“Today I want to speak to you, personally and earnestly as a fellow disciple of the Lord, about the sites or signs of wholeness in our fragmented world,” Pillay said. “Admittedly signs of wholeness and peace are more difficult to detect in our present age and circumstances.” Pillay reflected that we can legitimately say that a defining gift of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has been to read the signs of the times in light of the earliest Christian witness. “Where do we find human wholeness being nurtured and encouraged?” Pillay asked. “Through the ecumenical Pilgrimage of Justice, Reconciliation, and Unity, you and all of us in the ecumenical fellowship pledge together to pursue justice, reconciliation, and unity in concrete ways.” Pillay described how the whole global ecumenical movement is journeying toward justice, peace, and reconciliation. “Practically, that means pursuing human dignity, human rights, peace among peoples, and the health of the planet through deep engagement together in concrete activities and consequential partnerships,” he said. “As Christians, and as Christian churches and agencies, our discipleship finds concrete diaconal expression in enhancing the human good.” Pillay also shared how much of the WCC’s time, effort, and resources go into peace-making initiatives. “And rightly so as you consider the violence, conflicts, and wars that pervade our world currently,” he said. “Whether in peacemaking or climate action, economic or gender justice, we find the chief signs of wholeness in the coming together in unity of people and churches with each other and in the world, overcoming fragmentation and division, envisioning an alternative framework for human interaction and society, and healing and redeeming human welfare and the planet.” Read the full lecture | 
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