Over the next week (18-25 Jan), Christians across the globe are praying for reconciliation and unity among believers. As I stumbled across this article (and this one) and the prayer specifically written for this year’s event (see below) – it made me think of Paul’s admonition to Timothy that a necessary quality of a leader/minister in the community is that he (she) has their own household in order.

Our OC/IC house has been in disarray now for over 70 years. Perhaps this week of Christian unity is an opportunity for us to reach out to one another and be a part of the healing process, witnesses of Christ’s teaching to one another. A small act here, a kind word there, an offer to collaborate, a sharing of ideas – no grand gestures or pseudo-organisations will do it, no one person or synod will stand at the centre (the rest of us won’t allow it, thank God), but we can, in the interests of fufilling our baptismal calling to bear witness to the teachings of Christ, and in the interests of professing our OC/IC identity, stand together, and begin the process of building relationships – “community” among our own people.

Prayer is only the first step. It is an acknowledgement that we need help, but it is also a focussing of our own mind on the issue at hand. Prayer must be lived, it must be followed up by praxis, or it is hollow and without substance. Here then is the prayer composed for this year’s week of Christian Unity:

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