Victorian Council of Churches

The 1967 referendum was a significant milestone in addressing inequity experienced by Aboriginal people in Australia.

Aboriginal people were not counted in the census – though they had formal citizenship granted via the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948. Many were not allowed to vote. Many were subject to bureaucratic controls that controlled their life – where they could live, where they could work and who they could marry. The 1967 Referendum sought to bring about change in their lived circumstances, lifting them to full citizenship.

The 1967 Referendum was a success, with over 90% of Australians voting YES for a change they believed would improve the conditions of Indigenous Australians. (There was a bipartisan approach to the 1967 referendum and a ‘no’ case was not formulated or publicly articulated).

It was a moment when an overwhelming majority of Australians from a diverse range of backgrounds believed that Australia would be a better country if something positive was done to improve the lives of Indigenous Australians and this was achieved at a time when racial discrimination and segregation was much more pronounced in our society. In this way, the referendum serves as a reminder that we can come together with a shared vision for a fairer and more inclusive society and that feels like an important message in our contemporary society.”

Professor Larissa Behrendt, University of Technology, Sydney

The second question in the Referendum sought to determine whether two references in the Constitution which discriminated against Aboriginal people should be removed. The sections were:

51. The Parliament shall, subject to this Constitution, have power to make laws for the peace, order, and good government of the Commonwealth with respect to:

…(xxvi) the people of any race, other than the aboriginal race in any State, for whom it is deemed necessary to make special laws.

127. In reckoning the numbers of people of the Commonwealth, or of a State or other part of the Commonwealth, aboriginal natives shall not be counted.

Constitutional reform centred on the removal of the words ‘other than the aboriginal race in any State’ in section 51(xxvi), as well as the entire removal of section 127.

This effectively removed the prohibition on the Commonwealth making laws in regards to ‘the Aboriginal race‘, which at the time was seen as a positive change for Aboriginal peoples’ welfare. Thus, Section 51 (xxvi) of the Constitution was amended.

The 2023 Referendum will ask a question about establishing an Indigenous Voice to Parliament, to be enshrined in the Constitution, whereby Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples will be able to be involved in and consulted about the development and implementation of policies and programs that impact on them, as distinct from decisions made about them.

Australians are encouraged to learn about the important issues in the lead up to the Referendum, in order to give a considered response to the question in the Referendum.

Faith leaders statements in support of the Voice to Parliament.

Statement from the Heart/Uluru statement

Background reading on Section 51(xxvi) of the Constitution of Australia.

DAY 6 Saturday 27th May

Just as you did it to one of the least of these…you did it to me.

Readings

Ezekiel 34:15-20    I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak.

Matthew 25:31-40       I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.

Reflection

In the Gospel of Matthew, we are reminded that we cannot separate our love for God from our love for others. We love God when we feed the hungry, give the thirsty something to drink, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the sick and visit the prisoner. When we care for and serve “one of the least of these,” we are caring for and serving Christ himself.

The years 2020 and 2021 made visible the immense suffering among God’s family members. The world-wide Covid-19 pandemic, along with economic, educational and environmental disparities, impacted us in ways that will take decades torepair. It exposed individual and collective suffering throughout the world and brought Christians together in love,empathy and solidarity. Meanwhile, in Minnesota, the murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin exposed continued racial injustice. Floyd’s cry of “I can’t breathe” was also the cry of many suffering under the weight of both the pandemic and oppression.

God calls us to honour the sacredness and dignity of each member of God’s family. Caring for, serving and loving others reveals not who they are, but who we are. As Christians, we must be unified in our responsibility to love and care forothers, as we are cared for and loved by God. In so doing, we live out our shared faith through our actions in service to the world.

Christian Unity

The prophet Ezekiel describes the Lord God as a shepherd who makes the flock whole by gathering in those who have strayed and binding up those who are injured. Unity is the Father’s desire for his people and he continues to bring aboutthis unity, to make the flock whole, through the action of his Holy Spirit. Through prayer we open ourselves to receive theSpirit which restores the unity of all the baptised.

