Rejoice is such a biblical word. It looks out of place to me personally when I see it being used in secular contexts. Thats not a value judgement, it is just a word that as Christians we so often use. It means to be at peace, to have joy, despite the circumstances. It is different to being happy. Being happy nearly always means a sense of happiness because of outward circumstances, and most of us realise it is temporary. Being joyful is different. It is a sustained sense of inner peace because of who you are, and who you believe in, perhaps even a sense of being able to look beyond the present circumstances.

For many of our Indigenous brothers and sisters it is hard to sing this song and believe it. For many the day we choose to celebrate Australia Day signifies something else for them. That is without dispute whether you think we should celebrate Australia Day on January 26th or not. For many something is not right, and needs to be made right.

For myself I love Australia and love being Australian. But I have visited the indigenous museum in Hobart. I have read ‘One Blood’ which details our mixed response as Christians to First Nations people. Something does not sit right with me about celebrating our nation on a day that for so many of our sisters and brothers brings about a deep sense of pain.

Some would say, if you change the date it wont stop people being upset. That is valid. We cannot control what other people do, we can only control what we do. Maybe changing the date won’t change anything for some. The deep pain and memories wont go away with a date change.

But.

Maybe the day is better as a day of lament. I think even as Churches we don’t do lament well, and we certainly don’t do it well as a nation. Maybe we can leave Australia Day as a day for remembrance and change our celebration to a date where we can all rejoice.

While we may want to be young and free, it is hard to be free when you don’t recognise the past, accept it for what it is, and find a way to rejoice, together. Because our nation is great and is worth celebrating.

I actually don’t think it needs to be that difficult.

(This is not the official view of Kew Baptist Church, just some personal reflections)