WEBVTT 00:00:03.720 --> 00:00:06.960 If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has 00:00:06.960 --> 00:00:12.519 come. The old has gone. The new is here. All 00:00:12.519 --> 00:00:15.259 this is from God who reconciled us to himself 00:00:15.259 --> 00:00:18.980 through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. 00:00:20.079 --> 00:00:23.199 That God was reconciling the world to himself 00:00:23.199 --> 00:00:27.059 in Christ, not counting people's sins against 00:00:27.059 --> 00:00:30.600 them. And he has committed to us the message 00:00:30.600 --> 00:00:34.630 of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's 00:00:34.630 --> 00:00:37.890 ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal 00:00:37.890 --> 00:00:41.609 through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf, 00:00:41.990 --> 00:00:46.770 be reconciled to God. This is the word of the 00:00:46.770 --> 00:00:49.179 Lord. As we heard at the start of the service, 00:00:49.259 --> 00:00:50.740 today we're going to do something a little bit 00:00:50.740 --> 00:00:53.259 different. Today, there's not going to be a sermon 00:00:53.259 --> 00:00:56.100 like there normally is. We're not going to do 00:00:56.100 --> 00:00:58.439 like a talk or a lecture or something like that. 00:00:58.520 --> 00:01:01.780 What we're going to do is have a conversation. 00:01:02.240 --> 00:01:06.700 Many of you know that June is a month, a whole 00:01:06.700 --> 00:01:10.560 month that is set aside for Indigenous History 00:01:10.560 --> 00:01:14.260 Month here in Canada. It's an opportunity where 00:01:14.260 --> 00:01:16.420 we get a chance to remember all the cultures. 00:01:17.040 --> 00:01:19.439 and all the diversity that make up the indigenous 00:01:19.439 --> 00:01:22.280 communities around Canada. And you'll know that 00:01:22.280 --> 00:01:25.560 on June 21st specifically, which is Saturday 00:01:25.560 --> 00:01:28.359 coming up, so this is the Sunday right before 00:01:28.359 --> 00:01:32.900 that, is National Indigenous Peoples Day. And 00:01:32.900 --> 00:01:36.599 that is a day that recognizes all the contributions 00:01:36.599 --> 00:01:41.140 and all the culture of First Nations and Métis 00:01:41.140 --> 00:01:45.500 and Inuit people across our nation. Now, here 00:01:45.500 --> 00:01:48.489 at Trinity, Not too long ago, we formed a little 00:01:48.489 --> 00:01:51.109 committee, which we called our Truth and Reconciliation 00:01:51.109 --> 00:01:53.569 Committee. And the goal of this committee was 00:01:53.569 --> 00:01:58.329 really twofold. One was to help us as a church 00:01:58.329 --> 00:02:03.090 gain a deeper understanding into the issues facing 00:02:03.090 --> 00:02:07.450 indigenous people in our time and in our culture. 00:02:07.530 --> 00:02:11.509 But secondly, also to help us as a church consider, 00:02:11.710 --> 00:02:14.509 prayerfully consider, how God might be leading 00:02:14.509 --> 00:02:18.419 us. to get involved in the work of reconciliation. 00:02:18.560 --> 00:02:20.879 This isn't a conversation we've had, at least 00:02:20.879 --> 00:02:23.280 in my time, since I've been here at Trinity, 00:02:23.400 --> 00:02:26.020 and that's been like four years. So it's high 00:02:26.020 --> 00:02:28.819 time that we started to have a conversation about 00:02:28.819 --> 00:02:32.219 this as a church family. So again, this morning, 00:02:32.259 --> 00:02:35.819 it's not a talk. It's not a presentation. I want 00:02:35.819 --> 00:02:38.240 you to understand this morning as we are going 00:02:38.240 --> 00:02:42.360 to get the opportunity. to hear the gospel through 00:02:42.360 --> 00:02:45.919 the lived experience of one person. And that 00:02:45.919 --> 00:02:48.180 one person I'll introduce to you in a moment 00:02:48.180 --> 00:02:53.180 is Rochelle Bragg. And this is a chance for us 00:02:53.180 --> 00:02:56.639 to, again, discern how God is calling us into 00:02:56.639 --> 00:03:01.419 this work of reconciliation. So on that note, 00:03:01.520 --> 00:03:04.840 if I could invite Rochelle to come up here and 00:03:04.840 --> 00:03:06.780 join me on the stage, that would be amazing. 00:03:06.840 --> 00:03:08.800 Let's have a round of applause for Rochelle. 00:03:14.180 --> 00:03:20.259 Sure, I'll sit over here. Rochelle is a member 00:03:20.259 --> 00:03:24.270 of Trinity Streetsville. She's also an indigenous 00:03:24.270 --> 00:03:29.509 person of Severan Cree roots. And we're going 00:03:29.509 --> 00:03:31.310 to hear, it's kind of an interesting mix, your 00:03:31.310 --> 00:03:32.750 cultural background. So we're going to get to 00:03:32.750 --> 00:03:34.210 hear a little bit about that. But along with 00:03:34.210 --> 00:03:36.250 Andrew and their two boys, they've been members 00:03:36.250 --> 00:03:38.789 here at Trinity for a while. And so we're so 00:03:38.789 --> 00:03:44.080 blessed to have... and her family here as part 00:03:44.080 --> 00:03:46.699 of our church community. And just to be given 00:03:46.699 --> 00:03:50.479 the opportunity today to hear this through her 00:03:50.479 --> 00:03:53.199 lens, through the lens of an indigenous woman, 00:03:53.300 --> 00:03:55.979 is going to be a great, great blessing for us. 00:03:56.159 --> 00:03:59.659 So there's a lovely picture of your family, Rochelle. 