Challenge

How are the “least of these” invisible to you or your church? How can our churches work together to care for and serve “the least of these?”

Prayer

God of Love,

We thank you for your unending care and love for us. Help us to sing redemption songs.

Open wide our hearts to receive your love and to extend your compassion

to the whole of the human family. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

2023 theme: Matters of life and death

Prayer service (source: CHAUSA)

Call to Prayer:
The Lord is good to all, and his compassion is over all that he has made. Psalm 145:9

Leader:
God is the giver of all good gifts and the Lord of life. We are grateful for hospice and palliative care, which honor the gift of life. In the face of death, life limiting or serious illness for which there is a cure, palliative care affirms the value and dignity of human life. Both, hospice and palliative care celebrate and affirm hope in the face of suffering, joy in the midst of pain and eternal life in the face of death.

Reader 1:Isaiah 40: 1, 11, 28-31
A reading from the prophet Isaiah.

Comfort, give comfort to my people,
says your God.
Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;
in his arms he gathers the lambs,
Carrying them in his bosom,
leading the ewes with care.
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is God from of old,
creator of the ends of the earth.
He does not faint or grow weary,
and his knowledge is beyond scrutiny.
He gives power to the faint,
abundant strength to the weak.
Though young men faint and grow weary,
and youths stagger and fall,
They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength,
they will soar on eagles’ wings;
They will run and not grow weary,
walk and not grow faint.

Reader 2: Pope Francis on the importance of accompaniment
The categorical imperative is to never abandon the sick. The anguish associated with conditions that bring us to the threshold of human mortality, and the difficulty of the decision we have to make, may tempt us to step back from the patient. Yet this is where, more than anything else, we are called to show love and closeness, recognizing the limit that we all share and showing our solidarity. Let each of us give love in his or her own way—as a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother or sister, a doctor or a nurse. But give it! And even if we know that we cannot always guarantee healing or a cure, we can and must always care for the living, without ourselves shortening their life, but also without futilely resisting their death. This approach is reflected in palliative care, which is proving most important in our culture, as it opposes what makes death most terrifying and unwelcome—pain and loneliness.

Prayer:
Let us together lift up our needs to our God, who is ever-present and always loving.
God of all comfort, be with those who are sick and suffering. May they receive the medical, spiritual and psychological care they need; may they be supported in love by their family and friends, enabled to live well. We pray,

Response: Gracious God, hear us.

God of all companionship, be with those who care for others in their infirmity. Strengthen them with the graces of patience, love, joy and peace. Surround them with communities of care. We pray,

Response: Gracious God, hear us.

Leader: God of all people, move in our hearts that we may affirm the value of all human life through our action and advocacy on behalf of those who suffer. Open our eyes to see you in the faces of those affected by serious illness that we may care for them as we would care for you. We pray

Response: Gracious God, hear us.

Closing Prayer:
God of life and death, you became human, accompanied us and shared our joy and know our pain. Be with those who suffer physically, mentally or emotionally. Give us the courage and grace to draw near to those who suffer, offering our support, care and loving presence. May our solidarity and witness affirm the beauty and value of each human life. Amen.

May 26th – National Sorry Day
May 27th – June 3rd – National Reconciliation Week
(theme: Be a Voice for Generations)
June 3rd – Mabo Day

“I hope all Australians, whether they’ve been here for generations or just a short time, will take a quiet or (loud) moment to recognise our Stolen Generations on 26 May”.

Charles Passi, a Dauareb tribesman from the Mer Island group in the Torres Straits, and Chair of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Healing Foundation

On 26th May 1997, the Bringing Them Home report was tabled in the Federal Parliament, recommending that a National Sorry Day be held each year to acknowledge and recognise members of the Stolen Generations which has affected, directly or indirectly, most Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. The Bringing Them Hope report was the outcome of a Government Inquiry into the past policies which caused children to be removed from their families and communities in the 20th century.

The first National Sorry Day was held on 26th May 1998.

Sorry Day is a positive contribution to the journey of healing, as was the national Apology. Healing is a process of returning to physical, emotional, spiritual and cultural wellbeing. 

