Isaiah 1:15-17 – When you stretch out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. (NRSV)

I am privileged to be the Presbyterian member of the Canadian content writing team for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, January 18-25. One of my tasks was to reflect on the themes for the eight days and give them a Canadian context. It wasn't a difficult task, as each day takes us to the very heart of issues that Canadians need to address daily. As the introduction to the Canadian content reads, "We are no strangers to the issues that arise from these studies! Although Canadians often speak of building a diverse, inclusive and just society, we know that racism is deeply imbedded in our society and that we have seen great violence against people of colour and against ethnic and religious minorities."

Each of the eight days invites us deeper into a world we know well — the world of Truth and Reconciliation, the world of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, the world where Black Lives Matter and Every Child Counts, and where we explore the world of the marginalized and/or oppressed in our society. We are invited to bring the honest questions and reflections that come when the light of the gospel illuminates the truth of both our past and our present.

As Canadians and as Christians, we have been struggling with our past, especially in relation to the Indigenous peoples of this country. We are seeking a way forward as we reflect on the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation hearings which ended in 2015. We are asking ourselves how best to implement the principles of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, officially passed into law by Canada in June, 2021. Canadians are haunted by the Residential School legacy and the horror embodied in the National Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls which gave its final report on June 3, 2019.

Whether or not we are Canadian, regular readers of this devotional will see the challenge to hold these and similar issues before God in our prayers, to become better informed on these topics, and to seek ways to live our lives following the path of Jesus which takes us to the poor and marginalized of our society.

Prayer: Lord, give us the strength and the courage to stand up to the pressing issues of the day with the love and the gospel of Jesus Christ to guide us. Amen.

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About the author:

Kenn Stright <kennethstright@yahoo.ca>
West Petpeswick, Nova Scotia, Canada
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