Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity

It is a source of pain for many Christians that there are divisions among them.  There are so many different Christian churches and it's good to focus on what we share rather than what we disagree on.

All Christians believe that Jesus is the Son of God sent to encourage us to live life in all its fullness and to teach us to treat others as we'd like to be treated.  His life of healing, sharing and sacrifice is a wonderful example for us and his death and resurrection demonstrates that goodness and light will ultimately defeat evil and darkness!

While we may not be able directly to heal the divisions among churches, we can take the opportunity to maybe heal some of the relationships in our lives.   Maybe a phone call or a message sent this week could be the first step to reconciliation.

A PRAYER FOR THIS WEEK

Loving God,

as we feel the pain of past mistakes and conflicts,

help us not to give in to resentment or guilt.

Give us humility and strength to take the first steps

in healing wounds with our fellow human beings

irrespective of their denomination or religious views.

Send your Holy Spirit to remind us that we are all part of the same body,

the same community of humanity,

fellow citizens of a world that is groaning

and needs us to work together!

We pray this in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. AMEN

Questions

• What are the important things we need to carry with us as we journey together towards unity?
• What things might we need to let go of as we journey together towards unity?
• What challenges does that bring?
• What are our shared hopes for our community?
• What might our common prayers for our community be?