Hopeful Meditations From The Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston

I am taking many liberties here by lifting some meditations from The Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston that can be found on the Native American/Indigenous Ministries of the Episcopal Church Facebook page. I find hope here, and in most everything that Rev. Steven Charleston writes. I hope that you will find something here as well that will give you pause or move you. You will find additional meditations from Rev. Charleston if you follow the links provided, but I hope that you will like the Native American/Indigenous Ministries of the Episcopal Church Facebook page and make it part of your daily check-in.

The Episcopal Diocese of Eastern Oregon recently repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery, a major theological and democratic step forward. Please read about it here.

October 26: "I have been out walking with ghosts again, the shimmering images of my ancestors, always present, but barely visible, walking before me in the cool shadows of evening. I know better than to talk too much, for silence is the language of the sacred. Instead I listen, as any youngster should, to the wisdom of those who have seen more seasons than can be counted. I receive their thoughts like a benediction. I hold their vision in my mind like a familiar dream. Do not be afraid, they whisper, as we walk on to find the moon already waiting."

October 25: "Let the birds rise up from the wetlands, pin-wheeling through the salty sea air, sun sparkling on their wings. Let the herds walk majestically by, in long train arrayed, crossing the prairie with a dignity countless years old. Let the fish dart between the cold river rocks, silhouettes of life almost unseen, so suddenly do they turn in their weightless world. Let the human family proclaim, across the breadth of this spinning blue ball, calling out to their kin from every clan of sentient being: we see you, we need you, we honor you still."

October 24: "The door stands open. The sunlight beyond offers its invitation. The clear sky beckons. The path begins with your first step. As light as air. Unencumbered. Joyful. Come out into life with the wonder of a child. What seemed hidden is revealed. What once appeared overwhelming could now fit in the palm of your hand. You are free. Liberation is a gift of the sacred. The Spirit releases us from old constraints, old fears, and blesses us with a renewed sense of hopeful possibilities. The door stands open. Come out and be free once more."

October 23: "If I had to pick a word to describe the time in which we are living I would say: unsettling. Uncertain. Tense with expectation. Where are we going? What will happen next? We are not sure. I am not sure. Like you, I feel as if I am standing on sand. I am working hard to keep my balance. I am determined to hold on to my hope. I am confronting the unknown with something I consider to be a steady truth: human beings who care for one another are more grounded than those who do not. If there is a rock beneath the sand, it is mutual respect. Which leads to mutual learning and mutual cooperation. When we share those things, we can look uncertainty in the eye."

October 20: "I have come here today to do the manual labor of love. I have come to push back the rising mist of despair that seeks to enfold people before they realize it. Those deep shadows can roll forward when we least expect it, riding the winds of sorrow, swallowing up the light of hope. But not here. Not on my watch. I will not let them pass where I stand. I will reach out in the strength of my love to stop them. I will roll them back. I will let the light continue to shine wherever I am. I will do the labor of love for as long as it takes and for as many as I can."