50 Years of Deadly: Holding Truth and Hope Together

50 Years of Deadly - A Time to Celebrate

NAIDOC Week is one of the best times of the year for Mob. It's like Christmas and a family reunion all wrapped into one. It's a week of celebration, nourishment and recovery - something many of us need amongst the other 51 weeks of the year, when we're often scrutinised, politicised, and banged around like a football depending on the angle of the media.

It's also time for Australia to celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultures, communities and achievements. It's a chance to honour Elders, share stories, gather together, and reflect on the strength and resilience of our people.

This year's theme is "50 Years of Deadly."

You may have heard the word deadly and wondered what it means. In Aboriginal communities, deadly is a term of high praise. It means awesome, excellent, strong, impressive, something to be proud of.

But deadly is more than just a compliment. It is a word shaped by resilience, pride and resistance. It speaks of strength and thriving in the face of opposition and injustice. It is language that builds people up rather than tears them down - a way of recognising and celebrating the gifts, dignity, leadership and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

In many ways, the story of NAIDOC itself is a deadly story.

NAIDOC began as a movement for justice, growing out of the 1938 Day of Mourning when Aboriginal leaders, including William Cooper, gathered to protest injustice and call for the rights and recognition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Over time, that movement became the week of celebration, remembrance and advocacy we now know as NAIDOC Week.

Since then, generations of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have continued that work. They have marched, spoken, advocated, cared for Country and community, and refused to give up hope.

As I look back over the last fifty years, I see countless reasons to celebrate. I see communities caring for one another. I see culture being passed on to younger generations. I see language revitalisation, strong leadership, creativity, courage, love, and deep connection to Country.

I see fifty years of potent, powerful, remarkable, resilient fire.

That is deadly.

Philippians 4:8 - Choosing Truth and Hope in Difficult Times

As I reflect on this year's theme, I am reminded of Paul's words in Philippians 4:8:

Now dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true and noble and right and pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. 

These words carry even greater weight when we remember that Paul wrote them from prison. He wasn't ignoring hardship or pretending everything was okay. He was writing to encourage people to remain grounded in hope and God's goodness even in difficult circumstances.

I think there is something powerful in that for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Our communities know what it means to persevere through hardship. We continue to live with the impacts of dispossession, discrimination and injustice. Truth-telling remains an essential part of our journey as a nation because healing cannot happen without honesty.

Our story is one of resilience. It is a story of people who continue to care for one another, pass on culture, nurture future generations and remain connected to Creator, Country and Community. Paul's words remind me that we can hold truth and hope together. We can acknowledge injustice while also celebrating the beauty, strength and dignity of our people. We can tell honest stories about the past while continuing to look towards the future with courage and hope.

The Church's Invitation - Listen, Walk Alongside, and Act

For the Church, I believe this is one of the great invitations of NAIDOC Week.

As I've been reflecting on Philippians 4:8, it has made me think about all the things that are true, noble, admirable and praiseworthy within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. It has made me wonder: what if the Australian Church took that same posture?

What if Christians across Australia intentionally looked for the gifts, wisdom and strengths within Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultures and communities? What if they became curious about our ways of knowing and being, our connection to Country, our understanding of community, our ancient knowledge, and the stories we carry?

What if the Church saw these things not as something on the edge, but as gifts from God that could enrich the whole body of Christ?

I think it would be remarkable. I think it would shift perspectives. It would deepen relationships. It would help us approach faith, community and Country in new ways. Most of all, I think we would discover more about the heart of God through one another.

And yet, if I'm honest, this hope exists alongside real disappointment and grief.

Many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Christian leaders have spent decades inviting the Australian Church into deeper listening, truth-telling, and relationship. Too often, those invitations have been met with silence, resistance, or a willingness to celebrate culture without confronting the injustices our communities continue to face. There is a weariness that comes from having to explain, advocate, and ask to be heard again and again and again.

The Church has not always lived up to the Gospel it proclaims. That reality grieves me, and yet, I still have hope. Not because everything is as it should be, but because I can see glimpses of the Kingdom of God breaking through. Some church communities are choosing a different way - listening deeply, building genuine friendships, supporting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leadership, and embracing truth-telling as an act of discipleship.

NAIDOC Week is an opportunity to celebrate the deadly gifts, wisdom and leadership of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. It is an opportunity to listen deeply to stories that have too often been overlooked. And it is an opportunity to recommit ourselves to the ongoing work of justice, healing and reconciliation.

The Church doesn't need to have all the answers. But it can choose to listen. It can choose to learn. It can choose to walk alongside. It can choose to support the leadership and self-determination of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as we work towards a more just future together.

As we celebrate 50 Years of Deadly, may we honour those who came before us, celebrate the strength of our communities, and continue walking together in truth, hope and love.

There is much to celebrate. There is still work to do. And because of Jesus, there is every reason to hope.

Not a passive hope that sits back and waits for things to change, but an active hope that moves us forward. A hope that believes healing is possible. A hope that believes reconciliation is worth pursuing. A hope that calls us to keep showing up, keep listening, keep learning, and keep loving.

That's one of the things I love most about the Christian faith. Faith isn't just something we believe. It is something we live. It is hope put into action, held together by the powerful love of a wonderful Creator who knows us, an incredible Saviour who walks with us, and a pretty awesome Holy Spirit who continues to guide us forward.

May we keep walking that path together.