OCTAVE FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY Lectionary #(867)
It would be appropriate on the opening day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity or at other times during this week, as the calendar permits, to use the readings and prayers “For the Unity of Christians” (Lectionary #867–871).

Begun by an Episcopal priest in 1908 as the “church unity octave,” this observation was eventually combined with a similar week of prayer started by a Belgian priest in 1933. 2008 celebrates the one hundredth anniversary of this week of shared prayer for unity.

Suggested Psalm for Christian Unity  Ps (121) 122 (869-5)
One of the “songs of ascent,” this psalm was prayed by pilgrims as they approach Jerusalem, going up the hill of the Temple Mount. Their prayer was for peace in this city that had known such division (and still does).

Con Qué Alegría/Let Us Go Rejoicing (Cortés)  FYC 263/JS 102
I Rejoiced (Dean)  GP 268
I Rejoiced (Walker)  GP 269
I Rejoiced When I Heard (Batastini/Gelineau)  RS 165
I Rejoiced When I Heard Them Say (O’Carroll)  CH 159
I Rejoiced When I Heard Them Say (Warner)  WC 434
I Was Glad (Haas)  GC 121/RS 166
I Was Glad When They Said to Me (chant)  BFW 12, 270, 406
Let Us Go Rejoicing (Harbor)  LMGM 542
Let Us Go Rejoicing (Hurd)  JS 101
Let Us Go Rejoicing (Joncas)  GC 120/GC2 68/RS 167
Qué Alegría Cuando Me Dijeron (Grajeda)  FYC 262
Qué Alegría Cuando Me Dijeron (Manzano)  GP 270
Qué Alegría/I Rejoiced (Cortez)  FYC 261
We Shall Go Up with Joy (Murray/Gelineau) CBW III 588/WOR 67

or Ps (99) 100 (Lect. #869-3)
Another “song of ascent,” this pilgrimage hymn invites all creation to join in the praise of God.

Aclamamos al Señor (Reza) GP 247
Arise, Come to Your God (Gelineau) GC 96/RS 139/WOR 53
Let All the Earth Cry Out (Sommerville) WC 426
Nosotros Somos Su Pueblo/We Are God’s People (Cortez)  FYC 243
Somos Su Pueblo y Ovejas (Montgomery)  FYC 244
Somos Su Pueblo y Ovejas (Sosa)  FYC 245
We Are God’s People (Haas) GC 97/GC2 56/RS 138
We Are God’s People (Harbor) LM 536
We Are God’s People (Smith) GP 246
We Are His People (Jordan) LM 537
We Are His People (LeBlanc) CH 151
We Are His People (O’Carroll) CH 150

Songs for Unity

All Are Welcome (Haugen) GC 753/GC2 741/WC 870
Anthem (Conry) GC 690/GC2 681/GP 578/JS 614
As a Fire Is Meant for Burning (Duck) GC 663/GC2 643/RS 779
As the Grains of Wheat (Haugen) GC 825
At That First Eucharist CH 366/GC 852/GC2 840/GP 511/LM 134/WC 622/WOR 733
Beloved, Let Us Love (Bonar) WOR 601
Bread for the Word (Farrell) GC 827
Bread of Life, Hope of the World (Farrell) GC 821
Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation CH 540/GC 662/GC2 642/JS 409/RS 778/WC 746/WOR 617
Christ’s Church Shall Glory (Idle/Luther) CH 487/WOR 616
Companions on the Journey (Landry) GP 566
Diverse in Culture, Nation, Race (Duck) GC 739/GC2 729/RS 837
Father, We Thank Thee Who Has Planted CH 374/GC 568/GC2 547/RS 705/WC 619/WOR 558
For the Healing of the Nations (Kaan) GC 719/GC2 712/WC 926/WOR 643
From East and West (Dufford) GP 567
Gather Us In (Haugen) GC 744/GC2 743/RS 850/WC 869/WOR 665
Gather Us Together (Alstott) GP 534/JS 488
I Am the Vine (Hurd) GC 672
In Christ There Is a Table Set for All (Stamps) GC 749
In Christ There Is No East or West CH 650/GC 738/GC2 726/GP 565/JS 443/LM 301/RS 836/WC 761/WOR 659
In My Name CH 477
Let Us Break Bread Together GC 832/GC2 832/LM 135/RS 911/WC 616/WOR 727
Let Us Praise God Together CH 569
Lord of All Nations, Grant Me Grace CH 612/WC 764/WOR 602
Lord, You Give the Great Commission CH 639/GC 456/GC2 466/JS 381/RS 607/WC 742/WOR 470
Make Us One (Marchionda) WC 765
O Christ the Great Foundation (Lew/Aurelia) RS 782/WOR 618
O Christ the Great Foundation (Lew/Abreu) RS 781
One Bread, One Body (Foley) GC 830/GC2 813/GP 499/JS 668/LM 139/RS 915/WC 649
One Is the Body (Cooney) GC 846
One Spirit, One Church (Quinlivan/Keil) GP 570/JS 703
The Church’s One Foundation CH 489/GC 661/JS 455/WC 743
There Comes a Time (Jabusch/Kreutz) CH 491
There Is a Prayer (Wright/Kreutz) CH 494
There Is One Lord (Alstott) JS 428
There Is One Lord (Deiss) WC 598
There Is One Lord (Taizé) GC 809/GC2 796/RS 835/WOR 657
They’ll Know We Are Christians (Scholtes) GC 735/GC2 728/GP 568/JS 580/WC 763
Ubi Caritas (Rosania) GP 364
Ubi Caritas et Amor (Chant) CH 386/GC 631/GC2 601/RS 752/WC 813/WOR 598
Ubi Caritas et Amor (Taizé) GC 408/GC2 430/WC 810/WOR 604
We Are Many Parts (Haugen) GC 733/GC2 727/RS 840/WC 762
Where Charity and Love Prevail CH 387/GC 625/GC2 610/GP 644/JS 429/RS 747/WC 816
Where Two or Three Have Gathered (Ridge) GP 587