Rapa Nui at Easter
By David R. Brock of Redmond, OR, USA
The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. -Numbers 6:24-26 NRSV
Three volcanoes, Creator God, thrust from the depths
in a long fit of fire and smoke to become,
after many millennia, one of earth’s remotest isles.
How many centuries of cooling to black barrenness
before seeds washed in on waves or dropped by errant birds
found enough nourishment to take root and thrive
for their little season? And, how many millennia
to become the home of fecundity; of flora and fauna
Polynesian sailors first looked upon as they rode the currents
on catamarans and canoes to this undiscovered shore? What
called from their unconscious depths, their heart’s longing?
What pulsed and pushed in them to create these Moai of Rapa Nui;
these silent sentinels standing watch under our planet’s daystar
and the circling unnumbered stars in a clear night sky?
And what do you feel toward the made-in-your-own-image
creatures who could, after your eons of creative cosmic work,
desecrate and destroy each other and so much God-imbued life
so quickly? Disease, deforestation, slave trade and desecration
while the Moai, those not yet toppled, kept their motionless vigil.
Now, Chile’s Isla de Pascua, Easter Island, this tiny Isle
“discovered” by a Dutchman on Easter Sunday 1722,
is still yours. We’ve re-populated, re-forested, re-civilized
and possibly repented enough to restore its beauty.
Is that enough, God, to provide a little resurrection hope
to us and to You on this Easter evening of our living,
while the sentinels stand in silent witness? AMEN.
Prayer Phrase
Spirit now live in me.
Spiritual Practice
Breathe deeply and enter a few minutes of silence. Be attentive to where you sense new life emerging in you. Search your memories of the previous day. When did you notice the sacredness of life in surprising places or forms in the world around you?
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.
