1Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, 2To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, together with all those who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: 3Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 4I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, 5for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind— 6just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you— 7so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 8He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9God is faithful; by him you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
10Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. 11For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. 12What I mean is that each of you says, “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos,” or “I belong to Cephas,” or “I belong to Christ.” 13Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
14I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. 16(I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)
17For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.
The apostle Paul puts before us all this year the difficult question of I Corinthians 1:13, ‘Has Christ Been Divided?’ Paul is speaking rhetorically, challenging the early church in Corinth and very much challenging us about the divisions in the Body of Christ.
The northern hemisphere celebrates the Week of Prayer 18 – 25 January and this year it was a privilege to be at services in Glasgow and Rome. In Rome I attended two services one led by His Holiness Pope Francis and a second organized by the English speaking congregations and the sermon was delivered by Rev Dr Karen Hamilton, general secretary, Canadian Council of Churches. At all events there was a real energy in the prayer for unity and a strong affirmation that Christ has NOT been divided, however the world when it looks at the church often sees the richness of diversity as division.
The 2014 resources, have been adapted by a small Week of Prayer team from the materials produced jointly by the WCC & the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, It is hoped that these resources may be used in creative ways assisting people’s reflections on the unity that is visible in Christ. Please mark the Week of Prayer in ways that are most appropriate for the place where you live.
Grace and Peace
Tara Curlewis
General Secretary.
NCCA RESOURCES
Ecumenical Service of Worship outline with notes and suggestions for Worship Leaders (notes PDF )
An Order of Worship for congregational use in A5 PDF or in or in Word Booklet format (A5)
Sermon Notes on the central text 1 Corinthians 1:1-17 Notes PDF
Daily Prayers and Biblical Reflections (8 days PDF booklet of Word booklet )
A Colour A3 Poster is available to download ( poster )
Prayer Cards are available to order $10 for 25 (View sample )
For Orders Phone Nola on (02) 9299 2215 email; faithandunity[at]ncca.org.au
OTHER RESOURCES AND LINKS
Ecumenical Context in Canada ( PDF )
Global resources introducing the theme for 2014 a reflection placing this year's Week of Prayer themes and the 8 Days' Prayer materials in their biblical and theological context ( Introducing the theme)
The themes of the Week of Prayer 1968 – 2014 ( PDF )
LOCAL EVENTS
Information concerning Week of Prayer for Christian Unity events may be obtained from your State Ecumenical Council.
Acknowledgement : This resource use in Australia is based on the international material for the 2014 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The Churches in Canada were invited to prepare the resources these were then agreed to by the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity. It has been adapted for use in Australia by the Faith and Unity Commission of the National Council of Churches in Australia.
The NCCA thanks the small working group adapting the resources for use in Australia; Sr Carmel Pilcher, Rt Rev'd Dr Douglas Stevens Cannon Richard Tutin, Jela Virzi and Rev Meredith Williams for their contributions to the 2014 materials
The image The image is a portion of the NCCA Mantle
The mantle originally used in the inauguration service of the NCCA 3 July 1994, St Christopher’s Cathedral Canberra. It was made to celebrate the laying down of the old Australian Council of Churches and the lifting up of the new and larger National Council of Churches in Australia. The committee working on the liturgy for the service chose the reading from the second chapter of second Kings where Elijah asks Elisha "Tell me what I can do for you before I am taken from you.' Elisha said 'Let me inherit a double share of your spirit.' Elisha then picked up the cloak which had fallen from Elijah.
In designing the mantle the artists focused on the story of Elisha receiving Elijah's mantle on his death and with it, his spirit. They saw the cross of Christ as our centre and the basis of our unity, from which the Spirit goes into the world, flowing as the river of life. It was to be a larger than life mantle (it measures 7 by 3.1/2 metres) - symbolising the whole community of faith encompassed by this garment.
It was chosen as the image for 2014 seeing the cross so clearly at the centre and acknowledging the swirling images as the churches coming together around the cross.
Artists : Jennie Stevens was approached to create a visual art work to be part of the service. She selected five other textile artists from four different churches – Joan James - Roman Catholic, Bonnie Begg and Jennie Stevens - Anglican, Nancy Tingey - Quaker and Marlene Greenwood and Margaret Roberts - Uniting Church.
Photo: Tara Curlewis.
Donation: If you have found these resources useful, any donations to help cover the cost of producing the resource will be gratefully received by NCCA Faith and Unity. Locked Bag 199, QVB NSW 1230. Many thanks.
For more information: ph. (02) 9299 2215 or visit www.churchestogetherinprayer.org.au