Prayer (Lutheran Church in Australia Reconciliation Action Plan)
Almighty and loving God,
You who created ALL people in your image, lead us to seek your compassion as we listen to the stories of the violence in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories.
You gave your only Son, Jesus, who died and rose again so that sin is forgiven. We place before you the pain and anguish of dispossession of land, language, lore, culture and family kinship that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have experienced.
We live in faith that all people will rise from the depths of despair and hopelessness, and in particular Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families who have endured the pain and loss of loved ones, through the separation of children and their families.
Touch the hearts of the broken, homeless and inflicted and heal their spirits.
In your mercy and compassion walk with us as we continue our journey of healing to create a future that is just and equitable.
Lord you are our hope. Amen

Resources:
Prayer for Sorry Day 
Let’s Talk Sorry Day [Source Reconciliation Australia]

FRIDAY 26th May

Singing the Lord’s song as strangers in the land

Readings

Psalm 137:1-4          For there our captors asked us for songs, and our tormentors asked us for mirth, saying, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

Luke 23:27-31        Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children

Reflection

The lament of the psalmist originates in the exile of Judah in Babylon, however, the pain of exile is one that reverberatesacross time and culture. Perhaps the psalmist shouted this refrain towards the heavens. Perhaps each verse was given voice between deep sobs of grief. Perhaps this poem emerged with a shrug of indifference that can only come from living within injustice and feeling powerless to effect any meaningful change. However the words were brought forth, theheartache of this passage finds resonance in the hearts of those who are treated as strangers in other lands or in their own lands.

The demand in the psalm comes from the oppressor to smile and make merry, to sing the songs of a “happy” past. That demand has come to marginalized people throughout history. Whether it was in minstrel shows,^[1] or Geisha dances,^[2]  orWild West cowboy and Indian shows,^[3]  oppressors have often demanded that oppressed people perform happily to ensure their own survival. Their message is as simple as it is cruel; your songs, your ceremonies, your cultural identity, that which makes you sacredly unique, is only allowable so long as it serves us.

In this psalm generations of the oppressed are given their voice. How could we sing the Lord’s song when we are strangers in our own land? We sing not for our captors but to praise God. We sing because we are not alone for God hasnever abandoned us. We sing because we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses. The ancestors and saints inspire us. They encourage us to sing songs of hope, songs of freedom, songs of liberation, songs of a homeland where a people is restored.

Christian Unity

Luke’s Gospel records that people, many of them women, follow Jesus even as he carries his cross to Calvary. Thisfollowing is faithful discipleship. Furthermore, Jesus recognises their struggles and the suffering that they will have to endure in faithfully carrying their own crosses.

Thanks to the ecumenical movement, Christians today share hymns, prayers reflections and insights across traditions. Wereceive them from one another as gifts borne of the faith and loving discipleship, often enduring struggles, of Christians from different communities than our own. These shared gifts are riches to be treasured and give witness to the Christian faith we share.

Challenge

How do we raise up the stories of ancestors and saints who lived among us and have sung songs of faith, hope, and liberation from captivity?

Prayer

God of the oppressed,

Open our eyes to the harm that continues to be inflicted On our sisters and brothers in Christ.

May your Spirit give us the courage to sing in unison,

And raise our voices with those whose suffering is unheard. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

---

^[1]  Thought to be the first original form of popular American entertainment, minstrel shows originated in the 1830s as a combination of blackface, a form of theatrical makeup employed by primarily White people, and theatrical productions depicting derogatory appearances and personas of African Americans. Yet, in the 1890s, African American artists “blackened up,” sang, danced, and discussed provocative issues like sex in the “colored minstrel shows” while feeling the added responsibility to counter the stereotypes of black identity as laughable, primitive and overly sensual, leading them to develop a self-presentation on stage that balanced racist stereotypes and political commentary.

^[2]  In the 17th century, the role of the geisha emerged in Japan as an “artist” who entertained with dance, music, conversation, and other acts in various tea ceremonies.

