Healing Relationships

This Lent, Moderator Jordan Cantwell reflects on healing our relationships with our neighbours. “For Jesus these two are inseparable: love of God and love of neighbour. They’re part of each other,” the Moderator says in her message. “So during this Lenten season I encourage each of you to think about what is one step that you can take today to bring some healing to a relationship in your life that is broken.”  Her message can be watched here.

The following is the transcript of The Right Reverand Jordan Cantwell’s 2017 Lenten Reflection:

When Jesus was asked what’s the most important of all the commandments, he said, “Love God with all your heart, your soul, your mind, with everything.” And he said, “Love your neighbour as yourself.”

For Jesus these two are inseparable: love of God and love of neighbour. They’re part of each other.

And so in this season of Lent, as we focus on deepening and healing our relationship with God, it necessarily calls us to look at our relationships with our neighbours. Where is their brokenness that needs mending? And of course there’s so much brokenness in our personal relationships as well as our global relationships, which actually means that there are lots of places that we can begin to bring healing—lots of in-points to make a start at healing those relationships.

One of the places I think we really need to focus some attention on healing relationships is the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in this country, and especially I think within our church. As part of that work I’ve made a commitment to getting around to as many Indigenous communities in our church as possible, and I’ve actually just returned from two weeks in northern communities in Manitoba. Those opportunities to be with our sisters and brothers in the Indigenous church are so important for me to just listen. Going into the communities to be with people to learn about their lives, their realities, to get to know folks face-to-face—this has been an incredibly enriching experience for me, and I hope one that has been important for the whole church.

So during this Lenten season I encourage each of you to think about what is one step that you can take today to bring some healing to a relationship in your life that is broken.

May God be with us on this journey.

~ from a link on the United Church of Canada’s website