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When I grew up it was not uncommon to hear stereotypes of First Nations people talked about. I would hear people saying that “they need to get themselves together”, or casually wonder, blindly and without any true desire to learn, why some dealt with drug and alcohol addictions or would lose their children to the foster system. I remember clearly learning about settling and our rich history of goods and trades and how it was taught with such pride for our accomplishments. I have no memory of learning about residential schools in school. Ashamedly, it was only once my kids started school and had Orange Shirt Day that my ears really started to perk up and say, “wait what?” 

It’s now been two weeks since the discovery of the 215 children’s bodies - it’s tempting to sink back into our normal routines, comforts and blissfully ignorant way of life. We can’t. We can’t let our indigeneous brothers and sisters continue to live in the trauma that we, yes WE, created. We can point fingers and blame all we want, but at some point we have to face the ugly truth that all that was done was done in the name of Jesus. Deplorable. Despicable. Cowardly. Hateful. Corrupted. Perverse. Malicious. Murderous. Evil. These words have been attached to the name of Jesus and his Church.

Of course, we know that this is a gross misrepresentation and the exact and complete opposite of who Jesus is. We know that He is Peace, Love, Joy; that He offers true freedom from all iniquities and sin. We know that He came so that we may know the Father, Creator, in the way it was intended - in a deep and close relationship. 

“The thief comes only to steal, kill and destroy, but I have come that you may have life and life in abundance.” John 10:10 

So, how do we move forward? How do we convince a world who has experienced “Jesus” in a hateful way that He is actually everything they’ll ever need? How do we move forward when our forefathers acted more like the “thief”  rather than Jesus? We start by being present.

There have been so many occasions where one of our children has hurt their sibling and while they’re still obviously crying and in pain, the offender (or one of the other kids who’s just standing there watching!) says to them, “well you know, next time you should….” or, “it couldn’t have hurt that bad…” or they stand there saying “I’m SORRY! I SAID I’M SORRRRRRY!!!” and get offended that the person they hurt isn’t listening! Us as parents have to step in and teach our kids how it’s completely counterproductive to correct a hurting person for the very real pain that they are experiencing. We need to sit with them, comfort them, listen to them, understand where it hurts, bind up the wound, offer a drink of water. Be. There. For. Them.

Friends, our siblings are hurting. Our indigenous brothers and sisters are reeling in very real pain. Healing will happen when we listen, learn, when we mourn with those who mourn, when we acknowledge the pain and become familiar with it. This week I reached out (not as a pastor, but as a fellow human) to someone who has indigenous heritage. It was an honour to hear her family story, her grandfather escaping a residential school at just 7 years old, her grandmother becoming chief of the Stó:lō Nation and so much more. When I asked her how we move forward she said that it starts with each one of us. If we all do something then change will happen. My question to you is, what can you do this week to actively be a part of change? Who can you reach out to? Who can you listen to? 

Let’s play an active and intentional role in the continuing story of Canada. Wouldn’t it be amazing if in 100 years the history books read, “BUT THEN, in 2021 they finally heard, they made right their wrongs and moved forward as one whole people celebrating heritage and diversity.”

With love,

Pastor Laura