Dear Friends,
This Sunday marks the mid-point in the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which was first marked in the early twentieth century. As far back as the 16th century Archbishop Thomas Cranmeer (he to whom the English Book of Common Prayer of 1662 owes so much) tried to persuade the leaders of the Continental Reformation to come to England to share their points of agreement. He failed. Even then there were so many different views about the way in which God should be worshipped and people felt so strongly about them that coming together was problematic.
Today we pray for Christian Unity. But at the same time, we also recognise that we are all different and we like to do things differently. The Church of Scotland (Presbyterian in Governance) has always prided itself on being a broad and inclusive church in which all people are welcome. This means that there are many different ways in which worship is conducted even in the same denomination.
However, this annual ecumenical event is designed to strengthen the ties between all Christian denominations, to celebrate all that we share, and encourage a sense of mutual support and respect. As the Moderator of the general Assembly the Right reverend Sally Foster-Fulton said, “This ecumenical season invites us to draw closer to one another within the community of the Church and, in so doing, to draw closer to our Lord, who prayed for us that we ‘may all be one … that the world may believe’.
It is good to come together and share what we can. And there is one place where all Christians of every denomination stand together and look out on life. That place is at the foot of the cross, for Jesus says, ‘I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself’.
With love and blessings,
Marion
