Living in the Spirit

August 5, 2022

Scripture Reading:

Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he set out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he stayed for a time in the land he had been promised, as in a foreign land, living in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he looked forward to the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God. By faith he received power of procreation, even though he was too old—and Sarah herself was barren—because he considered him faithful who had promised. Therefore from one person, and this one as good as dead, descendants were born, ‘as many as the stars of heaven and as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.’

All of these died in faith without having received the promises, but from a distance they saw and greeted them. They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth, for people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; indeed, he has prepared a city for them. –Hebrews 11:8-16

On July 4, 2003, the USA government procured the Louisiana Purchase from France. The land in general was west of the Mississippi River. Most of that land was inhabited by indigenous people so what we bought was the “preemptive” right to obtain “Indian” lands by treaty or by conquest, to the exclusion of other colonial powers*. Some of those indigenous people thought the land east of the Mississippi was still theirs. In 1832 the Sauk Warrior Chief Black Hawk led raids to retake parts of what is now Illinois but was eventually run back across the Mississippi River. In 1843, my third great grandfather, John William Knott, with other relatives and friends claimed land in Illinois as a land grant offered by the federal government. I never saw any records of interactions of any kind he had with indigenous people, and he most likely did not consider the people that were displaced so he could have his farm. I did find a record that said the first worship service in that area was conducted in his home.

I thought of him when I read about Abraham’s migration described above. He, too, moved to a land already inhabited. His story tells the negotiations he had with those who were there first. That was followed by fighting that to some extent continues today. We often study history written to our advantage. Manifest Destiny as land procurement was deemed to be God’s design for the New World, in most instances, to the loss of the “savages” inhabiting at the time. There indeed may have been enough land for the indigenous people and the migrants from mainly Europe. Many of those people were fleeing religious persecution or famine or poverty. We have some, but too few, instances when land-sharing was negotiated. Otherwise, we used God to justify our privilege to take whatever we wanted no matter how it impacted others. We are still doing that today.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we let greed lead us across the line of loving others as we love ourselves. Amen.

*https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Purchase

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.