The seventh and final event of Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission took place last weekend in Edmonton. It seems very far away from me right now - both physically and mentally - but, of course, it is essential that those of us who are Canadians, those of us who are Christians, reflect on this time in our history. KAIROS offers some wonderful thoughts and reports from the weekend on their website - well worth looking at. Check out the Presbyterian Church in Canada as well.
A little closer to home, though... My parents are both Presbyterian ministers in Calgary (look for them in your Presbyterian Record this month!), and were able to attend some of the events. They offered these reflections to their congregations afterward.
There is still much to be done as we continue to seek right relationships, but so much forgiveness and grace has already moved through this process.
A little closer to home, though... My parents are both Presbyterian ministers in Calgary (look for them in your Presbyterian Record this month!), and were able to attend some of the events. They offered these reflections to their congregations afterward.
There is still much to be done as we continue to seek right relationships, but so much forgiveness and grace has already moved through this process.
“… God… reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:18
I took part this week in the hearings in Edmonton of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission regarding the Indian residential schools, and the harm they caused to many indigenous people in Canada. The story of these schools is a difficult one to listen to. It began with a policy, supported and carried out by government and church, that separated children from their parents and communities, took away their language, culture, and identity. Even worse, it extended into widespread abuse of all kinds at the hands of those who were given charge of these children.
We sat and listened to their stories, filled with pain and brokenness, expressed through tears, and left to hang there in the sacred space of the hearing. It is a shameful chapter in the history of our country and church.
But in the hearings the pain is being lifted up and acknowledged, and first steps are taken on a road to healing and recovery. As one whose life has been spent in the church, what struck me most was the generosity of some of the victims, when they said through their tears in the Churches’ Listening Circle, “I forgive you.” It was a gracious offering, and given even before many of us have come to terms with this dark side of our own past.
This should matter to us as Canadians and as part of the body of Christ, because, sadly, it is our story. The journey is not complete, but first steps have been taken. Not all are ready to forgive, but reconciliation has begun. May we be part of the healing process, and do our part to seek renewed and life-giving relationships with our aboriginal brothers and sisters.
If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1: 9
Twenty years ago this June, through the General Assembly of our church, we confessed our complicity in the Residential School System, a system designed, as one government agent said, “to take the Indian out of the child”. We confessed that we were culturally arrogant, that we demanded more than the Gospel requires and “misrepresented Jesus Christ who loves all peoples with compassionate, suffering love”. We confessed that we agreed to take the children of Aboriginal peoples from their own homes and placed them in the schools where they were deprived of their traditional ways, which resulted in the loss of cultural identity and the loss of a secure sense of self. We confessed that there were many forms of abuse in these schools. Last month I was able to spend a day at the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, meeting in Edmonton. I joined with an Anglican, United Church person and Roman Catholic and represented the Presbyterian Church in Canada at the Churches Listening Circle that day. I listened as residential school survivors told of their experiences. And I listened with deep humility and gratitude as they said to the representatives of the churches, “I forgive you”. It was a moment overflowing with grace.