00:03:59.740 --> 00:04:01.379 You're welcome to have a seat. Let's have a seat. 00:04:01.539 --> 00:04:05.180 And let's take a moment. Why don't I just pray, 00:04:05.400 --> 00:04:08.520 and then I'll start asking questions. And you 00:04:08.520 --> 00:04:11.259 can... Try your best to answer them. Is that 00:04:11.259 --> 00:04:12.939 okay? That sounds great. Let's pray together. 00:04:14.520 --> 00:04:18.220 Almighty God, we thank you for the wonderful 00:04:18.220 --> 00:04:20.620 diversity of our church community, for the many 00:04:20.620 --> 00:04:24.459 gifts, experiences, and histories that make up 00:04:24.459 --> 00:04:27.639 this part of the body of Christ. And we're thankful 00:04:27.639 --> 00:04:30.759 for Rochelle and for her family and for the story 00:04:30.759 --> 00:04:34.199 and experience they bring into our community. 00:04:34.379 --> 00:04:39.610 We pray now that as we gather to listen, Holy 00:04:39.610 --> 00:04:41.569 Spirit would open our ears and open our hearts 00:04:41.569 --> 00:04:44.089 to all you want to teach us today. We ask this 00:04:44.089 --> 00:04:49.730 in Jesus' name. Amen. Okay, Rochelle, first a 00:04:49.730 --> 00:04:52.410 question we are going to ask you is just to share 00:04:52.410 --> 00:04:55.370 with us a little bit about your background, your 00:04:55.370 --> 00:04:57.990 cultural background, your history, and all that 00:04:57.990 --> 00:05:01.110 jazz. Yeah, it's funny. As I was preparing for 00:05:01.110 --> 00:05:02.730 this, I was writing down my notes, and I have 00:05:02.730 --> 00:05:04.769 my notes here, and I said to my husband, this 00:05:04.769 --> 00:05:07.189 is the part I'm the most... nervous to explain. 00:05:07.350 --> 00:05:09.189 And it's like, how can that be hard? This is 00:05:09.189 --> 00:05:12.389 who you are. Just say who you are. So as Rob 00:05:12.389 --> 00:05:15.850 mentioned, yeah, I'm married to Andrew. So there 00:05:15.850 --> 00:05:18.629 we have two young boys. And we've been living 00:05:18.629 --> 00:05:22.110 in Mississauga for 13 years about. That's how 00:05:22.110 --> 00:05:24.310 long we've been married. And we've been coming 00:05:24.310 --> 00:05:27.610 to Trinity for about three of those years. I 00:05:27.610 --> 00:05:29.810 grew up in Northern Ontario, though, with my 00:05:29.810 --> 00:05:32.629 parents and my older sister in a place called 00:05:32.629 --> 00:05:35.829 Sioux Lookout. Not to St. Marie, it's to Lookout. 00:05:35.910 --> 00:05:38.850 So it's quite up there. It's about a 21 -hour 00:05:38.850 --> 00:05:42.029 drive from here. And in terms of my heritage, 00:05:42.370 --> 00:05:45.949 so I'm a mix, actually. My father, who is here 00:05:45.949 --> 00:05:49.689 today, he's in the third row there. He is Swiss 00:05:49.689 --> 00:05:52.769 -German Mennonite. And he grew up in the Elmira 00:05:52.769 --> 00:05:56.209 area, just north of Waterloo. So not too far 00:05:56.209 --> 00:05:58.730 from here. And his ancestors were Mennonites 00:05:58.730 --> 00:06:01.029 that came over from northern Switzerland near 00:06:01.029 --> 00:06:04.779 the border of Germany. And they settled in Pennsylvania 00:06:04.779 --> 00:06:07.939 before they came up to the Waterloo area. And 00:06:07.939 --> 00:06:10.160 so a lot of my family on his side still lives 00:06:10.160 --> 00:06:14.300 there. And then my mother. My mother is Anishinaabemowin, 00:06:14.399 --> 00:06:17.279 which is Severan Cree. And that's a First Nations 00:06:17.279 --> 00:06:20.019 tribe in the Treaty 9 Territory in Northern Ontario. 00:06:20.759 --> 00:06:23.860 And as a young girl, she lived off the land with 00:06:23.860 --> 00:06:26.540 her family. And her community lived way up in 00:06:26.540 --> 00:06:28.920 an isolation, kind of separate from the rest 00:06:28.920 --> 00:06:31.459 of the country. And that was before the government. 00:06:32.199 --> 00:06:34.480 kind of found them and then put them on a reservation 00:06:34.480 --> 00:06:37.759 which is now called muskrat dam so her family 00:06:37.759 --> 00:06:40.120 still currently lives there my mother lived there 00:06:40.120 --> 00:06:42.540 for many years before she moved off with my dad 00:06:42.540 --> 00:06:46.220 when they got married and um uh yeah lots of 00:06:46.220 --> 00:06:48.819 my family still lives up there yeah so we have 00:06:48.819 --> 00:06:52.500 a map here showing kind of where we are in the 00:06:52.500 --> 00:06:57.399 bottom right and where muskrat dam is um so you 00:06:57.399 --> 00:06:58.939 said that how long would that take to get up 00:06:58.939 --> 00:07:03.160 there So the farthest you can drive is about 00:07:03.160 --> 00:07:05.899 21 hours to a place called Sioux Lookout. You 00:07:05.899 --> 00:07:08.199 can go to one more place that's farther, but 00:07:08.199 --> 00:07:09.879 typically