Australia Day

I have a love / hate relationship with Australia Day.

I love living in Australia. I love the people who live here. I love the lifestyle. I love the opportunities and freedom. I love it that there are people from every nation on my local tram, who either do or aspire to call themselves Australians. I love lamb! And I love having a day off to celebrate it all. "Break out the thongs and light the barbie", I say. I am very thankful to God for allowing me to be here.

But Jan 26 seems a sad day to be celebrating this. A friend always wishes me a "Happy Invasion Day" on this day each year.

Fundamentally I struggle with a celebration that recalls the day when the British Empire decided that this was terra nullius - land "belonging to nobody". I hate that disregard for the inhabitants of the land. I hate the fact that Australia was taken from the Indigenous people of this place, and that we stole what was theirs. I hate the fact that there are still deep inequalities between indigenous and other Australians. (See here for an interesting view from Peter Adam - my good friend and Principal at Ridley)

Psalm 145 is the reading in the lectionary for Australia Day this year. Here are verses 8-9 - a true promise for our country:

The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The LORD is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made.

May he continue to show his steadfast love and faithfulness to us and exercise his compassion and mercy on us. May we become a just nation, and not forget the God who made us.