"Sundancer Christ" by Fr. John Giuliani

Most Native North American people groups have a story of how their people were created, and this story has been passed down orally for hundreds or thousands of years.

And many have a story of a Messiah-like figure who will sacrifice himself in order to deliver or bring greater enlightenment to their people. But few make the connection to Jesus Christ as both their Creator and Messiah.

The Lakota, and other nations of the Plains, have a ritual called the Sun Dance, where men will punish or sacrifice themselves by piercing their body or tearing their flesh in order to hopefully bring about a closer connection to Creator – not only for themselves but for their entire community.

On this Good Friday, I thought you’d enjoy watching a video by Rev. Larry Salway, the Lakota pastor of He Sapa New Life Wesleyan Church in Rapid City, SD.

In this video, Pastor Larry helps Lakota people see the cultural connection between what the Lakota Sun Dancer hopes to accomplish by punishing his body, and what Jesus accomplished, once and for all, through his death and resurrection. Larry calls Jesus “Chief Cornerstone” (Psalm 118:22-23; Luke 20:17, Ephesians 2:19-20), and the “Greatest Sun Dancer”.

Click here to watch the video “The Greatest Sun Dancer”.

This video is part of a series produced by Larry and Rev. Ron Jensen, who together are co-presidents of a ministry called Life Initiatives in Rapid City, SD. Life Initiatives works in partnership with He Sapa to equip mentors who come alongside people in the community who want a better life through spiritual and personal life guidance, help in finding employment and achieving self-sufficiency, and more.

Happy Easter from Wesleyan Native American Ministries!

- by Rich Avery