Christian Unity Week 2012

8/3/2019 Christian Unity Week 2012

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www.ctbi.org.uk/weekoprayer

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2012

We will all be

ChangedYr ydym i gyd i gael ein newidTiocfaidh claochl orainn go lir


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2 Week o Prayer or Christian Unity

Change is at the heart o our Christian aith. Saint Paul said that anyone whois in Christ is a new creation, and we are called to live as children in the light.

Change is at the heart o human lie. Te theme or the Week o Prayer or

Christian Unity 2012 comes to us rom the churches in Poland, who havereected upon their own experience as a nation, and in particular how, as anation, they have been changed and transormed by the many upheavals otheir history, and sustained by their aith.

Change is also at the heart o the ecumenical movement. When we pray orthe unity o the church we are praying that the churches that we know andwhich are so amiliar to us will change as they conorm more closely to Christ.Tis is an exciting vision, but also a challenging one. Furthermore, when wepray or this transorming unity we are also praying or change in the world.

We are pleased that this year, or the rst time, Christian Aid has participatedin the preparation o these materials and you will nd within the resourcessome important pointers to the vital work o Christian Aid in the relie opoverty and in changing our world to one which is more just.

I am delighted once again to commend these resources to you.

Revd Bob Fyfe, General Secretary, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland

Introduction to this years theme

Te particular history o Poland gives rise to emphases within the worshipmaterial provided by the churches in Poland or this Week o Prayer orChristian Unity. Te secular and ecclesiastical histories o Poland intertwine.Te Polish writers remind us o the many times that Poland was invaded,the partitions, oppression by oreign powers and hostile systems. Te constantstriving to overcome all enslavement and the desire or reedom are eatures oPolish history which have led to signicant changes in the lie o the nation.

Te secular historyhas prompted a particular perspective or the issue ochurch unity. As we pray or and strive towards the ull visible unity o thechurch we and the traditions to which we belong will be changed,transormed and conormed to the likeness o Christ. Te unity or whichwe pray may require the renewal o orms o Church lie with which we are

Welcome


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3We will all be changed

amiliar. Tis is an exciting vision but it may ll us with some ear! Poland,like many other nations, has a chequered history o religious tolerance, but nowdisplays a generosity o spirit leading to an understanding that change isnecessary or unity to happen. Te oten heartbreaking history o the

Polish nation makes such a perspective all the more inspiring.

Te Polish churches choice o subjects or the Eight Days o reectionoers an insight into the whole process o diverse and distinct churchesmoving towards unity. Te words in bold type that ollow are the daily themesin order and, together, they oer a narrative towards unity.

Beginning, in the mould o the messiah, as the Servant, there is patiencerequired in theWaitingtime while unity moves grindtheir slow ways, bringing no little Sueringto the bodyo Christ, involving heroic Strugglingas that bodywrestles to understand the will o God, resolving thestruggle into acts oPeacemakingas the call to themutual ministry o reconciliation is heard and heeded,undergirded by relationships with the hallmark oChrist-inspired Loving, so that, Feedingrom oneanothers aith, the Unitingthat God wills is achieved.

It is also possible to discern through these themes inthe order in which they are set the shape oconventional public worship which involves the threepillars o Approach to God, Ministry o the Word andResponse. Te Eight Days can then be seen as, together,an act o worship that moves through the week.

More specically, the ServingandWaitingare ourApproach to God and commitment to open our hearts in patience and praise.Te Sueringcan be seen as, in part, our conession beore God o our awsand ailings opening our hearts in penitence. We then move into theMinistry o the Word, described in part byStrugglingas we hunger and thirstor our right relationship with God and one another. Worship then would

normally move to Response to the Word, in prayer and commitment.Peacemakingand Lovingand Feedingand Unitingoer powerulexpressions o just such a Response.