^[3]  After the 1876 Battle of Little Bighorn, Buffalo Bill Cody founded the Wild West Show, a touring pageant of all things western including a recreation of General Custard’s Last Stand. The biggest draw was the real life Native Americans who appeared domesticated instead of savage, participating in the shows while the American government was still engaging in battle in Indian territory.

Look, the tears of the oppressed.

Readings

Ecclesiastes 4:1-5   Again I saw all the oppressions that are practiced under the sun. Look, the tears of the oppressed – with noone to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power with no one to comfort them

Matthew 5:1-8             … Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted…

Reflection

“Look, the tears of the oppressed.” One can imagine that the writer has witnessed atrocities like this before with sickening regularity. And yet perhaps this is the first time the writer has truly seen the tears of the oppressed, has fully taken in their pain and their subjugation. While there is much to lament, in a new looking and a new seeing there is also a seed of hope: maybe this time this witnessing will lead to change, will make a difference.

A young woman looked and saw the tears of the oppressed. The video she shot on her phone of the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 was seen all around the world and unleashed a holy rage as people witnessed, and finally acknowledged, what African Americans have experienced for centuries: undue subjugation by oppressive systems in the midst of privileged blind bystanders. Acknowledging this painful reality has led to a global outpouring of overdue compassion both in the form of prayer and protest for justice. In Perth, Western Australia, 15 year old Cassius Turvey was assaulted when it is alleged he was chased by strangers and beaten with a metal pole while walking home in his school uniform in October 2022. He died ten days later from head injuries. His death sparked vigils and rallies across Australia and internationally. Four people have been charged with his murder. 

The progression from simply looking to seeing and understanding gives encouragement for us as actors in this earthly reality: God can remove scales from our eyes to witness things in new and liberating ways. As those scales fall, the Holy Spirit provides insight, and also, conviction to respond in new and unfettered ways. One response the churches and communities made was to establish a prayer tent at George Floyd Square, the place of his murder. In this way, these churches and communities were united in offering comfort to those who mourned and were oppressed. Thousands attended vigils for Cassius in Australia and overseas. 

Christian Unity

Matthew’s account of the Beatitudes begins with Jesus seeing the crowds. In that crowd he must have seen those whowere peacemakers, the poor in spirit, the pure in heart, men and women who mourned, and those who hungered for justice. In the beatitudes Jesus not only names people’s struggles, he names what they will be: the children of God and inheritors ofthe kingdom of heaven. As Christians we are called to see the holy struggles of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Challenge

How have you engaged with Christian groups addressing oppression in your neighbourhood? How can the churches in your locality come together to better show solidarity with those suffering oppression?

Prayer

God of justice and grace, remove the scales from our eyes so we can truly see the oppression around us. We pray inthe name of Jesus who saw the crowds and had compassion for them. Amen.

Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly.

Readings

Micah 6: 6 – 8        And what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?

Mark 10: 17-31      Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?

Reflection

We – not me. The prophet warns the people what faithfulness to God’s covenant means: “…and what does the Lord require of you? To do justice, and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?” In Biblical Hebrew justice and kindness (mercy) are not different or opposite from each other. They are in fact bonded together in a single word, mishpat. God has shown us what is good, asking us to do justice by loving kindness and walking humbly with God.Walking humbly with God means walking alongside others and therefore it is not just about the individual: my walk, my love.

The love that God invites us into is always a love which gathers us into communion: we – not me. This insight makes allthe difference in how we “do justice”. As Christians we act justly to manifest something of God’s kingdom in the world, and therefore to invite others into this place of God’s loving kindness. Within God’s kingdom we are all loved equally as God’s children, and as God’s Church we are called to love one another as brothers and sisters and to invite others into thatlove.

To do justice, to love kindness and to walk humbly with our God, calls Christians to act together in bearing a united witness to God’s kingdom within our communities: we – not me.

Christian Unity

“Walking humbly” was challenging for the rich young man who asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. He had obeyed all the commandments from his youth, but he could not take the further step to join Jesus’ disciples because of his wealth; he was beholden to his possessions. How difficult it is for Christians to let go of that which we perceive as riches, but which keep us from the greater wealth on joining Jesus’s disciples in Christian unity.

