Dear Parents,
Over the past few days, news came out about a great tragedy that took place in Canada many years ago at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia. We know that 215 children never made it home to be with their parents.
As a parent, I can only imagine what it would be like to have my children taken away only to never have them return home to me; to wonder what happened to them, and have any trust that may have been there with those in power completely shattered.
This is yet another part of the story of the brokenness in our world and how people with power used it for evil rather than good. It illustrates how sin can creep into our hearts and produce the fruit of pain and sorrow. It demonstrates how those who have authority can hide behind the banner of God and Country to do disgraceful acts, while actually misrepresenting both.
This yet again highlights the fall of man and how our hearts wander from the truth. It demonstrates that the enemy of our soul is out to destroy all that is good. When this happens, we lose sight of the fact that we were made in the image of God and our value is found in Him, our Creator.
As a result, we are thrown into this battle between good and evil. We also know that on the other side, Jesus came to set up His kingdom and offer us the gift of reconciliation with our Father. These kingdoms are at odds with each other.
The famous author CS Lewis puts it this way, “Enemy-occupied territory—that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.”
What does this campaign consist of?
In 2 Corinthians 5:14-21, Paul reminds us that, “Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again”. He then goes on to say that, “All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.”
As Christ followers, we are called on to offer a different narrative and perspective. We are called to be peacemakers and offer Shalom to a hurting world. Theologian Nicolas Woltersdorff describes Shalom as:
1. Harmonious Relationships to God and delight in his service
2. Harmonious Relationships to other human beings and delight in human community
3. Harmonious relationships to nature and delight in our physical surroundings
In other words, God calls us to love Him, the people He created, and the World He created. We know that God hurts when he sees brokenness in His world and we should too. He also calls us to stand up to injustice, while offering His peace and love.
It is important for us to pause and think about the injustice that took place, pray for those who have been affected, and show the world a different path forward.
Christian Indigenous leader Barry Maracle concludes the following:
“So, don’t let the world set the rules of engagement, the narrative, the script or the construct in which we have to live by and debate upon! Rather, LOVE BEYOND KNOWLEDGE and be prepared with the Word of The Lord to bring a better answer to this hurting world! Guess what? Everybody may not agree with us, but as long as we are delivering the Truth in love and in the timing of the Lord, this is all we can do.”
Sincerely,
J-D Lussier, Principal
