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MESSAGE FROM THE MODERATOR
Reconciliation: Meeting Each Other Again
2 FALL 2019
PRESBYTERIAN
presbyterian.ca
By the Rev. Amanda Currie, Moderator of 2019 General Assembly
In Living Faith, we affirm that “The church is one. It is one family un- der God whose purpose it is to unite all people in Jesus Christ” (7.1.2). And yet, we live and minister within a church that is divided—separated from our siblings in Christ in other Christian traditions and threatened by the possibility of division even within The Presbyterian Church in Canada over differences and conflicts that we seem unable to resolve.
In the midst of these challenging days, we should remember the state- ment made by the 123rd General As- sembly (1997) on ecumenism. Part of it said:
“We recognize the common call- ing in Christ which we share with all Christians and we seek ways of making visible the unity which God has given us. We affirm one church, one faith, one Lord, shar- ing in worship, witness and service to the world. As part of the Church Universal, we strive to listen to and learn from one another, to break down the barriers which divide people and to promote justice and
peace in the whole human family and the integrity of all creation. We work toward a church which shares one baptism, celebrates one eucharist and recognizes one ministry. At the same time, we acknowledge that unity is not the same as uniformity and that diver- sity of polity and practice can be faithfully sustained within Christ’s church.”
Whether we are working on rela- tions with other churches from which we have been separated for hun- dreds of years, or whether we are navigating the relationships impacted by current conflicts and debates, rec- onciliation is needed.
“To ‘reconcile’ or bring about ‘rec- onciliation’ is to restore harmony or friendship between two entities formerly divided. In the biblical tradition, reconciliation denotes the fundamental fact of a restored relationship, either between human persons, among various elements in the cosmos, or between humans and God” (Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible, p. 1112).
Reconciliation is an important con- cept beyond the church as well. The word is used in politics and in ethnic relations to refer to the restoration of normal relations between groups, or the restoration of mutual respect between people from different back- grounds. Reconciliation may refer to the process of winning over hos- tile people to friendliness. It may be about settling a quarrel or dispute. Or it can be a matter of bringing things into agreement or harmony—making things compatible or consistent.
Reconciliation has become an often-used word since the formation of the Truth and Reconciliation Com- mission of Canada, and much of the conversation has surrounded what it might mean to achieve reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indige- nous peoples in Canada.
Literally, reconciliation means “to meet again.” The Latin “re” means again, and “conciliare” refers to a meeting (like the English word, coun- cil). In fact, it refers specifically to a “friendly meeting.”
In work for Christian unity, recon- ciliation involves the churches com- ing together again. After all, a lot has changed since we parted ways. Sometimes our ideas about each other are based on old memories, or even on incorrect assumptions or stereotypes. When we meet again, we may discover who the other actu- ally is, what they believe, how they worship, what their priorities are, and
we may find that we have a great deal in common.
In relations between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Can- ada, reconciliation also involves us receiving each other again. Our first meetings on this land didn’t go very well, and we need to acknowledge that. Colonial and paternalistic ideas and policies of the settlers harmed Indigenous communities and fami- lies deeply, and sought to wipe out Indigenous languages, cultures and spiritual practices. Lands were sto- len, children were taken away from parents and Indigenous peoples were expected to become like “civilized” Europeans.
I often think of the helpful words of Cardinal Mercier of Malines, Belgium, an ecumenical pioneer. Speaking of reconciliation between the churches, he suggested that, “In order to unite with one another, we must love one another. In order to love one another, we must know one another. In order to know one another, we must go and meet one another.”
In order for reconciliation to take place between churches, between factions within our denomination and between Indigenous and non-Indige- nous peoples, I believe that we must go and come together. That is the first step toward knowing, loving and being united with one another.
Presbyterians must make the ef- fort to meet their Orthodox, Catho- lic and Evangelical neighbours. Get to know them, discuss life and faith with them, eat with them, pray with them, look for ways to work together with them.
Presbyterians with varying views on significant issues like same-sex mar- riage must meet with each other— friendly meetings, not debates and arguments or heated online discus- sions. These should be times when we get to know each other, discuss life and faith together, eat together, pray together and look for ways to
work together across our differences. Non-Indigenous Presbyterians must also go and meet with their Indigenous neighbours, perhaps be- ginning with those who minister and worship within our own denomina- tion, or perhaps by beginning with an Indigenous community that is in their local community. They must get to know each other, discuss life and faith together, eat together, pray together and look for ways to work together across our different cultures
and spiritualities.
We may want to consider having
some of these meetings and discus- sions in the format of a talking circle. There is great wisdom in the Indig- enous practice of sharing in this non- hierarchical way that invites each per- son to spend more time listening than speaking, and to share from the heart.
In the coming months, we will con- tinue to discuss and discern the way forward together as a denomination addressing same-sex marriage. We will also begin to think about what it means that the 2019 General As- sembly repudiated the Doctrine of Discovery and terra nullius, while continuing to live into our 1994 Con- fession to Indigenous Peoples, re- sponding to the TRC Calls to Action, and considering our response to the Calls to Action with regard to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. And I hope that Presbyte- rians across Canada will continue to make connections with other Chris- tian churches to rebuild relationships of trust and co-operation with our ecumenical friends.
This sounds like a lot of work, and it may seem daunting and dif- ficult. Yet, Paul reminds us that it is God “who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corin- thians 5:18). May God lead us to take some steps toward reconciliation by going forth and meeting one another, and may God make us one.
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