Tag: unity

We Are One

Read Galatians 3:26-29

There are times in the world when we are reminded about the importance of solidarity. During my lifetime I can name some specific times when national and world solidarity has shone forth. When I was still living at home, I experienced this when there was a profound famine in Africa and the farm economy crisis. As an adult, I witnessed this global unity with AIDS killing thousands, the events of 9/11/2001, and now the Ukrainian crisis. These are times when we realize how much we have in common and the power found in unity to make a meaningful, positive difference. We come to realize that in God we are one.

Here is an updated version of a song which came as a response to the African hunger crisis.

As One

Read Psalm 133

In the 1970s if a person attended church camp or some church youth event, you stood a good chance to sing “Kum ba yah.” The song is an African American spiritual with an origin which is difficult to establish. The earliest version of the written music is from the 1920s. Translated from the Gullah, the song title is “Come By Here” in English. Today this song is seen as an example of a feeling of unity and goodwill. It is associated with the idea of harmony and warm fuzzies. Frequently it is used in a mocking manner. The view is that this unity and harmony is not real but an attempt to present a false image.

The passage chosen for today is also a song from the Hebrew hymnal. Psalm 133 is a song which would likely be sung by pilgrims on their journey to the Temple. This is a song of unity. The words communicate how pleasing it is to God when the people live united. Blessings come upon the people who live in harmony with one another. As they journeyed together,  this would be a binding song, all heading to the same place for the same purpose. 

Unity is a word which is frequently misused and misunderstood. This leads to a sense of falseness when the word is employed. Much of the reason for this sense is due to the misconception that unity is a synonym of uniformity. When perceived this way, achieving such a state seems unrealistic and in many ways undesirable. These two words definitely are not synonyms. Uniformity is not pleasing to the Lord or what Psalm 133 is speaking of.

God created diversity in all of creation, most definitely among humans. This diversity is what created a beautiful weaving of the world. Also, diversity is what makes an efficient and effective meshing of all creation. Since diverse components are what was the Creator’s plan, uniformity is in resistance to the plan.

What does please the Lord is when the diverse aspects of creation live and work together in united ways. Including and valuing each unique component of creation is the desire. The Latin phrase found on most U.S. coins and in various government buildings, “E pluribus unum” (Out of many, one), is the concept of this unity. The idea is that our differences do not divide us but we are meshed as one like a jigsaw puzzle to create a whole picture. 

Let us cherish our diversity while we acknowledge our unity. This form of living and working as one is the true unity which pleases God and blesses each of us.

United in a Meal

14 Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry. 15 I speak to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. 16 Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ? 17 Because there is one loaf, we, who are many, are one body, for we all share the one loaf.

1 Corinthians 10:14-17 (NIV)

There is something almost unexplainable which happens when people sit down to eat a meal together. As they gather around a table there is a sense of togetherness which permeates the air. The divisions which may exist between them appear to break down. Language barriers are less of a concern. Strangers become connected. Conflicting views are tempered for at least a brief period of time. The sharing of a meal together can strengthen bonds which previously existed and create new bonds where ones did not exist. This is one reason that experts have lifted up the importance of family mealtimes at a table in the home. It is also why meals are incorporated into meetings of heads of state, corporations, and other diverse situations.

Today, we remember Jesus taking a traditional Jewish meal connected to the Passover celebration and using elements of it to create a meal to remember him. The Christian church used these elements from the meal in their love feasts when the church began. Even now, this is a vital part of the practices of the Church and have become a sacrament within the Church. Jesus knew that eating together was something more than just a nutritional activity.

The passage from Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth speaks of the transforming power of the breaking of bread. He reminds the people that in sharing the cup and bread, they are all sharing the same cup and bread. By this act, they are remembering Christ. They also are acknowledging their unity in Christ. It is the body and blood of Christ which unites us as one people.

Next time you sit down for a meal, whether at home or as part of a worship service, think about how this act impacts the relationships of those around the table. If you are sharing in the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, remember Christ and the oneness which this meal creates within those who partake.