you would drive to Sioux Lookout and 00:07:09.879 --> 00:07:12.019 then you'd have to get on a little 19 -seater 00:07:12.019 --> 00:07:14.699 plane and then fly for another just over an hour. 00:07:15.139 --> 00:07:17.439 Or you can wait till the ice roads freeze over 00:07:17.439 --> 00:07:21.180 and you can drive for about 10 hours as it weaves 00:07:21.180 --> 00:07:23.279 you in and out of rivers and lakes. So it's very 00:07:23.279 --> 00:07:26.839 far. Yeah, that's amazing. So tell us what... 00:07:27.040 --> 00:07:32.360 is that like to grow up as a mix of swiss german 00:07:32.360 --> 00:07:37.339 background and severin creek yeah um one thing 00:07:37.339 --> 00:07:39.220 i'm really thankful for is that my parents were 00:07:39.220 --> 00:07:43.649 very intentional about um like having us interact 00:07:43.649 --> 00:07:45.649 with both of our families. So they wanted us 00:07:45.649 --> 00:07:47.889 to feel very confident and comfortable in both 00:07:47.889 --> 00:07:50.990 of our identities as Swiss German and Severin 00:07:50.990 --> 00:07:55.189 Cree. And so that was a really beautiful gift 00:07:55.189 --> 00:07:57.149 that they gave us. And so I always felt very 00:07:57.149 --> 00:07:59.149 comfortable in each family group and each people 00:07:59.149 --> 00:08:03.230 group. And then it wasn't until I was older that 00:08:03.230 --> 00:08:07.310 I started to realize just how different... how 00:08:07.310 --> 00:08:09.629 different these two worlds were, how different 00:08:09.629 --> 00:08:12.930 these cultures were, and how they often had a 00:08:12.930 --> 00:08:17.550 hard time understanding each other. And so later 00:08:17.550 --> 00:08:21.050 in life, I started to kind of have a bit of a 00:08:21.050 --> 00:08:24.509 tension in my identity as I went back and forth 00:08:24.509 --> 00:08:27.589 between these two groups of people who were... 00:08:27.899 --> 00:08:31.560 my family and people that I loved. And so as 00:08:31.560 --> 00:08:33.700 I was wrestling with my identity, I was trying 00:08:33.700 --> 00:08:35.720 to figure out, like, how do I authentically show 00:08:35.720 --> 00:08:38.639 up as myself in each of these spaces? And it 00:08:38.639 --> 00:08:41.539 wasn't because I didn't feel loved by both people 00:08:41.539 --> 00:08:45.200 groups. I felt very loved and accepted. But this 00:08:45.200 --> 00:08:48.519 tension in, okay, who am I? And someone once 00:08:48.519 --> 00:08:52.519 described this feeling of tension in my... cultural 00:08:52.519 --> 00:08:54.419 identity and maybe some of you have experienced 00:08:54.419 --> 00:08:59.820 this as well but this idea of a bridge and the 00:08:59.820 --> 00:09:03.019 two pieces of land are the people groups, the 00:09:03.019 --> 00:09:05.500 cultures that you're from and then you have the 00:09:05.500 --> 00:09:07.480 bridge in the middle and then you're kind of 00:09:07.480 --> 00:09:09.820 suspended in the middle walking back and forth 00:09:09.820 --> 00:09:11.399 and you're kind of like sometimes you go farther 00:09:11.399 --> 00:09:13.919 one way, sometimes you go the other way and so 00:09:13.919 --> 00:09:17.059 I had a lot of confusion as a young woman as 00:09:17.059 --> 00:09:21.110 I started to notice the difference in my in my 00:09:21.110 --> 00:09:25.570 culture groups. And so as I was wrestling through 00:09:25.570 --> 00:09:32.009 this over time, I said, okay, God is, he brings 00:09:32.009 --> 00:09:35.029 peace to areas of confusion. And so what does 00:09:35.029 --> 00:09:37.929 God say about this situation? What does God say 00:09:37.929 --> 00:09:42.409 about me? And ultimately what came out of that 00:09:42.409 --> 00:09:45.230 was I felt a deep sense of peace that even though 00:09:45.230 --> 00:09:50.070 I was suspended in the middle often, That the 00:09:50.070 --> 00:09:52.490 truth about my identity was that God created 00:09:52.490 --> 00:09:55.269 me exactly how he intended. He created all of 00:09:55.269 --> 00:09:59.129 us exactly how he intended. And he also created 00:09:59.129 --> 00:10:01.370 cultures to be diverse and to be celebrated. 00:10:01.610 --> 00:10:05.450 And that really is a beautiful thing. In Psalm 00:10:05.450 --> 00:10:08.190 139, this is a verse that has brought me a lot 00:10:08.190 --> 00:10:11.149 of comfort at times. And it says, For you formed 00:10:11.149 --> 00:10:13.750 my inward parts. You knitted me together in my 00:10:13.750 --> 00:10:15.909 mother's womb. I praise you for I am fearfully 00:10:15.909 --> 00:10:18.629 and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works. 00:10:18.629 --> 00:10:20.769 My soul knows it very well. My frame was not 00:10:20.769 --> 00:10:22.870 hidden from you when I was being made in secret, 00:10:23.009 --> 00:10:25.149 intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 00:10:25.649 --> 00:10:29.690 And that's verses 13 to 15. And so even though 00:10:29.690 --> 00:10:34.230 I was feeling tension in my identity, God said, 00:10:34.330 --> 00:10:37.250 give me peace over who he created me to be. Yeah, 00:10:37.350 --> 00:10:40.549 that's amazing. Thank you. And we did skip over 00:10:40.549 --> 00:10:44.840 a photo there. But this is a picture of you, 00:10:44.879 --> 00:10:48.539 your father, and your mother, Linda. Yes, who 00:10:48.539 --> 00:10:50.080 is also here. I'm sorry I didn't say that. My 00:10:50.080 --> 00:10:55.820 mom is here, too. Wonderful. Okay, so, Rochelle. 