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YOU

1 In what ways do you serve?2 In what ways can you serve?3 What can you do to make the answers to questions 1 and 2

the same?THE WORD

ReadingsZechariah 9:9-10 Te king on the donkeyPsalm 131 A heart in the right placeRomans 12:3-8 Dierent gits, same serviceMark 10:42-45 Te serving Son o Man

RefectionPreparation is the thing -says the painter

gathering resources,sizing the task,planning the job;

then oering eort,using gits,giving sel:decorating canvas orconservatory -

change comes.

Preparation is the thing says the athlete

scheduling training,eating well,warming up;

then playing hard,straining sinew,giving sel:perorming on pitch or track

change comes.

Preparation is the thing says the psalmist

eyes not raised too high,

thoughts not too elevated,soul calmed and quieted;

then service in worship,

giving heart and mind,giving sel:praising in cottage orcathedral

change comes.

THE WORLD

PrayGracious God,we gather, united in praise,longing or heavenly greatness in ourearthly lives:serving one another in the way o Jesus,nding the overowing joy o unity,and so to scatter, united inservice.

Go and Do

Stand in the GAP created by globalinjustice. Give. Act. Pray. Christian Aid unites people rom alldenominations in prayer and service.Access regularly updated materials tohelp your church respond to poverty and

injustice at:www.christianaid.org.uk/churches

DAY 1 Changed by SERVING


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YOU

1 What in your church are you waiting or?2 What in your church are you impatient about?3 Is patient waiting something that we readily embrace or are we anxious to get

things done?

THE WORD

ReadingsPsalm 62 Waiting in SilenceIsaiah 40:27-31 Waiting on God James 5:7-11 Waiting in PatienceMatthew 26:36-46 Waiting in the Garden

But i I wait, what will I hear?What do I hope or?Will I recognise it when it comes?Perhaps I will not wait?Perhaps I will ick to the last chapter andwrite it mysel

and live with the disunity.

RefectionWaiting requires patience -I have little.

Waiting requires prayer -I have no words.

Waiting anticipates the change thatmay come -

I am araid.Waiting needs time -

I am busy.

THE WORLD

Pray

God o hope,you are patient with your Church, and with me.Maybe I too will wait -

disconcerting though this may be -and risk the change, and the pain, that may come

as I wait to be ree and released into your unity.

Go and Do

Waiting in the ace o urgency is perhaps the most challengingwaiting o all. Millions o people across the world are already being aected by achanging climate. Its ime or Climate Justice. ake action now by writing to your MP to do all they

can to ensure strong international action. Find out morewww.christianaid.org.uk/actnow

Hold a climate change vigil to pray or the government not to orget theworlds poor.

DAY 2 Changed by WAITING


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YOU

1 In what ways does the church emphasise Christs triumph at theexpense o his suering?

2 In what ways have you been enriched by your personal experience o suering?

3 Why is the Christian witness o those who suer so persuasive?THE WORD

Readings

Isaiah 53:3-11 Wounded by our transgressionsPsalm 22:14-16 A suerers complaintI Peter 2:21-25 When he suered, he uttered no threatsLuke 24:25-27 Did not the Messiah have to suer these things?

Refection

In the hal light o dawn they brought my Lord,broken and bleeding to the cruel cross.And I stood by,watching and waiting by the shameul tree.Yet suering Jesus there redeemed my guilt,sotened my heart, inspired me to repent,that, chastened and orgiven, I could goto stand with those who suer in their turn those lonely, lost, or sick, or dispossessed,the dying and the persecuted ones and take his message to a suering world:that Love triumphant reigns, transorming usin the reected light o his bright day.

THE WORLD

Pray

God o consolation, who changed suering into a sign o victory, unite us round thecross o Jesus, who obtained salvation or us through his obedience. Show us how we

can help those who suer to experience your living presence, through Jesus Christ ourLord. Amen

Go and Do

Rarely are we presented with such suering as we see when a seemingly naturaldisaster strikes.

Find out how your donations have helped respond in the pastwww.christianaid.org.uk/emergencies.

Set up a disasters emergency und so that your community can respond whenthe next disaster strikes.

