The Holy Spirit Gives us the gift of Unity and Community
Primary Text:
1 Co 12:12-13
12 The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body — whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free — and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Secondary Text:
Gal 3:26-29
26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, 27 for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek , slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.
Eph 4:3-6
4 There is one body and one Spirit— just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Ro 14:5-8
5 One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7 For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8 If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.
Can we really proclaim with authenticity or conviction, the unity that Paul writes about throughout the New Testament letters?
For example, when we try to explain to someone new to faith who we are as American Baptists, we end up talking about other Christians whom we are NOT like and then comes a list of denominations;
Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and then Protestant, which then divides into Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Congregationalist, Baptist. Even these break down further; American Baptist, Southern Baptist, National, Progressive, Alliance of Baptists, and on and on… The differences that divide us are often spoken of more than the similarities that unite us (not to mention the Lord that unites us). Most prevalent in the public eye is the division that surrounds the inclusion of gays and lesbians in the church and/or in ministry.
So can we really speak about the unity of the church as a gift of the Holy Spirit? I suppose we can either give in and stop hoping for unity, but Paul says we are already unified by the Spirit.
Perhaps I am naïve, or perhaps I am overconfident but I think that one reason we struggle to be united and find ourselves separating into groups so often as Christians is because we mistakenly assume that our unity is born of our agreement. We all assent to this creed or in the case of Baptists, we all agree on these general principles.
But when we look at the churches to whom Paul wrote we see that he is proclaiming unity to churches that are divided and in disagreement. The Church at Corinth was divided up into a number of factions. The wealthy and the impoverished, those with gifts of the Spirit and without, and apparently a hierarchy set up among those who had the ‘important’ gifts and those that had ‘less important’ gifts. There was division in Galatia and division in Rome about what day to worship, diet, and ethnicity.
Apparently Paul did not see agreement as the seedbed of unity. As a matter of fact Paul seemed to think that the impossible could happen and that the Spirit just might unite people despite or even through their differences.
let me bold and say that one of the reasons that the church has failed and continues to fail to preach and teach peace is because we keep assuming that our unity is born of agreement. When we do not agree, we divide amongst ourselves, the Spirit is a concept but not an active presence and we loose our ability to be a relevant witness to the peace of Christ. We are not willing to build it, so it becomes a word we use, but not a activity we pursue.
Lets look particularly at Romans 14
5 One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.
Did you hear that? Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. Paul does not only accept that there are differences, but seems to celebrate here and in 1 Corinthians, the diversity of the church.
Unity is a process. When we disagree and then either fall to the side of not speaking about it, or fighting and voting and ending the conversation, OR fighting and leaving or firing someone… we are cutting the work of the Spirit in the church out. We are not trusting that the Spirit is both guiding and instructing us and in essence we are proclaiming that we know best, not the Spirit.
Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind is the key, but not as a scriptural proof that we should be stubborn. When we disagree and honestly admit it, and lovingly engage in disagreement, The Spirit can work to instruct us. Disagreement is an opportunity for me to reflect carefully about what I believe and why. Being clear about my own perspective and going to scripture and tradition to check my views out, is a process by which the spirit instructs me. Listening… let me say this again, Listening to another persons perspective is also a way for the Spirit to instruct. I have to be open to the fact that the Spirit may change my mind. The Spirit may want me to hear another perspective so that I can grow.
And even if my mind is not changed, nor is theirs, I can learn patience, I can learn appreciation for the wideness of God’s glory… I can learn to accept others without demanding that they be like me. In a sense we are truly learning how to love for we are valuing the image of God in the other without that other changing for our comfort.
Let me make an illustration, a risky illustration because I’m going to talk about a current disagreement.
You may have figured it out now, that I am uncomfortable with the presence of the American Flag in the sanctuary. To me it is idolatry. But others do not hold that view. To others it is a prayer of blessing and reminder of the goal, what we aspire to Christians in America, to witness to our faith.
The flag is here. I remove it for Christmas Eve and Holy Week.
It isn’t about winning or loosing. It isn’t about being right or wrong. So often we as a church fail to let the Spirit move among us because we are stuck thinking that we have to prove right and wrong. Let me tell you. There is value and wisdom in the perspective of those who want the flag in the sanctuary. I still disagree, but I appreciate the wisdom. They are fully convinced in their own mind… I disagree, but I accept that they have thought this through and struggled with the issue.
Because we believe that the Spirit unites us we can leave behind dealing with disagreements through thinking about right and wrong, winning and loosing.
We listen carefully, we speak honestly, we are open to new perspectives. Instead of being entrenched we are open to change. If there is not change we are learning patience and appreciation for the ‘other.’
And in all this we are creating peace. In the disagreement and the way we behave in the disagreement we are creating peace.
I will not be the pastor you have called me to be if you always agree with me. But neither will you be the congregation you are called to be if I do not disagree and challenge you upon occasion.
Now I hope that the issue of the flag isn’t the main topic of discussion at coffee hour.
But the reality is we will have many topics to discuss in the coming months and years together. We are planning of exploring becoming a green congregation with a green church building. There will be many perspectives on this issue. And even if we agree to pursue this goal, we will disagree about how to pursue it. We may disagree about how much to spend or what steps to take. But I am convinced that if we can hold onto our belief that we are already unified, even in our disagreements on this issue, the Spirit will be working and guiding and leading us and we will not only find a way to become more green together, but we will also show the world how to create peace.
We will also begin to talk about becoming an AWAB church which means that we will openly proclaim our welcome of our gay and lesbian sisters and brothers. This is sure to stir up a variety of opinions and emotions. We must remember at that point that we are already unified… one Lord, one faith, one Baptism. In the disagreement the Spirit is working to unify us, instruct us, guide and guard us. And in a day when churches are dividing over this issue, I still hope that we will stay together, unified and we will show the world how to live in peace.
God Bless You All
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