Berwick Thought for the Week: Good to focus on what unites us

During this week, we are encouraged to celebrate the things that unite us and to pray for peace and unity.

As churches and as individual people it is much easier to focus on what divides us than what unites us, focusing on our differences rather than on our common heritage. For generations, the Christian Church focused on its differences.

The British Council of Churches began looking at how churches could work together back in 1890 and the first ‘Week of Prayer for Christian Unity’ was in 1908. Yet still, churches, Christians and people the world over struggle to accept one another as equals and live in peace and unity.

Every year, the materials for this special week are prepared by Christians from different countries and different traditions.

When I was serving in Malta before coming to Northumberland, I was involved in preparing the materials that would be used in 2020. The team of people worked very hard to understand each other’s differences and embrace what we had in common.

For me, that was a lesson in what unity is all about. It isn’t about uniformity, about everyone thinking, being and even looking the same – it is about embracing and celebrating what we have in common and understanding and accepting our differences.

This isn’t just a message for the Christian Church, but people of all religions and none. We should celebrate the things that we have in common, work to understand our differences and accept one another as equals.