The New Testament book of Revelation opens with John’s vision of Christ and quickly moves into a series of seven short letters written to seven churches in Asia – Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.
John wrote the letters from his prison in Patmos at a time of great anxiety and uncertainty. Each church was on the frontline, sharing the Gospel in new cultures and contexts, and facing many different challenges and persecutions.
This year, to mark Anti-Slavery Week, The Clewer Initiative has developed a unique devotional resource building on these famous letters and interpreting them for our current context.
We invite you to “receive” the seven letters and make them an opportunity for prayer, reflection, and the identification of appropriate action against modern slavery.
We hope you will use the material, either on your own or in a group, to reflect on the evils of modern slavery and exploitation and what the church can do to protect vulnerable people and promote slavery-free communities. Throughout the sessions, you will find references to various tools and resources that will support your anti-slavery action. You can read the letters each day during Anti-Slavery Week or over the course of seven weeks.
At the end of the devotional resource, you can respond with a “return” letter. This will give you a focus and targets for effective mission and enable The Clewer Initiative to identify how it can better serve the church and communities in the coming months.
The resource ties in with our new campaign Make it Slavery Free and highlights specific actions that individuals and churches can pledge to carry out in 2022/2023.
