Celebrating the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

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LOUISVILLE — Ahead of the Saturday start of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Dr. Dianna Wright spoke during Wednesday’s online Chapel Service on the importance of people of faith declaring both “I believe” and “we believe.”

Wright, the PC(USA)’s Director of Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations, used John 11:17-27 as the text for her homily during worship. That’s the passage provided by the World Council of Churches in its resource “Do you believe this?” designed to help Christian faith communities around the world seek unity, both in the week to come and throughout the year. The brothers and sisters of the Monastic Community of Bose in northern Italy prepared the resource.

Colleagues throughout the Interim Unified Agency joined Wright in leading online worship for more than 40 PC(USA) national staff members. This year marks the 1,700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, the first ecumenical council of the Christian church, which produced The Nicene Creed.

John’s account of the discussion between Jesus and Martha helps us to think about where we are today during a period of uncertainty, Wright said. Four days previous to this discussion, Mary and Martha had lost their brother Lazarus. They’d also lost their income and stability. Martha goes out to meet Jesus, “the same Martha” who’d been distracted by her many tasks while her sister sat at Jesus’ feet and listened to what he was saying. This time, Martha “hears a little bit of what Jesus was offering to Mary as well,” Wright pointed out.

“I am the resurrection and the life,” Jesus tells Martha. “Do you believe this?”

“For me, this is the question for our time of transition and transformation in the life of our ministry together,” Wright told those gathered to worship. “We have this hope God is with us.” It’s the same hope God offered the prophet Jeremiah: “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”

“My siblings, that’s where we are right now. God has a plan for us, one we need to lean into, pray about and trust that God’s plan for our service through the life of the PC(USA) will be revealed,” Wright said. “We should be open and embracing, courageous and willing to embrace failure, centered on equity and justice and trusting one another to partner in this ministry that will be revealed to us so we might go out and serve God and the church.”

“This is the time to trust in God with all our might,” Wright said, “and proclaim with boldness like Martha: ‘Yes, Lord, I believe …’”

The resource created for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity “is meant for us as we journey together” over eight days, eight weeks or eight months, Wright said. “It’s offered in hope that people of all ages and in all places will pray for people everywhere.”

“I hope that as you read this text,” Wright said, “you listen to God’s voice as we walk toward this new Interim Unified Agency, so you can boldly proclaim as Martha did, ‘Yes, I believe.’”

Wednesday’s service was peppered with ancient wisdom, including:

• “O Creator and Guardian of every spirit, you multiply the human family upon the Earth. Let all peoples know that you are God alone, and that Jesus Christ is your son, and we are all your people, the flock of your pasture.” — Clement of Rome, first century CE
• “We wonder then, if, coming to God, we first of all profess that we believe, seeing that, without this, not even common life can be lived.” (Rufinus of Aquileia, c. 344-411 CE)
• “The light of Christ appeared and made the darkness of the prison disappear, hallowing our birth and destroying death, and loosing those same fetters in which we were enchained. (Irenaeus of Lyon, c. 135-198 CE)

Wright offered this concluding prayer: “Eternal God, accept our praise and thanksgiving for what already unites Christians in the confession and witness to Jesus the Lord. Hasten the hour when all churches will recognize each other in the one communion you willed and for which your Son prayed to you in the power of the Holy Spirit. Hear us, you who live and reign now and forever. Amen.”