A Grounded Faith: Reconnecting with Creator and Creation by Rev. Dr. Janet L. Parker and Rev. Solveig Nilsen-Goodin

A Grounded Faith is a Lenten Devotional that runs from Ash Wednesday to Easter Sunday and beyond. Seven authors, including pastors and ministers and other professionals from a variety of disciplines, make contributions that invite the reader to reimagine connection to creation, to each other, and ultimately, to Jesus. 

Authors include Jim Kealoha Sequeira, ordained in the Evangelical Covenant Church and serving on the Eloheh Indigenous Center for Earth Justice board, and Joshua Grace, who is an Intercultural Studies graduate from NAIITS (North American Institute of Indigenous Theological Studies).

Using Scripture as their base, the authors point out that since the settlers arrived on Turtle Island, the land has been dishonored and outright exploited. Arguing that we need to see all creation as our relative and treat it accordingly, it urges readers to fight “white supremacy” by repudiating the Doctrine of Discovery. 

To recover the health of our planet, we need to seek out Indigenous knowledge and connect with creation. As week three author Jim Kealoha Sequeira notes, “Indigenous peoples see ourselves as caretakers and stewards of the land, the Creator’s land. Indigenous peoples had no concept of owning land, which could be equated to owning a cousin, nephew, niece, or any other relative.” Tommy Airey, compels readers to consider that perhaps, “Abel’s sacrifice found divine favor because it flowed from an Indigenous pastoral nomadic lifestyle of trust—in contrast to the civilized methods of Cain, built on conquest and control. Abel and Cain represent a contest of lifeways.” Cherice Bock further encourages tillers of the land to allow the land to enjoy sabbath (Lev 25:2b-5). Michael Ellick, author of the Easter Sunday devotional, invites us to understand “that God is here, taking the form of all of us and the whole community of creation.”

This devotional is beautifully written. I recommend it for those who are seeking to engage with, or learn more about Indigenous Creation care, as well as those who are seeking a deeper connection to the land, with others, and with Father God and Jesus. 

Note: This devotional is inspired by Randy Woodley’s book, Deeply Rooted: One Hundred Days of Reconnecting with Sacred Earth and totals 7 weeks that include 98 devotional entries, ending on Easter Sunday. Obviously, there are more devotionals here than days in the Lenten period. Neither the Forward nor the Introduction explains this discrepancy, leaving the reader to draw their own conclusions. (Barclay Press)