Streams of Mercy

Today is Martin Luther King Day, and we honor the life and legacy of Dr. King, and observe a “Day of Service, volunteering with organizations working to make life better for all. Among his many memorable quotes is this: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” (Letter from the Birmingham Jail,” April 16, 1963.)

When I was serving the church in Laurinburg, January was a very special month. We celebrated MLK Day with a march through the town, with all churches in the community participating. As we walked together, as a community, we sang “We Shall Overcome” and talked among ourselves about what it all meant. The march ended at the Bright Hopewell Baptist Church, where we heard an inspiring message and sang the moving hymn, “Lift Every Voice and Sing”.

The beautiful thing about January in Laurinburg was that we observed the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity as well, during the week of MLK Day, and held other different kinds of services throughout the week. From day to day and from church to church, we celebrated our oneness in Jesus Christ in various ways.

Christian Unity is an ecumenical Christian observance in the Christian calendar that is celebrated internationally. It is kept annually between January 18 and January 25 in the Northern Hemisphere. It is an octave, an observance lasting eight days. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is annually coordinated by the World Council of Churches, with participation by member churches.

During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we are reminded of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples that “they may be one so that the world may believe” (John 17:21) Hearts are touched and Christians come together to pray for their unity. Congregations and parishes all over the world exchange preachers or arrange special ecumenical celebrations and prayer services.

Dr. King said, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Frederick Buechner says much the same: “Our lives flow into each other as wave flows into wave, and there can be no lasting peace and joy for any until there is peace and joy for all.”

Martin Luther King Day, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, and Jesus’ prayer “that they all may be one” - these three make for a week of true celebration for any community!

Elizabeth