Our Ministry

Mark 11:23-24

"I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but belives that what he says will happen it will be done for him.  Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

I open with a story of a time that has long since passed.  A tale that has filtered  its way through the family trees of my community and which still, to this day, holds an elevated position as it rolls off the tongues of those who tell of the events that follow.  The legend is said to have taken place in the winter months.

The story begins with a storm of such magnitude it prevented the fishermen, hunters and gatherers of the community from getting what was needed to outlast the weather.  It was not long before the food storage baskets became scarce and eventually empty.  With these hard times upon them, the people were concerned and desperate to find an end to all they were suffering.  With no food and no end in sight, a man from one of the villages set off and journeyed up the mountain to pray for the much needed help required for his people to survive the winter.  It was there as he prayed that the man was surrounded by a storm that never cleared.  As the weather worsened he came to realize what he was experiencing was caused by the activities of the Thunderbird.  This mythical being was thought by our people to be a gigantic Indian.  This giant lived on the highest mountains, and his food consisted of whales.  He puts on a garment consisting of a birds head, a pair of immense wings, and a feather covering for his body; around his waist he tied lightning fish.  This animal had a head as sharp as a knife, and a red tongue which made fire.  The Thunderbird having arranged himself spread his wings and sailed over the ocean till he saw a whale.  He killed it by darting the serpents down into the whales body, which he then swiped in his powerful claws and carried away.  But to the man's surprise as he watched from the mountain top the Thunderbird brought the whale to the village and returned to his dwelling high in the mountains.  With an end now in sight the man returned home from praying on the mountain to tell the people what he witnessed.  It is because of these events that our people were able to survive that cold and unforgiving winter.

I tell you of these events because I was asked recently; "With our review on the religious world of the New Testament, think of the religious backgrounds of the people in the community where you serve.  List the qualities of their backgrounds that seem to provide a barrier to sharing the Gospel with them.  Then come up with ways you might be able to turn these walls into doors."  Now it's a well known fact that Native Americans and the church have a dark history, a past that can be seen and felt to this day. However, in order to open doors to the cultural understanding of Biblical truth, links between the two have to be made.  With this Thunderbird story I linked the two with this Scripture from Psalms 74:12-14 "But you, O God, are my king from of old; you bring salvation upon the earth.  It was you who split open the sea by your power; you broke the heads of the monster in the waters. It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave him as food to the creatures of the desert."

Stories of the Pacific Northwest Tribes are full of morals and values, many of which mirror Biblical teachings.  I pray that those in my community can see and seek the work and grace of God through this story and others like it, that the walls of the past which were built to distance the church, may be turned into doors and opened with loving hearts and minds.

*Artwork by Doug Zilke (Haida)