A Sacrifice of Worship

Throughout the gathering we saw the sovereignty of God displayed as the Lord showed us, again and again, that “His ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts”.

Before the gathering, the Lord spoke to us that the first night needed to be a time solely of abandoned worship.  He gave us the picture of Abraham offering Isaac. In our minds, we interpreted this as the Lord was asking us to give all in very solemn and sober way (for e.g. perhaps we would lay on the floor for hours before Him).  But to our surprise, we instead were led by the Holy Spirit into exuberant praise as the Lord released to us a great faith to believe that His promises to Canada will be fulfilled, regardless of what things appear like in the natural.  We thought we had the picture of Abraham to cause us to focus on the cost of the sacrifice, when in fact God wanted to stir us to have the faith that ‘against hope believes in hope”. (Romans 4:18).  As the worship concluded, a word came from the Lord that because of our willingness to walk by faith and not by sight, He would show us in this gathering what He could do.

The First Peoples

The very next meeting, Friday morning, the Lord took over the meeting in an astounding way.  David Demian asked all the aboriginal peoples present in the gathering to come on stage so they could be seen and honoured by the whole gathering.  As they streamed on the stage, thunderous applause broke out and continued for many minutes.  Suddenly the fear of the Lord came upon the whole meeting and we realized we were in a sovereign moment.  Leaders from the First Nations and Inuit stood together to declare their resolve to be spiritual gatekeepers over the union of French and English.  They affirmed God’s divine purpose to build a foundation of unity between French and English as a place of healing for the First Peoples. “We won’t let you fail! Go English Canada!  Go French Canada!” was their cry.

At this time, James Arreak, representing the whole Inuit delegation, stood with native leader Kenny Blacksmith and covenanted to walk with the First Nations to see the healing of their people. “We will not let you go”, he cried.  Then, as Metis representation came forward, the three first people groups stood holding the Canadian flag and declaring God’s dominion over our nation.

Realizing the Dream  

Central to the gathering was the covenant “marriage” between the French and English people groups in Canada. On July 29^th, 2005, a representation of church leaders from French and English Canada vowed to walk in a union of love, unity and respect.  After the vows, the English leaders presented the French leaders with a special gift: simple gold wedding bands as a permanent reminder of the covenant.  With this, leaders from the parent nations of France and England lit two candles representing their place as parents of our modern nation.  Then a pastor from Ontario and one from Quebec took  these two candles and used them to light a unity candle in the centre, symbolizing Canada, the seed of France and England.  As a final gesture, England France snuffed out their candles.  This was a prophetic symbol that Canada was being released from their parental ties and liberated walk in the fullness of our own unique identity as two people groups bound together by God in one heart.

A Three-Fold Cord  

The following morning God led the French and English Canadian leaders into a time of deep repentance to the aboriginal leaders.  “We failed in our mission to you,” confessed Quebec pastor Alain Caron.  “We ask you to forgive us and to receive us into your hearts”.   Then each aboriginal leader was presented with the same gold wedding bands the English had given the French the previous night to symbolize the first peoples be welcomed into the same covenant of unity and love. 

After this, the First Nations leaders wrapped one English and one French pastor, together, in a native blanket.  “We receive your repentance, said Lynda Prince, on behalf of the aboriginal leaders. “May God lift the veil off the eyes of all our peoples that we might see Him better”, she prayed.  

Then Kenny Blacksmith, a First Nations leader spoke to the French and English.  “You did not come in vain”, he said, as he presented the English and French with copies of the word of God in the Cree language.  “You brought the gospel of hope to us and now we sow it back to you in our own language,” he said.  “We will walk together to see all the people groups of this nation released.”   This was a deep act that resonated in the spiritual realm over our nation as the three people groups together covenanted to be bound together in unity to guard the purposes of the Lord in Canada.