring teachers.

NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.

 

Now we turn our thoughts to the Creator, Shonkwaia’tîson, and send our greetings and our thanks for all the gifts of Creation. Everything we need to live a good life is here on this Mother Earth. For all the love that is around us, we gather our minds together as one and send our choicest words of greetings and thanks to the Creator.

NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.

 

We have now arrived at the place where we end our words. Of all the things we have named, it is not our intention to leave anything out. If something has been forgotten, we leave it to each individual to send their greetings and their thanks in their own way.

AND NOW OUR MINDS ARE ONE.

--Originally found in Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass; also located at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of the American Indian, https://americanindian.si.edu/environment/pdf/01_02_Thanksgiving_Address.pdf 

Image: Iroquois Longhouse

As explained by the Indigenous Values Initiative:

Haudenosaunee tradition teaches us that peace requires gratitude.  We are to be thankful for the living world.  Our relationship to the Earth is the basis of our sustenance and our peacefulness.  Our Mother Earth connects us to a perpetual process of creation, and she continues to provide all we need to be happy and healthy.

To this very day, nearly every social, cultural and political event that takes place at the Onondaga Nation begins and ends with the “words that come before all others,” that is known as the “Thanksgiving Address.”  Through these words, our minds are gathered together to share our thankfulness of what nature provides, and acknowledges the ongoing impact of these forces on human lives.  The Thanksgiving Address acknowledges the people, earth, waters, plants, animals, birds, bushes, trees, winds, sun, moon, stars, as well as the unseen spiritual forces.  There are a multitude of connections between human beings and other living beings in the world.  The Haudenosaunee are thankful for all the gifts that we receive.

Many Native Americans express gratitude for the gifts of life.  It was this that inspired the holiday of Thanksgiving in the United States. Think for a moment about what in nature makes you thankful. What is your relationship to the plants, animals, water, and air that surrounds you?

Iona Invitation to Communion

Come, not because you are strong 

but because you are weak.

Come, not because of any goodness of your own,

but because you need mercy and help.

Come, because you love the Lord a little 

and would like to love him more.

Come, because he loves you 

and gave himself for you.

--George McLeod, from the Iona Community

505 Template for Native American Heritage Month, 2023 (All Saints readings)

 

Centering Bell                             ¥

U As the ringing fades, we open our hearts and spirits to the sacred. You might physically make the sign of the cross, bow, or press hands together in the anjali mudra. 

 

Acknowledgement for the Land ^{standing as able}    adapted from All Saints’ Church, Minneapolis

 

Presider      Creator, you made all people of every land. It is our responsibility to give thanks and respect to those who first occupied this land we are upon. We acknowledge our debt to the Osage Nation, the Illiniwek/Peoria Tribe, the O-Gah-Pah (Quapaw) Tribe, the Otoe-Missouria Tribe, and other First Peopleswho have passed from memory, the rightful tenders of this land. We offer our respect to those ancestors who may be interred in this land. We are also thankful for the gifts of the People of the land. 

All           Creator, let us be of good mind to make amends for the mistreatment of this land and to those who have been displaced. With thankful and respectful hearts, we pray in your Name, Your Son the peacemaker, and the Sacred Spirit. Amen.

Opening Acclamation ^{standing as able}              A Prayer of the Four Directions, adapted 

from a prayer used at the Washington National Cathedral, A Celebration of Native American Survival, 1992.

 

Presider      Creator, the strength of the people, we honor you. 

Listen to the thoughts of your people. 

We respect the truth of your spirit world 

and care for your creations 

to the East, to the South, to the West, and to the North. 

All           We honor you by deeds and not words. 

Presider      We live by the ways YOU have entrusted to us 

within the circle of life.

All           Come, Great Spirit, as we gather in your name.

 

Presider      We face East: 

to your symbol color Gold, the breath of the morning sun, 

to your animal sign the Eagle 

which soars ever upward in the praise of the Creator 

and calls us to do the same, 

to your words calling us to balance our minds

in the spirit of humility and truth. 

All           We invoke your spirit of illumination and far sighted vision. 

Presider      The ways have shown us how to love you and each other with     heart, mind, and soul, and we pray:

All           Come, Holy Creator’s Spirit, Come.

 

Presider      We turn to the South: 

to your symbol color Red, the hue of revelation, 

to your animal sign the Wolf… strong and enduring. 

All           We invoke your wisdom, grace, and goodness of the ages.

Presider      The ways call us to balance of Spirit, 

and harmony with all nations, tribes, and clans, and we pray:

All           Come, Holy Creator’s Spirit, Come.

 

Presider      We turn to the West: 

to your symbol color Black, the stillness of night, 

to your sign Thunder, mighty and bold, 

to your animal sign the Buffalo. 

All           We invoke your spirit ways of seeing within the community 

and its strength to endure.

