The problem with Church

William Stringfellow wrote in An Ethic for Christians and Other Aliens in a Strange Land, on the roots of many North American expressions of Church and how they are born out of Western culture. He wrote, "So it is not that such "churches" have abandoned the gospel they once upheld and have become acculturated and conformed, but that they have been from their origins American cultural productions or Babylonian shrines."

When I read what Stringfellow wrote, I understand that the reason that Western Christendom does not work for Indigenous society is because it is missing the gospel at its core. It does not have the resources to actually share the gospel because it has not had a gospel encounter. Maybe that could change.

The life of the disciple

Matthew 23:1-12

23Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, ²‘The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; ³therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practise what they teach. ⁴They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear,^* and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. ⁵They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. ⁶They love to have the place of honour at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, ⁷and to be greeted with respect in the market-places, and to have people call them rabbi. ⁸But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students.^* 9And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. ¹⁰Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah.^* 11The greatest among you will be your servant. ¹²All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.

What impacted me today from this passage was the importance of humility. That is a safe way of saying something about this passage, but reality shows that if we find ourselves in positions of authority, the temptation to exalt ourselves is always present. It is intoxicating to be at the front of things and have people notice you and have people come for your advice. They give you the place of honour at banquets and the best seats - but it is not a gift. It is a temptation to overcome - so said Henri Nouwen in In the name of Jesus. 

Humility is something that I saw practiced by my father. He was aware of who he was and most of the time, of his limitations. He cared deeply for my mother, and now that he is gone, today I remember him and his example. He worked in a plywood factory, he was an assistant foreman at the end of his career. I like to think he was known as someone who was good to work for. 

Humility means to not look down on someone else but to see all as part of God's creation. Immediately some will assert that equality means to fight for one's rights, for one's position, and that may be true for those who are oppressed, but if someone who already has authority begins fighting for their rights to have that authority, it just ends up putting other people down or keeping them down. All you can do in leadership is to try and create space to be who creator made us to be. Leadership is about humility, not about exalting ourselves. 

My daughter, Catherine, shared with me that it struck her that her Grandpa (my dad) had lived a great life, not because he tried to change the world but because he cared about people. People came to celebrate his life because he was loved by most who knew him. He wasn't a political force, or someone who was trying to change the world, but he was a wonderful human being. I like to think that in this way he did change the world and now he is being exalted in the presence of Christ. This day I purpose to live out the legacy handed on by my father. 

Made Part of Creation

I was thinking about our responsibility as human beings being part of creation. I had a conversation recently where a person expressed his opinion about climate change. He was sure that our actions as human beings (and especially the oil industry) had been grossly over estimated. He expressed that we human beings just didn't have the capacity to make changes to the environment and, so we should not be blamed for climate change. This exchange left me wondering about this line of reasoning, especially since the person claimed to have some theological insight. And so, I have been thinking about a response to climate change "deniers" but specifically those who claim to be part of the Church.

First, from both First Nations and Christian heritage I affirm that we are part of creation. This is a theological statement. The great mystery has created all things and has made human beings the most dependent of all the creatures. This is supposed to produce humility and understanding that we are dependent upon creation. Thus, we cannot claim superiority over creation or a right to do whatever we want since our very existence is premised upon our having been created.

Second, creator has made us most dependent but also responsible for this relationship through creation. There is no life apart from created life, and in some way our being created in the image of God means that we are responsible both to creation and to creator. Indigenous story also reminds me that I must strive to take responsibility to live in harmony with all things. Being in harmony with creator is expressed in my relationship with creation. This responsibility should produce humility. For when the animals give themselves to us, so that we can survive, how can we claim superiority? Rather, it should produce humility, respect and responsibility within us.

The Genesis creation account states that we have been given responsibility (dominion) to draw forth from the earth what is best. We cannot deny this responsibility by a feigned humility that says our actions do not actually impact creation. We cannot say that we can continue to cut, burn, and flood without some sort of thought about longer repercussions. This does not mean that we will not have to cut down trees, burn oil, or flood valleys to produce power at times, but we must always carefully weigh and monitor the impact of these measures to draw what is best from, and for all creation. As Bruce Cockburn puts it, "this is the burden of the angel-beast."

The idea that our actions are too small to effect creation are excuses to deny responsibility to creation and creator. The claim by some climate change deniers that they are two weak or small to actually produce change in the world is another way we deny our humanity and the responsibility that this reality brings.

