What makes you feel uncomfortable? What creates discomfort for you? How do you respond?

John 13:1-17 Jesus washes the disciples’ feet

Acts 10:1-11:16 Peter’s dream sequence (and explanation—“God has broken through”)

Acts 15:1-35 Council of Jerusalem “it seemed good to Holy Spirit and to us…”

1 Corinthians 12:12-27 One body/many parts…

Galatians 3:28 Neither Jew nor Greek in Christ’s family…

2 Corinthians 5:18-21 The vocation of every Christian is “the ministry of reconciliation”, “to persuade people to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them”…to find common ground

Confession and repentance come before reconciliation…

CCVT First Peoples Solidarity Statement

Nehemiah 1:1-11 Before designing/rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls, Nehemiah confessed and repented: One for many, far away. What courage and generosity, what maturity and humility. May Discovery be the same as we enter this conversation…

Discuss: Share a moment of discomfort that opened you to grow or change or be renewed or refreshed—spiritually, in a relationship, in a work or school or sporting setting.

Panel

Nick Wight—Coordinator-East, Indigenous Ministries Australia (GMP)

Carly Cassidy—Missions Minister, One Church, Blackburn

Steve Barrington—Team Leader, Foothills Community Care, Upwey/Ferntree Gully

Next Steps

Who’s isolated and disconnected in your world right now that you could seek to share peace with?

What steps might you need to take to find common ground?

How well do you know the history of Australia? Of Australia’s First Peoples?

If this is uncomfortable, could you choose these spiritual practices: Listen. Learn. Act. Reflect?

Resources

• Watch the “Us All” song by Bruce Cockburn at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lUUX3JzG2I&authuser=0
• Watch the First Australians series on SBS On Demand
• Watch Safina Stewart’s NAIDOC Week 2023 message for Common Grace https://youtu.be/hsdxSaXlt8U
• Watch Aunty Jean Phillips’ Listen to the Heart message for Common Grace https://youtu.be/vMbm8-Kbd2c
• Watch a documentary on Pastor Sir Doug Nicholls https://youtu.be/QZtMfG-zLqo
• Watch the story of William Cooper, the Indigenous Christian activist who led the only protest against the 1938 Kristallnacht pogrom https://youtu.be/RnKR537612w
• Find out more about Churches of Christ Indigenous Ministries Australia (and other resources) at https://www.gmp.org.au/about-us/more-about-ima
• Sign up to Common Grace for regular updates commongrace.org.au
• Chat with Peter Lusk about how Southern Cross Kids Camp is engaging First Peoples
• Listen to and read some stories from Coranderrk (Healesville) coranderrk.com
• Read brief Tearfund comments about reconciliation (and find a link to six more brief papers) at https://www.tearfund.org.au/what-we-do/first-peoples/what-does-reconciliation-mean-to-you
• Register interest in participating in a Songlines walk with Nick Wight by emailing [email protected]
• Ask for a copy of the CCVT First Peoples Solidarity Statement by emailing [email protected]
• Send any questions or comments to [email protected]