How did Koinonia Come to mean Women in fur coats And I/we Don’t belong Really (and never will) How did I preach the Word of God Come to mean Misogyny and and and Help me Poppa In all the undoing You are doing In me/us To keep You The reality Of You Heal Your church Poppa Heal me/us Help me/us to find Your good way The Way How
Morning Prayer on Canada Day
Father, this morning I awake Grateful to live here Grateful for the profound privilege that I was born into Poppa there is brokenness and sadness in your land and today I repent for The many ways that I and those who have gone before me have used our privilege to lord it over others For the many ways that in thought, words and actions we have done harm, so much harm For the many ways in which I and those who have gone before me have participated in systemic racism so to perpetuate our privilege For the many ways in which our greed and the unfair use of our shared resources has caused terrible suffering for others For the many ways in which our thoughts, words and actions have facilitated and promoted systemic racism in this land For the many ways in which we have thought and acted without love, without compassion, without kindness, without care. For the many ways in which I and those who have gone before me have been complicit in thought, words and actions in the sin of and then the covering up of the sin that led to the suffering and deaths of so many children and members of their families I repent in sorrow and shame for my own sin and the sins of those who have gone before me Help me to listen with compassion and to learn with humility Help me to live in love Creator God please heal our land. I pray these things in the strong name of Jesus Who lived and died for love Amen
Repent and Weep
We The settler peoples We Are 100% 100% to blame Responsible (culpable) For The reprehensible The unthinkable The criminal The cruel The lonely deaths Of children Children! This great corporate and individual sin rises as a stench into your throne room Oh God (Abuse Neglect Greed Violence Abuse Neglect Greed Violence) I repent I repent and weep I repent and weep for their children I repent and weep for their children That Are No More I repent and weep I repent and weep I repent and weep I repent I
Canadian Genocide
215 Kamloops, British Columbia CANADA 104 Brandon, Manitoba CANADA 38 Regina, Saskatchewan CANADA 751 Cowessess, Saskatchewan CANADA 35 Lestock, Saskatchewan CANADA 180 Carlisle, (Prince Albert) Saskatchewan CANADA ... (One would have been too many) A voice Many voices A Thousand voices Thousands upon thousands of voices Weeping for their children because they are no more Weeping for their children because they are no more Weeping for their children because they are no more I am weeping for your children because they are no more
Check myself
I checked myself (in Lethbridge the other day) Because I saw (not) you (but) your Race your Affect (and) I felt Fear (and) Judgement (and so) I Had To Check myself And shout silently To you To You Poppa To you my soul I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I didn't See You
Loving your neighbour
“Love your neighbour as yourself” Mark 12: 31 Loving your neighbour might mean Removing monuments (that don’t tell the whole story) Renaming merchandise (and sports teams) that you like Making sure that EVERYONE can vote Staying silent and letting someone else talk Not worrying about vandalism (because getting rid of lynching is more nb) Not getting your way (for once) Loving your neighbour might mean this
Not Countless
Only one time (in my white privileged life) was I made to feel "less than" (a dental receptionist in Saskatoon disdained me for my poverty and not having insurance for the extras they wanted to do) Only one time Not hundreds Not thousands Not countless Not hundreds Not thousands Not countless