Foreword In 2023, a majority of voters opposed a change to Australia’s Constitution which would have established an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ‘Voice’. Among the reasons for this opposition to establishing a First Nations Voice to Australia’s government was fear, including the fear of what an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander ‘Voice’ might say. If I am truthful, I can empathise with this fear. Really listening to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voices has always been hard for people like me who were raised with the settler, colonial worldview that dominates Australian life. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have experienced Australian history in a way that has left deep wounds and seething injustices. These studies are written by some of the wisest, most generous, inspiring leaders of the Anglican Church of Australia. They are written without the encumbrances of the settler colonial worldview. In a sense, they come to us from the margins. Our theology of mission makes us alert to voices from the margins. Voices that come from the edges are more likely to point to what God is doing than voices which seek to reinforce the dominance of the powerful. Think of Jonah showing up in Nineveh. So, for a country that has just voted against recognising its First People in our Constitution, these voices come to us as a Lenten gift: an opportunity collectively to seek to discern the voice of God speaking to us from the margins. They take us back to the very beginning and urge us forward as we ask that most missional question: what is God doing today, and how are we being called to participate? For ABM, reconciliation begins with listening to what Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people are saying and being willing to change. I pray that these studies are a life-giving encounter with the Word of God as we fast, pray and work together for love, hope and justice. Brad Chapman Reconciliation Missioner - ABM
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