Birth of a new nation: a new year means new opportunities for healing and reconciliation.

Isaiah's message is appropriate for The Presbyterian Church in Canada at the beginning of 1997. Be it successes or the pain and problems of the past year, God's word is that we not dwell on them but look to the new things the Spirit is opening up for us.

So far, my Canadian visits have been limited to congregations in Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Ontario. Nevertheless, I am encouraged and excited about the present state and the future possibilities of our church. There is a new openness to the movement of the Holy Spirit. Clergy and laity are searching together for models of ministry other than that of a "lone ranger." Many are aware that the continued maintenance of the present way we "do church" is preventing them from reaching out beyond the confines of the church building. A few congregations and presbyteries are courageously taking the first steps to discover what it means to have mission and out-reach determine the place as well as the form of worship.

Some areas are experiencing pain and conflict. But I trust the pain is not of malignancy but of pregnancy. As an eminent church leader has said, "God is birthing a new church."

As I sit in this little office, I see a poster entitled "What are PROBLEMS?":

Predictors -- They help mould our future.

Reminders -- We are not self-sufficient. We need God and others to help.

Opportunities -- They pull us out of our rut and cause us to think creatively.

Blessings -- They open up doors we usually don't go through.

Lessons -- Each new challenge will be our teacher.

EEverywhere -- No place or person is excluded from them.

MMessages -- They warn us about potential disaster.

SSolvable -- No problem is without a solution.

God willing, this will be the year to change Canada's relationship with the aboriginal people. On November 21, I was present at the public launching of the Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Hull, Quebec. The address by the co-chairs, the Hon. Rene Dussault and George Erasmus, began: "We believe the relationship between aboriginal and non-aboriginal people in Canada must change. We believe it can. The cycle of blame and guilt, grievance and denial, frustration and fear can be broken. It is time to renew, to turn the page ... In order to break free of the structure of dependence which has bred so much deprivation and despondency, aboriginal people must have the opportunity and resources to exercise responsibility themselves, to re-establish themselves as peoples, to build institutions consistent with their values."

In 1994, our General Assembly formulated a Confession and recommended steps toward reconciliation with our aboriginal brothers and sisters. It resolved that The Presbyterian Church in Canada "is called to commit itself to support processes for healing of the wounds inflicted on aboriginal peoples." I pray God will continue to use us, as individuals and as a church, to be channels of the Holy Spirit in bringing healing and reconciliation. Let us be sensitive and open to all the new opportunities and new relationships God is preparing for us in this new year.