The Shielding Tree | August 31, 2025 | Rev. Dr. Kathryn Benton

Hey! Lean to hear my feeble voice.

At the center of the sacred hoop

You have said that I should make the tree to bloom.

With tears running, O Great Spirit, my Grandfather,

With running eyes I must say

The tree has never bloomed

Here I stand, and the tree is withered.

Again, I recall the great vision you gave me.

It may be that some little root of the sacred tree still lives.

Nourish it then

That it may leaf

And bloom

And fill with singing birds!

Hear me, that the people may once again

Find the good road

And the shielding tree.

- Black Elk

The opening words from Black Elk flew off the page as I was contemplating what I would share for the message today. They seemed to tell the story of our time better than any others. The words are steeped in a respect for creation that, if we look deep enough, we will find in our very soul. It is the wisdom and shielding we can receive when we stand tall like the tree…when we are able to persevere through the storms of existence…rooted in the earth…flourishing only through our connections to each other.

I have been engaged in some deep conversations recently with a former student of Dr. Dorsey Blake. He has written a series of books, in part focused on Howard Thurman. His engagement with me has caused me to reflect on the legacy Dr. Dorsey Blake here at Fellowship Church and beyond…his profound influence on others, especially his students. Is this the little root of the sacred tree Black Elk spoke of?

I think most of you know my story…I was led to Dr. Dorsey Blake by his friend, Dr. J. Alfred Smith, Jr. Dr. Smith was a mentor at San Francisco State University where I was pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy and Religion. I also took a number of classes in the Black Studies Department and felt a profound shift in awareness through that experience. Being led to Dr. Blake and to this church was pivotal. It started me on a journey toward wholeness that continues today.

Dr. Blake’s student is insistent that the legacy of Dr. Blake and of Dr. Howard Thurman MUST be connected to the story and the ongoing presence of The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples. He has joined the ranks of writers that have considered Howard Thurman’s life, it’s relevance for today’s world and the part the church has played and might continue to play in that process. What I have discovered during these conversations and the broader consideration of our history and presence in the world is that no one knows this community better than those of us who have been here…some for many years, some for a few…those of us who have been part of this ‘experiment in community’…’a testing ground’ of the premise that a ‘primary exposure to another human being’ might provide an experience of unity that transcends all categories. Thurman says that ‘the experience of being understood by another is of primary importance’ and this is what the experiment of Fellowship Church was then and has been under the profoundly enriching leadership of Dr. Dorsey Blake. I would argue that this is still an experiment…an evolving crucible of the search for a common ground…a common understanding that must undergird our struggle…the common root of the sacred tree of life that connects us all.

Of the beginnings of our beloved community Thurman wrote:

For a breathless moment in time, a little group of diverse peoples was caught up in a dream as old as life and as new as a hope that just emerges on the horizon of becoming human.

It was a noble and important dream that birthed this ‘fellowship’…a dream that we are seeing dismantled at every turn in our current reality. Of course, it is a much broader dream that is being dismantled. Like in the year of this church’s inception, the time for alarm is urgent, and there are tears running. Although there may not be concentration camps, there are prisons and jails, refugee camps and detention centers designed to torture, demean and eradicate those people deemed ‘undesirable’ or perhaps ‘non-white’. The dream being dismantled and perverted is the dream that we could finally be part of a reality that included an acceptance of all people as part of humanity and as worthy of a life that honors life…that honors creation herself.

This has been a year, not only of profound and devasting violence that continues today, as evidenced by the attack on school children in Minneapolis. We are tempted to become mired in despair. It has also been a year of profound loss. There is the loss of humane treatment of our brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers…our sisters, our brothers, our loved ones. At the same time, close to home we have lost our precious Dorsey Blake. We have also lost Joanna Macy, another teacher of mine. In her honor, I would like to offer a story she shared. She was profoundly committed to life…to the facing of our time on the planet and she used this ancient scripture as a possible framing of our time…

The Shambhala Warrior prophecy, originating in Tibetan Buddhism, speaks of a time when the world faces grave danger due to humanity's destructive tendencies. It foretells the emergence of "Shambhala warriors" – ordinary individuals who, armed with compassion and insight, will work to dismantle the destructive forces from within. This kingdom is not a physical place, but rather a state of mind and heart found within these individuals.

So, these destructive forces are what must be dismantled, not our care for each other…our compassion and insight, for these are the tools that will cause the tree to bloom again. If we nurture the roots, in places like The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples, we may be able to become this type of warrior and overcome this gravely dangerous time. May we nourish and tend to the tree in the center of the Sacred Hoop of existence, That it may leaf and bloom and fill with singing birds!

Hear us, that the people may once again

Find the good road

And the shielding tree.