Sunday, January 23, 2022 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

 

Hymn   Amen, Amen

Scripture Lessons:     Nehemiah 8:1-10

                                   Psalm 19 pp.740-1 VU

                                   I Corinthians 12:12-31

                                   Luke 4:14-21

Meditation 

Another excerpt from the Song of Faith:

… Scripture is our song for the journey, the living word

   passed on from generation to generation

   to guide and inspire, 

   that we might wrestle a holy revelation for our time and place

   from the human experiences

      and cultural assumptions of another era. 

God calls us to be doers of the word and not hearers only. 

The Spirit breathes revelatory power into scripture, 

    bestowing upon it a unique and normative place 

   in the life of community.

The Spirit judges us critically when we abuse scripture 

   by interpreting it narrow-mindedly, 

   using it as a tool of oppression, exclusion, or hatred. 

The wholeness of Scripture testifies

   to the oneness and faithfulness of God. 

The multiplicity of scripture testifies to its depth:

   two testaments, four gospels, 

   contrasting points of view held in tension—

all a faithful witness to the One and Triune God, 

the Holy Mystery that is Wholly Love. …

Prayer : O Lord our God, creator of heaven and earth, we thank you and pride you for your love, for your wisdom, for your kindness and mercy. Make us instruments of love, peace, unity, and harmony between people independently of race, colour, and creed. Grant us to respect all of your creation and to look at one another and at all your creatures as brothers and sisters. Help us to serve one another in humility, simplicity and joy. Take away from the heart of people the spirit of hatred, violence and rivalry. Amen. ( a Franciscan prayer, Week of Prayer for World Peace, 1986, and printed in With All God’s People)

Hymn      Jesus United by Thy Grace #591VU

Did you know that our Moderator, the Rt. Rev. Richard Bott is reading through the whole New Testament from the New Year till Easter. You can join him by following him on Facebook. 

Some reports have now come in for our annual reports. Howick’s report will be collected by Evie Kerr, for one last year, and Ormstown and Franklin’s can come to me. You can email them to me at ormstownfranklin59@yahoo.ca or you can drop them off at the manse.