Call to Worship in sorrow for our mistreatment of Indigenous people
The following is a Call to Worship I wrote that invokes a spirit of deep sorrow and reconciliation for how Christian missionaries forced Western culture and practices on Indigenous in the Americas and overseas territories.
It is free for any congregation to use.
Remains of Father Damien and Mother Marianne Cope at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu, Hawaii. Both died serving Indigenous Hawaiians suffering what was then called leprosy—when other Christian leaders had abandoned them. Photo: Gerald Farinas.
Leader:
We gather to worship on land that was never ours, land stewarded by Indigenous peoples long before churches were planted here. From the prairies and coastlines to islands across the seas, this ground is sacred to those who came before us.
People:
We remember and honor the Native peoples of this land, tribes, nations, and communities whose names and stories endure.
We remember the Natives of Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Marianas, Puerto Rico, Samoa, among others in U.S. territories.
Leader:
We acknowledge with sorrow that Christianity, entangled with empire, arrived not just with Good News, but with forced conversions, cultural erasure, theologies of dominance.
People:
We confess that the Church too often served the interests of colonizers, silencing Native tongues, banning Native practices, and replacing Indigenous wisdom with Western control.
Leader:
And yet, even now, the Holy Spirit moves, calling us toward truth-telling, repentance, and healing.
People:
We are here not to claim authority, but to listen. Not to erase, but to honor. Not to lead, but to walk beside and learn.
Leader:
Jesus Christ, reconciler of all things, calls us not to nostalgia for a missionary past, but to courage in building a future where the dignity of all peoples is upheld, and the Church becomes a place of repair.
People:
We open our hearts to be changed. We open this church to the stories long ignored, the truths long buried, the healing still unfolding.
Leader:
Let us worship the Living God whose mercy runs deeper than our wounds, whose justice is older than our nations, whose Spirit speaks in every language, every culture, every land.
People:
We come with humility, with honesty, and with hope.
Let us worship God together.
