Called to one hope
Verse for the Day
‘There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling’ (Ephesians 4:4).
Additional Scripture Passages
- Deuteronomy 6:4-9
- Psalm 24:1-6
- John 17:20-26
Commentary
In our world, ‘fracture’, ‘separation’, ‘isolation’ and ‘looking after myself’ are some key words that describe our culture. Not so the Apostle Paul who, in Ephesians 4:4, looks at the world with different glasses. His worldview is difficult and demanding, requiring determination, work and the grace, empowerment and nurture of the Spirit of God. Why? Because God longs for us to discover the multi-faceted, bejewelled brilliance of the distinctive unity in the Church made possible by Jesus. This is a unity that seeks to transcend all national and cultural boundaries. As together we place our lives, our very salvation, in the outstretched hands of the risen Christ, we look forward. What do we see? The breathtaking, shared hope of the second coming of our Lord, culminating in a new heaven and a new earth within which we will each have a place prepared. Unity is a jewel beyond price, a lived reality while incomplete, as it is the compelling herald in our world of our future hope.
Reflection
True Hope
Hope is not a butterfly,
careless,
compulsively fluttering,
anxiously mating,
time spare.
Hope is more than optimism
that yoyos like the
weather mercury.
Hope is not relentless positivity,
requiring endless,
exhausting,
bolstering.
Hope is bejewelled
with wonder,
cascading with light,
and reigns in Personhood
within,
without,
unboundaried.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ,
You bring us together in all our diversity,
as family and church.
In the face of so many situations on earth,
where hope has given way to despair
and hearts are wounded and emptied by disappointment,
renew our strength and unify us.
Help us to share Your hope wherever we find ourselves.
You are the true Light,
who casts out the darkness of sin,
despair and brokenness,
who shines into our hearts, releasing the joy
and the true hope of Your eternal love for all.
Amen.
Questions
- Personal: What must you lay down in order to embrace the unity of all God’s people?
- Local: What are the most challenging issues facing your locality that threaten to undermine the unity and well-being of all?
- Global: Does your church unity transcend all national and cultural boundaries?
Go and Do
- Personal: Go and share your experience of God with one person.
- Local: Go out with a group from your church and share the good news of God in your community.
- Global: Choose one of the campaigns by Christian Aid or CAFOD and promote them in your church, parish or local ecumenical group.
Original source: WPCU 2026