Thought for Today
Genesis 16:11 And the angel of the Lord said to her, "Now you have conceived and shall bear a son; you shall call him Ishmael, for the Lord has given heed to your affliction.
Genesis 17:19 God said, "No, but your wife Sarah shall bear you a son, and you shall name him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.
Matthew 8:11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven,
Hebrews 11:20 By faith Isaac invoked blessings for the future on Jacob and Esau.
When I logged on to my iPad this morning, the calendar on my home page told me that today is Columbus Day and also Indigenous Peoples Day. Admittedly, when and where I grew up, today would have been known only as October 14th. In the Texas of my youth, Columbus Day paled in comparison with March 2nd (Texas Independence Day), April 21st (San Jacinto Day) and, most of all, Rodeo Day (celebrating the opening of the Houston Rodeo and THE PARADE).
We never live in the world in which we grow up. The world always moves on in time and sometimes we move on geographically. In New England, Columbus Day was for many years a major holiday. “As of 2024, some 29 states do not celebrate Columbus Day and have renamed it or replaced it with Indigenous Peoples Day. Some states recognize Indigenous Peoples Day via proclamation, while others treat it as an official holiday.” (www.history.com)
Sadly, far too often, we are unable to accommodate and celebrate the various constituent cultures which have brought the U.S.A. to what it is today. Think for a minute of what we think of as American food. Is there any food more closely associated with the U.S.A. than pizza? Dough topped with marinara sauce, pepperoni and cheese . . . and often much more. Traditionally it is thought of as originating in Italy. Yet, “The origin of tomatoes can be traced back to ancient Mesoamerica and the region of modern-day Mexico where it was first cultivated by indigenous peoples living here, such as the Aztecs and Mayans.” (historycooperative.org). I have read that some believe the whole idea originated among the Roman troops garrisoned in the Roman province of Syria during the 1st century CE, the time of Christ. Without both the Italians and the indigenous peoples of the western hemisphere, we would not have that most American of foods. Pizza is a most fortuitous blending of the contributions of 2 very different cultures.
As a Christian, I immediately take at least 2 suggestions from this whole idea of blending cultures. First, we probably should have pizza for lunch or dinner. Secondly, more seriously, maybe we should take a lesson from something as simple as consideration of the various cultural components of our dietary habits and apply it to the greater world around us.
Unless you have somehow managed to go completely “off the grid,” you know that our own country is embroiled in several contentious disputes right now, including the simple issue of what to call October 14th. Maybe the Indigenous Peoples and the Italian Americans could have a joint parade, recognizing and celebrating the contributions of each to what it means today to be a citizen of the U.S.A. At the same time, maybe all of us in this country should stop for a minute and remember that the very first word in that acronym is “United!” We should all celebrate that which unites us , not that which divides us.
And, on a global scale, maybe the descendants of Ishmael and of Esau should sit down with the descendants of Isaac and Jacob and think about what should unite them instead of trading rockets, missiles and bullets over what divides them. They are all cousins, distant cousins, but still cousins. Incidentally, their common ancestors were probably the originators of the flat breads that those later Roman garrison troops used as a base for their lunch, thereby giving all of us pizza. Something they and we should all celebrate together on October 14th. Wouldn’t our world be a much better place if everyone would trade recipes instead of angry words and violence!!
Stay safe, remember that we are all children of God, trust God,
Pastor Ray