Thursday, July 13, 2023

Those of us in the East, most of our worship occurring in churches, have not really appreciated the way indigenous peoples, Pueblo, Hopi, Dine, and other Native groups have worshipped, out in the open, at sacred sites. Many of those sites, like Chaco Canyon, were only considered I terms of the oil and/or gas they could produce.

In spite of being declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, the area surrounding the park is full of oil rigs not only destroying the environment but endangering the health of the people who live in the area. Now, oil and gas drilling will be prohibited within 10 miles for the next 20 years.

Called Chaco Canyon by the Spanish cartographer Bernardo de Miera y Pacheco, for the word chaca, meaning a vast expanse of land, remnants of the roads and structures offer a glimpse into a time gone by when a thousand years ago, this site was as sacred to tribal communities as our churches are to us. It will take Congress to make this prohibition permanent, something long overdue.

Prayer for the Day

Searching for you, O Spirit Creator, we sometimes miss what is important,
   For we are caught by horns honking and videos playing;
Resistant to your transforming Spirit, we ignore the small subtle signs,
    For we are trapped by our need to control all around us.
Invite us into your world of the least expected, the deep quiet,
    And open us to your Spirit so we can be transformed.
In the name of the One who opens us to new life,
    Even Christ Jesus our Lord, Amen.

Thoughts for the Day

While we don’t have codices, we don’t have tablets and books, there is a language in the architecture. There is a language in the roads and in the light markings. It’s an opening for us to understand the minds of the people here.
     - Anna Sofaer, archaeologist who has studied Chaco since 1977

The events that Chaco offers provide an opportunity to understand how closely the ancient people worked with the heavens. They knew and understood things that we as a society are working to forget. Humans are made of stardust and this is a fact. The bond that is apparent between Chaco and the Universe will seduce you, and leave you wanting to re-establish your place in nature.
     - Jamie Britt, outdoor adventure guide

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth …
    Genesis 1: 1