Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2009

Contributed by The Revd Rosemary Donovan

Reconcile Your People

Ezekiel 37:15-28

God spoke to the Prophet Ezekiel and said, “They shall be one in my hand … They will be my people and I shall be their God”.

And so we pray:

We pray to you for the unity of all Christians.
According to your will,
According to your means,
May your Spirit enable us to experience the suffering caused by division,
To see our sin and to hope beyond all hope.
God, you alone are our hope,
You alone are our hope

Each year the theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is developed by one country which produces outline material that is adapted for use in other parts of the world. Korea is the selected country for 2009 and they have chosen Ezekiel 37.15-28 and have prepared material to be adapted for local use.

The pain of division was palpable. But amidst his overwhelming grief over the plight of his nation, the prophet Ezekiel received a vision of a future where God’s people were united once more. The promise of God is that of “one nation in the land, on the mountain of Israel”.

The Churches in Korea have found that this passage in Ezekiel resonates with their own sense of sadness over the division of their own country since the Korean War and have brought some of the insights they have gained to the worship for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. We too may feel the pain of a divided church.

The Charta Oecumenica (Guidelines for the Growing Co-operation among the Churches in Europe) states:

Fundamental differences in faith are still barriers to visible unity. There are different views of the church and its oneness, of the sacraments and ministries. We must not be satisfied with this situation. Jesus Christ revealed to us on the cross his love and the mystery of reconciliation; as his followers, we intend to do our utmost to overcome the problems and obstacles that still divide the churches.

A crucial part of this task is for us — people of different churches and traditions — to come together to pray for this unity, in faithfulness to our Lord Jesus Christ who prayed that his disciples might be one. We are commended to use the resources for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2009 trust they may help to resource our praying and working together for the full visible unity of the Church. For further info see website Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.

Our joint service for Churches Together in Moseley will be held on Sunday 18 January at 10:15 a.m. at St Anne’s, Park Hill.

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