In 2010 the modern ecumenical movement will have been running for 100 years and there are various plans to celebrate this important centenary around the country. In that time there have been ebbs and flows, but Christian Unity has never been off the agenda.
Why is this?
Because, in 1910, the divisions between Christians of different denominations were a scandal, an insult to God and a very bad witness to the world. Since then huge strides have been made to heal the differences, moving churches from cooperation to commitment, seeking communion with one another in mission to the world.
Also, there has been a new understanding of what ‘Unity’ means. It is a Gospel imperative, a gift from the Father and the prayer of Christ for his people. This ecumenical movement towards the goal of Unity is not an ‘add-on’, an ‘optional extra’ or a ‘hobby for anoraks’. It is vital for the future well-being of the planet; man being the most dangerous of its inhabitants. Unity is not just a gift for the church. It is for the world which is so broken, divided and at war with itself that the church, having received this gift, must set an example by pursuing it in partnership with churches and non-church agencies alike, waving the flag at every opportunity. You may know that Bishop Malcolm McMahon said in Southwell Minster when the Bishop of Southwell made him an Ecumenical Canon, “There are no exits on the road to Unity”. If St Paul is to be believed ‘Unity’ is what Christ died for. ‘Christ…. has broken down the dividing wall of hostility….that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby bringing hostility to an end.’ Eph.2:13ff. Unity is at the heart of God. It is the doctrine of the ‘Trinity’ and of the ‘New Man’ in Christ. To pinch a quote: ‘Unity’ is not a matter of life and death; it is more important than that.
The Venerable Tom Walker, a previous Archdeacon of Nottingham, had a fund of stories. One of them went something like this:
Small child, “Mummy, what does God do all day?”
Mother, thinking fast, “He mends things, dear”
By definition, it’s what we do too. Please don’t stop now.
As the Revd David Bignell observes in his excellent article here, 2010 is a very significant year for everyone committed to ecumenism, marking as it does the Centenary of the modern movement. How will you celebrate this year? By a new commitment to each other? Or by retreating behind your denominational barricades in the face of falling incomes and numbers of ministers and worshippers?
We look back at those who attended a Missionary Conference in Edinburgh in 1910 and rejoice at the bold vision which drew them together in common mission to the World. In years to come, how will people look back on the decisions that you make in this coming year?
