T
H E - J E S U S - W A Y - IS - FOR - ALL - NATIVE - PEOPLES Jesus
came to earth because the Creator loved all people---from every tribe, clan, nation and
language - and he wanted to teach them how to follow his Way. So Jesus is gathering
followers from all culture. How could it be? The Creator made all peoples,
and his plan is to bring all peoples back to himself.
But in their attempts to
find their way back home to the Creator, all the tribes and nations of the world have
created their own ways to the spirit world. These attempts all fall short because
they are not true to the Creator's own Way.
Throughout the generations, our
Native peoples have also been seeking the Creator's true identity. We have made
many images of him. We have looked for him inside the creation. But we do not have
to seek him this way any longer. The Creator himself came to reveal his true
identity and nature to all the tribes and peoples of the world.
"In the
past, God spoke to our people through the prophets. He spoke at many times. He
spoke in different ways. But in these last days, he has spoken to us through his Son. He
is the one whom God appointed to receive all things. God made everything through
him. The Son is the gleaning brightness of God's glory. He is the exact likeness of
God's being. He uses his powerful word to held all things together. He provided the way
for people to be made pure from sin." HEBREWS 1:1-3
Jesus is the Son of
God who came to earth. Jesus is the One who speaks with power--his word holds the
whole creation together! Jesus is the One who reveals to us the true path back to
the Creator. Jesus is the Way for all Native peoples.
The Creator loves you
as a Native person. He made you in his image. He wants you to walk with him
as a Native person. The Jesus Way can teach you how to love and worship the one,
true Creator.
The Creator desires that all cultures of the world, including our
Native cultures, honor him. Jesus came to make our cultures better, not take them away
from us. The Creator is pleased when people from different tribes and nations
worship him. He delights when he hears many languages and sees many customs and
ways of life being used to praise him.
We must be careful not to mix the true
worship of the Creator with the old religions that do not honor him. But at the same
time, we must not be afraid to worship the Creator with all the unique beauty and gifts
of our Native cultures.
In the Bible there is a song for Jesus that shows us
this:
"You are worthy to take the scroll and break open its seals. You are
worthy because you were put to death. With your blood you bought people for God. They
come from every tribe, language, people and nation. You have made them members of a
royal family. You made them priests to serve our God. They will rule on the earth." REVELATION
5:9-10
We can see from this song that one day all the followers of the Jesus Way
will be together in one royal family. They will live in peace in a new creation.
This is what the Jesus Way, the Creator's path of beauty, leads to.
Unfortunately,
there are some people who refuse to follow the Jesus Way. Some of these people
think the power of their ceremonies is greater than the power of Jesus. They serve
the spirits in the old way. These spirits have also refused to follow the plan of
the Creator. And it is true that they have power. But let us examine the story of
Jesus more closely to see how he dealt with these deceiving spirits. |