DAY 3 Changed by SUFFERING



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GATHERING and INTRODUCTIONPreparation: A number o readers are needed, although items are not ormallyallocated to the leader or a particular reader. Ideally, readers should be drawn romacross the dierent churches participating. Items in bold are or everyone to join in

Beore the service the Leader may explain the context o the Act o Worship,drawing attention to the Polish origin o this years Week o Prayer or Christian Unitymaterial, and the act that the secular history o Poland has prompted a particularperspective or the issue o church unity.

As we pray or and strive towards the ull visible unity o the church we - and the traditionsto which we belong - will be changed, transormed and conormed to the likeness o Christ.

Tis Act o Worship begins by ocussing on the personal change needed inorder to play a ull and active part in this search or unityand, reecting the dailythemes, a narrative towards unity is oered.

Beginning, in the mould o the messiah, as theServant, there is patience required in theWaitingtime while unity moves grind their slowways, bringing no littleSuferingto the body o Christ,involving heroicStrugglingas that body wrestles tounderstand the will o God, resolving the struggle into

acts oPeacemakingas the call to the mutual ministry oreconciliation is heard and heeded, undergirded byrelationships with the hallmark o Christ-inspired

Loving, so that,Feedingrom one anothers aith, theUnitingthat God wills is achieved.

Gathering suggestion

Extract rom Handels Messiah (Behold I tell you a mystery) either as a

recording or a live perormance.

The serving, the waiting, the sufering and the struggling

Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain o wheat alls into the earth and dies, it remains justa single grain; but i it dies, it bears much ruit.

John 12:24 (NRSV)

Tough the g tree does not blossom,

and no ruit is on the vines;though the produce o the olive ailsand the elds yield no ood;

Order o Service or an Ecumenical Act o Worship


shutterstock.com/CLChang


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though the ock is cut o rom the oldand there is no herd in the stalls,yet I will rejoice in the Lord;I will exult in the God o my salvation.

God, the Lord, is my strength;he makes my eet like the eet o a deer,and makes me tread upon the heights.

Habakkuk 3 17-19 (NRSV)

OPENING PRAYER

SONG: BLESSED BE YOUR NAME

(Images 1, abundance, and 2, desert place)

Blessed be your nameIn the land that is plentiul,

Where Your streams o abundance ow,Blessed be Your name.

And blessed be Your nameWhen Im ound in the desert place,Tough I walk through the wilderness,

Blessed be Your name.Every blessing You pour out Ill

urn back to praise.When the darkness closes in, Lord,Still I will say:

Blessed be the name o the Lord,Blessed be Your name.Blessed be the name o the Lord,

Blessed be Your glorious name.

(Images 3, sun shining, and 4, road marked with sufering)

Blessed be Your nameWhen the suns shining down on me,When the worlds all as it should be,Blessed be Your name.

And blessed be Your name

On the road marked with sufering,Tough theres pain in the ofering,Blessed be Your name.


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You give and take away,You give and take away.My heart will choose to say:Lord, blessed be Your name.

Matt Redman / Beth Redman

Copyright 2002 Thankyou Music

[email protected]

The peacemaking

SILENCE

Then: People rom within the congregation speak the ollowing verses, with sung

choruses in between:

I waited patiently or the Lord;he inclined to me and heard my cry.He drew me up rom the desolate pit,out o the miry bog,and set my eet upon a rock,making my steps secure.He put a new song in my mouth,a song o praise to our God.

Psalm 40: 1-3 (NRSV)

You who live in the shelter o the Most High,who abide in the shadow o the Almighty,will say to the Lord, My reuge and my ortress;my God, in whom I trust.


SUNG BY ALL:You give and take awayYou give and take awayMy heart will choose to sayLord, blessed be Your name

I lit up my eyes to the hills rom where will my help come?

My help comes rom the Lord,who made heaven and earth.