00:10:57.029 --> 00:11:00.169 we're all in different places on this, but many 00:11:00.169 --> 00:11:03.610 of us are probably like coming to this place 00:11:03.610 --> 00:11:08.110 where we're beginning to understand some of the 00:11:08.110 --> 00:11:12.090 painful history that is involved with, that indigenous 00:11:12.090 --> 00:11:14.929 people have suffered or continue to suffer in 00:11:14.929 --> 00:11:19.090 our own country and around the world, really. 00:11:19.289 --> 00:11:23.490 But I am just wondering, are you able to share 00:11:23.490 --> 00:11:28.509 some of your own story, especially of, you know, 00:11:28.549 --> 00:11:31.549 the struggles that you and your community have 00:11:31.549 --> 00:11:34.929 experienced, the struggles. Yeah, for sure. Growing 00:11:34.929 --> 00:11:38.750 up in Sioux Lookout, I kind of was able to witness 00:11:38.750 --> 00:11:41.070 firsthand the struggles that Indigenous people 00:11:41.070 --> 00:11:44.669 experience, not only because Sioux Lookout has 00:11:44.669 --> 00:11:47.129 a large Native population, First Nations population. 00:11:47.909 --> 00:11:50.370 They call it the hub of the North because it 00:11:50.370 --> 00:11:53.990 kind of services the almost 30... Communities 00:11:53.990 --> 00:11:55.950 that are north of it that are isolated and so 00:11:55.950 --> 00:11:58.149 people funnel through there to come off the reserve 00:11:58.149 --> 00:12:01.789 for various reasons and so not only for that 00:12:01.789 --> 00:12:04.669 reason, but also because my family lived a lot 00:12:04.669 --> 00:12:08.149 of the Struggles I was able to witness their 00:12:08.149 --> 00:12:11.830 experience of life of overcoming barriers And 00:12:11.830 --> 00:12:16.519 so if you live on a remote reserve which a lot 00:12:16.519 --> 00:12:18.299 of First Nations people do if you're in Northern 00:12:18.299 --> 00:12:22.840 Ontario, you experience a lack of access to resources. 00:12:22.960 --> 00:12:26.059 So things like medical care, education, clean 00:12:26.059 --> 00:12:28.840 drinking water, affordable groceries, proper 00:12:28.840 --> 00:12:30.980 housing. And so those are all things that my 00:12:30.980 --> 00:12:33.460 family have experienced, and I've been able to 00:12:33.460 --> 00:12:37.320 see that over my lifetime. And these things are 00:12:37.320 --> 00:12:41.909 all things that are deeply rooted in... systems 00:12:41.909 --> 00:12:44.470 that were built to oppress Indigenous people. 00:12:44.710 --> 00:12:46.389 And to really understand that, we would have 00:12:46.389 --> 00:12:49.830 to do a whole other presentation on things like 00:12:49.830 --> 00:12:52.289 colonialism, the Doctrine of Discovery, the Indian 00:12:52.289 --> 00:12:58.110 Act. And because all those things brought with 00:12:58.110 --> 00:13:04.070 it oppression. And so many of the struggles that 00:13:04.070 --> 00:13:06.690 First Nations people experience today are rooted 00:13:06.690 --> 00:13:09.230 in our country's history. And so in the Canadian 00:13:09.230 --> 00:13:12.100 context, The Indian Act, which was created in 00:13:12.100 --> 00:13:15.539 1876, it led to the seizure of indigenous lands, 00:13:15.759 --> 00:13:18.100 the displacement of indigenous peoples, and disrupted 00:13:18.100 --> 00:13:21.100 their whole way of life and culture. And so many 00:13:21.100 --> 00:13:23.039 of my family members have been deeply wounded 00:13:23.039 --> 00:13:25.860 by things like residential schools, the 60 scoop, 00:13:26.039 --> 00:13:28.659 and racism at both a structural and personal 00:13:28.659 --> 00:13:32.600 level. Okay, so you've talked about this racism, 00:13:32.700 --> 00:13:37.720 you've talked about the injustices. So you personally, 00:13:37.940 --> 00:13:45.070 how has your faith, in Jesus have been able to 00:13:45.070 --> 00:13:47.029 carry you through all that as you've come to 00:13:47.029 --> 00:13:51.889 grips with it? Yeah, I will say honestly that 00:13:51.889 --> 00:13:54.429 there was a point in my life, which wasn't too 00:13:54.429 --> 00:13:57.490 long ago, that I was very confused and conflicted 00:13:57.490 --> 00:13:59.950 about being part of a faith community, a church 00:13:59.950 --> 00:14:01.889 community that could have allowed this type of 00:14:01.889 --> 00:14:05.899 oppression to people that I love deeply. I really 00:14:05.899 --> 00:14:07.580 wrestled with the idea that the church could 00:14:07.580 --> 00:14:10.460 have allowed mistreatment to Indigenous children 00:14:10.460 --> 00:14:12.620 and their families through things like residential 00:14:12.620 --> 00:14:16.039 schools specifically, because that did immense 00:14:16.039 --> 00:14:21.240 harm on people that I know, people who were children 00:14:21.240 --> 00:14:23.779 at the time, who were 5, 6, 7, my aunts and uncles, 00:14:23.860 --> 00:14:25.700 people in our communities who are now elders. 