We invite you to join together as we pause to reflect and acknowledge January 26, and to lament, pray and act in hope for justice.
Join together with Christians across these lands taking action to learn, pray, acknowledge and walk together in friendship for healing and justice on January 26, 2026.
We begin this year carrying a heaviness. Many of us enter 2026 still shaken by the tragic Bondi attack and the sense of instability we see across the world. These moments expose how fragile peace and social trust can feel. They remind us how deeply our nation and our world needs healing, justice, compassion and a renewed commitment to our shared humanity.
As we approach January 26, we recognise this as a day of mourning, invasion and survival for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. As Safina Stewart, proud Wuthathi and Mabuiag Island woman and Common Grace’s Storyteller and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lead reflects:
“January 26 holds deep complexity in Australia’s story. While marked as a national day since 1994, it also remembers the beginning of violent colonisation in 1788 and the ongoing impacts that followed. I see many Australians feel unsettled and torn — living on lands called Australia, yet knowing these lands were never ceded, but forcibly taken from First Nations peoples. Year after year, I witness my beautiful Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities gathering — holding each other, grappling with dispossession, advocating, and rallying for change. It is exhausting, yet courageous work. Where will the Church of Australia show up this year? I call the Church to be strong and courageous and act boldly with First Nations peoples — for justice, for life, for the healing of our nation."
As the movement of Common Grace, we are committed to being led by our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Christian Leaders, walking the ongoing journey together pursuing Jesus, justice, and the flourishing of First Nations peoples. We invite you to take time on January 26 to pause, to reflect, to lament, to learn more, to pray and to act in solidarity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice.
Explore ideas below as together we are led by Aboriginal Christian Leaders to mark January 26, 2026.
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Acknowledge
Share an Acknowledgement of Country on social media
On Monday, January 26, commit to taking a stand for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice by sharing a photo of your feet on Country, or symbol of a heart, alongside an Acknowledgement of Country with Common Grace and on your social media. Find out more here.
Talk about this action and invite others to take part on January 26.
Watch an Acknowledgement of Country by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Christian leaders for Common Grace’s Aboriginal Sunday 2026 resources below.
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Stand in Solidarity
One way to recognise January 26 as day of Mourning and survival for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, is to stand in solidarity and friendship by attending a First Nations led event in your local area. Search events happening in your local community or explore a range of events listed on the ANTAR website here.
Please Note: In NSW, there are currently heightened restrictions around public assemblies, with marches and rallies (non-stationary gatherings) currently banned in parts of Sydney. The Invasion Day rally planned to take place in Sydney on January 26 has been given clearance from authorities to go ahead. However, we recommend you check ABC news regularly for updates regarding the restrictions. Please prioritise safety, and look out for one another at any event you may be attending.
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Pray
Spend time in prayer for justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, led in prayers written for Aboriginal Sunday 2026 by Safina Stewart and Joshua Lane (below).
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Prayer for Courage, Justice, and Reconciliation by Safina Stewart, Wuthathi and Mabuiag Island woman, Common Grace’s Storyteller and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lead.
God of all Nations,
We come before You with humble hearts,
Acknowledging the deep wounds of this land -
Wounds of dispossession, injustice, and pain endured by
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Lord, You call us to be strong and courageous,
To walk alongside our First Nations sisters and brothers
In love, truth, and justice.
Help us to listen deeply and to hear what we have not yet
understood.
Grant us the courage to face uncomfortable truths,
The wisdom to seek justice,
And the strength to stand up for the oppressed.
We give thanks for the faithful witnesses
Who have journeyed before us -
Elders, leaders, and prophets of hope and resistance.
May their lives inspire us to persevere
In faith, power, and love.
Spirit of Truth, guide our hearts and our steps.
Teach us to walk together in friendship and respect,
To honour the rich cultures and stories of this land’s First Peoples.
May our church be a place of reconciliation, healing, and justice,
A courageous community empowered by Your love.
We pray for healing for the wounds of history,
And for a future where all may flourish in dignity and peace.
In the name of Jesus Christ,
Who calls us to courage and hope, we pray.
Amen.
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Prayer for Peace by Joshua Lane, Kanolu and Lardil man
Father the Creator
We pray for peace that brings healing, fullness, and wholeness.
Let Your peace rest upon us, Your Church.
Shape us into peacemakers,
followers of your way.
You have shown us not only how to pray for peace,
but how to make it,
reaching across suffering and brokenness with an
extended arm to others,
hoping for a connection to reconcile our shared history.
Help us endure in seasons of suffering
as we stretch out our arms with patience toward others.
Let us see our shared humanity
and walk side by side towards healing.
Grant us strength to speak truth where it can be heard,
and courage to stand for justice wherever it is needed.
We receive the peace Christ offers
a peace that welcomes the stranger,
cares for Country, and releases forgiveness.
Let it be done.
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Explore further prayer resources for Aboriginal justice here.
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Donate
Help fuel Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice and donate to support Common Grace's work in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice here.
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Go Deeper
The journey of walking together for healing and justice for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in these lands is not easy. Our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities continue to see and bear the pain of ongoing injustices - children still being taken from families, young ones imprisoned, truth and treaty still denied, lives cut short in custody. These realities can feel overwhelming. Yet we take heart, knowing God is with us wherever we go.
We invite you to take time to watch and reflect on Common Grace’s 2026 Aboriginal Sunday video message as our Aboriginal Christian Leaders share on the theme ‘Be strong and courageous’. This was God’s word to Joshua as he stepped into unknown territory (Joshua 1:9), and it is God’s word to us today.
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Keep on the Journey
Commit to learning more and taking action for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice in 2026.
Mark National Sorry Day May 26, National Reconciliation Week 27 May - 3 June, and NAIDOC Week 5 - 12 July in your 2026 calendar. Common Grace produces a range of resources to help you in learning more, listening to Aboriginal Christian Leaders, and engaging your community in taking action together for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice. Keep an eye out for our 2026 resources and explore previous resources from NAIDOC Week, National Reconciliation Week, and Aboriginal Sunday here.
Commit to your journey of education and learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice. Explore ideas and resources on our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice resources page here.
Sign up and follow Common Grace on social media - Commit to walking together in friendship and solidarity by joining the Common Grace movement. Sign up with your email on our website and follow us on Facebook and Instagram @commongraceaus
One way to take a stand for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander justice is by learning whose Traditional Country you live on, discovering and sharing the stories of the Traditional Custodians of this country, and sharing an Acknowledgement of Country. Learn more about Acknowledgement of Country and how you can develop your own personal acknowledgement to share in your community.
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