Meditation for Native American Ministries Sunday

(Spring Lake Dakotah Nation - North Dakota)

“I have God’s more-than-enough, more joy in one ordinary day . . . . For You, God, have put my life back together.” (Psalm 4:7-8, The Message)

When are you bringing the church back?
(from www.umcgiving.org)

I receive a call from the tribal chair asking me to take the Bobcat with the snow blower to the Rolling Hills housing area. I am supposed to clear a path for a sewage-pumper truck through the seven-feet-tall snow banks.

As we pull into Rolling Hills, three children run toward us. Jaden grabs my legs and gives me a hug that almost knocks me down. His brother and sister follow suit. They then run to the truck and greet Libby with hugs. As I prepare to get the Bobcat off the trailer, Jaden asks me when we are going to bring the church back.

The church! A 22-foot, gaudy-green trailer painted in a ‘70s motif with children playing musical instruments, clapping and singing. This ugly trailer has one side that folds down and makes a stage. It has all kinds of games, crafts, colors and coloring books and, of course, bubbles. We call it our "Sidewalk Sonday School" trailer, and we pull it to the communities on the reservation to share the love of Jesus Christ. Our summer volunteer teams operate it Mondays through Thursdays, and we teach an average of 20 children at each site.

As we talk and share snacks, I realize how important the ugly green trailer is to the children of the reservation. To some, this is the only church they attend. This is their only chance to hear Bible stories. The teams that come from all over our great country are the closest thing they have to Sunday school teachers. This is the only time they get to pray and sing "Jesus Loves Me.” This, to them, IS the church.

We share our love of Jesus with these children. All they ask is, "When are you bringing the church back?”

"But friends, that's exactly who we are: children of God. And that's only the beginning. Who knows how we'll end up! What we know is that when Christ is openly revealed, we'll see him—and in seeing him, become like him. All of us who look forward to his Coming stay ready, with the glistening purity of Jesus' life as a model for our own." (1 John 3:2, The Message)

Pueblo Indian Prayer
Hold on to what is good, even if it's a handful of earth.
Hold on to what you believe, even if it's a tree that stands by itself.
Hold on to what you must do, even if it's a long way from here.
Hold on to your life, even if it's easier to let go.
Hold on to my hand, even if I've gone away from you.
Amen.

(You can give online to the Native American Ministries Sunday offering at any time by clicking here.)