A prayer for after the Referendum
The President has written a prayer for use in worship on 15 October and beyond
October 11, 2023
In just three days Australians will go to the polls to vote in the Referendum on establishing a Voice to Parliament.
As we approach the end of a long campaign and turn to anticipate the result, Uniting Church President Rev Sharon Hollis has offered a prayer for use in worship on Sunday 15 October and beyond.
It has been written to be used in the event of either result and in the event the outcome is not yet known on Referendum Day.
The prayer is inspired by the language of the revised Preamble, a change to the Uniting Church’s own Constitution passed by the 12th Assembly in 2009. Read the Preamble here.
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God, ancient of days,
we give you thanks
for the ways in which First Nations people
have cared for Country since creation
and for their unbroken Sovereignty over their lands and waters.
We give you thanks
for the ways in which they encountered you
through law, custom and ceremony
and for their particular insights into your ways.
We give you thanks
for the Uniting Aboriginal and Islander Christian Congress,
for the ways it nurtures Indigenous spirituality
and shares holistic ministry with First Nations People.
We pray for all First Nations People today,
acknowledging all they endure as a result of colonisation
and lamenting the racism and vitriol experienced across the Referendum campaign.
We pray for our nation,
that following the Referendum we might seek unity
in reconciliation, justice and truth telling.
We pray for our Church,
that we might grow into our Covenant more fully
and continue walking together as First and Second Peoples.
In the name of Christ, our lodestar.
Amen.
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