One God, one earth, one humanity

John 1:1–18

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. 15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, today we gather not just in a building, but on sacred ground. This land, which we now call Muskoka, has long been home to Indigenous nations. Today, on the National Day of Indigenous Peoples, we honour their presence, history, and wisdom.
 
We also listen to the Word of God through the prophet Amos: “Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.” (Amos 5:24) And to the Gospel of John: “In the beginning was the Word… and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:1,14) These Scriptures call us not only to believe, but to embody justice, to live as people among whom the Word has taken flesh.
 
One God: The Word Who Created and Entered Creation. John reminds us that all things were made through Christ. Not just churches and temples, but rivers and forests, animals and nations, peoples and languages. And this same divine Word became human, incarnate, not to dominate but to dwell, to live among all peoples, in all cultures. He did not come to erase diversity, but to redeem and celebrate it. In Jesus, we see the God who sits with the Samaritan, heals the Gentile, and listens to the cries of the marginalised. This is the foundation for our hope and the pattern for our church.
 
One Earth: The Sacredness of Land and the Witness of the Buffalo. The buffalo is a powerful image of this harmony. In Indigenous worldviews, the buffalo represents provision, dignity, and balance. It gave food, shelter, tools, and sacred meaning to communities that took only what they needed and gave thanks. The near extinction of the buffalo reminds us of what happens when the sacred balance is broken by greed, colonisation, or disregard for creation. But the river of righteousness, like the buffalo, reminds us: this earth is not ours to exploit. It is ours to share. It is God’s earth. And that truth invites us to walk differently in Muskoka, to learn from Indigenous neighbours, to respect the land, and to build a new kind of church together.
 
When Amos proclaims, “Let justice roll,” he is not calling for charity; he’s calling for right relationships. Today, part of our response as a church is to become intentionally intercultural. Not multicultural as in many groups sharing space, but intercultural, where we listen to each other, learn from each other, and are transformed by each other in Christ.
 
This is the vision for New Hope Free Methodist Church in Muskoka: A church where Indigenous and settler, immigrant and local, walk together. A church where language, culture, and story are seen as gifts from God. A church that repents of injustice, learns humility, and moves toward reconciliation.
 
To be an intercultural church in Muskoka is to proclaim: there is one humanity, made in the image of one God, living on one sacred earth. It is to say, "You belong here", whether you are Cree, Colombian, Filipino, French, Brazilian, or born in Bracebridge. This is not just an idea; it is a Gospel calling.
 
The Word and the River Meet Here. So, friends, what does it mean for us today? It means that we cannot separate spiritual truth from social justice. If the Word has become flesh and dwells among us, then we must see Christ in our neighbour, especially the neighbour who has been silenced, forgotten, or wounded by history.
 
It means we must let the river of justice flow into our church, our land, and our hearts. And it means New Hope Free Methodist Church is being called by the Spirit to be a river church, a place where grace flows freely, where stories are honoured, and where one God, one earth, and one humanity are not just words, but a way of life.