Thoughts for the Day

I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling,

(New Revised Standard Version)

Thoughts

Today starts the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which this year has been prepared by Christians from the Armenian Apostolic Church, along with their brothers and sisters of the Armenian Catholic and Evangelical Churches. The theme for the week is One Body, One Spirit and their material has drawn upon centuries-old traditions of prayer and petitions used by the Armenian people, along with hymns that originated in the ancient monasteries and churches of Armenia, some of which date as far back as the fourth century.

Paul’s epistles stress the importance of unity within the Church, and as we see in his letter to the Christians in Ephesus he urges them, and us, to live lives worthy of our calling with humility, gentleness, patience and love. His words here summarise his teachings about unity. He emphasises that the followers of Christ should be one - they should represent ‘one body and one Spirit’, united in a single hope. With this phrase in our mind it means the Church should be a unified entity taking no account of any possible barriers like that of geography, nationality, ethnicity or tradition. Paul, you will remember, uses the metaphor of the Church being the Body of Christ to describe its unity even though its members may be so different (1 Corinthians 12.12-26).

We have been exploring the theme of God's Kingdom, and as Christians we are surely called to work towards Christian unity, if we are to be signs of that Kingdom.

Prayer adapted from Saint Gregory of Narek

Gracious Lord, God of all,
Guide for the lost,
Light for those in darkness.
Our eyes turn to You; hear our prayers:

May the sun of Your glory shine forth, giving life and light to all, from the east to the west, and from the north to the south. Let the morning rays of Your eternal spring awaken us who await Your coming.

O Jesus Christ, Light from the Light, dwell within us, who have come together to worship Your holy and precious name. Let Your life-giving radiance kindle within us a deeper love for one another. May Your brilliant light stir us to ever more flourishing unity. Like diverse flowers in the garden of Your Kingdom, may Your divine brilliance cause us to bloom in harmony. And so, all as one, may we joyfully praise and glorify You, and the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and always and unto the ages of ages.

Response: Amen! Amen! Amen!