Newsletter - 16th January 2022
Second Sunday in Ordinary time, Year C
19th-25th January 2022
The Holy Spirit draws us together
Unity is not uniformity. Most people understand unity as a struggle for uniformity. True unity demands diversity. Diversity is required for unity as defined by the Bible. Unity is not about tolerating diversity but about celebrating it. That is what makes it so beautiful. Unity is not something we can create. Most human efforts for unity, noble though they may be, are no more than experiments in agreement and/or understanding. That’s not bad but actually is insufficient.
In the letter to the Ephesians (4.2-3) it is said: “in all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
It is all about preserving unity. We cannot create it, unity already exists, all we can do is maintain it. How does that happen? It is the unity of the Spirit. True Biblical unity can be seen everywhere that the Holy Spirit is exercising his influence.
Pasteur Bill Johnson - Bethel Church
Focus of the week
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
The annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will be held 18-25 January, 2022. This annual event is organised by the World Council of Churches and supported by our local Churches Together. This year’s theme is the visit of the Magi: “We saw his star in the East and have come to worship him…” (Mt. 2:2) and has been planned by the Christian churches of the Middle East.