The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an ecumenical practice observed annually, which falls from January 18-25th in 2023. The origins of the practice date back to the 18th century, and the first “Church Unity Octave” was observed in 1908. Since that time, it has continued to grow in Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant traditions, and is now jointly sponsored by the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
This observance is a particularly exciting year for us as Minnesotans because the Minnesota Council of Churches (MCC) convened and prepared materials in collaboration with the Vatican and the World Council of Churches. This year’s theme is “Do good; seek justice” (Isaiah 1:17). Minnesota church leaders involved in the process include:
Rev. Dr. DeWayne L. David
Rev. Jia Starr Brown
Rev. Anthony Galloway
Presiding Elder Rev. Stacy L. Smith
Ms Leslie E. Redmond Esq.
Rev. Dr. Kelly Sherman Conroy
Rev. Jim Bear Jacobs
Rev. Antonio Machado
Rev. Dr. Curtiss DeYoung
Rev. Dr. Amy Gohdes-Luhman
I encourage you to take time to read through the entire resource that was compiled, which includes a historically grounded introduction, an ecumenical worship service centered around water and stone, and scriptural reflections for each of the eight days. You can find the full resource here.
Indigenous traditions are at the heart of this year’s liturgical practice. Water is a central theme throughout the order of worship. The document states,
The connection between stone and water in the Native Minnesota context is about understanding the value and importance of life. In most Native American wisdom, water and stone occupy sacred positions. Water is life and stones represent the sacredness of the ground upon which many generations have stood. All of creation is endowed with the Spirit of God, therefore we are all related. Two symbols will be used in the worship service: water, representing our baptism into new life and stone representing our personal and ancestral history. (p. 9)
It is important that we know and recognize that the inclusion of these central indigenous contributions in this process and document was hard-fought. I had the opportunity to hear Rev. Dr. Kelly Sherman Conroy talk about the process at the White Church Truths event in Minneapolis this fall. Rev. Dr. Conroy shared that indigenous thought and tradition was frequently separated from “Christian” tradition in the process that led to this document. At one point, a member of the process’s leadership responded to her contribution with a statement along the lines of, “Well that’s great; now let’s make it Christian.” In our observance of this week, it is important to recognize that the doctrine of discovery continues to influence who is allowed to be a part of our circles of unity and who is not, and what kind of power dynamics continue to exist in systematic and individual ways. As we incorporate this resource, I think we should also include a prayer of gratitude and an embodied commitment to dismantle the doctrine of discovery in our systems and communities, following the lead of indigenous peoples and leaders.
In reflecting on the quoted paragraph above, I am drawn to thinking about how our practice during this week of prayer for Christian unity might draw us closer in our relationship with the whole body of Christ, including all creation.
Too often we think of unity in the context of singularity, in setting aside some parts of our traditions for a general sense of agreement and camaraderie. It is true that there are disagreements that can and should be set aside in the life of the church and the work of the Kingdom of God. Yet at the same time, I suggest that a general sense of unity is not what this week is about. Instead of concentrating solely on our role as unifier, we are invited this week to realize our identity as the unified. We are made new creation in the body of Christ, unified and made whole with the holy interdependence that underlies all creation. As the writers of the ecumenical liturgy suggest, our “personal and ancestral history” as living stone are unified with “the ground upon which many generations have stood.”
For us on this week, our identity as the unified celebrates our embodied relationship with all creation and renews our spirits as we work in the body of Christ for justice and health for all the world. I close with a prayer from the liturgy that expresses this well:
L Holy Spirit, you create anew the face of the earth. The summit of the mountains, the thunder of the sky, the rhythm of the lakes speak to us –
C Because we are connected.
L The faintness of the stars, the freshness of the morning, the dewdrops on the flower speak to us –
C Because we are connected.
L The voices of the poor, the oppressed and the marginalized speak to us –
C Because we are connected.
L But above all, our hearts soar to you.
Rachel Wyffels
Luther Seminary Student
St. Paul, MN
Rachel Wyffels is in her first year of her Master of Divinity at Luther Seminary. She is also the EcoFaith Network Communication Coordinator for the EcoFaith Network NE-MN and Saint Paul Area Care of Creation. Rachel previously worked as a Hunger Advocacy Fellow with ELCA Advocacy, where she worked on legislative advocacy for hunger, housing, and climate justice. She is a graduate of St. Olaf College, and she enjoys playing violin, knitting, and spending time with her dog in her free time.