NAIDOC Week recognises and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Australia’s first explorers, first navigators, first engineers, first farmers, first botanists, first scientists, first diplomats, first astronomers and first artists. A great achievement across such a diverse and often hostile land as ours.
NAIDOC Week can also celebrate God’s enduring love for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Our God created all peoples, represented by many cultures.
In Genesis 12:3 as God calls Abram (later Abraham) and God promises that all the families of the earth will be blessed through Abram. It has always been God’s intention to reconcile people from all tribes and languages. This flows through to the last book of the bible in Revelation 7:9-10 in the heavenly throne room,
9 After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. 10 They cried out in a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version Revelation 7:9–10 (emphasis mine)
It is also important for those of us who are not Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, to acknowledge and confess the sins of the past, of our ancestor, and of our own sins in the treatment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is also important to ask for forgiveness from God the creator of all for our own sins and to seek reconciliation with those we have sinned against.
Can I commend the work and art of www.godsdreaming.org for your consideration.
Here are some prayers for reconciliation written by indigenous people that I encourage you to consider.
A Collect (prayer) for Reconciliation
Lord God, Bring us together as one.
Reconciled with you and reconciled with each other.
You made us in your likeness; You gave us your son, Jesus Christ.
He has given us forgiveness from sin.
Lord God, Bring us together as one.
Different culture, but given new life in Jesus Christ;
Together as one, your body, your church, your people.
Lord God, Bring us together one.
Reconciled, healed, forgiven, sharing you with others, as you have called us to do.
In Jesus Christ, let us be together as one. Amen.
Written by Bishop Arthur Malcolm (Australia’s first indigenous bishop) and his non-indigenous wife, Colleen.
RECONCILIATION PRAYER
Holy Father, God of Love, You are the Creator of this land and of all good things.
We acknowledge the pain and shame of our history and the suffering of our peoples and we ask your forgiveness.
We thank you for the survival of indigenous cultures.
Our hope is in you because you gave your Son Jesus to reconcile the world to you.
We pray for your strength and grace to forgive, accept and love one another, as you love us and forgive and accept us in the sacrifice of your Son.
Give us the courage to accept the realities of our history so that we may build a better future for our nation.
Teach us to respect all cultures.
Teach us to care for our land and waters.
Help us to share justly the resources of this land.
Help us to bring about spiritual and social change to improve the quality of life for all groups in our communities, especially the disadvantaged.
Help young people to find true dignity and self esteem by your Spirit.
May your power and love be the foundations on which we build our families, our communities and our nation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
This prayer prepared by Wontulp-Bi-Buya Indigenous Theology Working Group, 13 March 1997. (Wontulp-Bi-Buya is the Queensland partner of Nungalinya College, Darwin, and provides indigenous leadership training for church and community.)