At least once a year, many Christians become aware of the great diversity of ways of adoring God. Hearts are touched, and people realize that their neighbours' ways are not so strange.
The event that touches off this special experience is something called the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Traditionally celebrated between 18-25 January (in the northern hemisphere) or at Pentecost (in the southern hemisphere), the Week of Prayer enters into congregations and parishes all over the world.
2013 Theme: Micah 6:6-8
6
6“With what shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before God on high? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? 7Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” 8He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
The following Prayers of Intercession are from the 2013 worship materials prepared by the Student Christian Movement of India. They reference the Dalit people of India who, under the caste system, are considered the "untouchables." Many Dalit Christians have suffered persecution for their faith in a Jesus who frees them from the prison of the caste system.
Prayers of Intercession
L: Walking in conversation, let us recognise all the efforts of the ecumenical
movement towards the realisation of the unity willed by Christ for the
Church.
A: Send your Spirit to strengthen our resolve and deepen our conversations
to realise Jesus’ prayer in us.
L: Walking with the broken body of Christ, we are painfully aware that we
are still unable to join in the breaking of bread together. Hasten the day
when we can realise the fullness of fellowship at the Lord’s table.
A: Inflame in our hearts the desire to overcome all that divides us so that we
can see one Christ in our brokenness.
L: Walking towards freedom, let us remember along with Dalit communities
other people facing similar kinds of discriminations and may the unity of the
Churches be a sign of hope in situations of injustice.
A: Strengthen our churches’ commitment to create spaces in our society and
communities, to enable them to live in dignity and freedom. Allow us to be
transformed by their gifts and presence.
L: Walking as children of earth, we realise that we are pilgrims in the
wonderful gift of creation given to us. Let us respect the earth as your
creation and make us sensitive to the care of it.
A: Let your Spirit renew creation and make us attentive to the suffering of
the landless people who are often the bearers of a tradition of prudent care
of the earth and its resources.
L: Walking as friends of Jesus, let us accompany marginalised communities
all over the world that Jesus chooses to identify with in overcoming
centuries of shame to find freedom and dignity. Let us befriend those friends
of Christ, like the Dalit Christians, who are often persecuted for choosing
Christ and rejecting caste.
A: Enlarge and deepen our fellowship and friendship with you and with
each other so that we will remain faithful and truthful to your calling.
L: Walking beyond barriers, let us build communities of unity and equality.
A: Grant us courage so that we can overcome cultures and structures that
hinder us from recognising the presence of God in each other.
L: Walking in solidarity with women like Sarah and other victims of
discrimination and injustice, let us be shaken out of our apathy.
A: Encircle us with your love, as we affirm the image of God in each person
we encounter. Enable us to do justice by breaking through social structures
of inequality.
L: Walking in celebration, we come to see that the unity we share within our
communities is a profound witness to the gospel of faith and hope. As we
celebrate that unity, let us also rejoice in our rich diversities that reflect the
life of the Trinity.
A: May we celebrate the wonderful diversity in human life, born from the
struggles for dignity and survival amid oppression, and see in it a sign of
your abiding faithfulness to your people.
In Christ’s name we raise all these prayers, O God. Amen.
Pray. Pray for Christian unity starting right here in the Okanogan Valley.
L: Walking in conversation, let us recognise all the efforts of the ecumenical
movement towards the realisation of the unity willed by Christ for the
Church.
A: Send your Spirit to strengthen our resolve and deepen our conversations
to realise Jesus’ prayer in us.
L: Walking with the broken body of Christ, we are painfully aware that we
are still unable to join in the breaking of bread together. Hasten the day
when we can realise the fullness of fellowship at the Lord’s table.
A: Inflame in our hearts the desire to overcome all that divides us so that we
can see one Christ in our brokenness.
L: Walking towards freedom, let us remember along with Dalit communities
other people facing similar kinds of discriminations and may the unity of the
Churches be a sign of hope in situations of injustice.
A: Strengthen our churches’ commitment to create spaces in our society and
communities, to enable them to live in dignity and freedom. Allow us to be
transformed by their gifts and presence.
L: Walking as children of earth, we realise that we are pilgrims in the
wonderful gift of creation given to us. Let us respect the earth as your
creation and make us sensitive to the care of it.
A: Let your Spirit renew creation and make us attentive to the suffering of
the landless people who are often the bearers of a tradition of prudent care
of the earth and its resources.
L: Walking as friends of Jesus, let us accompany marginalised communities
all over the world that Jesus chooses to identify with in overcoming
centuries of shame to find freedom and dignity. Let us befriend those friends
of Christ, like the Dalit Christians, who are often persecuted for choosing
Christ and rejecting caste.
A: Enlarge and deepen our fellowship and friendship with you and with
each other so that we will remain faithful and truthful to your calling.
L: Walking beyond barriers, let us build communities of unity and equality.
A: Grant us courage so that we can overcome cultures and structures that
hinder us from recognising the presence of God in each other.
L: Walking in solidarity with women like Sarah and other victims of
discrimination and injustice, let us be shaken out of our apathy.
A: Encircle us with your love, as we affirm the image of God in each person
we encounter. Enable us to do justice by breaking through social structures
of inequality.
L: Walking in celebration, we come to see that the unity we share within our
communities is a profound witness to the gospel of faith and hope. As we
celebrate that unity, let us also rejoice in our rich diversities that reflect the
life of the Trinity.
A: May we celebrate the wonderful diversity in human life, born from the
struggles for dignity and survival amid oppression, and see in it a sign of
your abiding faithfulness to your people.
In Christ’s name we raise all these prayers, O God. Amen.
Pray. Pray for Christian unity starting right here in the Okanogan Valley.
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