00:14:26.379 --> 00:14:29.080 And as we know, some of those children never 00:14:29.080 --> 00:14:34.240 returned. In 2021, there was a kind of awakening 00:14:34.240 --> 00:14:36.720 in our country where we collectively recognized 00:14:36.720 --> 00:14:40.440 and it was discovered that there were a bunch 00:14:40.440 --> 00:14:43.779 of unmarked graves in Kamloops, BC. And when 00:14:43.779 --> 00:14:46.919 that was discovered, it was like a new awakening 00:14:46.919 --> 00:14:50.440 for me where I had known all of this already, 00:14:50.600 --> 00:14:54.019 but I felt this collective awakening and it kind 00:14:54.019 --> 00:15:01.720 of reawakened mostly anger in me. And that made 00:15:01.720 --> 00:15:04.720 me come to a place where I started to question 00:15:04.720 --> 00:15:07.879 being part of a Christian community again. And 00:15:07.879 --> 00:15:11.100 through all that, I felt a lot of pain, anger, 00:15:11.179 --> 00:15:16.000 sadness, despair, and hopelessness. But God is 00:15:16.000 --> 00:15:19.580 faithful. And what didn't waver during that time 00:15:19.580 --> 00:15:23.940 was my belief and trust in our creator, the God 00:15:23.940 --> 00:15:26.960 of the universe, who I had come to know as good. 00:15:27.899 --> 00:15:32.899 And the example of who Jesus was on earth. All 00:15:32.899 --> 00:15:34.980 these things I was wrestling with was rooted 00:15:34.980 --> 00:15:39.460 in the harm that people have done, not God. God 00:15:39.460 --> 00:15:42.019 has given people free will, right? He's given 00:15:42.019 --> 00:15:44.320 us free will to believe in him, to not believe 00:15:44.320 --> 00:15:50.159 in him, to do harm or to do good. And I was recognizing 00:15:50.159 --> 00:15:53.460 that God doesn't control all of our moves. He's 00:15:53.460 --> 00:15:55.679 not up there deciding what everyone's going to 00:15:55.679 --> 00:16:01.799 do. And rather, I was able to see that, okay, 00:16:01.840 --> 00:16:05.379 God is actually a good father who wants the best 00:16:05.379 --> 00:16:07.580 for us, who wants us to treat each other with 00:16:07.580 --> 00:16:09.940 love and kindness, and that's up to us whether 00:16:09.940 --> 00:16:13.320 we listen to him or not. And so through this 00:16:13.320 --> 00:16:16.139 pain and whatever pain, you know, we all experience 00:16:16.139 --> 00:16:20.000 in life, God promises to draw near to us. That's 00:16:20.000 --> 00:16:22.039 one of his promises when we're brokenhearted. 00:16:23.000 --> 00:16:25.679 He promises to always be with us, to strengthen 00:16:25.679 --> 00:16:29.690 us. and help us in times of trouble. And there's 00:16:29.690 --> 00:16:31.470 so many other comforting verses in the Bible 00:16:31.470 --> 00:16:36.389 of who God is in times of distress or pain. In 00:16:36.389 --> 00:16:38.830 Psalm 34, 18, it says, the Lord is near to the 00:16:38.830 --> 00:16:40.950 brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed 00:16:40.950 --> 00:16:44.309 in spirit. So I was able to come to a place in 00:16:44.309 --> 00:16:48.529 my life, in my faith, where God anchored me in 00:16:48.529 --> 00:16:51.769 my despair, and he was the comfort in my brokenheartedness, 00:16:51.809 --> 00:16:54.509 and he fueled me to stand up against injustices. 00:16:58.389 --> 00:17:03.830 So on a personal note, how did your relationship 00:17:03.830 --> 00:17:08.950 with Jesus kind of develop and grow over the 00:17:08.950 --> 00:17:13.029 years in that context? I was raised in a Christian 00:17:13.029 --> 00:17:15.089 home, so my parents were Christian when they 00:17:15.089 --> 00:17:18.450 had me. And so my sister and I, we always knew 00:17:18.450 --> 00:17:21.690 that Jesus loved us. We never had to really question 00:17:21.690 --> 00:17:26.789 that. And so I always knew this, but I didn't 00:17:26.789 --> 00:17:29.809 really get to know who Jesus was at a personal 00:17:29.809 --> 00:17:33.890 level until my early 20s. It was at a time where, 00:17:33.930 --> 00:17:35.930 you know, when you leave home, you're finally 00:17:35.930 --> 00:17:38.049 questioning for yourself, what do I believe apart 00:17:38.049 --> 00:17:40.750 from my parents? Does this make sense? Does this 00:17:40.750 --> 00:17:43.450 add up? And so I found myself in university. 