FEATHER: Creator God, we give you thanks for this new day and all days. We ask that you forgive our failures to heed your word and call, grant us your spirit of peace and guide us to walk in humility and with an open heart. Walk with us this day and bless us to be a blessing to all in our shared journey of life and faith. This we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
SAGE: Signs and symbols have always been relevant to our identity as children of creation. Flags, crosses, rings, regalia—these offer to all a mark of identity. I’d like to offer some reflections on an Indigenous symbol that likewise helps bring peoples and nations into unity.
The drum has been a common symbol and instrument through the ages and nations. It’s a simple instrument, yet it conveys the voices of peoples in all their complexity in story and song.
Indigenous circles of community have hand drums, the small drum of individuality. With these drums we sing our personal songs and join with others in circles of round dance songs, bringing the many together in voice and heartbeat. The great ground drum used in pow wows is the great voice of Mother Earth, creation’s heartbeat, resounding and drawing everyone to sing and dance as one in the Creator’s blessing— the blessing of a shared heartbeat.
Whether with the hand drum or ground drum, our songs go out in celebration of and unity with peoples and nationhood. Our heartbeat, the gifted drum of the Creator, is our song of life and faith, the song and beat we build and write each new day to the glory of God. It will be our unifying song and beat that we will all sing before the Creator. So today, sing your song, add to the great circle of creation and celebration. May the drumbeat of your heart be one of peace, faith and unity and a celebration of life this day. Go in peace.
