SERMON
On June 2, 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission issued 94 Calls to Action. The Calls are to governments, churches and all Canadians to re-set the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. 42 Calls to Action are titled “Legacy.” They deal with the impacts of residential schools. 52 Calls to Action are titled “Reconciliation.” They provide foundation stones for building a new, just relationship. In worship, we honour God’s call to seek, to encounter, and to know God. We have been given the ministry of reconciliation. We pray that God opens our hearts to the calls for reconciliation.
I used to be the presbytery lead on a project called Cedar Tree Ministries it is a church planting effort that is raising churches on reservations on Vancouver Island. In that role I once attended a conference. We were asked who we got there, to the conference. I went first, I took less than 30 seconds explaining how I mostly wasn’t sure what I was doing there. Everyone else took an hour each, they told stories of abuse and evil the likes of which I have never heard in person. It was incredible, it was holy, what happened in that room was sacred and eye opening. On a more personal note my family fostered a young First Nations Child for a while and saw first hand how the systems are working, or not as it may be. My links to this topic lead me to use this sermon is written by the PCC to help us to earnestly and lovingly recognize the Presbyterian role in the past, to repent, and to look forward in hope. I have changed things a tiny bit, but do not take credit for putting this together.
We are broken people living in broken relationships. Sin alienates us from each other, and separates us from God. But the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ is that in him, our woundedness may be healed. Our sins are forgiven. We are called to build the world as God would have it be. In Jesus Christ, the barriers of separation come down. Just as Christ reconciles us to God, let us work for reconciliation with our sisters and brothers.
The Residential Schools System existed for 130 years. The Presbyterian Church in Canada ran 11 schools. After 1925 the church ran two schools: Cecilia Jeffrey in Kenora, Ontario and Birtle in Western Manitoba. In the 1990s survivors began talking about their experiences at residential schools. This took courage and strength.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission concluded six years of work in 2015. The Commission gathered 7,000 statements and heard from anyone who wished to speak about how they were affected by residential schools. Statements were gathered from former students, and members of their families, and communities. Statements were also gathered from former teachers, health care workers, church members, and school staff. These stories are part of the public record and cannot be silenced, ignored or denied. Many survivors have not shared their stories. 4,000 students died at school.
As survivors tell their stories and more people hear them the weight of this history is carried on more shoulders. On May 31, 2015, 10,000 people walked through the streets of Gatineau into Ottawa by the Parliament buildings and on to the Human Rights Monument. This was a public declaration that reconciliation matters to Canadians. Presbyterians from across Canada were part of this public witness. Today, we read aloud the Calls to Action which tell us in concrete ways how we can live out the ministry of reconciliation.
After reading these calls we will have a time of prayer committing each of them into God’s hands.
The PCC suggests a preacher use only a couple of these. I do not want us to save time that way, I want to read most of them. The weight of the past is enormous, the children who suffered and are suffering deserve our attention, we can take the time to read these calls and to pray about them, an in some cases where it is in our power, to act on them.
Call 4
We call upon the federal government to enact Aboriginal child-welfare legislation that establishes national standards for Aboriginal child apprehension and custody cases and affirms the right of First Nations governments to establish their own child welfare agencies. Child welfare agencies and courts should take into account the legacy of residential schools in their decisions, and offer culturally appropriate environments for children in agency care.
Let us work for reconciliation.
Call 8
We call upon the federal government to eliminate the funding discrepancy between children being educated on reserves in schools paid for by the federal government and children in provincially run schools.
Let us work for reconciliation.
Call 14
We call upon the federal government to enact an Aboriginal Languages Act that outlines the value of Indigenous languages in Canadian society and revitalizes Aboriginal languages and culture.
Let us work for reconciliation.
Call 18
We call upon federal, provincial, territorial, and Aboriginal governments to acknowledge that the current state of Aboriginal health is a direct result of Canadian government policies including residential schools.
Let us work for reconciliation.
Call 38
We call upon the federal, provincial, territorial, and Aboriginal governments to commit to eliminating the overrepresentation of Aboriginal youth in custody over the next decade.
Prayer
Let us work for reconciliation.
Call 41
We call upon the federal government to investigate the causes of, and remedies for, the disproportionate victimization of Aboriginal women and girls.
Let us work for reconciliation.
Call 48
We call upon churches and other faith and interfaith social justice groups to formally adopt and comply with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a framework for reconciliation.
Let us work for reconciliation.
Call 59
We call upon churches to develop ongoing education strategies to ensure that their respective congregations learn about their church’s role in colonization and in residential schools, and why apologies are necessary.
Let us work for reconciliation.
Call 60
We call upon church leaders, in collaboration with Indigenous spiritual leaders, Survivors and theology schools to develop and teach curriculum for students, clergy, and those who work in Aboriginal communities on the need to respect Indigenous spirituality in its own right. It should include the history and legacy of residential schools, the roles of the churches in that system, the history and legacy of religious conflict in Aboriginal families and communities, and the responsibility that churches have to mitigate such conflicts and prevent spiritual violence.
Let us work for reconciliation.
