Micah 4:3-8

All over the world, 1 in 8 people go to bed hungry every night, even though there is enough food for everyone. In this reading plan, international aid agency Tearfund and theologian Ruth Valerio help us reflect biblically on hunger and how we think about food, as well as how we can take action for our brothers and sisters around the world.

Micah’s prophetic ministry called attention to the oppression of the poor, the injustice of leaders, and the unfaithful messages of false prophets. The solution to Judah’s sinfulness is simple: “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8). Despite their sinfulness, Micah prophesies a time of peace when God will gather a remnant of His people to be ruled by a Shepherd-King born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2-5).

Whether it’s social media, the news, or our own households, it’s like no one wants to live in peace. Getting their own words heard—often forcibly—seems to be more important today than just about anything else. It’s exhausting, all this posturing and shouting. What if we start creating spaces of peace? Think what might happen if all these little pockets of peace started popping up all over our communities.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is a yearly reminder of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples that “they may be one so that the world may believe” (see John 17.21). The theme in 2017, "Reconciliation – the love of Christ compels us," is inspired by verses from the Second Letter to the Corinthians, chapter 5. The resources for the week have been prepared by members of different churches in Germany.