Indigenous Peoples Day

 

The following creed was written by a Native American and is shared with you with their permission. You are invited to say and listen to the words as they have been offered. 

I believe in God, Creator of our unique native languages, who gifted us this identity as a distinct people through our native tongues, so that our native spiritual leaders could relay God's love to our native people who could not understand that foreign tongue called English. 

I believe in Jesus Christ, our relative, who talked of us when He said, "I have other sheep out there, besides those I have here." I believe in Jesus Christ who knew the pain of our native people who were forced from their homeland and had no place to lay their head. I believe in Jesus Christ as our Chief Cornerstone as we begin to build a new generation of native spiritual leaders. I believe in Jesus Christ who does not say "goodbye" in any language but says "I will come again." 

I believe in the Holy Spirit as tongues of fire lighting upon our native people to witness to their people and to the world, through the native song and dance. I believe in the Holy Spirit as our guide and the driving force for our native people to do a new thing as we walk a new journey, toward perfection for all humankind.