Call 61
We call upon church parties to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement, in collaboration with Survivors and representatives of Aboriginal organizations,
to establish permanent funding to Aboriginal people for projects that will further community-controlled healing and reconciliation, culture and language revitalization, education and leadership development.
Let us work for reconciliation.
Call 71
We call upon all chief coroners and provincial statistical agencies that have not provided their records to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission on the deaths of Aboriginal children in the care of residential school authorities to make these records available to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.
Let us work for reconciliation.
Call 83
We call upon the Canada Council for the Arts to establish, as a funding priority, a strategy for Indigenous and non-Indigenous artists to undertake collaborative projects and produce works that contribute to reconciliation.
Let us work for reconciliation.
Call 93
We call upon the federal government, in collaboration with national Aboriginal organizations, to revise the information kit for newcomers to Canada and its citizenship test to reflect a more inclusive history of the diverse Aboriginal people of Canada, including the Calls to Action, information about the Treaties and the history of residential schools.
Let us work for reconciliation.
There are signs of hope, there are actions of Love, like Joey Cho who I worked with in the Cowichan Valley he spends 70 hours a week—and rarely ever takes a week off— teaching folks they have dignity and are worthy, he finds volunteer hair dressers and photographers to take portraits, he tries to offer some material and provisional needs but far more importantly he tries to teach them they are wreaths of love, dignity and respect. As a Korean of a certain age Joey’s own story helps his ministry, the story of Japan invading Korea and operating schools where hair was cut off and language beaten out… Joey is but one of many Presbyterians across Canada responding to the call for reconciliation. This is the healing and reconciliation ministry of our church. This is our story. With Jesus, the great Reconciler, we are walking toward right relationships in Canada. We may do so with humble hearts and God’s help.
Prayer
God, you love your children and gave your only son to overcome the alienation of sin and brokenness. You know the agony of separation between parent and child. Indigenous children in the care of child welfare agencies are separated from their family. We pray for the wisdom that will see parents and children together in strong healthy families.
God of wisdom, you have given us minds to know you; we receive all knowledge and understanding from you. Your son was found as a boy sitting among the leaders listening, learning, and asking questions. We pray that
all your people will be treated equally and fairly, so that they have the same access to education.God of diversity, in tongues of fire you blessed your disciples with the gift
of different languages, that all people may know you, and speak to you in words of praise. Teach us to love diversity as you do. Stoke fires that rekindle Indigenous languages.Healing God, when Jesus touched a dead man, he came alive. When Jesus spoke to a lame man, he walked. He blessed a woman whose sick child was healed. The wounds of racism scar our communities. We pray for policies that close the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and reduce the disproportionate levels of illness amongst Indigenous people.
God of justice, shine a light on Indigenous legal traditions and the treaties. We pray for law makers, law enforcers, lawyers and arbiters. Remind us that treaties are sacred agreements for sharing resources and living together on the land you created.
God of freedom, your son is visited whenever we are with those who are in prison. Open our eyes to injustice. Open our hearts to be compassionate with those who feel hopeless. Strengthen us to work for justice and reconciliation.
God of love and care, you know what it is to lose a child to violence and murder. We pray for missing women; for violated women; for abused women; and for murdered women, whose families need the truth.
Creator God, the kingdom Jesus preached about challenged the political, economic and social values of the dominant culture. Give us ears to hear our brothers and sisters. Give us eyes to see you in our neighbors. Give us strength to work together to realize the world you would have us build here and now.
God of reason and understanding, we love to talk about theology, but sometimes our talk leads to actions of violence, not love. Sometimes our practices divide rather than reconcile. Lead us to face the truth of the past and to work for peace in the future. Remind us that confession from the heart leads to healing of the heart; that words of truth build trust. Stir us to respond to your longing for a new creation to heal and restore the circle of your people.
God, source of light and wisdom, soften our hearts and lower our defenses. Give us a retentive and honest memory, a willingness to learn about difficult and new things, and an ability to discern your voice calling us to follow you.
Almighty God, we ascribe to you power and might, but we like to take power
in our own hands. You govern with justice and mercy; but too often we control and limit, believing we are being faithful to you. Sharpen our vision so we may catch a glimpse of you in the places we prefer to ignore or forget and when you are fully among the people we are tempted to dismiss.God of Peace, we pray for the families and communities whose children
went to residential school and never came home. We give thanks for the
work of historians, archivists, and community groups that are seeking to have residential schools cemeteries maintained and to identify the children who are buried there. Bring peace to families whose children never came home.Creative God, we give thanks for the creative expression of Indigenous artists, musicians, writers, poets, dancers, film makers, story tellers. We give thanks for artists who are recapturing lost traditions and passing on artistic and creative knowledge and inspiration to a new generation.
Compassionate God, hear the words of denial, doubt and defense in our hearts, words like:
Why do we keep talking about this?
I don’t think this has anything to do with me. I was not part of this history.
This is overwhelming.
What can we do now?Healing God, your children are hurting. Hear the cries of all people who carry heavy burdens.
Moment of Silence
Let us work for reconciliation. Amen.