Reconciliation Week 2025
CATHEDRAL NEWSLETTER - 29 May 2025
Friends in Christ, on Australia Day this year I preached on the shortest Psalm in the Bible, the two verses of Psalm 117. Its theme is praise of the Lord God.
I noted that the New Testament only quotes Psalm 117 once. In Romans 15:11, Paul uses it as a proof text for his words just previously in vv7-9a, which tells Christians of different backgrounds, Jews and Gentiles, to,
“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Rom 15:7).
The way we live, especially the way we treat each other, will reflect well or poorly on the gospel. That includes reflecting his mercy to others.
But can we do so, when there are tough things in our backgrounds, injuries, disputes? This is a question that can arise in Reconciliation Week, following Sorry Day, when we remember Indigenous Stolen Generations. And some Christians had involvement in such sad episodes in Australian history.
The Director of Indigenous Ministry for our Sydney Anglican ministries, the Reverend Michael Duckett, says we can still praise God, notwithstanding difficult things of the past.
Jews celebrated sabbath days and special Jewish festivals. Gentile Christians generally did not have these special days as part of their cultural background. Some ate meat, others did not. They differed over drinking. And they felt really strongly about this stuff. But if you’re all saved simply by faith in risen Lord Jesus, then don’t make each other stumble over these differences. Accept one another, just as Christ accepted you.
As Romans said 14:5 “One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike…” Either way, as the next verse there says, we should do so to the Lord. In historical context, it probably referred to sabbath days and particular festival dates.
Michael Duckett applies this thinking to Australia Day. He does not personally see it as a special day. But he happily recognises other Aussies differ. As he says, every day the Lord gives us is a gift from God, including Australia Day.
Secondly, as a Christian, he can lament. Thankfulness does not mean glossing over difficult topics. But Michael chooses to major on what we can praise God for. He thanks God for the survival of his people. And he recognises things in his culture that are beautiful and teaches them to his kids.
And most of all, he says every day is day where we can celebrate the goodness of God. And that’s particularly seen in the reconciling work of Christ on the cross.
This certainly applies in Reconciliation Week. As Michael said on the Pastor’s Heart back in January,
“That's what really matters for a lot of my people: that God isn't just a white man's God; he's actually the God of all people. He says, ‘I love you so much I demonstrated through my Son so that you may be brought back into relationship, through …the forgiveness of our sins through Christ dying on the cross.’ It's sort of simple but it’s driven by a heart of love and that's what resonates with all people groups throughout the world. You come with a heartbeat that says, ‘I just come to share the love of God’. People see that …before they hear your words… They’ll sense that you have [the] love!”
Reconciliation from God… Through Jesus on the cross! …And transforming relationships with others… Forgiving as we have been forgiven. This is something unique that we Christians have. And no matter our own background: Jew and Gentile, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, rich or poor, by God’s grace, we can offer it to others.
Warmly in Christ,
Sandy Grant
Dean of Sydney