Note: Churches must report the reproduction o this

song, whether as a hard copy or by projection, to CCLI

under the terms o their CCL (Church Copyright

Licence) or words only, or under the terms o their MRL

(Music Reproduction Licence) or words & music. They

should report the use o the song and indicate that theyreproduced it under the CCLI category o TYM sheet

music. For the tune and more inormation see



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Search me, O God, and know my heart;test me and know my thoughts.See i there is any wicked way in me,and lead me in the way everlasting.

Psalm 139: 23-24 (NRSV)

each me your way, O Lord,that I may walk in your truth;give me an undivided heart to revere your name.

Psalm 86: 11 (NRSV)

SUNG BY ALL:

Blessed be the name o the LordBlessed be Your nameBlessed be the name o the LordBlessed be Your glorious name.

SILENCE

SONG: IT IS WELL WITH MY SOUL

Horatio Spaford (1828-1888). Tune by Philip Bliss (1838-1876)

Introduce the story o the song

It Is Well with My Soul, was written ater several traumatic events in HoratioSpaords lie: Te rst was the death o his only son in 1871 at the age o our, shortlyollowed by the great Chicago Fire which ruined him nancially (he had been asuccessul lawyer). Ten in 1873, he had planned to travel to Europe with his amilyon the SS Ville du Havre, but sent the amily ahead while he was delayed on businessconcerning zoning problems ollowing the Great Chicago Fire. While crossing the

Atlantic, the ship sank rapidly ater a collision with a sailing ship, the Loch Earn, andall our o Spaords daughters died. His wie Anna survived and sent him the nowamous telegram, Saved alone. Shortly aterwards, as Spaord travelled to meet hisgrieving wie, he was inspired to write these words as his ship passed near where hisdaughters had died.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,When sorrows like sea billows roll;Whatever my lot, Tou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.


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RerainIt is well, with my soul,It is well, with my soul,It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Tough Satan should buet, though trials should come,Let this blest assurance control,

Tat Christ has regarded my helpless estate,And hath shed His own blood or my soul.

Rerain

My sin, oh, the bliss o this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Rerain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:I Jordan above me shall roll,No pang shall be mine, or in death as in lie

Tou wilt whisper Ty peace to my soul.

Rerain

But, Lord, tis or Tee, or Ty coming we wait,Te sky, not the grave, is our goal;Oh trump o the angel! Oh voice o the Lord!Blessd hope, blessd rest o my soul!

Rerain

And Lord, haste the day when my aith shall be sight,Te clouds be rolled back as a scroll;Te trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,Even so, it is well with my soul.

Rerain


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The loving and the eeding

READING

Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a

moment, in the twinkling o an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound,and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For thisperishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put onimmortality. When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal bodyputs on immortality, then the saying that is written will be ullled: Death has beenswallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is yoursting? Te sting o death is sin, and the power o sin is the law. But thanks be to God,who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Tereore, my beloved, besteadast, immovable, always excelling in the work o the Lord, because you know that

in the Lord your labour is not in vain.1 Corinthians 15: 51-58 (NRSV)

FURTHER READINGS

Testimonies are ofered or poems are read in the voices o those changed by Jesus:

Zaccheus, the Samaritan woman, Lazarus

Zaccheus

He knew my nameTats the thing

How did he know my name?Tis man passing throughStops at my treeAnd invites himsel roundNobody asks to come and see me

EverI was so blown awayI didnt think o the unmade bedOr the washing upOr the weeds springing upAll the way along the path to mySpecial extra-security hard-to-break-down reinorced door

MeTe man everyone hatedAbrahams sonSalvation came that day

o a house lled only with ne thingsI knew by the way he looked up at meTat I would give away hal o all

that I ownedo the poor

It didnt matter what it costI was so happyBecause or the rst time in my lie

EverI wasnt lost

Sarah Fordham

The Samaritan woman

I ound mysel wondering,Who does he think he is?And, more to the point,Who does he think I am?

