Reconciliation Week - uncovering the truth and acting on how our indigenous people feel.

John 5:1-9 tells a story of what happened at the baths of Bethesda. A man was looking for healing for 38 years and could find noone to help him into the pool to find healing.The location for what happened here was thought mythical for a long time until the place was discovers (approx 1890's). Once we had evidence we could speak about the story with far more legitimacy. As we uncover the truth of our indigenous people we find more and more evidence of how well they understood country and how sophisticated they were in the way they interacted with country. Instead of gaining legitimacy, our indigenous people are told how they are making things up and that what they are sharing is fantasy.The man at the pool has waited 38 years to get healing. He shared his feelings with Jesus about how frustrating it was for him to be denied the healing powers of the water. Acting on the feelings the man shared, he was given a great healing. Our indigenous people share their feelings and put out information like the statement for the heart, and yet we deny them healing and ignore their feelings for our benefit at the expense of theirs - which is not how Jesus would like his disciples to act and is also against the law.As we start reconciliation week, let's be agents of healing and do one thing to express our legitimate understanding of the sophistication of our first nation people and act on how they feel and what they tell us they need from us.Let's pray that we be part of the bridge build from here to there!Blessings,Rev. Rob.