Dear Friends,
Happy NAIDOC Week!
On Sunday I mentioned the beautiful resources indigenous Salvation Army officers have prepared to celebrate NAIDOC Week this year, and I wanted to share this video with you – a sermon from Aunty Clare Lena, speaking alongside the Tweed River in Bundjalung Country, on ‘The Power of Fire’.
I spoke on Sunday about Moses’ encounter with the burning bush and the verse from Romans about keeping ourselves “fuelled and aflame” (Romans 12:11), and she reflects on Leviticus 6:12-13 – on the need to keep the fire on the altar continuously alight and the importance of keeping the fire burning for justice, truth, and hope.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omHdGAfi6fI&t=4s It is worth watching and listening to!
Common Grace also encourage us to celebrate the strength of First Nations leadership during this week, and ways we can all be involved in keeping the fire burning for justice, truth, and hope.
As part of NAIDOC Week 2022, they highlighted the contributions, achievements and faithful example of Aboriginal Christian Leaders of the past and this link will take you to those profiles and other resources on the lives of these people; William Cooper, Pastor Sir Doug Nichols, Aunty Pearl Gibbs and Pastor Don Brady. You might also like to go back and read my 2019 Pastor’s Note on Uncle (Rev) Graham Paulson, the first indigenous Baptist minister, well-known to many in our church – https://www.canbap.org/2019/07/uncle-graham-paulson/
In terms of ways we can all be involved, later this year, Common Grace are holding the ‘Let Justice Flow’ Conference – https://let-justice-flow-conference.raiselysite.com/ on Ngunnawal Country in Canberra, 16-18 November, 2024. There is also a Pre-Conference Webinar series – that is open to everyone – bringing together an incredible line up of speakers engaging with key issues on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice and Creation and Climate justice. Find out more and register to join here.
Happy NAIDOC Week! Let’s celebrate NAIDOC Week 2024 in a way that makes the fire brighter and stronger for next year’s celebrations!
Belinda