For over 100 years, Christians from all over the world have shared a week of special services and prayers for the unity of the church. Called the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity," it encourages churches to pray that God help eliminate the divisions between all those who should be brothers and sisters in Christ. This year's celebration begins today and continues until January 25.
The Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute, founded by the same group of Episcopal friars who initiated the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, prepares a devotional guide for the week. Available online here, I encourage you to add these scriptures, reflections, and prayers to your personal spiritual time this week. (You can also look around the site to learn much more about the history and significance of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.)
Why is this important? In the words of Rev. Dr. Michael Kinnamon, an ordained Disciples minister who currently serves as the General Secretary of the National Council of Churches: "The Week of Prayer is not just a nice occasion for friends to gather; it is a time to give thanks to God for the gift and promise of unity, to be renewed in our ecumenical resolve by the assurance of God's leading, and to recommit ourselves to participate in what God is doing to overcome the barriers between God's children." Amen!
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