May 4, 2016
Unity, Not Sameness

Scripture for This Week: Acts 16:16-34; Psalm 97;
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21;
and John 17:20-26

In the Gospel of John, Jesus’ last prayer before his arrest is a prayer for unity: May they be one, as we are one (John 17:22). His prayer continues to be relevant for us. We are divided along countless lines—race and ethnicity, political ideology, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, class, and more. Suspicion, resentment, and outright hatred harden these lines and tear us apart. What’s worse, Christians have made even our faith a basis for separation. Differences in theology, church governance, and positions on social issues have divided the body of Christ. The Apostle Paul once asked, “Has Christ been divided?” (1 Cor. 1:13). The church in our time seems to say, Yes!

On this day we remember that we have a God who loves us as we are and desires our good. Just as mothers delight in their children for their own sake, with their own unique personalities and attributes, so God delights in each of us. For us to be united, we need not all look, act, play, vote, love, work, pray, or even believe exactly alike. In fact, for the body of Christ to be whole, it needs a diversity of members. “If all were a single member, where would the body be?” (1 Cor. 12:19). Our unity is different from homogeneity. It is love, rejoicing in variety.

This vision is reflected in the eucharist: Some people receive the bread in hands cupped like a bowl, others pinch it between their fingers. In some churches the bread is a thin wafer, in others a flavorful loaf. Some worshipers kneel as they receive it, others stand. Some take large gulps from a single chalice, others sip from a small cup. The difference in form and reception does not undo the unity of the worshipers—Christ’s body—gathered around the bread and wine. So, in the eucharist, we can see: Jesus’ prayer has begun to be answered.