Rev. Steven Charleston Episcopal Bishop,

Academic and Member of the Choctaw Nation

 Kindred in Christ,

As we approach Indigenous Peoples Day, this Sunday we continue our worship series All Creation Sings, celebrating the sacred kinship that connects us to each other and to all of creation.

Psalm 148 calls on the heavens and the earth, sun and moon, mountains and trees, and even the creatures of the wild to praise the Lord. All creation sings! In our Gospel reading, Jesus heals ten men, yet only one returns to give thanks. Gratitude opens the heart—not just to God, but to one another, and even to those we might consider outsiders.

Together we will reflect on some words shared by Bishop Steven Charleston, a Choctaw elder and Episcopal Bishop, who reminds us:

“There seems to be a growing understanding of the kinship of all life, which, as you know, Indigenous people have long understood.”

By listening to Indigenous wisdom, we discover new dimensions of God’s presence, the meaning of kinship, and the sacredness of all creation.

Join us this Sunday as we return in gratitude, open our hearts to kinship, and join all creation in praising our Creator.

Alongside you,

Pastor Paul Ortiz