2016 Introduction to the Theme

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Called to Proclaim the Mighty Acts of the Lord
(cf. 1 Peter 2:9)

An image of the WPCU Poster 2016Called to Proclaim the Mighty Acts of the Lord (cf. 1 Peter 2:9) has been selected as the 2016 theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The theme finds its origins in the First Letter of Peter. The relationship between baptism and proclamation, and the calling shared by all the baptized to proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord was inspired by two verses from the First Letter of St Peter. It is this calling forms the theme of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity for 2016.

St Peter tells the early Church that in their search for meaning prior to encountering the Gospel they were not a people. But through hearing the call to be God’s chosen race and receiving the power of God’s salvation in Jesus Christ, they have become God’s people. Baptism opens up an exciting new journey of faith, uniting each new Christian with God’s people throughout the ages. In the shared sacred texts of the Bible, we hear of God’s saving acts in salvation history: leading his people out of slavery in Egypt, and the great mighty act of God: the raising of Jesus from the dead, which opened new life to all of us. As Christians seeking the unity of the Body of Christ we are all called to recognize the mighty acts of God in our own lives and the life of the Church.