00:17:44.279 --> 00:17:47.180 in a similar place with other young people who 00:17:47.180 --> 00:17:49.759 were having questions about God, faith, Christianity, 00:17:49.980 --> 00:17:52.740 Jesus, all of that, and what that means. And 00:17:52.740 --> 00:17:55.259 so what came out of that time of searching is 00:17:55.259 --> 00:17:58.299 I met Jesus for the first time. I was reading 00:17:58.299 --> 00:18:00.279 through the Gospels with a group of people, like 00:18:00.279 --> 00:18:02.819 I said, that were having similar questions. And 00:18:02.819 --> 00:18:06.099 for the first time, I felt like I actually met 00:18:06.099 --> 00:18:08.559 Jesus. I read about someone who was passionate, 00:18:08.799 --> 00:18:12.039 loving, vibrant, and not apathetic to matters 00:18:12.039 --> 00:18:16.079 of injustice. I read example after example of 00:18:16.079 --> 00:18:18.519 Jesus going out of his way to spend time with 00:18:18.519 --> 00:18:21.680 people who were overlooked, oppressed, hurting, 00:18:21.859 --> 00:18:24.259 and cast out from society. And I thought, okay, 00:18:24.299 --> 00:18:28.059 this is a Jesus that I can follow. I have no 00:18:28.059 --> 00:18:30.440 control over the actions of other Christians. 00:18:31.259 --> 00:18:34.960 And so all I can do is use my own voice. And 00:18:34.960 --> 00:18:37.240 I decided to use that voice to help mend what 00:18:37.240 --> 00:18:40.930 was broken between. christian church and indigenous 00:18:40.930 --> 00:18:44.069 people yeah so i mean you mentioned the church 00:18:44.069 --> 00:18:47.849 so what has your relationship with the church 00:18:47.849 --> 00:18:50.349 been during this time both positive and negative 00:18:50.349 --> 00:18:54.349 yeah um this is going to sound really obvious 00:18:54.349 --> 00:18:57.920 but and especially as i have been part of trinity 00:18:57.920 --> 00:19:01.259 and the church we were at before but as i looked 00:19:01.259 --> 00:19:03.160 around at people in the churches who had come 00:19:03.160 --> 00:19:06.380 to know and love and i was able god revealed 00:19:06.380 --> 00:19:08.920 to me all the amazing works that people were 00:19:08.920 --> 00:19:11.720 doing every all the hard work and effort people 00:19:11.720 --> 00:19:14.779 were doing to fight injustices and to stand up 00:19:14.779 --> 00:19:20.380 for the brokenhearted and um that sounds obvious 00:19:20.380 --> 00:19:23.720 when you come to come out of a place of anger 00:19:23.720 --> 00:19:27.259 but at the time When someone's trust has been 00:19:27.259 --> 00:19:29.640 broken, and I felt like my trust had been rebroken, 00:19:29.839 --> 00:19:32.819 when someone's trust has been broken by someone 00:19:32.819 --> 00:19:36.839 or the church, it's really easy to fall into 00:19:36.839 --> 00:19:39.680 a very black and white thinking, a black and 00:19:39.680 --> 00:19:43.119 white lens where you, you know, something happens 00:19:43.119 --> 00:19:46.460 and someone from one group does something bad 00:19:46.460 --> 00:19:48.500 and therefore that whole group is bad. You can't 00:19:48.500 --> 00:19:51.619 trust them. And I do think there's an appropriate 00:19:51.619 --> 00:19:54.279 amount of time and space that we need to give 00:19:54.279 --> 00:19:57.180 people where they can process that hurt or process 00:19:57.180 --> 00:20:01.420 that anger. And I was really angry at that time, 00:20:01.480 --> 00:20:06.059 and it was really hard. But I began to wonder, 00:20:06.339 --> 00:20:09.519 okay, how will I ever be able to trust the church 00:20:09.519 --> 00:20:11.519 again? If I look around and I see good people, 00:20:11.640 --> 00:20:15.819 how can I trust the church again? God was faithful. 00:20:15.900 --> 00:20:18.519 He was able over time to just continue to remind 00:20:18.519 --> 00:20:22.180 me that there are so many amazing people in my 00:20:22.180 --> 00:20:24.559 life who do care about justice and who speak 00:20:24.559 --> 00:20:27.500 up for the oppressed and who are doing really 00:20:27.500 --> 00:20:29.660 good work in their own communities for other 00:20:29.660 --> 00:20:36.539 causes as well. And knowing that God cares about 00:20:36.539 --> 00:20:40.400 these matters of injustice meant a lot to me 00:20:40.400 --> 00:20:44.700 and was very impactful. In Exodus 34, God says 00:20:44.700 --> 00:20:47.240 this about himself. The Lord called out his own 00:20:47.240 --> 00:20:49.119 name, Yahweh the Lord, the God of compassion 00:20:49.119 --> 00:20:51.680 and mercy. I am slow to anger and filled with 00:20:51.680 --> 00:20:54.819 unfailing love and faithfulness. I lavish unfailing 00:20:54.819 --> 00:20:57.680 love to a thousand generations. I forgive iniquity, 00:20:57.680 --> 00:20:59.920 rebellion, and sin, but I do not excuse the guilty. 00:21:00.359 --> 00:21:04.619 And so this idea of, okay, God is this big God 00:21:04.619 --> 00:21:07.119 of compassion and mercy, and he's so, so faithful. 00:21:08.059 --> 00:21:13.839 And he will have justice in the end. Thank you. 00:21:14.859 --> 00:21:18.299 So, I mean, the key word, even from our scripture 00:21:18.299 --> 00:21:23.819 reading today, is reconciliation. And so I guess 00:21:23.819 --> 00:21:28.779 I just wonder, for you and for your family, what 00:21:28.779 --> 00:21:31.220 did that look like? What did it look like to 00:21:31.220 --> 00:21:33.240 kind of come to this place of reconciliation? 