Here’s a call to worship and opening prayer written for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (January 18-25). It comes from the Canadian Council of Churches website.
Call to Worship
(1 Corinthians 15:51-57)
Listen, I will tell you a mystery!
We will not all die, but we will all be changed.
Thanks be to God,
who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
God in Christ is the Victor. Victory requires effort and struggle. As we pray for and strive towards the full visible unity of the church, we – and the traditions to which we belong – will be changed, transformed and conformed to the likeness of Christ. Christians want to make this effort together, without triumphalism, in humility, serving God and their neighbour according to the example of Jesus Christ. In striving for unity, this is the attitude we desire to ask of God together.
Opening Prayer
(Matthew 20:16)
Almighty God, through Jesus you say to us that whoever wishes to be first must become the least and the servant of all.
We enter into your presence, knowing that your victory is won through the powerlessness of the cross. We come to pray that your church may be one. Teach us to accept humbly that this unity is a gift of your Spirit; through this gift, change and transform us and make us more like your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
— from the Canadian Council of Churches website. Visit that site for a variety of other good worship resources for The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
For more worship resources related to Christian unity, click on Christian Unity in the list of “Labels” at the lower right side of the page, or see this Resources for Christian Unity Index.
