Church Unity Octave (Jan 23)
January 23, 2026
DAY 6 (Jan 23)
One God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all (Eph 4:6).
Invocation
O Refuge and Shelter, Lord Jesus Christ, look with compassion on refugees throughout the world, who suffer the agony of displacement and the loss of their homes. Move us to manifest our communion with you, with them and with each other through gestures of hospitality and loving help. R/. Lord, have mercy.
O Christ, our Saviour, we pray for the people of Armenia and Artsakh, and their kindred throughout the world, who long ago turned to your light through the preaching of the Apostle Thaddeus and the miraculous witness of St Gregory the Illuminator. R/. Lord, have mercy.
Shine the light of your righteousness and wisdom on all your creatures. Make us children of light and children of the day, so that we may always live our lives reverently, and become for all the world, worthy lampstands for your life-giving light. R/. Lord, have mercy.
For you are our Saviour, and to you be glory, dominion and honour, now and always and unto the ages of ages. R/. Amen.
Scripture: 1 Kings 8:55-60
55 Solomon stood and blessed all the assembly of Israel with a loud voice, saying, 56 “Blessed be Yahweh, who has given rest to his people Israel, according to all that he promised. There has not failed one word of all his good promise, which he promised by Moses his servant. 57 May Yahweh our God be with us as he was with our fathers. Let him not leave us or forsake us, 58 that he may incline our hearts to him, to walk in all his ways, and to keep his commandments, his statutes, and his ordinances, which he commanded our fathers. 59 Let these my words, with which I have made supplication before Yahweh, be near to Yahweh our God day and night, that he may maintain the cause of his servant and the cause of his people Israel, as every day requires; 60 that all the peoples of the earth may know that Yahweh himself is God. There is no one else.
Psalm Response
Reflection
In Ephesians 4:6, St Paul emphasizes the profound oneness of God, declaring that he is “above all and through all and in all”. God is both transcendent, existing beyond all, and immanent, actively present within his creation. This foundational truth calls the Church to embody and live out unity, rooted in the shared belief in one true God who is the Father of all believers. “All” signifies that every person created in God’s image falls under God’s authority. Worshiping one God creates a strong bond of unity among Christians. Just as family members find common ground through their love for a parent, Christians are called to be united in their devotion to the same Father.
A question to consider
In what ways can the image of God as the loving and caring Father of all be integrated into the mission and ministry of our different church communities so as to promote a more unified Christian witness in the world?
Confession of Faith (St. Gregory of Narek)
We always praise along with the Son and Father, the Holy Spirit, which is of the same essence, mighty, true, perfect and holy, who from nothing brought into existence everything that exists, who acts through itself and shares rule with the other two, in the same indestructible, boundless kingdom, who is the first cause, the awesome Word of his selfhood. And the same exalted Holy Spirit, good ruler, who dispenses the gifts of the Father, in praise of the name and the glory of the only begotten Son, who acted through the Laws and inspired the Prophets, with the encouragement of your co-equal Son commissioned your apostles. In the form of a dove you appeared at the River Jordan, for the greater glory of the one who had come, shone forth in the writings of the evangelists, created genius, strengthened the wise, filled the teachers, blessed the kingdom, assisted the kings, appointed the guardians, issued the decree of salvation, granted talents, prepared atonement, cleansed those baptized into Christ's death that you might dwell in them a sacrament performed jointly by the Father and Son with the Holy Spirit, who is God, honored as Lord, in all ways in all things.
Musical Selection
Prayer
We confess with faith and worship you, Loving Father,
for you are in heaven beyond words, and on earth beyond understanding,
through your Son, Jesus Christ.
In your tender care, you are the beginning and fulfilment of everything.
Glory forever to you, Father,
with the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen. (St Gregory of Narek; adapted)