CANORA - After a long stretch of being unable to get together in person due to pandemic restrictions, gatherings are once again scheduled for several Canora churches during the 2023 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity from Jan. 15 to 21. The gatherings will consist of a simple soup lunch that is free of charge and a short time of prayer from noon to 1 p.m. at the following Canora churches:
Monday Jan. 16 - Good Spirit Community Church. 833-3rd Street (residence);
Tuesday Jan. 17 - Parkland Christian Centre;
Wednesday Jan. 18 - St. Joseph’s RC Church;
Thursday Jan. 19 - St. Andrews United Church; and
Friday Jan. 20 - Gateway Community Church.
The theme for this year is “Do good; seek justice.”
The full text is found in Isaiah 1:12-18 (New Revised Standard Version).
“When you come to appear before me, who asked this from your hand? Trample my courts no more; bringing offerings is futile; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and sabbath and calling of convocation — I cannot endure solemn assemblies with iniquity. Your new moons and your appointed festivals my soul hates; they have become a burden to me, I am weary of bearing them.
“When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.
“Come now, let us argue it out, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be like snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.”
Information provided online by the 2023 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity asks, “Whose voices are not being heard in our communities? Who is not represented at the table? Why? Which churches and communities are missing from our dialogues, our common action and our prayer for Christian unity? As we pray together during this Week of Prayer, what are we willing to do about these absent voices?
“Isaiah challenged God’s people in his day to learn to do good together; to seek justice together, to rescue the oppressed together, to defend the orphan and plead for the widow together,” continues the information.
“The prophet’s challenge applies equally to us today. How can we live our unity as Christians so as to confront the evils and injustices of our time? How can we engage in dialogue, increase awareness, understanding and insight about one another’s lived experiences?
“These prayers and encounters of the heart have the power to transform us – individually and collectively. Let us be open to God’s presence in all our encounters with each other as we seek to be transformed, to dismantle the systems of oppression, and to heal the sins of racism. Together, let us engage in the struggle for justice in our society. We all belong to Christ,” concludes the information.