It was a hot day, to be sure:the kind o day that tugs atyour throat,

and sticks your tongue to the rooo your mouth.Te well was welcome


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wells always are:it must be good to be thatsource o relie.People just have good things to say

about you.Unless, o course, you run dry:then blessings turn to curses.

And there I was, bucket in hand;and there he was, just stood there.And I wondered, and I elt uneasy,and was determined not tocatch his eye.

Just do what you have come to do,I said to mysel,keep your head downkeep yoursel to yoursel,draw your water and be on your way.

I could see he was a Jew.Could he not see what I was?Give me a drink! he said.

Te cheek, I thought.Why do you ask? I replied.Te cheek, he probably thought.But we were dierent peoples.Ill give you living water! he said.I paused, then pressed on,You have no bucket - and wellsrequire buckets,whatever the water is called!

No pause rom him, he pressed on,Drink this stu here, and you willthirst again.Your throat will tug again.But my stu will last a lietime a bottomless bucket i you like.

And there and then I realised,he was my source o true relie.

I elt an overwhelming senseo wanting to say good thingsabout him.

No man no one had ever caredthat much about me.Tis one better not let me down.

Stephen Brown

Lazarus, come orth

Imagine the shockIn the earths depths restingAnd to hear a sound, aint at rstAnd then becoming distinctMy name sounded like a trumpet blastcoming rom the world

Where I had wandered and whisperedprayers I hoped were heard

I had been laid down our days sinceAnd an unearthly stench had gatheredDecay added to the darkness within mysealed cellBelieve me, this was a place no man isdesigned to enter

No woman should ever know whatlies inside

Ater the unsealing they told meTat He did not close his eyes whenhe prayedBut raised them heavenwards as washis customI imagine the sky reected in His tears

When He cried out with a voice socharged with electric lieTat death stopped dead in its tracks andthen reversed

Rumbling and then a mighty roar wasHis shoutAnd I could do nothing else butin shufingFaltering stepsCome out

Sarah Fordham


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REFLECTION/SERMON

Focussing on one o the characters above

or MEDITATION

Read the story o one o these characters 3 times, each time people listening out or:

What strikes you most about these verses?What is Jesus saying to you through what is striking you?What is Jesus then asking o you?

HYMN: I HEARD THE VOICE OF JESUS SAY

Horatius Bonar (1808 1889). Possible tunes: Rowan Tree, Kingsold, Vox DilectiFirst verse could be sung as a solo

I heard the voice o Jesus say,Come unto Me and rest;Lay down, thou weary one, lay down,

Ty head upon My breast.I came to Jesus as I was,

Weary and worn and sad;

I ound in Him a resting-place,And He has made me glad.

I heard the voice o Jesus say,Behold, I reely give

Te living water; thirsty one,Stoop down and drink and live.I came to Jesus, and I drankO that lie-giving stream.My thirst was quenched, my soul revived,

And now I live in Him.

I heard the voice o Jesus say,I am this dark worlds Light.Look unto Me; thy morn shall rise

And all thy day be bright.I looked to Jesus, and I oundIn Him my Star, my Sun;

And in that Light o Lie Ill walkill traveling days are done.


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The unity

READING: Jesus prayer or us

But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they mayhave my joy made complete in themselves. I have given them your word, and the worldhas hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong tothe world. I am not asking you to take them out o the world, but I ask you to protectthem rom the evil one. Tey do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to theworld. Sanctiy them in the truth; your word is truth. As you have sent me into theworld, so I have sent them into the world. And or their sakes I sanctiy mysel, so thatthey also may be sanctied in truth.

I ask not only on behal o these, but also on behal o those who will believe in methrough their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you,may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

John 17: 13-21 (NRSV)

CONCLUSION

As we pray or and strive towards the ull visible unity o the church we and thetraditions to which we belong will be changed, transormed and conormed to thelikeness o Christ. We want to make this eort together, in humility, serving God andour neighbour according to the example o Jesus Christ. Let us all say together:

PRAYER

Almighty God,Trough Jesus you say to usthat whoever wishes to be rst must become the least and the servant o all.

