{"id":8663,"date":"2024-01-22T00:00:44","date_gmt":"2024-01-22T00:00:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/burnheadchurch.com\/?p=8663"},"modified":"2024-01-18T21:39:24","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T21:39:24","slug":"wpcu-2024-day5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/burnheadchurch.com\/?p=8663","title":{"rendered":"Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – Day 5"},"content":{"rendered":"

He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. (Luke 10: 34)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lord, help us see the wounds and find hope<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Additional scripture passages<\/span><\/h3>\n
    \n
  • Joel 2: 23-27<\/li>\n
  • Psalm 104: 14-15, 27-30<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Commentary<\/span><\/h3>\n

    The Good Samaritan did what he could out of his own resources: he poured oil and wine and bandaged the man\u2019s wounds and put him on his own animal. The Samaritan went further still by promising to pay for the man\u2019s care. When we see the world through the Samaritan\u2019s eyes, every situation can be an opportunity to help those in need. This is where love manifests itself. The example of the Good Samaritan motivates us to ask ourselves how to respond to our neighbour. He gave wine and oil, restoring the man and giving him hope. What can we give, so that we can be a part of God\u2019s work of healing a broken world?<\/p>\n

    This brokenness shows itself in our world through insecurity, fear, distrust and division. Shamefully, these divisions also exist between Christians. Though we celebrate sacraments or other rituals of healing, reconciliation and consolation (often using oil and wine), we persist in behaviours that cause division, wounding the Body of Christ. The healing of our Christian divisions promotes the healing of the nations.<\/p>\n

    In this process of healing, we have to recognise our own vulnerability \u2013 how will others know how to engage in a journey of healing if we are unwilling to bare our wounds? How do we empower such courageous behaviour, recognising there is a cost?<\/p>\n

    Reflection<\/span><\/h3>\n

    The bread lies broken
    \ncrumbs spilled from the table trampled underfoot.
    \nWine stains bled through linen
    \nwhere cups overflowed.
    \nThe lingering taste of stories shared
    \ngrows stale in the mouth.
    \nIndelible marks,
    \nevidence of where we sat together for a time,
    \nbut what now?
    \nOthers need their share \u2013
    \nwine to gladden soul
    \noil to anoint and heal
    \nbread to strengthen.
    \nWe need to reset our tables
    \nto find an unfamiliar seat,
    \nand when the music stops
    \nwhat will it have cost?<\/p>\n

    Prayer<\/span><\/h3>\n

    Gracious God,
    \nYou who are the source of all love and goodness:
    \nenable us to recognise the needs of our neighbour.
    \nHelp us to be honest about our need for healing.
    \nChange us, so that we can love all.
    \nHelp us to overcome the obstacles of division,
    \nthat we might build a world of peace for the common good.
    \nThank you for your renewing work in creation
    \nand for leading us to a future which is full of hope:
    \nyou who are Lord of all, yesterday, today and forever. Amen.<\/p>\n

    Questions<\/span><\/h3>\n
      \n
    • Personal:<\/strong> What wounds do you see?<\/li>\n
    • Local:<\/strong> Where are you recognising signs of hope in your community?<\/li>\n
    • Global:<\/strong> What can we give, so that we can be part of God\u2019s work of healing a broken world?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Go and Do<\/span><\/h3>\n
        \n
      • Personal:<\/strong> What areas of difference or tension in your communities might you meaningfully seek deeper understanding around? Begin a compassionate and generous conversation with some others about this.<\/li>\n
      • Local:<\/strong> What groups already exist in your area that are actively involved in healing in some way? Explore meaningful ways of engaging with them.<\/li>\n
      • Global:<\/strong> Take time as a church group to tend to the earth and be part of healing a broken world (\u201crenew the face of the ground\u201d Psalm 104). As you do this consider the impact of your lifestyle on other parts of the world.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

        He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. (Luke 10: 34) Lord, help us see the wounds and find hope Additional scripture passages Joel 2: 23-27 Psalm 104: 14-15, 27-30 Commentary The Good Samaritan did what he could out of his own resources: he poured oil and wine […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8648,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/burnheadchurch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8663"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/burnheadchurch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/burnheadchurch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/burnheadchurch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/burnheadchurch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8663"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/burnheadchurch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8663\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8666,"href":"https:\/\/burnheadchurch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8663\/revisions\/8666"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/burnheadchurch.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/burnheadchurch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8663"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/burnheadchurch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8663"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/burnheadchurch.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8663"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}