the Week of Prayer focus on the ecumenical spirit of the Reformation commemoration pledged by the LWF, General Secretary Rev Dr. Martin Junge said. Photo: WCC-COE/Albin Hillert
LWF General Secretary Junge welcomes theme of 2017 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
(LWI) – God’s unconditional grace liberates us to work towards the unity of the church, and to be tireless ambassadors of peace and reconciliation in a world with growing injustice and divisions, says Rev. Dr Martin Junge, General Secretary of The Lutheran World Federation (LWF). The Lutheran leader made these remarks on reconciliation, the theme of the 2017 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, 18-25 January.
Junge welcomed the Week of Prayer focus on the ecumenical spirit of the commemoration pledged by the LWF as it approaches the 500th anniversary of the Reformation in 2017.
The Council of Christian Churches in Germany has prepared liturgical materials to celebrate this year’s Week of Prayer, which the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity traditionally coordinate for churches around the world.
One of the many ecumenical prayer services taking place worldwide during the week will be held in Wittenberg, Germany, the town where reformer Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church in 1517, subsequently starting the movement calling for reform in the church.
What we have in common is far greater than what divides us.
This year’s liturgical materials highlight the main concerns of the churches marked by Luther’s Reformation and recognition of the pain of the subsequent deep divisions that afflicted the unity of the church.
For Junge, the theme reflects well the commitment of the LWF and the Roman Catholic Church to “jointly work from conflict to communion and acknowledge that what we have in common is far greater than what divides us.”
He recalled the statement signed by Pope Francis and LWF President Bishop Dr Munib A. Younan on the historic occasion of the Joint Catholic-Lutheran Commemoration of the Reformation in Lund and Malmö, Sweden, on 31 October, in which “we recognize that we are freed by grace to move towards the communion to which God continually calls us.”
“I pray that the ecumenical spirit of this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will inspire Christians to come together prayerfully, reach out and serve the needy, be courageous in advocating for human dignity and the rights of the poor and marginalized especially, and to boldly reject all forms of violence in our societies,” Junge added.
