The saints in prayer appear as one, in word and deed and mind; while with the Father and the Son sweet fellowship they found – Montgomery James

The song that Moses and the people of Israel sang to the Lord a few days before they had left Egypt with their fists raised in defiance to Pharaoh suggests efficacy of voices of God’s people when we come together in unity with hands lifted in worship, thanksgiving and praise of God. The prayerful hymn of Montgomery, James, son of John Montgomery, a Moravian minister quickly comes to mind in relation to the theme of the 2018 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, “Your Right Hand, O Lord, Glorious in Power,” taken from the book of Exodus 15:6.  The Bible as the basis and foundation Truth and Christian Unity continues to be a source of consolation and liberation, inspiring Christians to address the conditions that currently undermine the Body of Christ. Montgomery James in one of his hymns, ‘Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire’ explained that, “Prayer is the Christian’s vital breath, the Christian’s native air, his watchword at the gates of death: he enters heaven with prayer.” Prayer, beyond ‘an irrational attempt to change the causal progression of events’ especially in such a hip age and global division and struggles calls for more than a week or a year, but a life of prayer with one another and dispersed in different geographical communities.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity like any other prayer network points to a bridge that leads ‘us out of self-centredness and of our struggles, into communion with God and with others.’ The dedication of 2018 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity connects all the nations with the struggles and hard won freedom of the people in the Caribbean. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is not just an annual reminder between 18-25 January, but a call to our visible and mutual engagement of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples that “they may be one so that the world may believe” (Jn 17:21). Using the words of Montgomery James, “The saints in prayer appear as one, in word and deed and mind; while with the Father and the Son sweet fellowship they found.” The glorious power of God’s Right Hand in a spiritual sense points to the enemies of Christ, and his people, who he will break to shiver as a potter’s vessel (Rev 2:27).

2018 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity calls our attention to the challenge of common identity of the Caribbean region based on geographical considerations as well as on a shared history of colonialism, exploitation and resistance against foreign domination, and on a common cultural awareness. The struggles of the people in the Caribbean islands resonates with the poverty and the global trend of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer couples with high level of youth unemployment and problem of trafficking. It is only the Right Hand of God, glorious in power that brought the children of Israel out of Egypt, and through the Red sea, and in the destruction of Pharaoh and the Egyptian that could avail and deliver Caribbean islands as a fertile soil of transnational crime and gangs. The collective prayer is that, the right hand of God, ‘expressive of his power, he has in and of himself, and is the same with his Father’s, and is mighty, yea, almighty, is become glorious, famous, and illustrious, in the redemption and salvation of his people’ in the Caribbean islands. God will bear our sins, and work out a righteousness for us; and in the destruction of the enemies of God’s purpose – sin and Satan, the ruler of this world (Jn 10:10).

2018 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity calls us to deliverance by God’s grace, hence we have reason to rejoice because Jesus paid the price. In Isaiah 41, God said, “For I hold you by your right hand, I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you” (v. 13). God, first requires our right hand, a symbol of submission to Him for Him to offer us His right hand that is glorious in power. We have power in Jesus Christ only, not in our might. In Jesus Christ we can overcome all hateful experiences, offences, and struggles. 2018 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity summons us not to try to fight our battles on our own might and terms but to surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ who is able to offer us peace and security: “I cling to you, your strong right hand hold me securely” (Ps 63:8). God is calling the people of Caribbean island and the rest of the world to hold unto Jesus Christ, God’s right hand for support (Ps 18:35). Only the right hand of God can make any nation or church great because the arms of flesh will surely fail us.

PRAYER: Let us pray that the Caribbean Churches will continue to work together to heal the wounds in the body of Christ. Let us pray for effective reconciliation through genuine repentance, reparation and the healing of memories. Let us pray that the whole Church will continue to be both a sign and an active agent of this reconciliation.