My Take: Help observe Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Christians Uniting in Song and Prayer invites everyone to a community-wide worship service at 5: p.m. Sunday, Jan. 21, at Maplewood Reformed Church. The church is at 133 E. 34th St. (corner of Columbia and 34th) in Holland. This service will be in observance of the International Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which runs every year Jan. 18-25.
You won’t want to miss this hour of song and prayer. Those who have attended previous CUSP services can attest to the 50-voice choir from about 20 area churches, De Sales Brass, the accompanying organ, and the thoughtfully selected hymns all combining to create beautiful, moving music. Moreover, our worship service is adapted from materials used by Christians around the world to pray together for Christian unity.
Every year a team from the World Council of Churches and the Catholic Church prepares materials to be used during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and each year a group from a particular part of the world is chosen to take the lead. The result is that insights gained from the specific circumstances of the selected region are made available to Christians around the world. This year, Christians of the west African nation of Burkina Faso were assigned the leadership role.
A key step in the preparation of materials is the selection of a primary scripture passage, which includes the theme for the year. This year’s main scripture passage is Luke 10:25-37, and the theme is “You shall love the Lord your God ... and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). The passage tells of the lawyer who asked Jesus which commandment is the greatest and includes the story of the Good Samaritan, which Jesus uses to clarify who is to be considered a neighbor.
Jesus challenges his listeners greatly, since his story portrays a Samaritan, considered an enemy of the Jews, as carrying out a generous act of kindness for a Jewish victim while two Jewish leaders fail to do so. A broad definition of neighbor has always been challenging, especially in environments of distrust and strife. Indeed, when the question was posed to Jesus, doctors of the law disagreed as to the correct response. Traditionally, neighbors consisted of fellow Israelites and resident aliens. Later, foreigners from occupying forces were excluded. Then as Judaism became more fragmented, a neighbor was sometimes limited to members of one’s own faction.
The question of who is one’s neighbor is particularly acute in the nation of Burkina Faso. Muslims, Christians and followers of traditional African religions are widely interspersed throughout the nation, and many ethnicities are represented among the population. Sadly, a 2016 attack from outside the country precipitated a rapid decline in social cohesion, which in turn led to terrorist attacks, lawlessness, and so on. People are internally displaced, some basic institutions are closed, and many churches do not hold services, for fear of an attack.
In these deplorable conditions, one can imagine how the people of Burkina Faso can easily succumb to fear and suspicion and apply a narrow definition of neighbor. Nevertheless, efforts at solidarity and reconciliation are emerging. At their best, the people of this suffering nation know that love of others, regardless of religious or social identity, is a key to the pursuit of peace.
What about us Christians in the Holland/Zeeland area? We have allowed denominational, political, and socio-economic differences to divide us. Thus, we have our own challenges to answering Christ’s call to love. Failing to rise to these challenges diminishes the presence of God’s reign in our midst.
Let us all ask God for the grace to follow the example of the Good Samaritan. Invite your friends and neighbors to join you in attending CUSP’s Jan. 21 service. May we come together to be lifted up in song, to reflect on our call to love God and neighbor, and to pray for unity and peace everywhere.
You can learn more about Christians Uniting in Song and Prayer at CUSPholland.org.
— Mary Johnson is the chair of Christians Uniting in Song and Prayer.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: My Take: Help observe Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
