The Lord's Prayer

In this archival video from 1984,  John performs the Lord's Prayer in Indian Sign Language, and as always, is bringing people together, in quiet grace. Heartfelt and a great reminder that we are all the same.

Transcript:

"..is like a prayer to me. Music is like a prayer. Certainly all that we see in dear Mother Nature is like a prayer.   So I would like to lend a prayer to this evening.  

I've had the privilege of meeting a group of men over the last couple of years who call themselves the Durango Mountain Caballeros. One of them is a fellow whose name is Dick Spencer, and Dick like my son Zachery, is half blooded Indian.  Dick taught me how to say the Lord's Prayer in Indian Sign Language.   I would like to share it with you; I think the language of the hands is very, very beautiful and quite Universal. 

And so they say:

Our, which means all of us, Our Father, the Mother is with a breast.

Our Father which art, like which one, huh? Which art in heaven.

Hallowed, now the Indians didn't really have a word for holy so what that got to be for them was the mind connecting with the Spirit.

Hallowed be thy name, Watatache, how are you called? 

Thy Kingdom, now Kingdom was not a word in the Indian dictionary.  What that got to be for them was Holy Tepee.  Thy Kingdom come, thy way be done, on Earth the same as it is in Heaven.  

Give, Give us this day our daily bread, like patting the loaves, huh?  

And forgive us our trespasses.  Now trespasses was interesting for the Indians, what that got to be was stealing under the cover of darkness.   Forgive us our trespasses the same as we forgive those who trespass against us. 

And lead us not into temptation (chuckles) I like that. You can't say it this way, folks, it's got to be ....

But deliver us from evil, and evil you cast forcefully away from you and to the side and a little bit in front. You don't throw it behind you because it's liable to sneak up on you some other day.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power (pounds fists), it's the same everywhere, and forever, huh? 

And the Glory, the glory of it all,  

Forever is the sun rolling across the sky, forever and ever and ever, Amen."

[Shared for inspirational and educational purposes only. Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research.]