Presider      The ways call us to balance emotions 

in the tradition of truth and honesty, and we pray:

All           Come, Holy Creator’s Spirit, Come.

 

Presider      We turn to the North: 

to your symbol color White, the truth of clarity and brightness, 

to your animal sign, the Bear, 

who touches us with earthiness and all things growing, 

to your words calling us the balance of our body 

in the spirit of a good sense and humor. 

All           We invoke your spirit of innocence, trust, and love. 

Presider      The ways open our eyes to the sacredness of each living thing, and we pray:

All           Come, Holy Creator’s Spirit, Come.

 

Presider      We turn to complete the circle: 

to God the creator who cleanses the world 

with snow, wind, and rain; 

to the Creator’s Son, Jesus the Christ, 

who fills us with mercy and loving embrace of all nations; 

and to the Holy Creator's Spirit, who guides us; and we pray:

All           Come, Holy Creator’s Spirit, Come.

 

Presider      Creator, you bent the Earth like a bow 

     until it was one, round, shining planet. 

At your word the land was drawn 

     into mountains and tundra, 

     forests and prairies; 

          the waters were gathered together 

          into rivers, lakes, and seas. 

Many times, when people crossed these seas from other lands 

     they broke the circle of your creation 

     by their greed and violence, 

     and they shattered the lives of others. 

Creator, renew the circle of the Earth 

and turn the hearts of all people to one another; 

that they and all the Earth

     may live and be drawn toward you 

through the love of Jesus Christ, 

     who lives with you and the Holy Spirit 

          in the circle of the Trinity, 

               forever One. Amen.

Gathering Prayer ^seated                                     Ojibwe, The Rt. Rev. Mark McDonald

Presider      Creator, we give you thanks for all YOU are and all YOU bring to us for our visit within your creation. In Jesus, YOU place the gospel in the Center of this Sacred Circle through which all of creation is related. 

YOU show us the way to live a generous and compassionate life.

All           Give us your strength to live together with respect and commitment as we grow in your spirit, for YOU are God, now and forever. Amen.

The Collect ^seated                                                         Collect for the Feast of All Saints

Presider      God be with you.

People        And also with you.

Presider      Let us pray. 

All              Almighty God, YOU have knit together your elect in one communion and fellowship in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord: Give us grace so to follow your blessed saints in all virtuous and godly living, that we may come to those ineffable joys that you have prepared for those who truly love you; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.

 

 

First Reading ^seated                                                       Matthew 5:1-12, NRSV

Leader        A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew.

 

Leader        When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, 

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

All              “Blessed are those who mourn, 

for they will be comforted.”

Leader        “Blessed are the meek, 

for they will inherit the earth.”

All              “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, 

for they will be filled.”

Leader        “Blessed are the merciful, 

for they will receive mercy.”

All              “Blessed are the pure in heart, 

for they will see God.” 

Leader        “Blessed are the peacemakers, 

for they will be called children of God.”

All              “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, 

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Leader        “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

 

                  Pause. Breathe.

 

Leader        Hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.

All              Thanks be to God.

 

The Gospel:   Proclaiming the Good News! ^seated  

Matthew 5:1-12, First Nations Version of the New Testament

Leader        The Holy Gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ according to Luke.

People        Glory to you, Lord Christ.

 

Let the precious words take root within you. In each section, see which word claims your mind or heart. Say it aloud in the pause afterward.

 

Leader

When Creator Sets Free (Jesus) saw this great crowd, he went back up into the mountainside and sat down to teach the people. His followers came to him there, so he took a deep breath, opened his mouth, and began to share his wisdom with them and teach them how to see Creator’s good road.

“Creator’s blessing rests on the poor, the ones with broken spirits. 

The good road is theirs to walk.”

 

“Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who walk a trail of tears, 

for Creator will wipe the tears from their eyes and comfort them.”

 

“Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who walk softly and in a humble manner. 

The earth, land, and sky will welcome them and always be their home.”

 

“Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who hunger and thirst for wrongs to be made right again. 

They will eat and drink until they are full.”

 

“Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who are merciful and kind to others. 

Their kindness will find its way back to them-- full circle.”

 

“Creator’s blessing rests on the pure of heart. 

They are the ones who will see the Great Spirit.”

 

Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who make peace. 

It will be said of them, ‘They are the children of the Great Spirit!’”

 

Creator’s blessing rests on the ones who are hunted down and mistreated for doing what is right, 

for they are walking the good road from above.”

W ~~Pause; Breathe; Name the word or phrase that rings for you.~~ W

Leader

“Others will lie about you, speak against you, and look down on you with scorn and contempt, all because you walk the road with me. So let your hearts be glad and jump for joy, for you will be honored in the spirit-world above. You are like the prophets of old, who were treated in the same way by your ancestors.”