We leave this place,knowing that your victory is won through the powerlessness o the cross.

We pray that your church may be one.each us to accept humbly that this unity is a git o your Spirit;Trough this git, change and transorm usand make us more like your Son Jesus Christ.

Amen.


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Let us also pray as our Lord taught us to pray:

Our Father who art in heaven,hallowed be thy name.

Ty kingdom come,Ty will be done,on earth as it is in heaven.Give us this day our daily bread;and orgive us our debts,as we orgive our debtors;and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us rom evil.For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory,

orever.Amen.

PRAYERS FOR THE WORLD may be said here

COMMISSIONING

Changed by Jesus in our servingSend us and together we will go!

Changed by Jesus in our waitingSend us and together we will go!

Changed by Jesus in our sueringSend us and together we will go!

Changed by Jesus in our strugglingSend us and together we will go!

Changed by Jesus in our peace-makingSend us and together we will go!

Changed by Jesus in our lovingSend us and together we will go!

Changed by Jesus in our ellowshipSend us and together we will go!

Changed by Jesus as we uniteSend us and together we will go!


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HYMN: ALL MY HOPE ON GOD IS FOUNDED

Lyrics: Joachim Neander (1650 - 1680), translated by Robert Bridges (1844 - 1930).

Tune: Michael, by Herbert Howells.

This tune is named ater Howells son Michael who died suddenly rom polio in1935, aged 9.

All my hope on God is ounded;He doth still my trust renew,Me through change and chance He guideth,Only good and only true.God unknown, He aloneCalls my heart to be His own.

Pride o man and earthly glory,Sword and crown betray His trust;

What with care and toil He buildeth,ower and temple all to dust.But Gods power, hour by hour,Is my temple and my tower.

Gods great goodness aye endureth,

Deep His wisdom, passing thought:Splendor, light and lie attend him,Beauty springeth out o naught.Evermore rom His storeNewborn worlds rise and adore.

Daily doth thalmighty GiverBounteous gits on us bestow;His desire our soul delighteth,Pleasure leads us where we go.Love doth stand at His hand;

Joy doth wait on His command.

Still rom man to God eternalSacrice o praise be done,High above all praises praisingFor the git o Christ, His Son.

Christ doth call one and all:Ye who ollow shall not all.


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THE BLESSING

The minister says to the congregation:

Te Lord bless you and keep youTe Lord make his ace to smile upon you,And be gracious unto you.Te Lord lit up his countenance upon youAnd give you peace.

Te members o the congregation say to each other:

Te Lord bless you and keep you

Te Lord make his ace to smile upon you,And be gracious unto you.Te Lord lit up his countenance upon youAnd give you peace.

Recessional suggestion: The Trumpet Shall Sound rom Handels Messiah, either

as a recording or a live perormance.

iStockpho

to.com/FransRombout


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DAY 4 Changed through STRUGGLING


YOU

1 Have you struggled to believe at times? Are you struggling now?2 Why is Christian unity a struggle when God wants to give us this git (Eph 4.3)?3 Do other Christians have a struggle to understand what is precious to you?

THE WORDReadings

Genesis 32:22-31 Jacob struggled with God and humansPsalm 46 Tough the earth shakes, we are not araidRomans 12:17-21 Overcome evil with goodMatthew 4:1-11 Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only

Refection

Jacob struggled on the night beore he re-entered the territory o his brother Esau. He

received a new name which implied a new nature. Instead o Jacob, the Grasper,deceiving even his own amily to get what he wanted, he became Israel, GodsContender. But even then there remained an ambiguity: was he contending or God oragainst God? His descendants would do both.

In one o his nest hymns, little known today, Charles Wesley takes the story oWrestling Jacob and links it with the pilgrimage o someone who is desperate to knowthe nature o God. Wrestling, I will not let thee go til I thy name, thy nature know!Te breakthrough comes when he realises Ty nature and thy name is Love!

