Truth, Relationship, and Reconciliation

Jesus calls us to love our neighbour, but what changes when we recognize that loving our neighbour requires us to actually know and understand their story? What makes understanding someone an important part of loving them?

Adam suggests that “we cannot love what we refuse to understand.” Do you agree with that statement? Where might there be a difference between loving someone well and simply having good intentions toward them?

History matters because people carry stories. How do the stories we inherit - from our families, churches, schools, communities, or culture - shape the way we see other people without us realizing it?

What is the difference between feeling sorry for someone, feeling guilty about something, and developing genuine compassion that leads to relationship and action? How might those three responses look different in practice?

Why do you think challenging stereotypes can feel threatening or uncomfortable? What does it require of us to hold onto the dignity and uniqueness of another person or culture without reducing them to a stereotype or treating them as a representative of an entire group?

Adam suggests we need to listen, learn, and build relationship. Which of those comes most naturally to you, and which is most difficult? What would it look like to take one concrete step in the next month?

If following Jesus means learning to love our neighbours - including our First Nations, Metis, and Inuit neighbours - what responsibilities might that create for us as individuals and as a church community? Where should that responsibility begin?