Photo by Johannes Plenio on Unsplash
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be reflections of your word to us this morning. In Christ Jesus we pray, Amen.
What does Creator’s good road look like in the context of Truth and Reconciliation? Isn’t that what we all want to know? When I listen to this passage in the Indigenous translation, I imagine a road lined with trees. Some trees are big enough to provide shade for healing, strong enough to be climbed to see higher and farther, mature enough to offer fruit for nourishment. Some are still little sprouts, with only enough roots to support the seed head poking through the ground. Along the way there are seeds in the ground, freshly planted and germinating out of sight. God’s good road is so inviting - the language alone draws me in. How do we know when we’re on that road? When we’re walking it? When we’re inviting others to join us?
Perhaps we can begin by reflecting on what seeds we’ve already planted around Truth and Reconciliation. I don’t suggest this to simply help make us feel-good about what we’ve done and are doing. My intention is not to have us look at ourselves with rose coloured glasses. Rather, I suggest this because I think some of us feel frozen about how to engage with the Truth and Reconciliation process. Some of us long and ache and pray to know what to do or for some opening that will invite us in. Some of us feel like we don’t know where to find seeds and don’t know where to find a suitable place to plant them. So my intention is to help us to see what we’ve already sown, what we’re already capable of, who we already are, and encourage us to continue on this road.
One thing we do whenever we gather is to acknowledge the land - we did it this morning. In what way is that an example of planting a seed? I have some thoughts, and if you have some additional ones, just raise your hand and you’re welcome to share. Primarily, the land acknowledgement is a public reminder that we’re gathering on stolen land. The acknowledgement brings that reality into our awareness again and again. We get used to hearing it - hopefully not so much that we stop listening - rather we allow it to sink in, process it, and allow it to have an impact on us. (other thoughts?) People say that acknowledging the land isn’t enough . . . I agree. It’s not enough. It is a beginning and the practice contributes to our readiness to take another step.
We also hang orange shirts and red dresses at the front of our church and we wear them on our bodies. As Chief Everson said, these symbols evoke emotions, thoughts, and questions. They keep the issues in our awareness. They communicate to us and the neighbourhood our values and commitments.
We also signed the 2016 Critical Incident Response Protocol. At least two of our members attended the ceremony and this gift (gesture toward framed picture) hangs in the room where our church leaders have meetings. I’ve been staring at this image for almost 2 years and I didn’t know its meaning or why it was hanging there. Did anyone else also notice it and wonder? When Bruce Curtis, who helped to organize the witnessing event, told me about the image and why we were gifted it, the image came alive for me. In the language of the church, this image tells us that we are in a covenantal relationship, a sacred agreement, with the other organizations, including the Komox First Nation about how we can walk a good road together and respond to racism, hate, and queer-phobia.
What other seeds have we planted? Raise a hand if you have something to share.
Some people from CxU and CVUF studied the history of colonialism in North America??
With these seeds we’ve planted and tended in our community practice, we have a new baseline, a new starting place. So, what’s next? What might it look like to take some more steps along God’s good road of Truth and Reconciliation?
We still have a lot to learn, and while we all enjoy hearing live speakers, there are many print and video resources available to us. One thing Bruce Curtis suggested is to learn the local history. How many here know the history of the Komox First Nation? I don’t know it, but was given a short history with links to a longer one, which I’m slowly working through. There are paper copies on the welcome table that you can pick up after the service and we’ll put links in the newsletter. Learning the local history changes our lens on this place we call home.
Other ideas about next steps?
Another seed that is available to us is to go to North Island College and take a Kwakwala language class . . . if I could be so bold, there is no more foundational and profound way to learn a culture than through their language.
T&R is a process. I think staying on the road looks like doing our best to continue the practices that are accessible to us, and continue to be open to learning, to building friendships, to even more helpful and supportive practices. We walk this road together. Thanks be to God.