Challenge

How can our churches better respond to the needs of our most vulnerable neighbours? How can we honour every voice in our communities?

Prayer

Gracious and loving God,

Expand our vision that we might see the mission we share with all of our Christian brothers and sisters, to show forth the justice and loving kindness of your kingdom.

Help us to welcome our neighbours as your Son welcomed us.

Help us to be more generous as we witness to the grace that you freely give us. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

The United Nations has proclaimed May 22 The International Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) to increase understanding and awareness of biodiversity issues. The theme for 2023 is ‘From agreement to diversity: build back biodiversity’.

The following quotes from Pope Francis’ encyclical, Laudato Si (2015) on “The Care for our Common Home” offer wisdom and challenge.  

32. The earth’s resources are also being plundered because of short-sighted approaches to the economy, commerce and production. The loss of forests and woodlands entails the loss of species which may constitute extremely important resources in the future, not only for food but also for curing disease and other uses. Different species contain genes which could be key resources in years ahead for meeting human needs and regulating environmental problems.

33. It is not enough, however, to think of different species merely as potential “resources” to be exploited, while overlooking the fact that they have value in themselves. Each year sees the disappearance of thousands of plant and animal species which we will never know, which our children will never see, because they have been lost for ever. The great majority become extinct for reasons related to human activity. Because of us, thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their very existence, nor convey their message to us. We have no such right.

34. It may well disturb us to learn of the extinction of mammals or birds, since they are more visible. But the good functioning of ecosystems also requires fungi, algae, worms, insects, reptiles and an innumerable variety of microorganisms. Some less numerous species, although generally unseen, nonetheless play a critical role in maintaining the equilibrium of a particular place. Human beings must intervene when a geosystem reaches a critical state. But nowadays, such intervention in nature has become more and more frequent. As a consequence, serious problems arise, leading to further interventions; human activity becomes ubiquitous, with all the risks which this entails. Often a vicious circle results, as human intervention to resolve a problem further aggravates the situation. For example, many birds and insects which disappear due to synthetic agrotoxins are helpful for agriculture: their disappearance will have to be compensated for by yet other techniques which may well prove harmful. We must be grateful for the praiseworthy efforts being made by scientists and engineers dedicated to finding solutions to man-made problems. But a sober look at our world shows that the degree of human intervention, often in the service of business interests and consumerism, is actually making our earth less rich and beautiful, ever more limited and grey, even as technological advances and consumer goods continue to abound limitlessly. We seem to think that we can substitute an irreplaceable and irretrievable beauty with something which we have created ourselves.

35. In assessing the environmental impact of any project, concern is usually shown for its effects on soil, water and air, yet few careful studies are made of its impact on biodiversity, as if the loss of species or animals and plant groups were of little importance. Highways, new plantations, the fencing-off of certain areas, the damming of water sources, and similar developments, crowd out natural habitats and, at times, break them up in such a way that animal populations can no longer migrate or roam freely. As a result, some species face extinction. Alternatives exist which at least lessen the impact of these projects, like the creation of biological corridors, but few countries demonstrate such concern and foresight. Frequently, when certain species are exploited commercially, little attention is paid to studying their reproductive patterns in order to prevent their depletion and the consequent imbalance of the ecosystem.

36. Caring for ecosystems demands far-sightedness, since no one looking for quick and easy profit is truly interested in their preservation. But the cost of the damage caused by such selfish lack of concern is much greater than the economic benefits to be obtained. Where certain species are destroyed or seriously harmed, the values involved are incalculable. We can be silent witnesses to terrible injustices if we think that we can obtain significant benefits by making the rest of humanity, present and future, pay the extremely high costs of environmental deterioration. 

(Laudato Si, 2015)

DAY 2 May 22nd

When justice is done…

Readings

Proverbs 21:13-15    
When justice is done, it is a joy to the righteous, but dismay to evildoers.

Matthew 23:23-25       
Justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done.

