June 21 has been marked by the Anglican Church of Canada as National Aboriginal Day of Prayer since 1971. From time to time resources for worship have been provided from the General Synod, not as a common text that is to be adhered to, but as resources to be shaped, adapted and used as is deemed appropriate for the celebrations in local communities.
Similarly, there is no ‘by rule’ set of Scripture readings offered officially for that day. Below, you will find a list of suggested Scripture readings relating to the themes of reconciliation and new life in Christ.
Other suggested readings:
| Genesis 1 | God created all things, all life, and it is good. |
| Genesis 3:6-19 | Disobedience to God – a source of enmity and of conflicts |
| Genesis 45:3-15 | Joseph’s reconciliation with his brothers |
| Deuteronomy 26:1-11 | Remembering the gift of the Exodus, and the gift of land |
| Leviticus 16: | Liturgy of reconciliation in the Old Testament |
| Leviticus 25: | Jubilee passage |
| Psalm 8 | Divine majesty and human dignity |
| Psalm 37:1-11 | The poor and distressed will rejoice in the great peace |
| Psalm 104:24-35 | The glory of God’s works and provision for us |
| Isaiah 2:2-5 | God gathers together the nations in a reign of everlasting peace |
| Isaiah 11:1-9 | The Messianic kingdom will restore the peace of Paradise and bring the reconciliation of the whole universe |
| Isaiah 43:16-21 | God is doing a new thing and making a way where there was no way – ‘do you not perceive it?’ |
| Isaiah 52:13-53:12 | The suffering servant reconciles sinners with God |
| Isaiah 55: | Four-part pattern of healing and reconciliation (come to the waters, listen to God, repent, go forth to do God’s will) |
| Isaiah 61:1-3;10-11 | Encouragement offered to the exiled and oppressed as a result of God’s liberating action |
| Jeremiah 31:31-34 | A new covenant for the forgiveness of sins |
| Micah 6 | (what is the offering God requires? Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly) |
| Hosea 2:16-22 | Through God’s grace sinful people can renew their relation with God |
| Matthew 5:1-12 | The Beatitudes |
| Matthew 5:21-26 | Reconciliation with one’s neighbour must precede worship |
| Matthew 18:23-25 | The merciful king and the servant who cannot forgive |
| Luke 4: | Jubilee proclamation by Jesus |
| Luke 6:27-38 | Love your enemies |
| Luke 15:11-32 | Reconciliation of the younger son with his father – he does so by ‘coming to himself.’ As a church we are in need of healing, because we have not been ‘ourself’. Our turning (the cross) can set us on the way home (healing, resurrection). |
| John 3:16-17 | God’s love for the world is the ground of eternal reconciliation |
| John 8:30-36 | Christ’s truth frees us from the slavery of sin |
| John 20:19-23 | Thomas recognizes the risen Lord by the marks of his death. It is the experience of the Cross that allows us to see resurrection. What marks of the cross do others see in us? Without wounds, can we be seen as a source of healing? The risen Christ gives the apostles the power to forgive sins |
| Acts 2:1-11 (-21) | The Pentecost story: focus on notion that ‘all nations’ present at the beginning; the gospel not only finds its destination but also its starting place among all peoples. |
| Acts 6:1-7 | Division and reconciliation in the early Church in Jerusalem |
| Acts 15:1-35 | Conflicts and reconciliation in Antioch |
| Romans 5:6-11 | Peace with God in Christ through whom we have received reconciliation |
| Romans 8:18-25 | The creation awaits the revealing of the children of God |
| 2 Corinithians 5:14-21 | Reconciliation through Christ and the church’s ministry of reconciliation |
| Galatians 3:23-29 |
Christ reconciles in himself all nations and all parts of society |
| Ephesians 2:12-22 | In the context of Gentile and Jewish Christians, Paul talks about ‘strangers and aliens’ finding their peace. Although the history of Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples have been intertwined, we have been strangers to one another in many ways, and have had a history in which the most powerful are on top. But it is through the cross that we find our peace, and are brought near to one another. |
| Philippians 2:1-11 |
Model for discipleship is Jesus’ self-giving |
| Colossians 1:1-20 | In Christ, God has reconciled the whole creation |
| Hebrews 9:11-14 | The sacrifice of the new covenant |
| James 4:1-10 |
An admonition to overcome conflicts |
| 1 John 4:7-21 |
God is love, therefore let us love one another. |
| Revelation 21:1-7 | A new heaven and a new earth |
Some suggested hymns, from Common Praise
Many and Great Are Your Works (CP # 407)
Draw the Circle Wide (CP# 418)
For the Beauty of the Earth (CP #429)
Amazing Grace (CP # 352)
Just as I Am. (CP #615) (The words of this hymn were written by Charlotte Elliott [1789-1871]. Her husband, Peter Elliott, served as priest at Six Nations in the early 1800s.)
O Healing River (CP#578)
We Cannot Measure How You Heal (CP 292)
Tree of Life and Awesome Mystery (CP#179)
Wind Upon the Waters (CP#408)