W ~~Pause; Breathe; Name the word or phrase that rings for you.~~ W

Leader        The Word of the Lord.

All              Thanks be to God.

The Homily: Inviting the Word Into Our Lives                            Presider

 

Prayers of the People                          adapted from Church of the Four Winds, Portland, Oregon

Presider      Creator and Redeemer, as we approach YOU in prayer: 

make us walk in beauty and balance, 

     make us open our hearts and minds, 

          make us speak the truth. 

We pray first for your Community, 

     the Church, the Body of Christ. 

We pray for all our relatives 

     and the circle of life throughout all creation; 

for those chosen to be our leaders and teachers; 

All              Creator, teach us and show us the way.

Leader        In peace, we pray to YOU, Lord God.

              We call upon the Earth, our Mother and Home, 

     with its beautiful depths, soaring heights, and deep waters; 

          its vitality and abundance of life; 

and together we ask that it

All              teach us and show us the way.

Leader        We call upon the mountains and tundra, 

     the high green valleys and prairies filled with wild flowers, 

          the snows, the summits of intense silence, 

and we ask that they

All              teach us and show us the way.

Leader        We call upon the land which grows our food, the nurturing soil,     

     the fertile fields, 

          the abundant gardens and orchards, 

and we ask that they

All              teach us and show us the way.

Leader        We call upon the forests, 

the great trees reaching strongly to the sky 

with earth in their roots and the heavens and their branches, 

     the Fir and the Pine, 

          the Cedar and the Maple, 

and we ask them to

All              teach us and show us the way.

Leader        We call upon the creatures 

of the fields and forests and the waters, 

our kindred the wolves and deer, 

     the eagle and bear, 

          the great whales and the fish. 

We ask them to

All              teach us and show us the way.

Leader        In intercession, we pray for the sick and the infirm; especially

X

Leader reads names of those on our prayer list; 

 the people of Ukraine and the Holy Land; those living in terror and trauma from gun violence; the hundreds of missing and murdered Indigenous women all across this hemisphere; 

(Please add your own concerns)

X

Silence

Leader        Creator, we are surrounded by our ancestor saints, 

especially Martin of Tours, Molly Brant, Onongwatgo, Helen Peterson, Noah Brokenleg, Hehaka Sapa, Enmegabowh, David Oakerhater, Kateri Tekakwitha, Tipi Sapa, Kamehameha and Emma, and countless others. 

On this Feast of All Saints and All Souls, we remember now before YOU all whom we love, but see no longer, 

especially those in our columbarium, and those we now name:

X

(Please say the names of those departed you wish to remember.

You are invited to write them on a card and place them on our Altar of Remembrance)

X

Silence

All              Creator, YOU made the world and declared it to be good: 

the beauty of the trees, 

          the softness of the air, 

                    the fragrance of the grass speaks to us; 

the summit of the mountains, 

          the Thunder of the sky, 

                    the rhythm of the waters speak to us; 

the faintness of the stars, 

          the freshness of the morning, 

                    the dew drops on the flowers speak to us. 

But above all, 

     our heart soars,

          for you speak to us in Jesus Christ, 

                    in whose name we offer these prayers. Amen.

 

The Peace ^{standing as able, then greet each other with a bow or wave or anjali mudra}

Presider      The peace of God be always with you,

People        And also with you.

{{Greet one another in the name of Christ. {{

Offering

As the table is prepared for Holy Communion, gifts of bread and wine are brought up by members of the congregation to the chapel altar. At this time, we also pass the offering plate to present our monetary offerings to God out of gratitude. Once the table is prepared, we ask the congregation to rise and acknowledge our gratitude and offerings to God with these words:

Priest          All things come from you, O Lord. We return our best to you.

People       Creator, YOU bless us with many good gifts 

                  returned to YOU from your creation. 

              Feed us with the bread of life, 

              your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 

 

 

THE HOLY COMMUNION                           adapted from Enriching Our Worship 1, Prayer 2

(Children are always welcome to come forward to see.)

 

The Great Thanksgiving ^{standing as able}

Presider      God the Creator is here.

People        God’s Spirit is with us.

Presider      Lift up your hearts.

People        We lift them to the Lord.

Presider      Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

People        It is right to give God thanks and praise.

 

The people may sit. The Presider continues

We praise YOU and we bless YOU, 

     holy and gracious God, 

          source of life abundant. 

From before time YOU made ready the creation. 

Your Spirit moved over the deep and brought all things into being: 

     sun, moon, and stars; 

          Earth, winds, and waters; 

               and every living thing. 

YOU made us in your image, 

     and taught us to walk in your ways. 

But we rebelled against YOU, 

     and wandered far away; 

and yet, as a mother cares for her children, 

     YOU would not forget us.

Time and again YOU called us to live in the fullness of your love.

 

People        Blessed are YOU, gracious God, Creator of the universe and giver of life.

