Bible Text: Mark 4:35-41 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes
A few summers ago while on a trip of a life time through one of Canada’s wonders, the islands of Haida Gwaii, Mike and I had the opportunity to visit some of the former village sites now part of Gwaii Hanaas National Park. The park is jointly managed by the Federal Government and the Haida Nation. One of the most memorable moments for me was a stop at the former village site of Tanu. We were guided around areas that were once filled with poles, longhouses, and canoes. But at one place we were asked to respect the sacred space and not take any pictures. It was the grave site of legendary Haida artist Bill Reid. Following his own visit to his ancestral lands of Haida Gwaii in 1954 he was inspired to embrace a disappearing art form. By adopting Haida techniques he also revived the Haida cultural heritage, studied the early ethnographic publications and items found in museums worldwide. Most famously he carved Lootaas, wave-eater, a 15 meter canoe carved from a single cedar log. It was the first canoe carved in this traditional manner in over two hundred years. Following Expo 86 in Vancouver Bill Reid rowed the canoe from Vancouver to Skidegate on Haida Gwaii. It was a 600 mile voyage through some of the most treacherous waters on the coast. Upon his death Bill Reid’s body was carried to Tanu aboard Lootass. The fact that Lootaas could travel such a distance in rough waters is a testament to its craftsmanship. I can’t help but thinking that if the disciples had been in Lootaas, maybe they would have been a little less afraid. I share with you this story of Bill Reid and his canoe because today is National Aboriginal Day and because in light of the recent final report from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission it is a day that the church should pay attention to.
Lori Ransom is a former Healing and Reconciliation Program Animator for the Presbyterian Church. She worked with the Indian and Northern Affairs for many years and also serves as clerk of Session at St. Andrew’s King St. in Toronto. She is a member of the Algonquins of Pikwakanagan or Golden Lake, which is located about 150 km Northwest of Ottawa. She states that, “For the First Nations, the Inuit, and the Metis Peoples of Canada, reconciliation is very much linked to wanting to recover a sense of identity, of their collective memory as nations, the First Nations of this land, a land many call, Turtle Island. This is the identity that the Government of the new nation of Canada sought to eradicate after 1867 in the first decades of confederation. “ The Truth and Reconciliation Commission has been very clear that it was a form of cultural genocide.
In 1994, the Presbyterian Church in Canada made a confession to God and the First Nations Peoples stating that, “Our church agreed to take the children of Aboriginal peoples from their homes and place them in residential schools, were deprived of their traditional ways, which was helpful in the process of assimilation.” The confession recognizes that in some cases there was exploitation and an abuse of power through sexual, emotional and physical abuse. The confession continues, “The effect of all this, for Aboriginal Peoples, was the loss of cultural identity and the loss of a secure sense of self.”
I know that it is hard for some of us who knew teachers, principles, and administrative staff in these schools to imagine that they ever meant harm. I truly believe most did not. Rather they, through their profound love for God and First Nations peoples were actually trying to help. They could not have known the generational residual consequences of the residential school structure. But that too is part of our reconciliation process. You know there are lots of times when I say, do, or think something that I believe will help a situation only later to find out that it offended, hurt or even created more of problem. Reconciliation is not only about acknowledging mistakes known but those unknown. I know some of you have friends who were students at some of these schools and they did not experience the level of abuse that is often associated with the schools. But there was abuse, and no child should be forced to leave their family and home. Whatever good may have or could have come from this system it was not worth it. Not worth it for the 6,000 children who died, not worth it for the generational victims who still struggle with addiction and nightmares, not worth it for the rich culture that was lost.
Reconciliation is also a journey. For Jesus, it was a journey to the cross. For the disciples it was a journey to Jerusalem, for Peter it was a journey on a beach by the Sea of Tiberias when Jesus repeatedly asked, “Do you love me?”. For us it is a journey that we travel with our First Nation Brothers and Sisters. Our Gospel lesson comes on the heals of all of Jesus’ special teaching on the nature of the kingdom of God, something we touched upon last week. Jesus characterized the kingdom as framed in hiddeness and secrecy, and of its requiring a special gift of hearing and observing to comprehend. So, it should not surprise us if the journey of discipleship at times is also fraught with unexpected dangers or risks, or difficult and challenging experiences. In our Gospel story, there is a violent storm, followed by fearful disciples and Jesus fixing the situation. In part because the disciples were indeed afraid but also because it is through Jesus that we find the strength to reconcile our hurt and broken relationships. The story shows Jesus’ power in a miracle that is ultimate healing, the natural order of things is righted, calmed and brought together in peace. That’s reconciliation.
While Jesus is sleeping a great windstorm begins to toss the boat. It is not difficult to imagine literally the boat being tossed in the chaos of the sea. But imagine if this story was a parable. What chaotic seas surround us? The disciples wake Jesus and shout, “Master, do you not care that we are perishing?” Their question echoes that of many voices throughout the ages from the Exodus to exile to oppression under the Roman empire. The disciples’ cry is the ultimate cry of fear, of doubt and of abandonment. It is the same cry that is repeated often throughout the Psalms. Where is God? Do you not care or know what is happening to your people?! It is a cry that is born out of fear, frustration, and anger but it is ultimately a prayer for deliverance and reconciliation. In this story Jesus does not chastise them or reason with their fear. He does not attempt to correct them in their distrust or remind them repeatedly of the stories of God’s deliverance. Instead he immediately got up and rebuked the winds. Proclaiming, “Be silent! Be still!”At which time there was a great calm.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was a time for the whole country, including the participating churches, to be silent and still and allow the voice of our First Nations people to be heard. It is our prayer that through Jesus’ reconciling love we are able to to turn to a time of great calm. David Philips also served as the Presbyterian Church in Canada’s Healing and Reconciliation program animator for three and a half years. He says, “The conclusion of the fourth chapter of Mark is the story of a violent storm and the reaction of the disciples. The story could have been about a boat on stormy waters. But with a word of peace, Jesus calms the wind and the water. His act of faith changes our understanding of the story. How often do we only hear one part of a story? How often does that distort or diminish our understanding of a much bigger picture? Healing and reconciliation is about facing broken relationships, but it is also about acknowledging what is good. National Aboriginal Day honours and celebrates Aboriginal leaders in our communities, and reveals more of Canada’s story.”
Unlike the story of the winds and waves being calmed by simple words of Jesus. Reconciliation is not always such a sudden response. It involves sacrifice, suffering and struggle. It often seems easier to live in a world in which fear, doubt and chaos reigns supreme. But hearing the message of a God who loves us despite our intentional or unintentional mistakes when we turn to God for forgiveness and upon hearing the message of the promise that Jesus, in whom the kingdom of God has come into our midst, gives us an opportunity to reflect on our past and live together in our future. Our continued journey of reconciliation is possible because the grace of God enables us to move beyond any hindrance to us experiencing that grace. Amen.