Turning towards God this Australia Day - A reflection

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”- Romans 15:13 What does Australia Day mean to you?

For many of us, it’s a day off; and if the calendar lines up, it means a long weekend to boot. Room for DIY projects, a late-night out or a longer sleep-in, maybe going to the beach, or taking in more tennis, cricket or basketball on the TV (or in person if that’s more your thing).

For others of us, it’s a day to don our green and gold (or your red, white and blue if you prefer that colour wheel), do our best “oi-oi-oi!”, attend a community-based event like a brekky BBQ, citizenship ceremony or festival with live music, fireworks and fun for the family. This is our day- we celebrate by watching the annual lamb chop ad, glued to the TV to find out who’s the next Australian of the Year- our cultural and home-based ambassador of all things good about our homeland, and celebrating all things Aussie. Still, for others, it’s a day of mourning, of protest, of reflection, or trying to make sense of who we are as a collective in such a time as this, when our own national psyche is up for scrutiny. January 26 can be a very awkward day on the calendar. Not because we don’t want to celebrate being Australian, but because we find it hard to feel a holistic sense of pride when our Indigenous people, who are the heartbeat of our nation, are deeply hurting. Hurt because of homelands taken away; their ways of life impacted in the most cruel ways, and the trauma inflicted since European arrival on this land in 1788. Land that was never ceded, which we walk humbly upon as migrants from all corners of the globe with a mixed sense of gratitude, but also, recognition that there is much more to learn from our Indigenous brethren so that we might become a much better people, and a more reconciled Australia. At the same time, we are also figuring out how we continue to be a stable middle-economy in an ever-changing geo-political world where things are evolving as we approach that day when Jesus comes back. I know people who mark, remember or celebrate this day in each of the groups listed above, and they do so unapologetically. I myself have moved between many of the above categories in different seasons of life and life stages as I tried to understand more of who I was as a 2^nd generation migrant kid who was born in a rural NSW community against a backdrop of a resilient, deep feeling nation who is trying to make sense of who we are in a changing world. This time last year, I found myself in the villages of my ancestors, some 9000km away, and never had I lamented being away from these shores. It legit felt un-Australian to not be on home soil on the 26^th Jan. To be here this year for our national day has never been more appreciated I can assure you, but that experience a year ago gave me perspective, additional gratitude for the blessings, and a deeper resolve to lean into what it means to call this place home and to identify as an Aussie. I have been reflecting on this and feeling the weight of this in such times as these when the city I now call home is still reeling in the aftermath of the unfathomable Bondi shooting; our country is grappling with a seeming rise- or more awareness- of demonstrations and rhetoric of those who hold to a white-only or white-preferential Australian society; and a sense that something has truly changed in the collective consciousness of our national community today. I have felt this shift that things were as it once was and it has been a feeling that other have told me they have also experienced. And as we prepare for this Australia Day, there is a level of sadness that comes with that. I’m yet to meet someone who really doesn’t like Australia or living here. People are thankful to be here, to raise their families here, to live a more peaceful life than perhaps what they left behind in a complex geo-political and theological world. Australia is a great country with a rich heritage of migration, resilience, genuine decency, and founded on Christian values. We value mateship, giving things or people a fair go, being able to laugh at ourselves and plenty of other anecdotes that shape or even softly caricature our laid-back, “she’ll be right” vibe. This has long been referred to as the lucky country, and many of us still genuinely hold to that in our hearts and feel very blessed to be here. As someone who has pastored, served within, and been part of various churches (and denominations) in the last 20 years, a day like Australia Day raises different temperatures within the congregation, whether a multicultural congregation or one that is more ethno-centric or predominantly migrant church. Some have observed and celebrated with gusto Aboriginal Sunday- a wonderful initiative established by Common Grace who’ve blessed the Australian Church with the focus and practicality to sit in this space of solidarity and commitment to the wellbeing of the original custodians and stewards of this country, as the collective people of the King. Others want to focus on what it means to be a country made up of a melting pot of different ethnicities, people groups, cultures and languages (like the Ben Lee song “We’re all in this together”). Sometimes it includes a