Last Week to Order Aboriginal Ministry Sunday Inserts!

Summer is on its way, and so is Aboriginal Ministry Sunday (June 18)! May 1st is the deadline to order your inserts here. 

Here's a litany prepared by CRC volunteers working with the Canadian Aboriginal Ministry Committee. You can also find a prayer and a Sunday school lesson plan at crcna.org/aboriginal/canadian. Pastors, if you're looking for sermon ideas, check out Rev. Thyra VanKeeken's reflection called Covenant Breakers. 

Covenant Litany for Aboriginal Ministry Sunday 2017

Our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer makes covenants with us.

Lord, we praise you for making covenants with us, the people you have created.

We see the rainbow and remember the covenant the Creator made with Noah. 

We praise you Lord, for keeping your promise to never destroy the whole earth again as with a flood.

Remind us of the covenants Yahweh made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  

Lord, we praise you for blessing all the nations of the world through those covenants.

Family of Jesus, honour your treaties and covenants. Remember that the Lord punished the Israelites for breaking their treaty with the Gibeonites.  

May your Holy Spirit prevent us from making rash promises.

Children of Creator God, remember that the prophet Ezekiel declared the wrath of Yahweh on the people of Judah for breaking their treaty with Babylon.  

Creator, may your Spirit help us to keep our promises.

Family of Jesus, remember the prophet Isaiah who declared the anger of the Lord on the Assyrian nation for attempting to destroy boundaries between nations. 

Lord, help us to remember that you created all people and made the boundaries of the nations of the world.

Children of Creator God, hear the word of the Lord through the prophet Amos, “People of Israel, I think as much of the people of Ethiopia as I do of you. I brought the Philistines from Crete and the Syrians from Kir, just as I brought you from Egypt.”  

Lord, help us to remember that you are active in the history of the nations of the world. Help us to remember that you love all of your children: red, yellow, black and white.

Family of Jesus, remember the Passover Lamb and the Lord’s promise through Isaiah of a servant through whom justice will be done on the earth for all nations.  

We praise you Lord Jesus Christ for being the sacrificial Lamb of God. 

Children of Creator God, remember that all the nations of the world are promised unity in Christ.  

Forgive us for discriminating against believers who are from different cultures and races.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, you are called to a ministry of reconciliation. You are called to serve a Messiah who came to break down walls between people and between humanity and the Lord.

Holy Spirit, help us to love those who are different from us. Bless us with eyes to see the walls of racism that we have built and bless us with courage to take down those walls.

Believe the prophecy of John that the leaves of the tree of life in heaven are for the healing of the nations.  

Holy Spirit, help us to live out your call to justice for all.

Heavenly Father, renew our faith in your covenant promises. Fill us with love for all of our brothers and sisters in Christ: red and yellow, black and white. Give us the will to break down walls of racism and injustice. Bless us with thoughts, words, and deeds that build bridges of grace, peace, and justice for all.

Amen!