FROM THE ECUMENICAL OFFICER - JUNE 2022
Some years ago, when I was serving a small-town congregation, on one Sunday when I was on vacation, I invited a local Catholic priest to fill the pulpit. In some places that could easily happen today. In other places, it would be difficult. Roman Catholic and many Protestant congregations are using the same lectionary (list of Bible readings for each Sunday), so that Protestant and Catholic parishes on a given Sunday may hear sermons on the same Gospel text.
I know of several Protestant congregations and one Roman Catholic parish in a community that together several times a year have services of Taizé music. These quiet, meditative services are easier to arrange, in that they do not require preaching or clergy. They are harder because they do require a couple musicians. If there is an interest in your congregation and Taizé worship is not familiar, you might explore to see if there are any Taizé services near you and attend in order to experience a different form of worship. Part of this tradition is reading scripture in several different languages. I recently attended a Taizé service in which one scripture passage was given in sign language.
One response to the war in Ukraine, in one community that I know, is a short weekly noon interfaith service of prayer for peace. This brings together Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish persons and persons of other faith traditions in the community, such as Muslim and Hindu.
Since we believe that God wills peace among us, we are called to pray for peace and to seek peace, whether in distant places like Ukraine or in our families and neighborhoods. Many people in Canada and the United States do not experience or see Christians churches as places of peace and do not experience or see Christians as people working for peace. So our very prayers together, whether with other Christians or with other Christians and people of other religious traditions, are an act of working for peace.
Lord Jesus, you have said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” May people call us children of God. Amen.
Hermann I. Weinlick, Ecumenical Officer
Moravian Church, Northern Province
I know of several Protestant congregations and one Roman Catholic parish in a community that together several times a year have services of Taizé music. These quiet, meditative services are easier to arrange, in that they do not require preaching or clergy. They are harder because they do require a couple musicians. If there is an interest in your congregation and Taizé worship is not familiar, you might explore to see if there are any Taizé services near you and attend in order to experience a different form of worship. Part of this tradition is reading scripture in several different languages. I recently attended a Taizé service in which one scripture passage was given in sign language.
One response to the war in Ukraine, in one community that I know, is a short weekly noon interfaith service of prayer for peace. This brings together Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish persons and persons of other faith traditions in the community, such as Muslim and Hindu.
Since we believe that God wills peace among us, we are called to pray for peace and to seek peace, whether in distant places like Ukraine or in our families and neighborhoods. Many people in Canada and the United States do not experience or see Christians churches as places of peace and do not experience or see Christians as people working for peace. So our very prayers together, whether with other Christians or with other Christians and people of other religious traditions, are an act of working for peace.
Lord Jesus, you have said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” May people call us children of God. Amen.
Hermann I. Weinlick, Ecumenical Officer
Moravian Church, Northern Province