 

Presider

Glory and honor and praise to YOU, holy and living God.

To deliver us from the power of sin and death 

     and to reveal the riches of your grace, 

YOU looked with favor upon Mary, your willing servant, 

     that she might conceive and bear a son, 

          Jesus the holy child of God.

 

Living among us, Jesus loved us. 

He broke bread with outcasts and sinners, 

     healed the sick, 

          and proclaimed good news to the poor.

He yearned to draw all the world to himself 

                          --yet we were heedless of his call to walk in love.

 

Then, the time came for him to complete upon the cross 

      the sacrifice of his life, 

           and to be glorified by YOU.

 

The Presider holds or touches the bread.

On the night before He died for us, Jesus was at table with his friends. He took bread, gave thanks to YOU, broke it, and gave it to them, saying:       

“Take, eat: This is MY Body, which is given for you. 
                  Do this for the remembrance of ME.”

R bells ring R

The Presider holds or touches the chalice and wine vessels.

As supper was ending, Jesus took the cup of wine. Again, He gave thanks, gave it to them, and said: 

“Drink this, all of you:

This is MY Blood of the new Covenant,
which is poured out for you —and for all— 

for the forgiveness of sins.  
Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of ME.”

R bells ring R

 

Therefore we proclaim the mystery of faith:

All              Christ has died; Christ is risen; Christ will come again.

 

Presider (touching bread and wine)

Now gathered at your table, O God of all creation, 

and remembering Christ, crucified and risen, 

who was and is and is to come, 

we offer to YOU our gifts of bread and wine, 

     and ourselves, a living sacrifice. 

U Pour out your Spirit upon these gifts 

that they may be for us the Body and Blood of Christ. 

Breathe your Spirit over the whole Earth

 and make us your new creation, 

the Body of Christ given for the world YOU have made. 

 

In the fullness of time bring us, with Martin, Mary, and all your saints, from every tribe and language and people and nation, to feast at the banquet prepared from the foundation of the world. 

 

Through Christ and with Christ and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, 

All              to YOU be honor, glory, and praise, for ever and ever. AMEN.

R bells ring R

Presider

And now, as Jesus taught us, we pray:

 

The Lord’s Prayer ^{(Standing, in unison)}                                     Nez Perce

O Great Spirit,

YOU are our Shepherd Chief in the most high place

whose home is everywhere, even beyond the stars and moon.

Whatever YOU want done, let it be done also everywhere.

Give us your gift of bread day by day.

Forgive our wrongs as we forgive those who wrong us.

Take us away from wrongdoings

free us from all evil for everything belongs to you. 

Let your power and glory shine forever. Amen.

Fraction Anthem

Presider      Alleluia. We break this bread to share in the Body.

All              We who are many are one Body,

For we all share in the one bread. Alleluia.

 

At Communion, all are invited to come forward. If you would like the host to be intincted, please indicate so and it will be placed in your hand. Communion in one kind is a complete sacrament.

 

Prayer After Communion                             from the Liturgy of St. John’s, Red Lake, MN

Presider      Let us pray. 

All              Jesus Christ, our Leader, our Brother, 

YOU are Son of the Creator.

Today we became your children; 

today we became your grandchildren. 

We will live as you have taught us. 

We will follow your commandments. 

Watch over us. 

Speak to us from the trees, from the grass and herbs, from the breeze, from the passing rain, from the passing thunder and the deep waters. 

Before us there is beauty, behind us there is beauty. 

Allow us to walk a long life in happiness completed in beauty. AMEN.

 

Announcements- Birthdays-- Anniversaries

 

Benediction                                                                              Shinnecock

Presider

O Great Spirit, who has filled the world with beauty,

open our eyes to behold thy gracious hand,

in all thy work keep our hearts thankful and our vision clear,

as we seek to fulfill your blessings.
And the blessing of God Almighty,

U the Creator, the Sanctifier, and the Inspirer,U

rest upon you, this day and every day. Amen.

 

 

 

 

Centering Bell                             ¥

As the sound of the bell fades, you may raise your arms, blessing those around you. Breathe in: accept both the challenges and blessings of this Holy Communion and let it soak deep into your heart, hands, and wills.

 

 

Dismissal

Presider      This service has now ended,

but our service to the world has just begun.

Go in peace 

to walk the good road 

of living in the way of Jesus.

All              Thanks be to God.

-- assembled by the Rev. Leslie Scoopmire, Missioner for Indigenous Engagement, Episcopal Diocese of Missouri, offered during 2023 November Native American Heritage Month liturgies on Saturdays at 505 pm in the chapel of St. Martin's Episcopal Church, Ellisville, MO.

Image: Grizzly Bear, cedar carving, Delmar Joseph, Squamish/Coast Salish, British Columbia, from the collection of Leslie Scoopmire.