The passage from John 4:1-42 is at the heart of this year's Week of Prayer. Jesus deliberately chose to cross Samaria on his way to Judea in Galilee. His route passed by the well of the Samaritan woman who came there to draw water. The Brazilian ecumenical group that prepared the celebration invites us to use these two symbols of the route and water as images of the visible Christian unity for which we pray.
The ecumenical team from Queensland* that have adapted the Week of Prayer materials for Australia are inviting us to reflect on these initial questions to give shape to the celebration:
- Which is the path of unity, the route we should take, so that the world may drink from the source of life, Jesus Christ?
- Which is the path of unity that gives proper respect to our diversity?
On this path of unity, there is a well filled with water: both the water sought by Jesus, tired on the way, and also the water given by him, springing up to eternal life. The water drawn by the Samaritan woman in her daily task is the water that quenches thirst, the water that makes the desert bloom. The water that Jesus gives is the water over which the Spirit of God hovered, the living water in which we were baptized.
Mindful though of the need for flexibility, we invite you to use the resources throughout the whole year to express the degree of communion which the churches have already reached, and to pray together for that full unity that is Christ’s will.
(* With thanks to the team led by Rev Canon Richard Tutin, General Secretary of Queensland Churches Together)
NCCA RESOURCES
Ecumenical Service of Worship outline with notes and suggestions for Worship Leaders (notes PDF ; sample order of service; Word version of Service )
Sermon Notes on the central text John 4: 1-42 2015_WPCU_Sermon_notes.pdf
Daily Prayers and Biblical Reflections (8 days 2015_WPCU_Eight_Days_Reflections.pdf)
A Colour A3 Poster is available to download ( poster )
Prayer Cards are available to order $10 for 25 ( View sample )
To order Prayer Cards telephone Nola at NCCA on (02) 9299 2215 or email: faithandunity[at]ncca.org.au
LOCAL EVENTS ACROSS AUSTRALIA
Information concerning Week of Prayer for Christian Unity events may be obtained from your State Ecumenical Council.
Acknowledgement : These resources in Australia are based on the international material for the 2015 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. A group of churches in Brazil were invited to prepare the resources and these were then agreed to by the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity. The resources have been adapted for use in Australia by the Faith and Unity Commission of the National Council of Churches in Australia.
Donation: If you have found these resources useful, any donations to help cover the cost of producing the resources will be gratefully received by NCCA Faith and Unity. Locked Bag Q199, Queen Victoria Building NSW 1230. Many thanks.
For more information: ph. (02) 9299 2215 or visit www.churchestogetherinprayer.org.au