00:21:35.059 --> 00:21:39.519 I'll start by sharing a couple examples. And 00:21:39.519 --> 00:21:42.039 I'll use my parents as an example of what reconciliation 00:21:42.039 --> 00:21:44.039 can look like. So at the beginning I mentioned 00:21:44.039 --> 00:21:47.599 my dad is Swiss -German and my mother is Anishinaabemowin, 00:21:47.660 --> 00:21:50.779 which is Severn Cree in English. And I've been 00:21:50.779 --> 00:21:53.740 watching them serve together for my whole life 00:21:53.740 --> 00:21:57.559 and them walking alongside each other in their 00:21:57.559 --> 00:22:01.140 differences from two different worlds and continually 00:22:01.140 --> 00:22:03.819 choosing to come back and work through the difficult 00:22:03.819 --> 00:22:07.500 times. the difficult scenarios that they have 00:22:07.500 --> 00:22:09.900 to work through. And so it's such a perfect example 00:22:09.900 --> 00:22:14.279 of God's love. They've spent the last 30 years, 00:22:14.319 --> 00:22:17.240 almost 30 years, I guess, working closely with 00:22:17.240 --> 00:22:19.240 Indigenous communities, my mother's community 00:22:19.240 --> 00:22:22.480 being one of them. And there are counselors who 00:22:22.480 --> 00:22:26.180 deal with topics like abuse, addiction, grief, 00:22:26.440 --> 00:22:30.400 trauma. And they're just very passionate justice 00:22:30.400 --> 00:22:33.259 -seeking people, and so it's just a beautiful 00:22:33.259 --> 00:22:36.440 example of reconciliation between two worlds 00:22:36.440 --> 00:22:40.279 and that journey. Another concrete example is 00:22:40.279 --> 00:22:43.160 I've had the privilege of watching my dad interact 00:22:43.160 --> 00:22:46.680 with my mom's family for my whole life, and I've 00:22:46.680 --> 00:22:49.220 been able to witness his humility, his love and 00:22:49.220 --> 00:22:52.900 respect, which has not only given him many wonderful 00:22:52.900 --> 00:22:55.400 friendships with those in my mom's community, 00:22:55.500 --> 00:22:58.869 but it's actually healed. hearts that have been 00:22:58.869 --> 00:23:03.309 broken, and trust that has been broken between 00:23:03.309 --> 00:23:07.750 Indigenous and non -Indigenous. My dad has been 00:23:07.750 --> 00:23:10.069 part of the Muskrat Dam community since he first 00:23:10.069 --> 00:23:13.210 went up in 1985 as a teacher, and then soon after 00:23:13.210 --> 00:23:15.329 met my mom, and a few years later they were married. 00:23:16.670 --> 00:23:19.190 One more story I have of my dad trying to gain 00:23:19.190 --> 00:23:21.890 the trust of the community, and mostly my mom's 00:23:21.890 --> 00:23:25.069 family, is when... my mother and father were 00:23:25.069 --> 00:23:27.390 going to get married. And so word was getting 00:23:27.390 --> 00:23:29.589 around. My mom was telling her family members. 00:23:29.670 --> 00:23:33.269 And she called up my gookum. We called gookum 00:23:33.269 --> 00:23:36.930 for grandma. My great gookum, Juliet, and was 00:23:36.930 --> 00:23:40.329 telling her on the phone. And she was not happy. 00:23:40.450 --> 00:23:45.309 She did not want her to marry my dad. And it 00:23:45.309 --> 00:23:47.809 was not funny at the time. And I'm just chuckling 00:23:47.809 --> 00:23:55.000 because in the end, Oh, and she was so much so 00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:58.039 not trusting my dad that she decided not to show 00:23:58.039 --> 00:23:59.940 up to the wedding. She said, nope, I'm not coming 00:23:59.940 --> 00:24:03.319 to this wedding. She had a hard time trusting 00:24:03.319 --> 00:24:08.019 that my dad would take care of my mom. They got 00:24:08.019 --> 00:24:12.579 married, and over the years, my dad continued 00:24:12.579 --> 00:24:15.119 to show his love and care, not only for my mom, 00:24:15.119 --> 00:24:18.359 but for her people. And eventually, Juliet came 00:24:18.359 --> 00:24:20.220 around, and they shared many years of friendship 00:24:20.220 --> 00:24:24.329 together. My dad's persistent love, humility, 00:24:24.450 --> 00:24:26.710 and respect has built him many years of friendship 00:24:26.710 --> 00:24:31.109 over his lifetime. And so my point here is that 00:24:31.109 --> 00:24:33.750 reconciliation is a journey, and if we are to 00:24:33.750 --> 00:24:36.730 move forward together, we have to do so with 00:24:36.730 --> 00:24:39.369 humility, love, and respect, even when it's really, 00:24:39.450 --> 00:24:42.650 really hard, even when there's pushback. I would 00:24:42.650 --> 00:24:44.869 say start by listening to the stories of Indigenous 00:24:44.869 --> 00:24:48.710 people and their experiences. Believe those stories. 00:24:53.509 --> 00:24:57.150 And allow that to open your heart with empathy 00:24:57.150 --> 00:25:00.710 and love. Friendship is that doorway that opens 00:25:00.710 --> 00:25:04.490 the pathway to reconciliation. There's a book 00:25:04.490 --> 00:25:06.609 called The Reason You Walk by Wab Kanu, who's 00:25:06.609 --> 00:25:08.529 actually the first ever First Nations premier 00:25:08.529 --> 00:25:12.450 in Manitoba. And he wrote his biography, and 00:25:12.450 --> 00:25:15.400 he wrote this in there. Reconciliation is not 00:25:15.400 --> 00:25:18.000 something realized on a grand level, something 00:25:18.000 --> 00:25:20.259 that happens when a prime minister and a national 00:25:20.259 --> 00:25:23.740 chief shake hands. It takes place at a much more 00:25:23.740 --> 00:25:26.880 individual level. Reconciliation is realized 00:25:26.880 --> 00:25:28.900 when two people come together and understand 00:25:28.900 --> 00:25:31.339 that what they share unites them and that what 00:25:31.339 --> 00:25:33.200 is different about them needs to be respected. 