Unity?
AM Psalm 101, 109:1-4 (5-19) 20-30 • PM Psalm 119:121-144
Isa. 4:2-6 • Eph. 4:1-16 • Matt. 8:28-34
The author of Ephesians (possibly Paul, but more likely one of Paul’s disciples writing after his death) begs his hearers “to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace.” (4:1-3) And then comes this affirmation: “There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all….” (4:4-5)
You may recall that our baptismal liturgy includes a paraphrase of these last two verses. For the author of Ephesians and for the drafters of that baptismal text, “unity” and “oneness” are somehow tied up with the admonition to “lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called.” But if you’ve spent much time with the Epistles of the New Testament, you know that when the writers of these letters admonish their recipients to do or be a certain thing, that’s often a sign that many of them are not doing or being what they ought. “Unity,” or “oneness” among these early Christians was easier said than done.
In the late-first century CE there was no Bible (the Christian canon was far from closed), no Nicene or Apostles’ Creeds, and the institution of clergy was in its infancy within the emerging “catholic” (whole, universal) church. With so little structure or agreed upon theological resources it’s no wonder that there was so much confusion and disagreement about what it meant to lead a Godly life in unity with other Christians! Even when folks from different regions or disciples of different theologians agreed on the words they often disagreed on their meaning. Like the first century church, we can easily envision fragmentation (or bifurcation) to be a more likely outcome than unity.
Please stop and reread the previous paragraph and Ephesians 4:1-5. We live in a time when divisions within the household of faith are many and dangerous, not only for the future of Christendom, but for the health of civil society as well. It might help us to know something about the divisions within the late-first century church, and if so, this little passage from Ephesians is a good place to start.
Go ahead, I’ll wait.
***
I’ll admit to being part of these divisions. Over the years I have, despite many failings, developed a fairly coherent idea about how to live as a Christian. It comes not just from scripture and sermons but also from the examples of modern-day saints who have inspired me to think and act like them. I am also familiar with the thought processes and actions of Christians who think and act in ways that seem diametrically opposed to mine. On good days I consider them to be sisters and brothers in Christ, but I cannot, for the life of me, accept their interpretation of what it means to live a Christian life and to vote as a responsible citizen.
What to do? How can I/we work toward unity across the small “c” catholic church despite our differences? The writer challenges Ephesian Christians to use the resources they have in hand: humility, gentleness, patience, and so on, and these are all important. But what caught my eye was the phrase “making every effort.” The author of Ephesians doesn’t say “you must,” but “do the best you can.” That’s something I can aim for.
I hope that we at St. Paul’s will continue, in what promises to be difficult days ahead for Americans, to welcome people of many political, cultural, and theological points of view. Out of that unifying work we may find our voices in discussions that cross lines of division about how to live in unity.
Written by Bob McMath
In a time of anxiety and uncertainty I am grateful for St. Paul’s unifying witness in our community.