As part of National Truth and Reconciliation week, each day we share below a piece of wisdom received from leadership and friends at the National Worship Conference held in Regina this past July.
September 23 - We are reminded about the importance of listening to the stories, experiences, and perceptions of others in their faith walks. Pictured below: Becca Whitla, Michelle Nieviadomy, Rev. Chung Yan Lam.
Father God, give us grace and patience to be still and really listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to us and to others. Amen.
September 24 - We are reminded that the church belongs to God and is for all of His people on earth. Our worship reflects the realities of some people, but not necessarily others. We are challenged to think about how painful or uncomfortable this might be for His people whose reality is not represented in our worship.
Creator Father, help us to honour you with our words and actions. May your Spirit help us to acknowledge that you have created all things. May the respect of our words and actions bring honour to each creature and experience that we meet in this life. Meegwetch. In Christ's name. Amen. (Adapted from "A Prayer for Respect" Ovide Bighetty art series commissioned by Indigneous Christian Fellowship).
September 25 - we are all broken people and we have all made mistakes. We are reminded to bring this to God and ask for forgiveness and guidance.
Creator, our Father in heaven, we come to you as your children. We confess that we are weak and have broken images of you. We pray for the forgiveness and healing you give us in Jesus Christ. May his Spirit clean our spirits, minds, hearts and bodies. We pray that your Holy Spirit will help us to worship in spirit and truth. We pray in the name of Jesus, so that his Spirit will carry our prayers to you. Meegwetch. Amen. (Adapted from "A Prayer for Forgiveness", Ovide Bighetty art series commissioned by Indigneous Christian Fellowship).
September 26 - Language is an important part of worship. At the conference, we heard variety of languages spoken and interpretations of scripture from a variety of cultural perspectives. How is what we say in worship shaped by our culture? Our world view? Our language? The meaning of a word differs among languages and cultures.
September 27 - The theme of the conference, “Decolonizing worship”, does not have a universal meaning. To some it means “Indigenizing” liturgy, to others it means confronting settler privilege and how it has informed the development of our worship, so as to exclude non-European voices. To others, it means dismantling structures that appear in worship that have developed out of the colonial mindset (patriarchy, consumerism etc.). It can also mean simply returning land owned by the church that was taken from Indigenous people. It is an incredibly complex matter.
Father God, help us to worship you in a way that gives you glory. Grant us wisdom to discern where we have moved away from your purpose for your church. In Christ’s holy name. Amen.
