JR. Forasteros - April 25, 2021
On Deconstructing Faith
When we start to question foundational aspects of our faith, it feels scary. When others begin to question, we feel threatened. But "deconstruction," as this process has become known, is a vital part of a healthy, vibrant faith. It's a process that's not predictable and not quick. But Paul's nearly two decades between conversion and mission work offer a window into the good that comes when we trust that God is not only not threatened by questions, but working with us to have a deeper and stronger faith than ever.
From Series: "Church in the Wild"
Kanye and Jay-Z say there's no church in the wild. It's easy to see why: how often look to church as a place of safety and security - a place to find protection from the world? But the Holy Spirit drove the earliest Christians to live a bold, powerful faith. They knew that Jesus isn't behind safe walls. Jesus is at work, bring justice and peace everywhere. The question is: will we join him... in the wild?
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This sermon was written and delivered by Rev. Sonya Brown.
You’ve heard the phrase, “Representation matters!”, haven’t you? What does the lack of proper cultural representation look like? I was maybe 5 and my sister was 6. My parents were driving us back from our grandparents’ house on the Navajo Reservation. We saw a couple of tepees set up near a house. My sister and I both jumped up with excitement and said, “LOOK!” “TEPEES!” “Let’s stop there and see the Indians.” Our mom and dad said, “You both are Indians. You are Navajo!” My sister and I disagreed. “NOOOOO! We’re not Indian. “We don’t jump around and say, ‘hey, nay ya’ or ‘how.’ We don’t join war parties and raid settlers. We’re not drunken Indians who drink fire water.”
Can you guess where two little rez girls would get the idea of that type of “Indian?”
Us rez kids, who are people who grew up on a reservation set up by the United States Government, have searched and found where proper representation can happen. There was the movie Thunderheart that came out in 1992 with Graham Green and Val Kilmer. The movie Powwow Highway was released in 1988. Dance Me Outside was released in 1994. The Outlaw Josey Wales was released in 1976 and has Clint Eastwood and Chief Dan George. These are just a few that we watched growing up.
I am excited that there has been better cultural representation in television with Reservation Dogs. Sadly, Peacock canceled Rutherford Falls.
We hear about diversity at work, school, maybe church, and in daily conversations we might have with one another. The lack of diversity may go unnoticed if what you watch, participate in, or your social groups you are part of reflects your own ethnicity or cultural background.
Diversity needs to be seen. It’s nice to see diversity in television and films. It’s also much better to be included in a community that values diversity.
In that light, for this series, we wanted to bring back a beloved segment. During the pandemic, we did a “Cooking with Catalyst” video, where JR. taught us to make pasta while talking about the nature of good.
I invited JR. and Nathan to visit me so I could teach them how to make Navajo tacos, which is a dish that is a staple of Native culture all over the country. Enjoy!
The Navajo taco is the story of the Navajo people on a plate – it’s about how we used creativity and resilience to endure and thrive in the face of conquest and genocide. And it’s about how we welcome people no matter who they are or where they come from.
Navajo tacos illustrate the good news of diversity. Diversity is important because all people should be included. Diversity makes us better.
