REFLECTION: Moderator Joins Ecumenical Service for the “Coming of the Light” – Thursday Island

It was a profound joy and honour for my wife Cathy & I to celebrate the 154^th “Coming of the Light”, an event that has shaped the spiritual identity of the Torres Strait and continues to shine with deep significance across the life of the Church. This was a time of deep remembering, of storytelling, of thanksgiving for the Gospel that arrived on these shores and was received with courage and faith by the people of the Torres Strait.

This year, I had the privilege of preaching at the Ecumenical Service hosted in the “All Souls & St Bartholomew Anglican Church” on Thursday Island, led by our Uniting Church minister Rev Fangupo Mosese. The gathering was a beautiful expression of unity in Christ, a coming together of churches, cultures, and communities, all grounded in the Gospel of Jesus and the legacy of the Light that first arrived on Erub (Darnley Island) in 1871.

The Coming of the Light is not just a remembrance of a past event; it’s a celebration of the ongoing transformation that Christ brings. As I shared from Isaiah 58 and 2 Corinthians 4, I was reminded again that the Light we proclaim is not our own. “For we do not preach ourselves,” Paul writes, “but Jesus Christ as Lord.” The power of that Light still heals, still renews, and still calls us to be bearers of hope and justice.

There was something deeply moving about worshipping together in song and prayer, led in both English and Torres Strait languages, across generations - elders and young people alike lifted their voices. We were joined by visitors from across the globe, officers from local, state and national services, returning family and community members, alongside of elders, traditional owners and community leaders. This was more than a service, it was a living witness to the Gospel, grounded in the stories of faith, a proud and resilient people.

As we gathered on sacred ground together, we were reminded that the winds have carried stories of faith that have shaped generations and that the waters that surrounded us have heard songs of praise from canoes, dinghies, and from different communities of faith over time.  It was the ancestors who embraced this good news and let it take root in community life, not at the loss of culture or identity… light came, light continues to come, and light will continue to shine.

As Aunty Rose Elu reminds us… Our people already knew the gospel in a different way, with the environment, the ocean, the seas, the current, the waters and the sky and the moon - they were bringing light to us, and we were bringing the light to them.

It was a joy to be part of this ecumenical expression of faith and to celebrate with our brothers and sisters across denominations who together proclaim: “the Light has come, and the darkness has not overcome it”.

So let the light keep shining.
Let the stories be told.
Let the drums be played.
Let the children dance.
Let the ancestors rejoice.
Let the whole Church give thanks.
Let us continue to walk in that Light, with humility, courage and grace.

Rev Bruce Moore, Moderator