From the Pastor - Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2008

From the Pastor...

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

FROM THE PASTOR This weekend finds us in the middle of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Begun in 1908 by two American Episcopalians, religious of the Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Atonement, the week was established to pray for the reunification of the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches divided since the days of King Henry in England.

Over these 100 years, the week has seen many changes and developments. From the initial efforts of two individuals and the community to which they belonged, various organizations and committees have become increasingly involved in a growing movement to pray for the reunification of all Christian Churches. It is agreed that much needs to be done to heal generations of misunderstanding and tension. But we acknowledge the fact that so long as the Body of Christ is divided among its own members, it will not be fully effective in bringing about the kind of healing and peace intended by our God.

We too often focus on our differences. Who among us might remember the days when a Catholic could not enter a non-Catholic Church without incurring a mortal sin. Families had to make difficult decisions as to how they would support their own when members of their own families belonged to another Christian faith. Many a child was restricted from becoming friends to non-Catholic neighbors, and many a Protestant could be heard proclaiming their Catholic contemporaries as not being Christian at all. Some may continue to speak of each other in the same terms, even today, and while there are definitely differences that warrant careful protection and adherence, there are many more similarities to be better understood and embraced.

The goal of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is not to proselytize and make converts from one faith to another. It is to gather in common prayer and call upon the Lord Jesus to guide our understanding of what is truly important in our differing faith expressions. The hand is not the foot, as we all know, but both are integral to the body. And when they work together, great things can be accomplished. So it is with the various churches among the Body of Christ. When we are better able to work together, we will be able to bring about a fuller experience of Christ's redeeming love. We will see more clearly, in actions and deeds as well as word, the very presence of the God we cannot see.

Now I know that Sunday a few of you, uhhum, may have a date with a cushy chair that tips back and an assortment of food-type items in front of a glass fronted piece of electronic equipment. Perhaps displayed will be 100 yards of grass, white numbered lines, and men with tons of protective padding and plastic who show their care for one another by pushing, shoving, and tackling each other to the ground.

But in the midst of this revelry, you are invited to gather with fellow Christians from the area to join the worldwide throng of prayers, calling upon the power of God to heal and strengthen us in our efforts to become one again in Christ. The place is First Baptist Old Stone Church on Old Stone Church Road in Tiverton. The time is 3pm until about 4pm. The what is an Ecumenical service of Scripture and healing.

If the pigskin wins out, or if you are just not able to be with us, then join in prayer throughout the week so that united in spirit, we may become one in Christ himself. Booklets with readings and prayers are available in church. Without you, we are never complete!