Every year on January 18-25 Christian faith traditions celebrate the Christian Unity Octave. These eight days are set aside for special prayer for the unity of Christians. The theme for 2023 is “Do Good, Seek Justice.”

The theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 2023 was selected by the Minnesota Council of Churches in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd and the trial of the police officer responsible for his death. These events brought anguish, but also time for the Christian communities to contemplate ways in which they may be complicit in racial injustice. Christian unity is needed as a source of reconciliation.

The theme is inspired by Isaiah 1:12-18, which laments a lack of justice among the People of God. Yet it also promises redemption by encouraging acts of justice. Like Isaiah, we hope to inspire a renewed desire and effort for justice among the Christian peoples around the world.