{"id":5666,"date":"2026-01-24T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-24T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nccumc.org\/christian-formation\/?p=5666"},"modified":"2026-01-20T09:31:32","modified_gmt":"2026-01-20T14:31:32","slug":"week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-day-7-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nccumc.org\/christian-formation\/2026\/01\/week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-day-7-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Week of Prayer for Christian Unity\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Day 7"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (January 18\u201325), the members of the NC Conference Christian Unity and Interreligious Relationships (CUIR) committee are sharing daily devotions rooted in Ephesians 4.<\/em>

View All 2026 Devotions<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Day 7 \u2013 Ephesians 4:7
<\/strong>But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a trip to Colonial Williamsburg years ago, my sons and I wandered into one of the homes. There we found a weaver sitting at her loom. We watched as she gracefully intertwined the strips of fabric one into another and into another. Before our eyes an intricate pattern began emerging, formed by varying textures and colors. \u201cWhat will your beautiful piece be?\u201d I asked. Without breaking the rhythm of her work, she answered, \u201cIt may be a blanket, or piece of clothing, or even a tapestry to hang in the church or our meeting house.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That image has travelled with me through the years. It calls to mind Jeremiah 29:11, \u201cFor I know the plans I have for you,\u201d declares the LORD, \u201cplans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.\u201d \u00a0The Hebrew word\u00a0makhashabah<\/em>, translates to \u201cplans<\/em>,\u201d but also points to something much deeper. It speaks of the intricate weaving together of fabrics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can\u2019t help but envision God as the Master Weaver creating something beautiful and purposeful. In this week of Prayer for Christian Unity, imagine us all placing ourselves in the hands of our Master Weaver. Just like the woman sitting at her loom in Williamsburg incorporating fabrics of different colors, textures, and patterns, in the hands of our Lord, our Master Weaver, all the aspects of our diversity can be shaped into a beautiful, unified whole which is not only lovely but also useful. Woven together by God and for God\u2019s purpose, we too can help blanket our neighbors from the cold, clothe the poor, and adorn our community spaces with the unifying power of God\u2019s love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Question to Consider<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How will our relations change if we accept that diversity of gifts is not a reason for opposition and competition but for mutual strengthening and sharing?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lord Jesus Christ,<\/em>
by the action of the Holy Spirit in the one baptism,<\/em>
you have bestowed wonderful graces and multiple gifts upon <\/em>
us<\/em>
for the sake of building up your Body, the Church.<\/em>
Grant us now the willingness to fully appreciate the richness of their diversity<\/em>
and use them fully to further the spread of the Gospel.<\/em>
In your name we pray.<\/em>
Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n
\n
\n

Elizabeth Polk is a member of the NC Conference CUIR committee and serves as pastor at Edenton UMC.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Elizabeth Polk, Day 7: On a trip to Colonial Williamsburg years ago, my sons and I wandered into one of the homes. There we found a weaver sitting at her loom. We watched as she gracefully intertwined the strips of fabric one into another and into another. Before our eyes an intricate pattern began emerging, formed by varying textures and colors. \u201cWhat will your beautiful piece be?\u201d I asked. Without breaking the rhythm of her work, she answered, \u201cIt may be a blanket, or piece of clothing, or even a tapestry to hang in the church or our meeting house.\u201d…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":199,"featured_media":5601,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[187],"class_list":["post-5666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-announcements","tag-cuir-devo-2026"],"yoast_head":"\nWeek of Prayer for Christian Unity\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Day 7 | Christian Formation | North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nccumc.org\/christian-formation\/?p=5666\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Week of Prayer for Christian Unity\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Day 7 | Christian Formation | North Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Elizabeth Polk, Day 7: On a trip to Colonial Williamsburg years ago, my sons and I wandered into one of the homes. 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