Sweet Land I Love
Table Talk
Setting the Table
You are welcome here. Light a candle if you wish, and take a moment to center yourself where you are for a time of reflection and prayer. Give thanks for something that you are carrying with you into this moment.
Consider all that has occupied the land where you live. Think of the stories that have given life to the place you call home.
We are more than the sum of our parts,
All these broken bones and broken hearts.
God, will you keep us wherever we go?
Can you forgive us for where we've been?
We Americans.
- The Avett Brothers
Psalm 89:14
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; steadfast love and faithfulness go before you.
Micah 6:8
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Food For Thought
Recently, my husband and I made an impulsive decision to invest in a small camper. We started our camping adventures with a couple of local campgrounds, but then I was ready to GO! We planned a summer trip to visit Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Memorial in South Dakota. A total of seven stops in just over two weeks!
As we made our way across our country, the screens that typically distracted us were replaced with the most breathtaking landscapes. Oceans of green hills, crystal clear lakes, bright blue skies that framed majestic mountain peaks. I found it interesting, funny even, when we would be coasting through a wide open plain and suddenly we’d happen upon a small town that seemed to appear out of nowhere. I would wonder to myself, “How did this place come to be?”
I am not sure if you've played the game Oregon Trail, but I started to picture all of the pioneers that must have crossed these very lands centuries ago. Even still, my mind wondered further to the indigenous people that occupied this land long before the pioneers made their journey west. What that must have been like—for others to step foot on the land they called home and claim it as their own?
It’s as if I could feel in my bones the dichotomy of what lay all around me: the beautiful and the painful.
When we arrived at Mount Rushmore, I was absolutely awestruck by the magnificent rocks of granite and the sheer accomplishment of the memorial—masterpieces of both God and man, side by side. The first stop on the park trail was a Youth Exploration Area where they had bright, beautifully colored tepees on display for visitors to walk through. As we made our way over, we noticed a man setting up for his presentation.
He was one of the park rangers and a descendent of Chief Red Cloud of the Lakota tribe. He began telling us about the history of the rock itself and the land around it, and he shared stories from his traditions.
He shared how his grandfather was a great warrior and an important leader of his tribe. He also explained how the rock where Mount Rushmore was carved had been a burial ground for his people. For generations, people from the Lakota tribe would travel for miles to this sacred place to lay their loved ones to rest.
It was another reminder of the complicated history of this land. And yet, as he shared his stories, he reminded us that it is the passing along of these stories—the sharing of our history—that allows our legacy to live on. It is how we learn from one another and how we move forward together.
Our country’s history is one that, on the one hand, holds stories of great pain and hurt, while on the other hand, holds stories of reconciliation and movement toward progress. And we must tell these stories together. We must remind ourselves who we have been, so that we can honestly see who we also have the potential to become.
When my family and I were at the Crazy Horse Memorial, I saw my daughter’s eyes sparkle as she watched a young girl, not much older than she, dance to the traditional music of her tribe. I am boundlessly grateful for this sharing of cultures, and for this country that, even with its complicated history and present, I am proud to call home as we strive toward its ideals of freedom and equality for all people.
This is the gift of freedom. The freedom to live in community, bringing our many stories, our cultures and religious practices into communion with one another. To learn from one another, to be changed by one another’s stories, to work for the good of our neighbors, and to move forward, knowing better and doing better because of those that came before us.
Take a walk around your neighborhood and strike up a conversation with a neighbor. Discover something new about them that maybe you hadn’t known before.
Learn something new about the place you live. Look up your home’s history, or ask a neighbor who knew the previous owners. If you built your home, learn something new about the land.
For a printable version of today's reflection Click Here!
For the Summer of Welcome Kids! reflection Click Here!
For the Summer of Welcome Kids! activity sheet Click Here!
Blessing
Loving God,
You are God of freedom and restoration, God of the beautiful and the painful alike. You created us for one another, so that we could love and be loved, so that we could teach and be taught. Help us to remember that when we are open to one another, we gain a better understanding of the vastness of your love.
Amen.
A little Table Talk for your table...
This week, discuss together what freedom has come to mean to you.
Talk together about the complexities of history. What do you feel are the beautiful parts of our story? What do you have questions about?
Share a time where you learned something new from a friend—something you may not have known had you not listened to their experience.
Try taking it to the Kids Table...
Ask your kiddos to share what they think freedom means to them.
Talk together about how vibrant and beautiful sunsets often appear after a storm. Discuss that there are sometimes beautiful things that come from difficult situations.
Draw or paint a sunset together. As you paint each color and detail, talk about how important each detail is to the picture—each brush of color, each cloud, each tree or rooftop, or bird. Each detail helps make the whole picture complete.
Meet This WEek’s Writer...
The Welcome Table Team - We are “The Bunce Girls!” Originally from Lexington, North Carolina, we were raised surrounded by music, justice, and faith. We spent most of our Sunday afternoons gathered around an open table with family and friends where the food was plentiful, stories and laughter connected our hearts, and where the presence of each individual was held sacred. It’s those moments that have inspired The Welcome Table.
To hear more from TWT Team throughout the week, follow along on our Instagram!