Learning from the collective wisdom of our Elders
A VIEW FROM THE BACK PEW
By Rev. Canon Christopher B. J. Pratt
The Church has found great value in setting a framework for worship with a calendar which allows us to see the flow of our faith story through a pattern of scripture readings.
Over a period of time, we follow the birth, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. We reflect on the movement of the Divine Spirit at work since the dawn of time and we see God's Spirit at work in the life of the early Church. Specially marked calendar days provide us the opportunity to see in the ministries of individuals through the centuries, how the Spirit continues to be present and move through time into our experience through the faithful witness and lives of the followers of Jesus.
The amazing thing about the reality of the faith that defines who we are, is that we had to hear that story of faith, we had to be taught that story of faith, and we had to learn that story of faith from others before we were able to claim that story of faith for ourselves. That experience parallels so many other facets of our lives. We learn, because we are taught by others, who may be described as being our “Elders”.
For this article, I have placed my initial use of the word Elders in quotation marks because for many readers this may be a new perspective which needs to be explored.
Over my experience of ministry, I invariably found it difficult to follow a pattern of either worship or parish life simply because I was told, by some of the Elders of the parish, ”we have always done it this way”.
I also found that it was a valuable lesson to be in the presence of a person who, as a respected parish Elder, took the time to reflect with me, on a particular tradition or practice and explain why (whatever was being discussed) was such a valued element in the life of that Parish Family.
A respected citizen of Waterloo Region is Ron Schlegel. He is a Canadian Olympian hockey player, whose entrepreneurial efforts have generated a number of innovative long-term care and retirement facilities in Southwestern Ontario. Inscribed into a bench outside the front door of one of those buildings is this insightful message: “The greatest untapped resource in Canada, if not the world is the collective wisdom of our Elders."
A lesson which I have experienced has come through a commitment to the journey towards reconciliation which we are all called upon to make as people of faith and as Canadian citizens.
As you are aware, the Canadian Oath of Citizenship, which is a key element of our personal identity as citizens of Canada, gives us the opportunity to declare that we ”will faithfully observe the laws of Canada, including the Constitution, which recognizes and affirms the Aboriginal and treaty rights of First Nations, Metis and Inuit peoples and fulfill my duties as a Canadian Citizen.” We are a treaty people.
I have come to value and appreciate the offering of a Land Acknowledgement as a statement which provides an insight into a history of humanity’s connection with creation which may be measured in thousands of years. Over time the culture and history of Indigenous peoples has been shaped by the land which fed them, sheltered them and set a framework for their way of life.
To offer a Land Acknowledgement as either a community or as a personal statement is not a moment for lip service, or as an empty gesture following contemporary expectations of society, but rather it offers an opportunity to respect the reality of the past and to engage, in a meaningful way, with a process which is moving towards a reconciled relationship in the present.
An interesting element found in some guidelines which are offered in how to craft an appropriate Land Acknowledgement follows the suggestion that in order to understand the past and to be able to offer a statement which is culturally sensitive and respectful, it may be helpful to consult local Indigenous leaders or Elders. Looking to those whose awareness of how the past and tradition have brought us to this moment and whose life experience has a connection with an event - filled history has much to offer of value and merit.
At a gathering I attended in Ottawa, the Elder who was present offered a Land Acknowledgement which included a welcome to those who had travelled from across Canada to be at the event. Elder Verna McGregor spoke of how what we now claim as our nation’s capital had been a gathering place over time for Indigenous peoples.
She looked to the future and reflected on how we were all on a journey of reconciliation. It was a wonderful example of how the place, the moment, history and people were melded together in a very meaningful way.
I suspect that there are those who find it difficult to consider engaging in consultations with Elders, whether they are part of an Indigenous community, or even within the context of a church community. In our rapidly changing world, taking the time to reflect on past experience may seem to be a luxury. We are reminded that we are enabled to look to the future because of all that has educated and shaped our own lives. Even Isaac Newton, writing in 1675, reached back through the centuries and referenced writings 600 years earlier when he wrote, ”if I have seen further (than others), it is by standing on the shoulders of giants”.
If we are truly committed to being the ”mutually responsible and interdependent members of the Body of Christ”, that Anglican Christians claim to be, then ours, at our best, is a community of faith where we are attentive to our Elders.
The Indigenous tradition of consulting the Elders of the community, seeking their reflection, guidance and support is a lesson of the reconciliation experience worthy of being emulated. In matters of faith and in contemporary ministry opportunities we need each other, no matter what our age might be.
Rev. Canon Christopher B. J. Pratt has retired from full-time parish ministry but continues to offer priestly ministry in the Diocese.
(Photo: Elder Verna McGregor and Canon Christopher Pratt in the Senate Chamber in Ottawa at the National Investiture of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem.)