It’s been quite a week hasn’t it? For my British friends in particular, the coronation of King Charles III took centre stage and provided all of us with an incredible spectacle. I watched it with a mixture of delight and despair. I loved the pomp and ceremony and the strong affirmation of Christian faith while emphasizing the need to embrace people of all faiths and all cultures. I loved that Welsh, Scottish Gaelic and Irish Gaelic were all incorporated into the service, but like so many I grieve the impact of conquest and colonialism initiated by Kings and Queens of the past that devastated peoples and cultures, around the world including the Welsh, Irish and Scottish cultures. As I listened to the Welsh prayer, I remembered talking to a Welsh theologian in the mid 1990s who still struggled with how the English sought to annihilate his culture and customs.
The British Monarchy was not alone in its history of colonial conquest and genocide of Indigenous people. In many parts of the world the figure of the barbaric savage wandering the landscape aimlessly in search of food was manufactured to facilitate the theft of tribal lands. Here in the U.S. there was a deliberate policy to destroy the wild gardens native peoples cultivated, and slaughter the great herds of the plains they relied on for food. This made it easier to force Indigenous peoples onto reservations, often hundreds of miles away from their ancestral homelands. Even in Australia, I grew up with movies about the “savage” Indians who killed the white settlers.
My Meditation Monday: The Spiritual Practice of Changing Perspectives this week talked about the need to change the way we look at the world around us. It seemed very appropriate after watching the coronation. I talk about the need for more awe and wonder in our lives, which is a great place to start as it draws us out of ourselves and toward others and inspires pro-social behavior like generosity and compassion. We live in a changing world and need to change our perspectives on so many things in order to move forward in a way that will bring light and life and love into all we see and do.
Over the weekend 2 posts appeared on Godspace that I was too busy gardening and watching the coronation, to publicize. The first was the beautiful Taize style worship at St Andrews Episcopal Church. The second was a repost of another Mother’s Day focused article: Honouring Our Mothers which provides a number of creative ways to honour our mothers living or dead. I created a photo album for my Mum’s 90th birthday which I still love to look at on her birthday every year.
Freerange Friday last week was a guest post written by Hailey Scandrette. Reaching for Connections is a must read as I think we see in her comment “I truly believe that pursuing connection is a radical practice that grounds us in our own humanity in ways that can shift how we see ourselves and how we show up to the world around us. “
Our most popular post last week was Biblical Maternal Images of God in which I weave liturgy and scripture together. I produced the video several years ago, and love watching it each year. It makes me feel I am embraced by the God who is both mother and father to us.
May you too keep your eyes and ears open this week to the ways that God would challenge your perspectives on the world. Let me end with a prayer that might help with this.
Breathe in the peace of God,
Let it take root in the depths of your soul.
May your spirit grow and blossom,
And give fruit in its season.
Fruit to nourish the life of others,
And bring light wherever you go.
Many blessings
Christine Sine
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