The Fruit of Unity

I recently watched a great video highlighting the collaboration of various churches and organizations in Philadelphia, PA who had banned together to help protect the rights of the homeless in their city. A bill had been introduced to give police more flexibility in issuing citations and arresting those who are experiencing homelessness. Many times cities do this to try to get the homeless off the streets to make their city "look" better to tourists, etc. and increase revenue. This is no way to solve a problem, for it is no solution at all.

Due to the overwhelming response from Christian organizations and churches the bill did not succeed. It reminded me of how God calls us, within the Body of Christ, to have unity with one another. When we work in harmony and recognize the elements that we have in common, and agree to disagree on the differences, anything can be achieved. For when our eyes and hearts are fixed on God, our hands joined together and all parts of the Body are aligned and functioning properly, anything is possible. For when God is for us, what can possibly stand against us?

The fruit that was born through the unity of these churches banning together was the promotion of compassion and empathy. They dropped their potential doctrinal differences for the pursuit of peace and to shine the light of Christ among the poor, letting them know that they have advocates. Letting them experience the love of Christ in action.

Below is the video. I found it inspiring and would love to hear your thoughts! 

Some verses that speak of unity:


Ephesians 4:2-62 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 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.

Psalm 133:11 How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!

John 17:2323 I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

1 Corinthians 1:1010 I appeal to you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another so that there may be no divisions among you and that you may be perfectly united in mind and thought.



Any thoughts? I'd love to hear them! Please leave them in the comments section. Thank you!

Rally to Restore Unity

# RestoreUnity

Writer, blogger and speaker Rachel Held Evens came up with a great idea. Her idea was to unite Christians from all across the denominational spectrum in the pursuit of unity. Calvanists, Emergents, Arminians and everyone in between were encouraged to make a sign that spoke something of unity and God's love, in their own way. This event, "The Rally to Restore Unity",  calls attention to the reality that our love for Christ is the common thread that weaves us all together and far outweighs any doctrinal differences we might have. You can find out more about this event by going to her site: http://rachelheldevans.com/rally-to-restore-unity or visiting its community page on facebook: http://www.facebook.com/update_security_info.php?wizard=1#!/restoreunity

When I learned of the "Rally to Restore Unity" I immediately knew I wanted to participate and incorporate it in a blog post. In a world  plagued with darkness where war, famine, greed, poverty  and uncertainty run rampant, there has never been a more crucial time for us Christians to lay aside our differences and pick up the banner of love and compassion Christ has given us and stand in unity, for the sake of manifesting His Kingdom here on earth.

Isaiah 61 helps describe the purpose God has for His children. We are to: Proclaim good news to the poor,
bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners.Arguing and throwing insults at one another (like heretic) only takes our eyes off the vision God has laid out for us.

My sign says: One God, One Church. For we are all members of the same church even if we don't always agree. And every member of the Body is vital for it's functioning...we need every hand and foot there is among us to fulfill God's will and bring peace and hope to others. My sign also gives a excerpt from a letter Thomas Merton wrote in response to a friend who wrote to him troubled about the inability of Anglicans and Romans to find common ground and harmony among each other. I hope it's not too small for you to read, if it is, here it is in larger font. I had condensed the passage for the sake of having enough room on the sign, here it is more in its entirety:

“…it is enough to be united with people in love and in the Holy Spirit…where there is a sincere desire for truth and real good will and genuine love, there God Himself will take care of the differences far better than any human or political ingenuity can…”

So, my question to you, is what would your sign say? Please leave your answer in the comments section, I'd love to hear it!



Unity Amidst Division: Finding Common Ground/Thomas Merton

In the following letter, Thomas Merton responds to a writer's angst on the inability of Anglicans and Romans to find common ground and harmony among each other. Whether it's Catholicism v. Protestantism...conservative evangelicals v. liberal progressives or any other combination....we are all patches in the same quilt, the Spirit being the thread which weaves us together. We are all one body in Christ and need to learn to work together and find common ground.

Here is Merton's response:

November 24, 1966

...Of course I can understand your being a bit anguished about the obvious fact that there can be little hope of institutional or sacramental union as yet between Anglicans and Romans. Perhaps on the other hand I am too stoical about it, but frankly am not terribly anguished. I am not able to get too involved in the institutional side of any of the efforts now being made as I think, for very many reasons, they are bound to be illusory in large measure. And this kind of thing is for others who know more about it. To me it is enough to be united with people in love and in the Holy Spirit, as I am sure I am, and they are, in spite of the sometimes momentous institutional and doctrinal differences. But where there is a sincere desire for truth and real good will and genuine love, there God Himself will take care of the differences far better than any human or political ingenuity can...
                            ~ Thomas Merton, A Life in Letters, p. 181-182

Below is a song that I heard more than 15 years ago and have never forgotten. It is based on a tragic event which shows what happens when people let doctrinal differences turn to hate and division rather than be united in God's love. I encourage you to take a listen.

