Beyond reconciliation

Posted Jul  7, 2015 in Faith

NAIDOC (National Aboriginal and Islanders Day Observance Committee) Week, run annually in July, celebrates the history, culture and accomplishments of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year’s NAIDOC Week began on Sunday 5 July and will conclude on Sunday 12 July.

Pilgrim Uniting Church in Adelaide held an ecumenical service on Sunday 5 July to mark the start of NAIDOC Week for 2015. Trevor Hayley reflects on his experience of the service.

I have been privileged to be part of many Aboriginal events of late – an Adelaide CBD Pilgrimage, the Reconciliation Week 2015 breakfast launch, and most recently, the ecumenical church service held at Pilgrim Uniting Church to commemorate the beginning of NAIDOC Week.

As we gathered together as the body of Christ – coming from many denominations and cultures, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous – what I witnessed was much more than reconciliation, and much more than an intent to recognise the rich Aboriginal Culture.

Listening to the various speakers, including Lowitja O’Donoghue, Mona Olsson, Michael O’Brien and Robert Taylor, I very quickly got a sense of the significance of this event.

The speakers’ messages were enhanced by the sharing of songs from Gully Winds, the Aboriginal Elders Choir, and led by the Aboriginal Christian Band. Vonda Last gave a chilling rendition of  “For Love of Country”, while attendees looked at photos of those who have given their lives in the service of their country over past decades. Other imagery used during the service included an image of the cross, reminding those present of what – or who – had drawn us together.

Pastor Don Hayward was the preacher at the event, and Rev Edmund Bailey delivered the Bible reading from Nehemiah, which speaks into the marginalisation of people in exile and the hope of rebuilding. I felt there was a touch of the prophetic in these words – not just for those gathered, but for Australia as a whole.

This event was more than just a gathering of people. Whether it was the heartfelt messages of the presenters, the glory of the old Pilgrim Uniting Church and the music provided by its magnificent pipe organ, or the compelling songs and artwork, I felt very moved by the entire service. I found myself becoming emotionally overwhelmed by the sense of oneness in the church, even to the point of singing through tears during the last hymn, “How Great Thou Art”.

Could it be, I wondered, that we had moved to the point of actually being reconciled, joined as one, if only for a short time? For me, it certainly felt this way – for the first time I truly saw us all as one. I feel I have been changed forever by this event; I have had my heart broken and now yearn for togetherness.

While I was grappling with these emotions and thoughts, Lynette Wanganeen led the gathering in a closing prayer. She focussed on the mission of Jesus, as stated in Isaiah 61 and Luke 4, to bring good news to the poor, proclaim freedom to the captives, recover sight to the blind, set the oppressed free, and proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour. This acted as a renewed call to the Church, together, to reclaim Australia for Jesus.

This moving and powerful service claimed NAIDOC Week to the one to whom it rightfully belongs – God, in Jesus and through the Holy Spirit, whose constant call is to be reconciled.

Pilgrim Uniting Church will host another NAIDOC Week event on Friday 10 July, 6.30pm for a 7pm start. Coordinated by TEAR Australia, Pilgrim Uniting Church and the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress, the State of the Nation forum event will feature a panel of Indigenous Elders addressing the burning issues facing Australia’s First Peoples today. For more information, please visit the Facebook event page here.

 

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