On December 10, communities around the globe observe International Human Rights Day. This date marks the 1948 adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, a document that affirms the inherent dignity and equal rights of every person. Even now, those basic rights — to safety, food, housing, education, work, and participation in public life — are fragile or denied for many of our neighbors close to home and far away.
For Christians, human rights are not just a legal idea; they are a way of naming what it means to take seriously that every person is loved by God and bears God’s image. The prophets call us to defend the oppressed, seek justice, and care for those pushed to the margins. Jesus’ life and ministry show us what it looks like to stand alongside people who are poor, criminalized, displaced, or excluded.
As a congregation, we seek to live out the good news by practicing inclusion, hospitality, justice, and compassion, and by challenging systems and structures that harm our neighbors. On this day, we remember that prayer and action belong together: we pray for a world where everyone’s rights are honored, and we ask God to show us how to participate in that work here in Quincy and beyond.
Pray Today
- For all whose basic human rights are threatened or denied — those living under war and occupation, those experiencing poverty and hunger, and those without stable housing, healthcare, or education.
- For those who defend human rights — advocates, journalists, lawyers, organizers, and everyday neighbors — that they may be protected, encouraged, and sustained in their work.
- For communities targeted by racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of hatred and violence — that God would bring safety, healing, and justice.
- For leaders in government, business, and public institutions (including churches) — that they would turn away from policies that harm and exclude, and instead use their power for the common good.
- For Bethel Church and the wider body of Christ — that we would listen to those most harmed by injustice, stand alongside them with humility, and join God’s liberating work in our neighborhoods and across the world.
Learn more here about International Human Rights Day:
United Nations, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
