Come and Follow Me – Churchill-Gilford Pastoral Charge

“Come and Follow Me”
Reflection for Third Sunday of Epiphany
January 21, 2024
For Churchill and Gilford pastoral charge
Krista Moore

Scriptures: Mark 1:14–20 Jesus Calls Simon, Andrew, John, and James

Introduction to the Scriptures
– In today’s Gospel, Jesus invites the disciples who are fishermen to Come and follow him
– It must have been a powerful invitation because the disciples get up and leave their nets behind and go with him
– He promises to make them “fishers of people” – but what does that mean?
– How will he make people turn to a new life and follow his new Gospel of Love?
– But how might that call to fish for people (make new followers) have been abused in times gone by?
– He tells the people to “repent and hear the Good News” But what are they repenting of? What are we? And what is the Good News?

REFLECTION
STORY: UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA – BASIS OF UNION
– In 1925 God called us as a church to unite. Three denominations: the Methodists, Presbyterians and Congregationalists came together to discuss this awesome idea
– To form one national church, the United Church of Canada.
– The churches worked together to agree on a governance structure, and wrote the Basis of Union
– It included the doctrines of our common faith, with the flexibility to practice this faith in our own unique ways
– Most voted to join the United Church of Canada
– The Question we will be asking ourselves next week is about the Remit Vote which changes the UNITED CHURCH’s Basis of Union – allowing an autonomous Indigenous organization within the United Church of Canada.
– What does this mean?
– A few years ago the UCC governance structure changed from Presbyteries to regions (I’m sure some of you remember) and this
action removed some of the autonomy of the Indigenous organizations absorbing them into these big regions
– So this is just another step to give back some of that control and empower the indigenous churches within the UCC
– Patti Rodgers will be explaining more about this at the Gilford AGM, and the following week at the Churchill AGM.

OVERVIEW – THESIS
Why is this important? And what does this have to do with our Gospel message today?

SCRIPTURE
– The Gospel we heard today reminds me of how the indigenous peoples were called to Christ in the early days of the church
– The Gospel, or Good News, was something to be shared with love, something that would transform our lives for the better.
– It came from Jesus on the Lakeshore with a simple command to “come and follow me.”
– The disciples left their nets by choice and followed Christ.
– But the early churches and government of Canada did not always act with a gentle “follow me” approach
– Jesus promised to make the disciples “fishers of people” to share this Good News.
– This makes sense – they wanted to grow their following. Don’t all good churches want to do that?

GOVERNMENT AND CHURCH INVOLVEMENT
– But Sometimes governments and religious organizations turn the invitation of Christ into coercion or forced conversion
– Instead of teaching people “Jesus Loves You”, or that you belong to Christ, our early churches and government took away their land and their resources, and took away their hope for a better future — while preaching the Gospel – this just didn’t make SENSE
– Many missionaries and Christians are good and loving people who risk their lives to help others and share the Good News
– This isn’t about condemning anyone
– But when we began to settle into this nation, our relationship with the First peoples became complicated – it became more about power, money and land
– Our government and churches (including the United Church) did harm by assimilating them through church and government sponsored residential schools, or by pushing them onto government-run reserves.
– Our government and churches believed the right idea was to “take the Indian out of the child” and make them one of us.
– But not equal with us – they were not even considered human in some cases.
– They were called savages or heathen.
– The United Church unfortunately is a part of this legacy

EPIPHANY
– This is the season of Epiphany when Christ comes to us as a little child – not a powerful ruler or warrior.
– Jesus teaches us to love, not to hate or overpower. Jesus loved all the little children.

UNMARKED GRAVES & RESIDENTIAL SCHOOL LEGACY
– The discovery of the unmarked graves of the children who were lost at residential schools, came to light a couple of years ago
– I also became aware of the truth of what happened to the indigenous people at Emmanuel College by hearing or reading the testimonials of those who survived residential schools
– I felt such remorse – not because I had done something wrong personally, but because a wrong had been done,
– and I wasn’t taught this in history class. Our schools and government and churches did not share this information.
– I was glad I at least learned the truth of what had happened
*****BUT HOW could this happen??
– How could Christian churches treat innocent children with such contempt?
– This is unthinkable to us today.