Heavenly Father,

Thank you , with the rising of the sun, for delivering us safely into a new day. We praise you for Your compassion, mercy and love. We praise you for Your unending faithfulness.We pray for those close to us and those across the globe that live in fear, that live in places of social and political turmoil stirred by fear, ignorance, division and hatred. That are afraid to walk down their streets. May Your peace cover them like a blanket. God, we ask You to turn hearts that have grown cold and hard like stone into hearts of flesh once again. May mankind start to feel more unity towards one another rather than division. Help us spread your love and peace, help Your children here on earth find unity between eachother so that we may serve those who are needy, those who are suffering, to our fullest and not let our differences get in the way from glorifying Your holy name.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever.

Amen.

Exploring Denominational Diversities

        A Prayer Attributed to St. Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is discord, union; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair; hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.

Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen.

                                                        
                                                      


This prayer, to me, says it all. In a simple and direct way it puts the role of the Christian into perspective. To pray it, redirects one's heart to what matters most-God's will. It's God's will we sow seeds of peace, that we love and forgive others, that we be like burning lamps blazing brightly to cast light in the world's darkness, to give hope to those who haven't any. I love the second part of the prayer too because it puts the focus off ourselves and on others. The theme of love rings out in this prayer-love for God, love to do His will, and love for our fellow man.

It's kind of amusing but the first thing that I was compelled to write was a disclaimer that I wasn't catholic because the prayer is from a catholic saint. I guess that's the early evangelical blood running in my veins! When I was first born again I tried out a few churches, but having received the message of the gospel from the words and ministry of Chuck Swindoll, I was drawn to an evangelical, Bible-based church.  I loved that church but I did find out early on that not every denomination was as open and accepting towards every other denomination. Catholicism, with its predictable and ritualistic liturgical prayers and other customs and outlooks, was frowned upon.

It wasn't until I went to a Catholic college and met some very dedicated sisters in Christ that took their faith every bit as seriously as I took mine that I realized there wasn't as much of a difference between them and I as some would make it out to be. Though we had slightly varied patterns that defined us somewhat differently we were all cut from the same cloth. We were all part of the same family and body that is Christ.

It was also, later on, in fact pretty recently, that I discovered Thomas Merton, a catholic monk and writer who I have read and respect greatly as well as many other catholic voices that ring out with truth and light and life. So, I suppose the point of all of this is and my advice, for whatever it is worth, is to not be a "denominational snob", (which I naively started out as). Instead I would encourage you to open yourself up to new experiences and new points of view. For sure, if something seems to not ring true with the Bible, it should be avoided, but there are many different ways to worship, many different ways to pray. To explore the diversity which God has imprinted in the hearts of man to reach up to Him and seek His holy face, can be a changing event in one's life. And a renewing time in one's faith.

It is my view that it gives God no glory to continually point out the differences that we have with other brothers and sisters in Christ but that God wants us to simply see Christ in others and have others see Christ in us. All other differences are superficial. If one is misrepresenting Scripture and God, then that is one thing, but if one's way to worship, pray or commune with God differs from our own, it should be respected and even investigated as a potential path for us to explore and practice to enrich our own experiences and invigorate our own faith.

~ abundant blessings in Christ

Brennan Manning Quote: God Excludes No One

"The outstretched arms of Jesus exclude no one, not the drunk in the doorway, the panhandler on the street, gays and lesbians in their isolation, the most selfish and ungrateful in their cocoons, the most unjust of employers and the most overweening of snobs. The love of Christ embraces all without exception."     ~ Brennan Manning

God's love shows no partiality and excludes nobody. This being the case, then how come so many times our love does just that? Why is it that so many times our cultural upbringings and other influences we come across can prove to shape our view towards others who are different than ourselves more than the gospel? Who has the power here, when this happens...who are we yielding to as being sovereign over our heart's response to others...the world, or Christ?

Let us give thanks to God for the rich diversity of brothers and sisters that we have in this world. For the tapestry of many colored threads that God has woven to make up His kingdom. May we appreciate the multi-faceted beauty God has created, knowing that all of us are given an essential role and all of us, no matter how different, no matter the sins that plague us individually, make up one body, in Christ. And heaven forbid us that anybody's difference from us, or sin, or blemish, would keep us from embracing them with the same love Jesus embraced this world, and bar us from sharing the gospel with them.


Heavenly Father,

We thank you for all the blessings that flow into our lives-the natural and spiritual blessings that you richly pour out on us; reviving us, sustaining us, guiding us in our walks with you. We pray that you continually soften our hearts to others that our suffering. That we show the compassion and love Jesus showed while walking on earth. That our love encompasses those that we don't understand, those we might even abhor, knowing that in our own guilt, in our own sin, if not for the blood of Jesus, God, you would be unnaproachable and would find us reprehensible in your Holy presence.  In fact, without Jesus, it wouldn't even be possible to enter into your amazing presence. Your gift of mercy and grace makes it possible, in our human weakness, fraility and impurity to approach your heavenly throne with confidence. Let us not think we are any more worthy than anybody else. Humble us, so that we might be servants who live our lives out advancing your Kingdom here on earth, bringing you much honor, glory and praise.

In Jesus' name,
Amen