by Marguerite M. Rourk

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, January 18–25 (the Confession of St. Peter through the Conversion of St. Paul), began in 1908 through the efforts of two Anglican clergymen, one American and one English. By the 1930s, French Catholic Paul Couturier expanded the scope of intentional prayer for Christian unity, maintaining that Christians should seek and acknowledge their unity in faith by drawing closer to Christ. Since 1966, the World Council of Churches and the Roman Catholic Church together have supported and encouraged observance of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Why should 21st–century Lutherans in the U.S. be interested in Christian unity? Lord knows, we have unseemly theological and ecclesiastical squabbles within our own house (houses?). Sadly, our tradition is not alone in this internal struggle business. But, as the angel said, "For nothing will be impossible with God" (Luke 1:37). Therefore, by grace, we continue to pursue and nurture Christian unity for the best reason of all: Jesus said that’s how God wants it. In John 17:23, Jesus prays: "I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me."

God’s Word teaches us clearly that God’s holy purpose is for all things to be united in Christ. In that unity we are empowered to tell and to live God’s love in this world. Christian unity is not something we admire from afar or theorize about in abstract terms. We can’t dismiss Christian unity as if it were an annoying scriptural footnote, nor can w bypass it as not essential to faith. Christian unity is neither our gracious choice nor our benevolent indulgence of God’s liberal inclusive leanings. The unity of the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church is God’s will for us. Christian unity is the heart of the church.

Perhaps we avoid unity talk because what we really fear is uniformity. We often link the two, but unity and uniformity are not the same! God thought up unity. We thought up uniformity.

While I was on the Southern Seminary staff, a man from a South Carolina parish called and asked me, "How ’bout you come talk to us about being our preacher?" I assured him that I was flattered to be considered, but didn’t feel the Spirit stirring me to change calls. When I suggested that the bishop could provide them with some candidates’ names, he replied, "Aw, little lady, we don’t let them state boys tell us what to do."

That could be our problem! We are not about to let them state boys — or them national folks either — tell us what we have to do or how we have to be just like the Methodists or the Catholics or the Baptists or the Episcopalians or the Moravians or whoever.

The New Testament word for church is ecclesia, "the called-out people." Called out from among all people to be the gospel tellers and doers, the church of Jesus Christ strives constantly for unity, else it is not church at all. Only in unity — all of us together drawing closer to God and seeking only the holy will — can the called–out people ever truly witness to the world that through the church something holy is happening in the world. Unity is the only way Christians have to "bear God’s creative and redeeming Word to all the world."

Unity pops up everywhere: in Scripture, in hymns, prayers, and liturgy, as in the petition "for the peace of the whole world, for the well–being of the Church of God, and for the unity of all...." God’s message of unity is in our face every way we turn. Are we getting that message? The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity can help us think intentionally about and pray for unity among Christians.

As in all things, we pray for what God wants and commands for us. We ask God to help us accord our will with the holy will, and the One who loves us always gives that help. Praying for Christian unity is praying, "Your will be done on earth as in heaven ...."

Recalling angelic words brings to mind an angel’s usual opening line: "Do not be afraid!" Praying for Christian unity can be scary because it is an unknown quantity. We do not yet know what true unity looks like or how it feels or fits. Just hold on to that angel’s greeting. Don’t be afraid. The Lord is with us; we are full of grace. Blessed is each of us, and blessed is the fruit of our womb — Jesus, God’s Good News of love for us. Like Mary, each of us is theotokos, God–bearer, birther of the Word–Made–Flesh. That is the gospel we speak and do. Each of us bears God’s Word to God’s world. That is our unity.

The Rev. Marguerite M. Rourk, pastor of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Fairfax, Va., shares her life with her husband of 37 years, David; their sons Edwin, of Portland, Ore., and Matthew, a U.S. Marine deployed to Iraq; two cats; and a ferret. The ferret is in charge.