09/30/2026
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
“He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.”
Psalm 147:3
Today we join with Indigenous people across Canada in remembering, lamenting and prayer.
September 30 invites us to pause and remember the children who were taken from their families, those who never came home, Survivors and their stories, and the families and communities who have carried the pain of separation and loss.
As people of the Jesus way, we remember because someone else’s pain matters to us. We remember because Indigenous people are remembering. We remember because the Jesus way calls us to stand with, not turn away. We remember because love stays present. Lament is not a failure of faith. It is one of the ways God's people tell the truth in God's presence.
Romans 12:15 calls us to join with those who lament: “Weep with those who weep.”
We don't rush past grief or try to make it easier. We make room for it. We listen. We stay present.
We wear orange as an act of solidarity for the precious children who never came home, for Survivors and their families, and for the children and young people we pray for today.
Reconciliation is a call to the whole Church
Reconciliation does not belong only to the churches that operated residential schools. It is a call to the whole Church.
As people who follow Jesus, we don't distance ourselves because we were not there. We are invited to bring the presence and love of Jesus through listening, learning, acknowledging, seeking justice and coming alongside Indigenous peoples with humility.
What might that look like in our churches?
Learn our history.
Learn from Indigenous voices and wisdom.
Examine what we have inherited.
Support Indigenous-led healing, culture, education and relationship-building.
A Prayer for September 30: Remembrance, Lament, Healing and Hope
Jesus,
You are the God who sees.
You are the God who hears the cries of your people.
Today we remember the children who were taken from their families, those who never came home, and the Survivors who have carried and shared stories of profound loss and suffering.
We lament the ways that Indigenous families and communities have been harmed by residential schools and the ways that those wounds continue to shape lives today.
Forgive us for the times we have turned away because something was uncomfortable, painful or difficult to understand.
Teach us not to rush past grief.
Give us courage to remember.
Give us humility to listen.
Give us compassion to lament.
Help us to make room for Indigenous voices, stories and wisdom.
Jesus, you have reconciled us to God and entrusted us with the work of reconciliation. Teach us what that means here.
Help us not to assume that reconciliation is ours to define or control. Teach us to listen, to honour relationships, to seek justice and to become faithful neighbours.
Bring healing where healing is needed.
Give courage where truth needs to be told.
Make a way where relationships need to be restored.
And when we don't know what to do, teach us to stay present.
Holy Spirit, form us into people who do not turn away.
People who remember.
People who listen.
People who lament.
People who love.
We entrust to you the work of healing that is far bigger than any one of us.
Amen.
Art by Luke Swinson
