Prayers of Adoration

This image is a photograph of the inside cover of ‘Welcome to Country’, welcome words by Aunty Joy Murphy with illustrations by Lisa Kennedy; Walker Books 

Watch  or 21.18 on the video 

Our Land is alive
Our land is alive with the glory of God;
desert sands hum and gum trees dance.
Brown grasses sing
and mountains breathe their stillness.
All created things add their rhythms of delight
and even stones rap out their praise.
Let our voices mingle with those of the earth;
may our hearts join the beat of her joy,
for our triune God is with us:
the Source of all being surrounds and upholds us.
Christ Jesus walks beside and before us.
The Spirit moves within and between us.
Blessed be God, our wonder and delight.
Amen

From Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC)
offered for worship by Tom Leydon, 31/1/21, Aboriginal Sunday

Prayer of Adoration

Watch or 25.15 on the video

In the Adnyamathanha language of the Flinders Ranges, SA, Arrawatanha means God/Most High and Ngapala Nguthana means Our Maker. The meaning of Althaninda is Happy are you.
Blessings for a Sacred Place
Arrawatanha Ngapala Nguthana
Most High Our Maker
The land you have given us, your children.
Look on this place …
this special place where you live;
this special place where your glory rests.
Look upon this sacred place
where your name is honoured.
Help us keep it as our Ancestors did.

Althaninda
Happy are you.

From Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress (UAICC)
offered for worship by Jenne Perlstein, 31/1/21, Aboriginal Sunday

Prayer of Confession

Watch or 49.40 on the video

Creator God
As we come to you and take this time to be still, to reflect, to listen and pray, we ask that you would speak and have your way in our hearts.
You formed these ancient lands now called Australia and the boundaries of each Aboriginal nation. Every plant, animal, river, mountain, and all created things have their place and purpose.
Our languages, songlines, dances and stories still connect us to you and guide us to worship you along with all creation.
Lord, you have seen and felt the disruption, the murder, theft, pain and injustice. The land is blood-stained. The cries of our people echo in the silence. Trauma and grief overwhelm us.
We lament together and ask that the truth will be brought into the light. The truth that will bring freedom and healing.
We pray that justice will roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream.
Raise up our people and empower us with your strength. Bring alongside us our non-Indigenous brothers and sisters and help their eyes to be open and hearts to be soft.
You are the ultimate redeemer, and in the same way that you reconciled us back to you, you call us to be reconciled to one another. To love one another as you have loved us. To be one as you are one, yet recognising that we are diverse, different parts of the same body.
You give beauty for ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and the garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. We receive a double portion and everlasting joy in your presence.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Aboriginal #ChangeTheHeart Prayer written by Bianca Manning
offered for worship by Valentina Satvedi-Leydon, 31/1/21, Aboriginal Sunday

Prayers of the people

Watch or 1.22.45 on the video

Please pray with us…

God of all creation, we pray for your people, the First Peoples of this land, created in your image, who have walked as one with the land and fashioned the world’s oldest continuous human culture,

yet still encounter ongoing ignorance, injustice and oppression.

May your justice roll down as healing waters.

God of hope, we pray for those who mourn and are grieving the loss of their land, their ancestors, their family members, relatives and friends.  We especially think of those grieving the many lives that continue to be gone too soon, often in the prime of their lives. We also think of those young men and women uprooted from country and culture undergoing incarceration, that there may be hope.

May your justice and comfort envelope them as healing waters.

God of wisdom, we pray for our leaders – the leaders of this nation, our Communion, our community. May their decisions be just and lifegiving for those struggling to survive through years of trauma. May you help soften our collective hearts to acknowledge the realities of trauma, while also recognising First Peoples’ capacity for survival.

May your Spirit rain down as healing waters.

God of love, we pray for this resource rich-land as we mourn the ongoing violation of this, your creation.  May we tread gently and let it be the earth you created it to be.

May wisdom rain down so we the people allow this land to heal and flourish.

In the next few moments of silence, lift those you wish to hold in God’s light….

God of grace and peace, hear our prayers and grant us the humility to walk alongside each other as you accompany us. May we lift our voices and live our holy calling to love one another and love your creation, now and always.

Amen.

offered for worship by Tom and Valentina Satved-Leydon, 31/1/21, Aboriginal Sunday