Presented to TSA North Vancouver Corps and the Harvest Community, 04 October 2026 (based on the message Presented to TSA AV Ministries, 26 March 2023) by Major Michael Ramsay
To read the shorter 2023 version, click here: https://sheepspeaks.blogspot.com/2023/03/2-corinthians-511-21-reconciliation.html
2 Corinthians 5:17-19: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 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.”
Discussion questions:
• What is the ministry of reconciliation?
• What role do you suppose forgiveness has in reconciliation?
• How can we share the message of reconciliation?
This week was Truth and Reconciliation Day. On Wednesday I had the opportunity to join a walk in Vancouver. Susan and Heather and I went to events in New Westminster. I don’t know if there were events here in North Van? The Orange Shirt Day walk was always a very important event when we lived in Port Alberni. Alberni was home to one of the Residential Schools. Each TRC day we would either walk to or from that site as a community – all of us from Port Alberni, including mayor and members of council; the MLA and MP, The Salvation Army and many others. We would walk side-by-side with members of the local Nuu-Chah-Nulth nations: Tseshaht, Hupacasath, and others. We would do this as a sign of solidarity, of reconciliation.
Our scripture before us today, in part, vv.17-19, says: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 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.”
A friend of mine, who was affected directly by residential schools, wrote this:
…the beatings I took when I was a little boy. I could never understand why Late Mom did this to me. Reading about the Plint case, I began to learn and understand what happened to her in those institutions she was kidnapped and forced to attend. The Plint case, I think, was instrumental in helping her to come to terms with her own childhood; to help her begin the process of Healing... I said to Late Mom a few times, "Mom, it okay to remember the past, if only to learn from it how NOT to be - What is not okay is repeating it…. Each of us has the opportunity to halt the vicious cycle of abuse that the savages taught in them institutions."
…My brother, Simon, remembers how I used to be tied up, when I was a little boy. I only have vague memories...
I close this by commenting on my daughter's observations, when she was only four years of age. …[she spilled her juice] I'd grab a tablecloth to wipe it up, then explain to her it was why I put the glass in front of her. This happened three times. And, to keep this short, on the third time, she said to me, "Dad, you're not going to get mad at me, hey? " To which I would say to her, "No, daughter. I would never be mad at you (as in never belittle her or make her feel threatened and afraid). … "The vicious cycle ends with me."
2 Corinthians 5:17-19: “…if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 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.”
Archbishop Desmond Tutu writes,” To walk the path of forgiveness is to recognize that your crimes harm you as they harm me. To walk the path of forgiveness is to recognize that my dignity is bound up in your dignity, and every wrongdoing hurts us all.” We are forgiven; to be reconciled we must forgive.
Reconciliation with others is important. Reconciliation with God is most important and reconciliation with God inevitably leads to reconciliation with others. 1 John 4:20: “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.”
TRC Day was this week. I wore my orange shirt. In our previous appointment, we worked well with the local nations. We always had the chiefs at our events – Ken and Brandy are my friends - and we went to theirs. We were able to partner with them in many ways.
This poster (on the screen) means very much to me. I used to have it on my office door in Alberni. I thought I lost it when we moved. It made me very sad. I found it, however, which caused me great joy and relief. It is now in my office in Burnaby. It was given to me by Remi Tom– he was a colleague at The Salvation Army Alberni Valley Ministries. He works with the Army there. His brother was an hereditary Tla-o-qui-aht Chief. Remi is an elected member of council. He taught me much about Nuu-Chah-Nulth culture, tradition, government, and some vocabulary; he is a friend!
On Shrove Tuesday 2023, one of the other Nuu-Chah-Nulth nations, the Tseshaht First Nation, released the preliminary findings about the residential school that was on their territory. It is very sad. Every day after that, as before, as I entered my office and as I would sit at my desk, I see this print of a painting by Roy Henry Vickers with the words 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator) written underneath. I kept that picture on my glass door. Whenever someone came to my office and the door was closed, they would see it. When I was in my office with the door open, it would be facing me. I would be facing 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator), as you are today.
Shrove Tuesday was the day the findings were released from the residential school on Tseshaht First Nation. Shrove Tuesday is the day before lent begins. Traditionally this is the day to get our lives in order for Lent. It is a time of confession and absolution. I think it is quite fitting that the preliminary findings from the residential school were released on a day that has already been set aside for confession and absolution. Our nation has certainly been coming to terms with the residential school systems and many other things over the past few years. Our politicians, church leaders and others have been publicly confessing the sins and errors of the past. True reconciliation is only possible with confession, forgiveness, absolution. As Demond Tutu said in the South African context, “there is no future without forgiveness”; for it is only in forgiving others that we are truly sets us free.
