Generosity: Receiving and giving

Acts 28:8-10“The father of Publius lay sick in bed with fever and dysentery. Paul visited him and cured him by praying and putting his hands on him. After this happened, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured. They bestowed many honours on us, and when we were about to sail, they put on board all the provisions we needed”

Prayer

God, giver of life, we thank You for the gift of Your compassionate love which soothes and strengthens us.

We pray that our churches may be always open to receive Your gifts from one another.Grant us a spirit of generosity to all as we journey together in the path of Christian unity.

We ask this in the name of Your Son who reigns with You and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Source: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2020 Resources

Acts 28:3-6 “Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on the fire, when a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, ‘This man must be a murderer; though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.’ He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. They were expecting him to swell up or drop dead, but after they had waited a long time and saw that nothing unusual had happened to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god.”

Monster!
The headlines tear like shards of glass through ripped reputations and tainted talents, to be heard no more.

Hordes!
Names, stories, lives, compacted into an anonymised mass.
Contempt for care, rejection made righteous.

When will we turn and dare to see the sister in the surge of displaced existence, and the brother in the monster’s shame?

Go and Do (see www.ctbi.org.uk/goanddo)

Global: Find inspiration from stories of inclusion and overcoming prejudice in India.

Local: How are you as churches working with those on the fringes of society? Find out how you could be supported to do more.

Personal: Take steps to tackle prejudice or exclusion in your life and community.

Source: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2020 Resources.

Hospitality

Acts 28:1-2,7 “After we had reached safety, we then learned that the island was called Malta. The natives showed us unusual kindness. Since it had begun to rain and was cold, they kindled a fire and welcomed all of us round it …Now in the neighbourhood of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days”

Well done for sticking with these reflections until Day 6 – you are rewarded with the discovery of the source of the phrase “unusual kindness”!

Source: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2020 Resources.

Keep your strength up

Acts 27:33-36“Just before daybreak, Paul urged all of them to take some food, saying, ‘Today is the fourteenth day that you have been in suspense and remaining without food, having eaten nothing. Therefore I urge you to take some food, for it will help you survive; for none of you will lose a hair from your heads.’ After he had said this, he took bread; and giving thanks to God in the presence of all, he broke it and began to eat. Then all of them were encouraged and took food for themselves.”

Go and Do (see www.ctbi.org.uk/goanddo)

Global: Work for the day when good healthcare is available for all.

Local: Hold a ‘bring and share’ meal together with the churches in your area where you have a conversation about what Eucharist/Communion/Lord’s Supper means to each church.

Personal: Visit, send a card or call someone who is currently unwell that you know.

Source: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2020 Resources.

Trust, do not be afraid, believe

Acts 27:23-26

For last night there stood by me an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship, and he said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before the emperor; and indeed, God has granted safety to all those who are sailing with you.’ So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will be exactly as I have been told. But we will have to run aground on some island.”

Prayer

Source: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2020 Resources.

Acts 27:22,34“I urge you now to keep up your courage, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship… none of you will lose a hair from your heads…”

Reflection

Keep up your courage
when the storms of life
wash you up
on an unexpected shore.

Keep up your courage 
take barricades down
welcome the stranger
become the guest.

Keep up your courage
listen to the other
seek to understand
disagree agreeably.

Keep up your courage
when the ship runs aground
prepare a new vessel
chart another course.

Keep up your courage
stowaways, castaways
whatever our crew
it’s all hands on deck
creation made new. 

Source: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2020 Resources.

Acts 27:20

“When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.”

Mark 4:35-41 (Jesus calms the storm)

There will be times when, standing in the storms of our own making, we are challenged to demonstrate unusual kindness in the face of worldly indifference. Here are some suggestions to Go and Do:

Go and Do (see www.ctbi.org.uk/goanddo)

Global: Take action by adding your voice to the call to address the climate emergency.

Local: Are your churches involved in the eco-church/ eco-congregations award?

Personal: Individual actions on reducing carbon are not enough to make the difference but together they add up.Source: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2020 Resources https://ctbi.org.uk/resources-for-week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-2020/

Source: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2020 Resources.

Source: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2020 Resources.

We will be joined by Churches Together Sandhurst on Sunday January 19th 6:30pm at Crowthorne Methodist Church to celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity that happens between 18th and 25th January each year.

Each day we will be posting from the excellent material produced by the Churches in Malta and Gozo (“Unusual kindness”). You can find these resources at: https://ctbi.org.uk/week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-reso….

• Psalm 27:1-4
• John 8:12-20

Over the past eight days the churches of Indonesia have helped us consider difficult situations facing the world. Many of these have raised questions of justice. The Church has been complicit in many instances of injustice and, through that complicity, we have damaged our unity and diminished the effectiveness of our witness to the world. Christians gather for common prayer, professing common faith and to listen for God’s voice. Although the many injustices wound us, we do not lose hope, but are called to action. The Lord is our light and salvation, the stronghold of our lives. We do not fear.

Source: Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Resources, Churches in Britain and Ireland