00:25:34.140 --> 00:25:36.460 Reconciliation happens when the archbishop and 00:25:36.460 --> 00:25:39.799 the sun dancer become brothers. I truly believe 00:25:39.799 --> 00:25:41.779 there's hope for our future and that deep friendship 00:25:41.779 --> 00:25:44.500 can be had and understanding can be had between 00:25:44.500 --> 00:25:48.059 Christian people and the indigenous people. That's 00:25:48.059 --> 00:25:57.079 Wab Kunnu. Yeah. So, kind of bringing this together, 00:25:57.220 --> 00:26:01.140 what is one thing, if there's just one thing, 00:26:01.220 --> 00:26:06.480 that the church or we as a church could... do 00:26:06.480 --> 00:26:09.940 differently or think differently coming out of 00:26:09.940 --> 00:26:15.440 this? Yeah, I mean, I think ultimately I do want 00:26:15.440 --> 00:26:17.420 the church to know that this can be overcome. 00:26:18.980 --> 00:26:21.900 If you haven't started this journey yet of understanding 00:26:21.900 --> 00:26:23.980 what our country's history is with Indigenous 00:26:23.980 --> 00:26:26.279 people, I would want you to know that there is 00:26:26.279 --> 00:26:30.559 hope because it's a very painful history. But 00:26:30.559 --> 00:26:34.019 to have faith and hope that it can be overcome. 00:26:34.990 --> 00:26:38.009 that the power of our God is big enough to overcome 00:26:38.009 --> 00:26:41.930 what humans have done. You know, the message 00:26:41.930 --> 00:26:44.789 of the cross is one of reconciliation, as we 00:26:44.789 --> 00:26:47.690 read this morning in our scripture reading. And 00:26:47.690 --> 00:26:50.289 to know there are many people, indigenous people, 00:26:50.450 --> 00:26:52.950 who are followers of Jesus, who have been able 00:26:52.950 --> 00:26:55.089 to wrestle through these things and overcome 00:26:55.089 --> 00:26:59.529 and see that God is good, Jesus is good. And 00:26:59.529 --> 00:27:05.059 so I hope... I hope that as we do that, as Christians, 00:27:05.180 --> 00:27:07.680 we would be reminded that we are called to stand 00:27:07.680 --> 00:27:10.579 up for justice, care for the hurting, comfort 00:27:10.579 --> 00:27:12.420 the brokenhearted, and bring people together. 00:27:15.519 --> 00:27:19.779 The passage I read earlier about who God says 00:27:19.779 --> 00:27:22.380 he is, and so just clothe that on yourselves. 00:27:22.539 --> 00:27:26.519 Be loving, compassionate, slow to anger, carry 00:27:26.519 --> 00:27:28.799 empathy, and be willing to listen and learn so 00:27:28.799 --> 00:27:31.619 that we can connect on a human level. and move 00:27:31.619 --> 00:27:33.900 forward in truth towards reconciliation because 00:27:33.900 --> 00:27:37.779 the pathway of reconciliation is a journey, and 00:27:37.779 --> 00:27:40.799 so it's not an easy fix. It's choosing to come 00:27:40.799 --> 00:27:43.160 back and choosing to listen and believe and show 00:27:43.160 --> 00:27:45.900 up. In the book of Micah, God speaks through 00:27:45.900 --> 00:27:48.880 the prophet to his people, and he says this. 00:27:49.420 --> 00:27:52.220 He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and 00:27:52.220 --> 00:27:54.640 what does the Lord require of you but to do justice? 00:27:55.720 --> 00:27:58.140 And to love kindness and walk humbly with your 00:27:58.140 --> 00:28:00.619 God. And I think that's just a beautiful summary 00:28:00.619 --> 00:28:03.160 of what God wants from us. As humans who walk 00:28:03.160 --> 00:28:06.180 this earth, who try and coexist together in all 00:28:06.180 --> 00:28:09.019 of our diversity and our messiness and our mistakes, 00:28:09.259 --> 00:28:13.579 we should walk forward together with love, kindness, 00:28:13.660 --> 00:28:21.180 and humility. Well, thank you so much for sharing 00:28:21.180 --> 00:28:26.970 this very... Well, it's a powerful story. It's 00:28:26.970 --> 00:28:29.890 a sacred story. It's a story that's infused with 00:28:29.890 --> 00:28:35.329 pain, but also infused with grace and God's love 00:28:35.329 --> 00:28:39.589 and reconciliation itself. It's a wonderful picture 00:28:39.589 --> 00:28:43.269 you've given us. So thank you for taking the 00:28:43.269 --> 00:28:46.380 time. to be with us in this way. I know it's 00:28:46.380 --> 00:28:48.579 not the easiest thing to do, to talk about this, 00:28:48.640 --> 00:28:50.460 but to talk about it in front of a crowd of people 00:28:50.460 --> 00:28:53.279 also makes it all the more difficult. So I want 00:28:53.279 --> 00:28:56.460 to say thank you so very much for sharing that 00:28:56.460 --> 00:28:58.920 story with us today. Could we just show our appreciation 00:28:58.920 --> 00:29:00.240 for Rochelle?