Jesus and the Peace Pipe

While visiting my parents in Texas a couple of years back, I took my wife and kids out to explore an Indian shelter near Iraan. It took some effort to get up to it, but once we got there it was amazing. It had quite a view. There were still artifacts to be found, although the site had been picked through by the local museum. We were able to come away with a lot of flint chips and a stone tool. The 81 year old woman who guided us up the brushy mountain, Skoots, gave us a wonderful history of how American Indians lived in those parts. She also shared her sense of sorrow at how the American Indians were treated. After returning to Odessa, I went to some local trader posts and junk stores with my son to see what other treasures I might find. In a junk store, I came across a work by the artist Paul Calle called "Breath of Friendship" (pictured above), an oil painting of a fur trapper and Indian chief sitting enjoying a smoke on the ceremonial pipe. This custom often served as a gesture of peaceful intentions.

I suspect if Jesus was sitting down with us in such a culture, he would share in the pipe of peace, of forgiveness, of reconciliation. Forgiveness is an amazing thing to see, even more amazing to experience.

Cindy, thank you for reminding us of the Amish story of radical forgiveness. I remember watching Countdown with Keith Olberman when he covered it on his show. A clip of the show is below:





Mike