We should at least give thinks for our lives and the life that the created world gives so we can live. We should think how our actions will impact those who will come after us, at least 7 generations. We could try and think through in a holistic way how what we are doing is drawing forth what is best in creation.

"In the fall we pray for good hunting and in the spring, we give thanks for good hunting."

The Gift of Being is lonely

The gift of being is lonely

The urge to care and be cared for is dangerous

The connection draws us together and pushes us apart

We have come together to be,

To rise above the loneliness for a time.

To be there not for only me,

To be for the community -

The gift of being is lonely, but we have friends.

Prayers of the people

The rage of a summer hot and dry, lingers on

Smoke from a thousand hungry fires fills air and heaven

Hear us, O Lord, we need your rain to quench us

The rage of a winter - too warm lingers on

Water from a thousand clouds drowning island and homes

Hear us, O Lord, we need your sun to dry us

The rage of grievance a thousand years old linger on

Dead from a thousand "justified" killings desolate field and plain

Hear us, O Lord, we need your peace to crush us

The rage of a heart set free, lingers on

Tears from a thousand caresses from heaven to earth

Hear us, O Lord, we need your mercy

National Aboriginal Day

The backdrop of Eternity

Wednesday, June 21, 2017

7:56 AM

It is National Aboriginal Day. The people who make up Canada are going to celebrate the contribution of Indigenous people. CBC news app had a feature “I am Indigenous” that I scrolled through this morning. They had the pictures of mostly young people, who will be the face of our hope, but few of our elders, the keepers of our collective memory.

 Funny, our lives are bit like time as described by ancient theologian Augustine. Time exists as hope (future) and memory (the past) and the fleeting present - and behind all the backdrop of eternity. Eternity, something that seems to be in the minds or understanding of everyone that I have met. I wonder if this is the hope of the whole world - to see our existence continue in some fashion.

I remember reading the story of a solitary Cree hunter, thinking he was about to die, hung his rifle up, because it was a good rifle[1], but also, I wonder, if he was  thinking that someone else might continue to use it or take it for a time.

Or the idea of children and descendants, that the line of our people will not end with just me. This perhaps drives the idea in the Hebrew Scriptures of the prayer and desire for children. The prayer that our people will continue somehow.

The idea of children - the hope of the future - the face of elders - the memory of our people - the backdrop of eternity and the fleeting present. Our lives in time - an enigma on this National Aboriginal Day.

---

[1] Richard J. Preston, Cree Narrative : Expressing the Personal Meanings of Events, 2nd ed., Carleton Library Series (Montreal ; Ithaca: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2002), 177.

John 3 and Big Bear

The gospel reading for the day was John 3:16-21, “for God so loved the “land” he gave his only son…

It is a great passage that reminds me that Creator cares about all his creation, and that through Jesus Christ he wants to heal the land, and all who are in it. I think we all want that to, but there are so many different opinions about how that should workout. Healing is what we need, but so many of our good intentions are not always a safeguard from the pain in our soul.

I am going to Thunder Bay to speak this weekend. People want to talk about walking together with Indigenous people. As I thought about it, I remember the speech of Big Bear. A great Chief who was wrongfully convicted for crimes he tried to prevent. Yet, when given the chance, he gave a speech. I searched the Internet and found a version and put it below.

Big Bear’s Courtroom Speech – translated from Cree

I ruled my country for long. Now I am in chains and will be sent to prison. Now I am as dead to my people. Many of them are hiding in the woods.... Can this court not send them a pardon?

My own children may be starving and afraid to come out of hiding. I plead to you Chiefs of the white man’s laws for pity and help for the people of my band.

The country belonged to me. I may not live to see it again . . . Because Big Bear has always been a friend to the white man, you should now send a pardon to my people and give them help.

People want to help us Indigenous people, but they don’t understand that they want to help us be who they think we should be. No one can make someone into another person, we can only be who we were made to be. Many of our people are hiding … because of the trauma and mistreatment. They want to hear a pardon and be told it is okay to live free and be who they were made to be…

Even now the land reaches out to try and care for our people, but they have been driven away for so long, how do you come back…

I read the gospel of the day, Creator gave his son… we have to love in a way that people can feel that … that is the way that Creator has loved us…