Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2017

We are now in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which extends from January 18 - 25. The theme this year is "Reconciliation - the Love of Christ Compels Us."  The Web site for this special week had this comment in regard to the theme:

"Pope Francis’ 2013 Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (“The Joy of the Gospel”) which provided the theme for this year, when it used the quote: “The Love of Christ Compels Us” (Paragraph 9). With this scripture (2 Cor 5:14), taken in the context of the entire fifth chapter of the second letter to the Corinthians, the German committee formulated the theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2017."

Since the time of the Reformation there has been a deep division within Christendom.  We do need to lift up our prayers for unity.  While actual merger might seem out of our reach, we can be praying for a co-operative spirit.  We in the ELCA have established an agreement (e.g. full communion status) in order to have joint worship, etc. with other church bodies.

I would invite you to be praying for unity (whether merger or co-operative working) this week.  We would remember that Jesus himself had prayed that his followers might be one.

Pastor Marty