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Dear Folks:
Over the last few days, my spouse and I met my sister in the Black Hills of South
Dakota. My sister wanted to take a road trip from Cincinnati through the middle of the country, and she had some pieces from my dad’s house that we had agreed would come to me. We went to The Badlands National Park, Mt. Rushmore National Memorial, the Crazy Horse Memorial, and Wind Cave National Park. On the way home we stopped at Devil’s Tower National Monument.
Each of these geologic and human-made behemoths drew awe and wonder from us. Each of these water-, wind-, and hand-carved sculptures left us contemplating the generational time for each of them to form. The imprints of time are the striations in rock walls, fossils rising out of eroding land, and the passion and perseverance of the artists into the grandchildren’s generation. The imprints of time were also in notices for celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
The land is held sacred by many people—patriots, artists, the Lakota and other
indigenous peoples who know the Creator through these sites, families of frontiers people, mine owners, and cattle ranchers. It is a region of recreation and reverence, hospitable welcomes and hard work. There is a holiness to the area, and there is a discernable disgruntlement from different factions over land use, land rights, rites tied to the land, and the strange mix of public, private, and corporate lands. Our host told us about the iron mine a few miles from our home-away-from-home and the controversy over the proposed field office at the mine for students studying at SD School of Mines; the neighboring ranch owners do not want it, while others see it as a teaching opportunity.
Signs of creation are present in the immense mountains and caves and carvings. Signs of creation go together with recreation. We want to vacation and play in beauty, where we can behold the Creator’s hand. Even as we rest and restore, there is a call to re-create, to make artwork out of the local signs of creation and become God’s co-creators in beauty. There is a call to respect the land and use the land wisely. There is a call to learn from the land, and there is a call to share the land.
Controversies of our country are concentrated in regions of recreation where the signs of creation stand out. What energy source do we use to light our homes—water, wind, wood, coal? Who has rights to public land and for what use? What symbols and icons do we use to honor our history? Whose history? In what ways are we honoring ALL Americans, and who are we dishonoring by not giving them memorials or monuments? What constitutes patriotism and who decides?
In this season, these questions of our culture do not come with easy or obvious answers. The celebration of 250 years of independence is entwined with our need to have recreation and reverence, to steward and save our lands, and to honor the creator and creation. Awe and wonder and mystery are present. I pray for all who can remain in the mystery.
In peace and prayer,
Pastor Tony
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