Norwich United Church          

Welcome to a page of thoughts from Rev. Donna. Find her words of inspiration at her blog at ministerd-revdup.blogspot.com

January 22, 2012 Celebrating the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 1 Corinthians 15: 51 – 58

Prayer Your word, O God, IS a lamp to our feet. Help us in this time to not only see its light, but also to follow, trusting in you and your leading. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

A group of new arrivals in heaven met Saint Peter at the Pearly Gates. He began to show them around, pointing out areas of interest and filling them in on the rules of the kingdom. There were many "oohs" and "aahs" from the crowd, and they were obviously enjoying themselves immensely. Suddenly Saint Peter stopped a short distance from a massive building which was miles-wide, long and high, and without doors or windows. "While we pass this building," he said, "you must walk quietly and utter not so much as a sound." So the entourage tiptoed obediently past the monolith without a word. Once they were past, however, an inquisitive soul inquired, "Why did we have to be so quiet when we passed that building?"

Saint Peter responded, "God put the people from the United Church in Canada there; they think they're the only ones up here."

We, who are a part of the United Church of Canada, are very aware that we are NOT the only Christian church present in the world today. But, that doesn’t stop us thinking, from time-to-time, that our denomination is somehow better than other Christian denominations. After all, it is the denomination to which we are loyal—and to which many of us have been loyal for many, many, years.

There is a place within each one of us that wants to believe the church; or the service club; or the team to which WE belong is somehow superior to any others.

“Our church is more tolerant,” we claim. “And, we are more faithful to the Bible.”

“Our service club raises more funds, and shares more in the local community.”

“My team plays by the rules and still has fun—not like those other guys who are just in it to win.”

We know it’s not what we SHOULD do—especially as a church--but somehow it’s there. Call it pride; call it bias; call it whatever you want, but there is no denying that a piece of each one of us thinks we are in some way better than others.

And when we think like that, and live like that, there is little room for others, or for sharing of any sort with other groups or teams or churches. It can be—especially in sports—an actual mentality of superiority. But more often, it’s a subtle sort of attitude that insidiously invades much of our thinking and doing. It’s the attitude of ‘we and them’; the ‘good guys’ and the ‘others’.

We may not recognize it in ourselves; and we may not choose to admit to it in ourselves, but it’s there. It’s a part of all of us—literally a survival tactic since the earliest days of humanity.

And it ever so subtly permeates much of our thinking and doing in relation to other people in this world.

There is an old saying that goes, "To dwell above with saints we love, That will be grace and glory. To live below with saints we know; Well, that's another story!" How very, very true!

Living in unity isn’t easy. For many of us, learning how to lovingly disagree with someone on ANY topic; or how to love those with whom we disagree, IS a life-long lesson. Somehow we have learned that if someone does not think or believe as we do, they are wrong—and we are right; and it is our task—at all costs—to persuade them to agree with our view.

When it comes to our faith and our church, often we are super-defensive and not-at-all open to hearing from, or about, others.

CHRISTIAN unity is perhaps the hardest unity for us to live out.

Billy D. Strayhorn, a United Methodist pastor from Texas, says, “Christian unity is not determined by whether we agree with each other about every interpretation of scripture or doctrine or form of church government. Christian unity IS determined by whether we love one another, and whether we reflect the love of God in Christ for the world.”

Christian unity is not about being uniformly the same, nor is it about all believing the same, or agreeing to the same things.

It IS about love; about loving one another enough to listen—really listen to those who are the ‘others’. It’s about respecting the other and accepting the other out of deep compassion and caring for their well-being—not our own.

Christian unity is about Christ, and about being Christ to every other person we encounter in this world.

There is a story about a delegation from the World Council of Churches that visited a remote area of the Balkans shortly after World War 2. The object of the visit was to check on how the money given by the World Council was being spent in this area where the Council was trying to help needy churches re-build after the war.

So it dispatched John Mackie, who was an officer with the WCC and the president of the Church of Scotland.

Accompanying Dr. Mackie were two other pastors, both of whom came from a fairly conservative, pietistic denomination. One afternoon they paid a visit to an Orthodox priest in a remote village. The man was clearly thrilled to receive the visit in that he otherwise worked in rather lonely isolation. Immediately upon seating the guests in his study the priest produced a box of fine Havana cigars and offered one to each of his three guests. Dr. Mackie gingerly took one, bit the end off, lit it and took a few puffs, saying how fine it was. The other two pastors looked horrified. “No thank you! We do not smoke!” they quickly said. Feeling bad that he may have offended the two brothers, the priest wanted to make amends and so left the room only to re-appear with a flagon of his finest wine. Dr. Mackie took a glassful, swirled it, sniffed it like a connoisseur and then praised its fine quality. Soon he asked for another glass. Meanwhile his traveling companions drew back even more visibly. “No thank you! We do not drink!” they snapped.

Well, later when the three returned to their car, the two pastors assailed Mackie. “Here you are an officer with the World Council and the leader of Scotland’s Church and yet you smoke and drink!?”

“No, I don’t,” Mackie barked at them. “But somebody in there had to be a Christian!”

We will never achieve Christian unity as long as we live by earthly standards. It is only as we learn to live by heavenly standards; as we learn to live as Jesus lived, that we will move towards unity with our Christian sisters and brothers.

THIS we cannot do alone.

In today’s Bible reading, Paul tells us this: “Listen! I am telling you a mystery. . . We will all be changed.”

Indeed our greatest—and only--hope for Christian unity lies in Jesus the Christ; in following his ways; in his power to transform us, and our ways, for good and for right.

Today, as we celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with other Christians around the world, we remember that it is through prayer that our hard work towards unity begins.

As we reflect on and pray for unity with our brothers and sisters in Jesus the Christ, we WILL be made new—given ears to hear; hands to serve and hearts of compassion. Our need to be right will give way to the way of Jesus the Christ. And, step by step, our unity in Christ will transform this world of hurt and pain into a world of love and compassion and peace.

Brothers and sisters, let us humbly pray today and every day, for the transforming power of Jesus in our lives, that we may be united as one body for the sake of the world.

Amen.