post-service lunch or dinner where everyone brings a dish to share from their cultural background so we can all celebrate in our collective living in this land together. Still again, some churches and congregations don’t touch the day and its significance because it is either seen as “too hard”, “too messy”, “has nothing to do with Jesus/ the Gospel/ the series we are doing/ something else”. I get it- - there is a lot of complexity to the layers of feelings and notions relating to identity, belonging, personhood and the intersection of life and faith. And it can be very hard to have deep, reflective conversations about this. But I would also gently push back and ask the question of why more churches aren’t intentionally engaging in this space despite the challenges? After all, we are called to be the Kingdom-building people of God, “a royal priesthood and a chosen people” (as the Apostle Peter did when rallying the diverse Christian exiled diaspora in 1^st century) who are called to be the collective people of God in this country. We should be growing into the way that Christ calls us and wants us to be as an Australian church- which embraces both our Indigenous co-heirs in Christ and also our multicultural kin in Jesus; all of whom are part of the beautiful tapestry of the church universal which is made up all nations, tribes, languages and people groups (Rev. 7:9). We cannot in good conscious use an excuse that it was “too hard” or “too messy” to embrace and sit with those for whom this day is hard and painful, and for those whom are reflecting on what it means to be Australian in its many shades humbly and intentionally. There is so much which we can learn from each other as we journey together as Australian’s from all walks of life who love and follow the Lord Jesus. I will admit that sometimes it can be deeply frustrating at times to not see the collaborative synergy of the church to lead us in this time of deep division within our city- and our country- around how we gather together as people under the Lordship of the risen Lord Jesus this Australia Day. But then I am reminded that herein lies the reality and ironically the beauty of this dilemma. And that is that most of us- if we are really honest with this uncomfortable truth- sit in different; nuanced; spaces of what it means to be Australian based on our own life experiences, faith expressions, how we view our identity, and how we understand our own stories against the backdrop of a national psyche which is experiencing shifts under the surface like cultural tectonic plates. We don’t need to be ashamed of this, or run from this, and it creates an opportunity for us to show grace and empathy to each other as fellow Aussie Christians who may not have it all figured out as we each hold things in tension between how we wish our homeland to be, and our real lived experiences in how we understand who we are in this moment. For me as I sit in this space this weekend and reflect, I am mindful that while there is much that I don’t understand about where we are at as a country, I am also thankful that God cares about our land and longs for all people from country towns to the sprawling urban areas come to know Him as the God who came for all people and invites them to follow Him. This weekend, as I think about what it means to be an Aussie in between Triple J (or Double J countdowns), catch-ups with people, and whatever else we get up to, I invite you to join me in turning to God in prayer for our homeland, our country, which all of us love and which means something to each of us. For most of us, we came to faith on this Great South Land of the Holy Spirit, as it was first referred to by the missionaries and chaplains who encouraged the bringing of the gospel here over 200 years ago.

And in doing this, we are also invited to turn to the God of all comfort and peace, and bring our concerns, our needs and our prayers for our land- wherever we may be sitting in our thoughts and feelings this Australia Day about what it means to be Australian. We can bring our frustrations, our lament, our fears, our joys, our thankfulness and our desires. We can rest with our God, that which we don’t understand, and that which matters to us. The things about our country that feel too awkward, or unsolvable, we can trust to the God who loves us, knows how we are wired, and who has been present in our collection of experiences.

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Dharshana is a Baptist pastor who been actively involved in multicultural and CALD (culturally and ethnically diverse) churches for many years. She has served in a range of ministry and pastoral roles both in churches and the local community, including as a youth and young adults worker, a congregational pastor and a high school chaplain. She's a preacher, involved in cross-denominational community ministry with women, and passionate about next-generations ministry- particularly amongst youth, young adults and young workers in both the church and also in the wider community. Dharshana enjoys a good book, musical jamm sessions, going to the beach, and catching up with friends and family over a good meal or a coffee. Her hope is that everyone would know the Lord Jesus for themselves and how truly awesome He is.