In an increasingly secular world, Bradford West Gwillimbury residents can learn a lot about spiritual connection from the women of Slovenia, said Rev. Jim Keenan.
A World Day of Prayer service was celebrated recently at Bradford United Church, where an ecumenical choir led hymns and shared the stories of the women of Slovenia – from women who have been refugees and migrant workers under the rule of Communism, to single mothers overcoming barriers to raise their children, and those who are struggling against the effects of alcoholism and violence.
Their voices and stories are recognizable, said Keenan. The women of Slovenia face many of the same issues as Canadians.
“We can connect,” he said. “We can learn a lot from their society."
World Day of Prayer is an ecumenical tradition, uniting Christians of different denominations in a day of prayer and action.
Since 1926, World Day of Prayer has been celebrated in more than 170 countries around the world, led by women. In Canada, the day can trace its roots back to 1918, and the formation of the Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada.
World Day of Pray takes place on the first Friday in March. This year, the service was prepared by the women of Slovenia, on the theme of “Come – Everything is Ready” for God’s banquet, an invitation to come together and celebrate.
Keenan noted the ecumenical movement can be traced back to the missionary movement, bringing Christianity to “people who had never been exposed to Christianity.”
There could be “a Catholic God, a Presbyterian God, a Methodist God,” in adjacent villages, he noted. “People started to realize, we have to do something together.”
What the missionaries realized was “the power of worshipping together,” Keenan said, and that “worship and work must be one.”
The theme of this year’s World Day of Prayer, an invitation to the banquet, is key to understanding Christianity, Keenan suggested.
“The call to follow Jesus is not an invitation to a funeral,” he said. “It is an invitation to the great feast of God’s love. Our everyday life can start dictating our priorities, away from what we know is our true priority… to live a life of forgiveness and reconciliation,” and the need to share so that all have access to food, love, life, shelter and education.
“All of those things are flowing out of the banquet we share,” said Keenan. “We get renewed, we get empowered to implement the 'Jesus program' in our everyday lives. Through Jesus, the feast is ready and the invitation has been sent.
“When you accept it, you discover how awesome is the host who sent it.”
The March 1 service ended with a collection of a freewill offering for the Women’s Inter-Church Council of Canada, which provides grants for social justice programs around the world.
Next year’s World Day of Prayer service will be written by the women of Zimbabwe.
