Day 1

‘Be at peace among yourselves.’

That’s Paul’s appeal
to his Christian friends in Thessalonica. And he
doesn’t only mean that they should avoid arguments.
He wants them to build a bigger sort of peace – a
community in which the gifts of all the members
contribute to its thriving and its growth – a
community which will be a bold sign of the day-to-day
vibrancy of the united Body of Christ.

But Paul doesn’t leave it at that. He doesn’t simply
offer an abstract theological outline of this state of
peace. He called rather for specific actions, actual
ways of behaving, through which his friends can
show their commitment to one another. This peace
will come about through his friends’ efforts, and Paul
offers advice on how to get there.

One crucial piece of advice which Paul gives is to
‘pray without ceasing’, and this year’s service for the
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity takes up this
imperative. The meditations and readings for the
eight days of the Week of Prayer will explore also the
other pieces of advice that Paul gives.

Praying without ceasing is a significant imperative for
the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 2008 in
particular. A hundred years ago an American minister,
Paul Wattson, began the tradition of praying for
Christian unity over the course of eight days, from 18
to 25 January. So as we pray this year, we can find
strength not only in the prayers of brothers and
sisters across the world who pray with us at this time,
but also in the prayers of Christians of all
denominations over the past century. With them, we
root our yearning in the prayers of Jesus Christ, the
source of our unity – Jesus Christ, who, as Paul had
already told his friends in Thessalonica, lived, died
and prayed among us ‘so that whether we are awake
or asleep, we may live together with him’ (1
Thessalonians 5.10).

The Revd Bob Fyffe
General Secretary, Churches Together in Britain and Ireland


Day 1
‘Be at peace among yourselves.’ 1 Thessalonians 5.13

Reflection
Paul wanted the people at Thessalonica to ‘be at peace’. The Bible offers many radical images of what ‘being at peace’ means. Peace is always more than the absence of aggression. It is the establishment of a community to which all can contribute, where all are valued, where all are accountable, where love is somehow put into practice and made visible.

It’s easy to fall short of that ideal. It’s easy to think that we’ve got all the answers, that our way is the best way, that our actions need no explanation.

Building community and building unity calls us to something better. Being a united community – ‘being at peace’ – makes us a sign of hope.

Prayer
Open our hearts, God, to your vision of peace, where our jealousies vanish because we are whole, and our pride falls away because we are healed.

Open our hearts, God, to your vision of peace, and inspire our work as we make it real. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Action
What are the signs of hope in your local community? Where are communities of peace and love being built? Pray for them.

Readings
Isaiah 11.6–13
The wolf shall live with the lamb

Psalm 122
Peace be within your walls

1 Thessalonians 5.13b–18
Be at peace among yourselves

John 17.6–24
That they all may be one