A Native American Prayer

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

because Yahweh has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

The Spirit has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedom for the captives

and release darkness for the prisoners.

- Isaiah 61:1 

I was so grateful for the wonderful tribute to Native Americans in the lamp this past Sunday.

I was organist/pianist for a conference at the Lied Center a few years ago and a soloist sang this song "A Native American Prayer"  https://youtu.be/4xvYMJlgK4E that I learned was the mass piece for all-state choir in Nebraska a while back. In learning about music from native cultures, I was introduced to one of my favorite instruments I have been given - a Native American flute by the amazing artist and midwesterner Jonah Thompson of the Dine (Navajo) people. He gives out Bibles with his flutes and teaches hymns on them and is a part of Native Christian community. A class I'm teaching and coordinating is going to go visit a Native American Church and I was really interested to learn about the strong Native American Christian community in Lincoln. They use a lot of traditional chants as well as new words to hymn tunes that we might know. When I teach pipe organ history, I try to sensitively reference how some Native Americans have been involved in organ building at times with many organ pipes being based on traditional instruments/flutes/pipes of various cultures.  

Some new pipe organs incorporate this idea intentionally in their visual design as well like this one:

https://www.bemidjipioneer.com/4354158-honoring-music-first-lutheran-church-unveils-new-pipe-organ

I grieve the ways many people, including those calling themselves Christian, in the past were hateful and cruel to the peoples who were here first but I am also grateful for forgiveness and ways we can do better now and in the future.

Thanks be to God for our Native American Brothers and Sisters and all that we can learn from them. 

The Great Spirit Prayer:
Oh, Great Spirit, whose voice I hear in the wind, whose breath gives life to all the world.
Hear me; I need your strength and wisdom.
Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset.
Make my hands respect the things you have made and my ears sharp to hear your voice.
Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught my people.
Help me to remain calm and strong in the face of all that comes towards me.
Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock.
Help me seek pure thoughts and act with the intention of helping others.
Help me find compassion without empathy overwhelming me.
I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy, Myself.
Make me always ready to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes.
So when life fades, as the fading sunset, my spirit may come to you without shame.
— translated by Chief Yellow Lark
 http://aktalakota.stjo.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8580

Brent Shaw