1 John 4:20: “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.”
2 Corinthians 5:17-19: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 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.”
Lent, the season that begins after Shrove Tuesday, when the findings were released, starts on Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday is a time for fasting and praying. Lent – the word itself – means ‘fortieth’ and it references the 40 days Jesus fasted (referencing as well Elijah’s and Moses’ fasts of that length) before commencing his public ministry. Lent ends on either Maundy Thursday or Low Saturday – the day between Good Friday and Easter: the day we commemorate Christ providing reconciliation for the whole world, all of Creation.
The symbolism of this picture is important to me. The crown of thorns on the 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator)’s head make it clear that this is a representation of Jesus. Jesus who died on the cross, Jesus is the Creator. John Chapter 1 reminds us that wasn’t just a man. He is God. He is creator of the whole world and more.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it...
...9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth...
...29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.
Doctrines 2 through 4 of The Salvation Army say this about 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator):
2. We believe that there is only one God, who is infinitely perfect, the Creator, Preserver, and Governor of all things, and who is the only proper object of religious worship.
3. We believe that there are three persons in the Godhead-the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, undivided in essence and co-equal in power and glory.
4. We believe that in the person of Jesus Christ the Divine and human natures are united, so that He is truly and properly God and truly and properly man.
'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator) not only created us but He also went to the cross for us. The tears in this picture remind me how sad He must be. Can you imagine the sadness of 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator)? He created all of us, everything, the whole world and more; and we killed Him. He loves us and we killed Him. Can you imagine if those whom you love deeply wanted to kill you and you watch them as they do? In our context today, imagine you are lying in a hospital bed and your loved one comes and puts the needle in that ends everything. Now imagine that they do this NOT out of love. Imagine. This I think can cause some tears. There is more than that though.
'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator) went to the cross for us. The tears in this picture remind me how sad He must be for the way we have treated each other in residential schools, and wars, and poverty, and other things and everything and how sad He must be at the way we continue to treat each other today.
Hebrews 10:26ff says that if we continue to sin after Christ died for us, we trample the body of Christ underfoot. 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator) let His creation kill Him so that we, His creation, can be free of Sin. See the tears on His cheek. Jesus died on the cross so that sin would no longer have a hold on us. He died on the cross so that we no longer need to fall prey to sin. Look at His tears – how sad it must make Him that we still sometimes fall prey to sin; how sad it must make Him that we still do bad things to each other; how sad it must make 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator) to see those He created and He loves, harm others whom He created and He loves. Those of us who are parents or grandparents, think of how we feel when our children fight; think of how we feel when our children hurt one another, think of how we feel when they bully their sibling; think of how we feel when they harm their sibling. We want them to be reconciled. We want them to be friends again. We don’t want anything to come between them ever again, because we love them. And those of us who have or are difficult siblings can make an extra effort because we love our parents.
'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator) died and rose again so that we could be reconciled to 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator) and 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator) died and rose again so that we could be reconciled to one another. This is what we hope for in Easter. As Advent, which is quickly approaching, is when we prepare to celebrate the incarnation of Christ, Lent is when we prepare to celebrate the reconciliation that Jesus provided for us all between the cross and the empty tomb. Jesus rose from the grave leaving sin and death behind Him so that we can all do the same. And even now we have the opportunity to begin to live out that salvation; even now we have to opportunity to begin to break free from those horrible sins that are trying to drag us down; even now we have that opportunity to live out that forgiveness and reconciliation with God – and with one another.
'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator), Jesus, died and rose again so that we could be reconciled to 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator), Jesus and to one another. As 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator) Jesus has done this for us, it is my hope that indeed we will all work diligently and unceasingly toward that end of living a life reconciled both with 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator) and with one another. He loves us and He wants us to be reconciled with Him with each other just like any parent desires to have their children get along.
So today, if there is anything between you and another of God’s children, another of God’s creations, I encourage you to live free from the power of Sin and death and experience love and forgiveness instead. I encourage you, if there is anything between you and 'Haalapi Hawit' (Creator), that you confess it to Him now and receive His forgiveness, His Grace, His love, and His healing and reconciliation; and when we go from here in a moment or two let us all go from here in His power, and share His love and ministry of reconciliation with all whom we meet.
Let us pray.
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