Reconciling Spirit

The Holy Spirit has a reputation for being a reconciler. Through Christ, in the power of the Spirit, humanity is reconciled with God and reconciled with one another. Theologians even talk about the role of the Spirit in maintaining the unity of the Trinity.

On this day of Pentecost, we are in the middle of 2 important weeks of prayer for reconciliation. The first one began last Sunday (24 May). It is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity founded in Jesus’ prayer “that they may all be one… so that the world may believe” (John 17:21). Here Jesus is referring to his disciples. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is particularly concerned with unity among the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church, the body of Christ.

The second “week” began on Tuesday (26 May), Sorry Day, the day when we remember the stolen generations of Australia’s indigenous people removed from their families through government policy. This week is the Week of Prayer for Reconciliation. It extends from Sorry Day to Mabo Day (3 June), the anniversary of the High Court decision which overturned the legal doctrine of terra nullius (the concept that the Australian continent was not “settled” by the indigenous people who lived here). Another major anniversary (27 May) has occurred in this period: the anniversary of the 1967 Referendum which gave the Australian Commonwealth Government to legislate on matters relating to indigenous people in Australia. This decision allowed many Aboriginal people to vote for the first time and for a range of social policy initiatives to be undertaken. In the Week of Prayer for Reconciliation, we pray for the ongoing work of reconciliation between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples in Australia.

It’s a big “week”. The National Council of Churches in Australia (NCCA) puts it this way:

In 2009 (which is also the UN Year of Reconciliation), the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity overlaps with the Week of Prayer for Reconciliation. Over 11 days - May 24 to June 3 - including the great feast of Pentecost on May 31- we therefore have a wonderful opportunity to renew and deepen our relationships in the one God in whom we share together through Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit. This year's theme appropriately is 'That they may become one in your hand (Ezekiel 37:17).

For more information on WPCU and WPR, see the NCCA website: http://www.ncca.org.au; and don’t forget to pray!