“From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us”

Acts 17:26-27

God of Holy Dreaming, Great Creator Spirit, Papa Jesus,

We come before you today as a Christian community to pause and reflect with our Aboriginal brothers and

sisters. We pause to take a moment to show compassion to Aboriginal people at this time of grief

and grievance. Whilst not all of us will understand this Lord, we ask that you help us to see, hear and feel the

struggles of our Aboriginal brothers and sisters.

We pray for strength and healing at this time that brings forth feelings of loss. We recognise the loss of family, loss of land, and loss of freedom. We say sorry for the times we have wronged Aboriginal people, the

times we have not treated them with dignity, the times we have not stood up to racism, and the times we have not listened to their stories, their fight for justice, and

their cry for compassion.

Dear Lord, we pray for a way that we can celebrate together, not as one unified group, but for a way that celebrates our diversity. A way that encompasses all

cultures, and celebrates and commemorates our past, both the good and the bad.

Dear Lord, we know that you are all seeing and all knowing. We know that you have seen all that has

gone on in this land since time began. We pray that you help all Australians to see

as you have seen through all the pages of our history and our present and our future yet to come.

Dear Lord, we thank you for placing Aboriginal people here in this land, we thank you for their care and

stewardship of your great creation for thousands of years. We thank you for their survival against many

odds. Dear Lord, may we learn to respect, appreciate, and acknowledge, the oldest living culture in the

world.

Lord we ask all these things in your Almighty name, Amen.

Author – Brooke Prentis