Sometimes our struggles are over names; denominations are varieties o me, the nameI call mysel! Living tradition is the hands through which the aith passed beore itreached you. It will include ngerprints o that part o the Church which nurtured you.

We are changed by our struggles: some make us stronger but others can leave scars opainul memories. We will not overcome the disunity o the Church by tolerating itspresent state. We have more struggles ahead but we can rely on God without ear.

THE WORLD

Pray

Lord God, help us in our everyday struggle with adversity.May the Holy Spirit give us strength and wisdomso that, ollowing you, we may overcome evil with good,and division with reconciliation. Amen.

Go and Do

Is there someone you know who needs a phone call or a visit? Or an unresolved issuethat needs to be discussed? I we are struggling have we asked or help rom someone we know who cares.

Te struggle to survive is a daily reality or many across the world. Go towww.christianaid.org.uk to make a donation to help partners across the

world overcome the struggle.


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DAY 5 Changed by PEACEMAKING

YOU

1 What does peacemaking mean to you?2 How do we heal tensions that aect our relationship with one another?3 What stops us welcoming each other as Christ welcomes us?

THE WORDReadings

Malachi 4:5-6 urning heartsPsalm 133 How good unity is!Ephesians 2:14-20 Peace to the ar o and to the near John 20:19-23 Peace be with you!

Refection

Peace is not the absence o guns

but the presence o restraint.Peace is not the absence o bombs

but the presence o compassion.Peace is not the absence o vengeance

but the presence o mercy.Peace is not the absence o retribution

but the presence o reconciliation.Peace is not the absence o division

but the presence o grace.

Peace is not the absence o greedbut the presence o justice.

Peace is not the absence o dierencebut the presence o unity.

THE WORLD

Pray

Loving and merciul God,speak peace to our hearts and minds

that we may make peace in the world:breaching divisions to bring reconciliation,bringing justice to bear where prejudice prevails,bearing your grace in and through our lives.

Go and Do

Pray or discernment or how you can bring peace to the world today rather thanconict.

Conict scars many countries across the world. Find out more about Christian

Aids work in conict aected areas www.christianaid.org.uk/confict Discuss with others the sensitivities o the arms industry and whether you should

get involved in a campaign against the arms trade www.caat.org.uk


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DAY 6 Changed by LOVING

YOU

1 Love can be lie-changing; how much love have you to give?2 Have you missed opportunities to show love to your neighbour?3 Have you reused to let others come close enough to love you?

THE WORD

Readings

Micah 7:18-20 What is God like?Psalm 136:1-9 His love endures oreverI John 2:7-11 Living in the light John 15:9-13 Greater love has no-one than this

Refection

We need to receive Gods love;

to lay ourselves open to orgiveness.What have I done wrong?

We have sinned; we have strayed rom Gods pathsyet in love God brought us back.

Do I want to return to God?In this great love we have received everything that is good. Havent I earned or mysel what Ive got?Yet, when we claim to live in this love,we do not love our brother or sister whom we live beside each day.

But I do fnd that person annoying!Tere is no love greater than Gods love;beore we turned to God, he loved us and gave himsel or us.

Must I go this ar in my lie?

THE WORLD

Pray

You, our God, are perect love;perect in our hearts that same love

so that we may be drawn into that peace and unitywhich is your desire or us all.God, in your love, teach us how to love. Yes, Lord, your will be done.

Go and Do

Loving our world means working or justice.

A global culture o nancial secrecy allows some unscrupulous rms to dodge tax - androb poor countries o more than $160bn a year.

Call or economic justice nowwww.christianaid.org.uk/tax


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DAY 7 Changed by FEEDING

YOU

1 What are the signs or us today o the Lord or whom we have waited?2 What is your personal experience o the Lord preparing a table beore you?3 Why do you think Jesus chose ood and drink with which to remember him?

