Week of Prayer for Christian Unity:
Your right hand O Lord, glorious in power (Exodus 15:6)
In the Book of Exodus, there is a fine description of the wondrous deliverance of the people of Israel from slavery to the Egyptians. This narrative refers not only to the history of a particular nation. It is a prophetic pre-figurement of the salvation of the whole human race by our Lord Jesus Christ, of redemption and salvation from the terrible bondage to death and corruption.
The incarnation of God the Word reveals the value and majesty of human existence. Humanity, created in the image and likeness of God, constitutes the peak and summation of the divine creation. God bestowed on humans the divine gift of freedom, a gift that allows them to make constant progress.
However, the bad use of freedom, disobeying the will of God, and humans acting autonomously against the life-giving God, led to the fall and to the terrible consequences of corruption.
Violence, the relaxing of morals, racism, intolerance, war, social inequality, hunger and poverty, the limiting of human rights, economic inequality, the refugee problem, the destruction of the environment, all testify to the impoverishment of humanity and the devaluation of its God-given value.
Our Lord Jesus Christ came to restore humankind to its original glory and to abolish the world of division, alienation, racial discrimination and hatred. Christian ideals are, par excellence, peace, freedom, brotherhood, love, and social justice. All of these, combined with Christian faith, can achieve the reformation of the spiritual and cultural identity of the world.
As Christians, we are called daily to preach to our broken world the gospel of peace (Ephesians 6:15) and to reveal the sacredness and majesty of humanity as the image of God. We are called to contribute to inter-Christian co-operation and inter-religious understanding. Let us work for the elimination of all forms of oppression that deprive man of the God-given gifts of freedom, peace and equality.
We believe that as God’s fellow workers we can work towards this ministry together with all people of good will, who love true peace, for the good of the society in which we live, and so that love and peace between peoples may prevail.
• Diocesan Ecumenical Commission of the Hong Kong Catholic Church
• Orthodox Metropolitanate of Hong Kong and South East Asia
• Church Unity and Relations Committee Hong Kong Christian Council
January 2018
(The Joint Statement 2018 was prepared by His Eminence Metropolitan Nektarios of Hong Kong and South East Asia)
聯合文告
“耶和華啊，你的右手施展能力”！
（出埃及記 15：6）
出埃及記細緻地描繪了以色列民從埃及人奴役下之奇妙釋放。這不單是某一民族的故事，乃是預表主耶穌的拯救，把全人類從死亡和朽壞的可怕捆綁中救贖出來。
神的道成肉身顯示了人類存在的價值和莊嚴。按照神形象被造的人，是神聖創造的高峰和總結。神賦予了人類自由這神聖禮物，讓他能不斷改進。
但人濫用自由，違背神的旨意，自主違抗賜生命的神，引致犯罪跌倒和朽壞之可怕後果。
暴力、道德敗壞、種族主義、不容異己、 戰爭、社會不公、飢餓和貧窮、壓制人權、貧富懸殊、難民問題、環境破壞，這些問題的出現都證明了人的敗壞和貶低了神賦予他的價值。
我們的主耶穌基督到來是要回復人原來的榮美，並要除掉世上的分裂、疏離、 種族歧視和仇恨。基督徒卓越的理想是和平、自由、手足情誼、愛和社會公義，再結合基督信仰，便能達致世界的靈性和文化更新。
作為基督徒，我們被呼召每一天向這個破碎的世界傳揚「和平的福音」（以弗所 6：15 ）和顯示有著神形象的人是何等神聖和莊嚴。我們被呼召為基督宗派內，及與其他宗教之合作和相互理解作出貢獻。各種壓制剝奪神賜之自由、和平和平等，讓我們一同努力，除掉那些壓制。
我們相信我們與神同工，並且與社會上懷著善意與喜愛和平的人合作，便能使我們生活在其中的社會變得更加美好，人與人之間可實現愛與和平。
