National Day for Truth and Reconciliation | Tuesday, September 30
Today is a significant day to honour Indigenous communities, families, and nations, and to remember the many children who never returned home from residential schools. It is also a time to stand in solidarity with survivors, their families, and communities.
As a Vineyard movement committed to justice, reconciliation, and the healing ministry of Jesus, this day calls us to action and reflection.
"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."(Micah 6:8 - NIV)
Prayer for National Day of Truth and Reconciliation 2025
Comfort
Dear Lord and Creator of all things,
We come before You today with humility and love.
We acknowledge that, as we ,Your Church, prepare our hearts, minds, and bodies to join in remembering September 30th, many First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples carry sorrow and pain.
Bring Your comfort, Lord.
We pray for and remember the survivors of residential schools and the families of those who never came home.
We pray for and acknowledge the loss of language, culture, community, and generations of connection.
We pray for and join with Indigenous people in grieving the wounds that remain, and we long for healing for all.
You, O God, are near to the brokenhearted.
You promise that those who mourn will be comforted (Matthew 5:4).
Bring comfort now to all those who carry this pain:
Comfort the elders who remember.
Comfort the families who mourn.
Comfort the children and youth who feel the generational effects of this history.
Wrap Your arms of love around Indigenous communities as they gather to remember, to honour, and to heal.
[Pause for silent reflection]
Surround them with Your presence.
Bring the deep healing that only You can give.
Healing
Dear Lord and Creator of all things,
We acknowledge that the Doctrine of Discovery denied the truth that all people, every human being, are made in Your image.
And today, we declare that each person is fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139).
You created every culture with its own beauty, wisdom, and strength.
We affirm that Indigenous peoples reflect Your image and bear Your glory.
Jesus, You came to reconcile all things.
Through You, we are invited into right relationship with God and with one another.
You have given us the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18) and shown us how to live it:
with humility, with love, and with truth.
Jesus, we need Your humble heart.
We confess that we don't always know how to pray, how to love, or how to act.
But we offer You our willingness:
To be learners,
To be listeners,
To be led by Your Spirit.
Move our hearts.
Change our perspectives, if they need to be changed.
Shape our lives to reflect Your healing and hope.
Help us, as a Church and as a nation, to participate in Your reconciling work.
Make us bearers of Your peace in the world.
As Your Church, may we reflect Your justice and mercy.
Help us to stand in solidarity with those who have suffered due to the legacy of residential schools.
Help us to listen to the stories courageously shared by survivors.
May our bearing witness become a healing balm.
May our commitment to reconciliation as the body of Christ not be words alone,
but a life-long journey of repair, healing, and partnership.
Teach us to value what You value,
to honour those whom You honour,
and to walk the long road of justice together.
Shalom
Dear Lord and Creator of all things,
We pray for Your shalom:
Your deep and abiding peace.
The peace that restores what is broken.
The peace that brings justice.
The peace that makes all things new.
Let Your shalom rest on Indigenous communities today and in the days to come.
Let it rest on this land and all who dwell in it.
Heal our histories.
Transform our present.
Renew our shared future.
In Jesus name,
Amen.