THE WORDReadings

Exodus 16:14-18, 31 Te manna in the wildernessPsalm 23 You prepare a table beore meI Corinthians 11:23-26 Te Lords Supper John 21:15-17 Feed my sheep

Refection

Out o the dew o our doubts

the white, honeyed waersilluminated the wilderness o our misery.Tis was the bread o unitythat the Lord had given us to eat.

And nowthe white waer o his body,kneaded in suering,baked in the urnace o pain,

illuminates the wilderness o our guilt.Feed on me, i you love me, he says;the waer o my salvation makes my people one.

Feed on me,eed my sheep,eed my lambs.

THE WORLD

Pray

Generous God, whose ruitul earth sustains us, and who, in your mysteries, oers us aoretaste o the heavenly banquet, strengthen us to support one another in lies journeythat, by working together to transorm society through love and service, we may bringin your kingdom, through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.

Go and Do

Nearly a billion people go hungry every day. www.christianaid.org.uk/resources/policy/christian-aid-week-report-2011.aspx

to nd out more.

Fast one meal or one day as an act o solidarity with those who hunger. Christian Aid has imaginative ways or you to raise money or projects that ensure

ood security in countries across the world www.christianaid.org.uk/events


23/24


DAY 8 Changed by UNITING

YOU

1 How have you been changed in your appreciation o other Christians?2 Where do you see change happening now in you and in your community?3 Is there another step you can take now towards unity?

THE WORD

Readings

I Chronicles 29:10-13 Everything is the LordsPsalm 86:9-12 Worship God with undivided heartColossians 1:13-20 In Christ all things hold together John 17:1-8 United in the Son who is sent

Refection

In the languages o the Bible, the heart is the seat o the emotions, desires and will.

Whatever controls the heart pushes the whole person, just as the physical heart pushesblood around the whole body. Oten our problem is a divided heart, pushing inseveral directions at the same time and thereby weakening the whole. So the Psalmistprays or an undivided heart with which to worship God.

People are oten resistant to change, yet loving human relationships always changeus. It is the same with the partnership o Christian unity. We will all be changed butneed to change together, not by one partner dominating the others but when all movetowards unity.

Some changes can only happen at the right moment. Troughout the Gospel oJohn, Jesus requently says that his hour has not yet come until, at the beginning ohis High Priestly Prayer (17:1), he prays Father, the hour has come. We pray ordiscernment o the right moment neither too soon nor too late to change togetherrom where we are to where we should be and then to act boldly.

THE WORLD

Pray

Creator God,

in whom all lie is held together,help all Christians to unitein the communion o the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Go and Do

Partnership lies at the heart o Christian Aids work.

Explore the Christian Aid partnership programme and consider taking thechallenge to work in partnership with others.

www.christianaid.org.uk/partnerships


24/24

Tis ecumenical act o worship has been put together by Te Week o Prayerwriters group or Britain and Ireland. You are welcome to urther edit or adapt

it or use in your local situation. Tis pamphlet is arranged so that the ordero service is in the centre o the pamphlet (pages 7 - 18) so those pages can bepulled out and photocopied i you wish.

For any group wanting a more ormal service, the international liturgy isoered this year as an alternative. Tis and other additional material,including Welsh and Irish translations, and a PowerPoint presentation, areavailable to download romwww.ctbi.org.uk/weekoprayer

An all age service is available at www.rootsontheweb.com

Further copies available rom:

Norwich Books and Music

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Order line: 01603 785925, Fax: 01603 785915

Online www.chbookshop.co.uk

Enquiries to [email protected]

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Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2012

Acknowledgements

Go and do action points or the Eight Days provided by Christian Aid.

Photos: shutterstock.com/SeDmi, Anat-oli, Elena Schweitzer, CLChang;

iStockphoto.com/Shawn Hempel, Frans Rombout, Ron and Patty Thomas Photography

Bible verses rom the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995,

Division o Christian Education o the National Council o the Churches o Christ in the United States o

America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-0-85169-370-5

Documents

Christian Unity Week 2012