Reflection

From the beginning the Book of Proverbs sets out to provide wisdom and instruction in “wise dealing, righteousness, justice, and equity” (1:2). Throughout its oracles of wisdom, the call to act justly and to pursue righteousness is a constant refrain, relentlessly shared and affirmed as more acceptable to God than sacrifice. In a one-sentence pearl of wisdom, the speaker testifies that the righteous rejoice when justice is done. But justice upsets the workers of iniquity. Christians, across their separations, should be united in joy when justice is done, and prepared to stand together when this justice brings opposition. When we do what the Lord requires and dare to pursue justice, we may find ourselves in a whirlwind ofresistance and opposition to any attempt to make things right for the most vulnerable among us.

Those who benefit from the systems and structures buttressed by white supremacy and other oppressive ideologies such as “casteism” and patriarchy will seek to delay and deny justice, often violently. But to seek justice is to strike at the heart of the powers, making space for God’s just ordering and enduring wisdom in a world all too often unmoved by suffering. Andyet, there is joy in doing what is right. There is joy in affirming that “Black Lives Matter” in the pursuit of justice for God’s oppressed, dominated, and exploited beloved. There is joy in declaring ‘always was, always will be’ when we stand in solidarity with First Nations people in their stewardship of the land. 

There is joy in seeking reconciliation with other Christians so that we may better serve the proclamation of the kingdom.Let that joy manifest itself through our shared experiences of God’s presence in community in the known and unknown spaces where God journeys with us toward healing, reconciliation, and unity in Christ.

Christian Unity

The religious leaders Jesus addresses in the Gospel passage have grown accustomed and comfortable with the injustices of the world. They are happy to perform religious duties such as tithing mint, dill and cumin, but neglect the weightier and more disruptive demands of justice, mercy and faithfulness. Similarly, Christians have grown accustomed and comfortable with the divisions that exist between us. We are faithful in much of our religious observance, but often we neglect the Lord’s challenging desire that all his disciples be one.

Challenge

How can local congregations support one another to withstand the opposition that may follow from doing justice?

Prayer

God, you are the source of our wisdom. We pray for wisdom and courage to do justice, to respond to what is wrong in the world by acting to make it right.

We pray for wisdom and courage to grow in the unity of your Son, Jesus Christ, who with you and the Holy Spirit, reigns forever and ever. Amen.

DAY ONE – 21 MAY 2023

Learning to do the right thing.

Readings

Isaiah 1:12-18 Learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan; plead for the widow

Luke 10:25-36 He asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?”

Reflection

According to Isaiah, God wants Judah not only to practice justice but to embrace the principle of always doing the right thing. God wants us not only to care for orphans and widows but to do what is right and good for them and anyone marginalised by society. The Hebrew word for good is yaw-tab’ and it means to be glad, joyful, pleasing, to do well, to make something beautiful.

To be Christian means to be a disciple. All Christians sit under the Word of God, learning together what it is to do good, and who it is that stands in need of this solidarity. As society becomes more indifferent to the needs of others, we, as the children of God, must learn to take up the cause of our oppressed brothers and sisters by speaking truth to power and if necessary, plead their case so that they may live in peace with justice. In doing this we will always do the right thing!

Our commitment to eradicate and to be healed of the sin of racism requires us to be prepared and willing to be in relationship with our Christian sisters and brothers.

Christian Unity

A lawyer asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbour?” Jesus’ response asks us to see beyond the divisions of religion, tribe and nationality to recognise our neighbour in need. Christians likewise must see beyond these divides and the divisions within the Christian family to recognise and love our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Challenge

Who are the marginalised or oppressed in your society? How might churches together walk with these brothers and sisters, respond to their need and speak up on their behalf?

Prayer

Lord, you called your people from slavery into freedom. Give us strength and courage to seek out those who are standing in need of justice. Allow us to see this need and provide help, and through your Holy Spirit gather us into the one-fold of Jesus Christ, our Shepherd. Amen.

 

Download: BIBLICAL REFLECTIONS AND PRAYERS FOR THE EIGHT DAYS