Amnesty International turns 50

Find out more about Amnesty International at: http://www.amnesty.org.au/

 

On Apathy and Hope

Reflections on the 50th Anniversary of Amnesty International

Witness by Warren Talbot

Pitt Street Uniting Church, 29 May 2011

(Scriptures: Micah 6: 6-8, Luke 10: 25-37)

 

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"Better to light a candle than curse the darkness"

 

THE LIGHTING OF CANDLES

An extract from our Pitt Street Liturgy for Easter 6 - a celebration of Amnesty International's 50th Anniversary:

(The use of four candles are suggested for this ceremony)
  We celebrate and give thanks
for the work of Amnesty International.

Voice 1

We do so with a sense of hope1
As Amnesty has attested over the years,
the gift of hope is a life-saver, a life giver.
'Where there's hope there is life.'

Voice 2

The candle in the barbwire
is the instantly recognisable symbol
of this internationally renowned human rights organisation,
a symbol of justice for all.

Voice 3

So we light our first candle for Amnesty,
its staff and volunteers
in London and across the world.
We give thanks for those who began this extraordinary movement in 1961 and all who have served in the five decades since.

Voice 4

In lighting this candle
we acknowledge Amnesty's commitment
to preventing and ending human rights violations everywhere,
to promoting all human rights
and to enhancing our understanding of these rights
and their significance for us all.

 

We light the Amnesty candle
Voice 1

We light a second candle
for all human rights defenders around the world,
that intrepid band of activists
that includes people from every walk of life,
ordinary people.
We remember especially the courage of those
who have put their own lives at risk
for the rights of others
and to protect other people from abuse.
 

We light a candle for human rights defenders
Voice 2 We light a third candle in acknowledgement of the suffering of those whose rights continue to be violated.
We light this candle to express our grief and outrage
and as a sign of our commitment
never to forget their struggles and their suffering.
 

We light a candle for the victims and survivors of human rights abuses
Voice 3 Amnesty International has been called 'a conspiracy of hope'.
And so we light our final candle, the candle of hope.
Richard Holloway has written:
'The cruellest act in the vast repertoire of human cruelty
is the denial of hope;
and the kindest act is its restoration.'
 

We light the candle of hope

 

PRAYERS OF INTERCESSION

Let us bring before God our prayers for others and ourselves.
Let us pray.

We give thanks for the work of Amnesty International.
We pray for its staff and volunteers
here is Australia and around the world.
We ask for wisdom and courage in their decision making,
and inner strength and commitment in their advocacy and activism.

Gracious God, let justice run down like rivers.

We pray that our politicians will work to create a society
in which all are treated with respect
and granted true equality.
We think of refugees
incarcerated in detention centres across the continent
and on Christmas Island.
We remember the Indigenous people of this land,
their life chances
and ours.

Gracious God, let justice run down like rivers.

We give thanks for the diversity of this land
and the diversity of its peoples.
We pray for our Muslim brothers and sisters
and those of others faiths and of no faith.

Gracious God, let justice run down like rivers.

A period of silence is observed.
Please offer your prayers silently.

And so we pray.....
Loving god, make us instruments of your peace:

Where there is hatred, let us sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is discord, union;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy;
for your mercy's sake.

O Holy One,
grand that we may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.

Prayers by Elizabeth Watson
Part of the above intercessory prayer makes use of a 19th century prayer in the spirit of St Francis of Assisi (altd.).
The Richard Holloway quote comes from Between the Monster and the Saint, Reflections on the Human Condition (2008), p.139.
 

Find out more about Amnesty International at:
http://www.amnesty.org.au/