THE GOSPEL IS FREE CHOICE
– Jesus asked the disciples to follow him and he taught them how to spread the Gospel with LOVE
– BUT When the early missionaries and early churches formed in indigenous lands – this was a complex relationship.
– Did the indigenous have a choice to join the church? Did they follow?
– Well some would argue, yes of course, they traded and built friendships with the newcomers.
– And many gladly followed and shared the message of Jesus the Messiah, and still do to this day
– many indigenous churches formed within the Methodist and later United tradition, and they continue to flourish

THE INDIAN ACT
But the Indian Act of 1876 in Canada meant that Indians were seen as a problem not a partner. They became an obstacle to national progress and unity; and so they became “wards of the state;” they had to move off the land they had lived on for hundreds or thousands of years and live on reserves without the resources they once enjoyed.
– Their children also became wards of the state, often stolen against their parents’ will, and sent to residential schools where they were forbidden to practice their culture, stripped of their native languages & heritage.
– What followed was abuse, and a legacy of trauma, poverty, starvation, addiction, disease, and death.
– Many who survived and their children still feel the effects of this legacy today, which has passed from generation to generation. It doesn’t just go away.

THE GOSPEL – HOW TO FISH FOR PEOPLE
– Jesus did not start a movement through coercion.
– His call to “Come and follow me” was never by force.
– His promise to teach them how to “fish for people” did not include aggression or oppression
– Sadly, many experienced the Christian government and churches as forcing their way through assimilation, exploitation, persecution, and violence.
– THIS WAS NOT AN ACT OF CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
– Jesus was aware of persecution; he was well-acquainted with violence and even death.
– His movement was never about power and conquest.
– The Gospel was to liberate its followers not to destroy their enemies.
– BUT this is an unfortunate part of the churches’ legacy.

SO WHAT IS THE GOOD NEWS
– The GOOD NEWS is…
– God is a loving God. God is a forgiving God
– People are flawed, people make mistakes, that is why Jesus calls his new followers to “repent and hear the Good News!”
– Jesus asks us to “repent and hear the Good News” not to shame us or take away our power or punish us
– Repentance FREES us to be better people
– The disciples must “leave their nets” to follow him; what might we have to leave behind?
– When Jesus CALLS US TO FOLLOW HIM,
– We all have a CHOICE – thank God –
– We get to decide for ourselves based on our conscience.
– We are blessed with a VOICE, and POWER to make decisions, to vote, and to make things better
– That is what the indigenous people are asking for, to be free to decide and have a voice, to make their own choices
– Jesus calls his disciples to come and learn something new – – Maybe Jesus is calling us too, saying “come and follow me” and realize something new at this time of Epiphany.
– God comes to us as a child, as a man calling from the Lakeshore
– He calls us not by force, but by offering us something MORE
– Jesus calls us to a new way of LOVE, forgiveness, and compassion
– We can learn to live into the United Church’s New Creed which calls us, “to live with respect in creation.”
– This means to love and respect all that God created, including the indigenous peoples of Canada.
– We are very blessed to live in Canada and to enjoy such a rich and beautiful abundance; our land acknowledgement expresses this.

CONCLUSION
– Seeing the Light at Epiphany means we never see things the same way again; Jesus changes our perspective
– It may make us uncomfortable at times.
– It is not an easy path to follow Christ, but love is never easy is it?
– The GOSPEL today means we can live in peace with respect for all of God’s creation and appreciate everything we have.
– We can love one another, including the stranger, those we don’t know yet, as ourselves.
– We can meet one another on the road, welcoming the stranger and becoming friends and neighbours
– Wouldn’t that be a beautiful vision?
– Regarding the Remit Vote, Kent Ward at Trinity United quoted an indigenous friend saying
o it is like we are going down the same river but in two canoes; We are going in the same direction, side by side.
– It gives hope of staying connected and building a friendship.
– Becoming friends and neighbours who say,
o “Come in, Come in and sit down, you are a part of the family” like we sang today
– This is the invitation and call of Christ, the way forward.

LET US PRAY
– May we love and forgive, dropping our nets of fear and misunderstanding, embracing hope and the possibility of harmony and peace in our countries, churches, and world.
– May we come to follow Christ learning new ways of being the church, together with respect for all of God’s creation.
– May it be so.
– Amen