"Unity with Diversity"
Sermon Presented May 4, 2008
John 17:1-11
Even if you aren't following the political scene, you can't help but notice that the Democratic Party is fragmented. Some say it is fractured! I doubt if there is as much diversity as the candidates are trying to project, but it seems unlikely that the damage can be repaired easily or completely. Because both candidates want to win the nomination, they seem to be willing to do whatever is necessary to accomplish that goal. In a month or two, the party will try to unite as one, but anger and resentment may get in the way - all to the delight of the Republicans. Now Democrats are divided. The goal will be to unite before November.
The Gospel of John addresses unity of believers in the 17th chapter. The setting is the final supper Jesus eats with his disciples. John replaces the prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane that the other gospel writers include with this prayer. It's a prayer Jesus prays to God seeking protection for his followers after he leaves them. He recognizes the havoc caused by divisions and so he prays for their unity! I'm reading from John 17:1-11.
Jesus isn't asking for the impossible here, even though this request may sound impossible to us. He asks God to unite the disciples so that they might be "one" as he and God are "one". Let's look at what is meant by being "one".
First, let me explain what it isn't! It doesn't mean that all of Jesus' followers should walk in lock step - thinking alike and believing the same thing. Models for unity must embrace diversity - not sameness - and must include multiple minority voices. This model invites inclusion around a table. The New Testament canon is a model of diversity. It places Christian authors with divergent perspectives alongside one another without trying to harmonize them (David Rhodes in new proclamation Year A, 2005, p. 76.)
Our nation is also built on the concept of unity with diversity. When we became the United States of America, no one imagined that the states would someday be alike. I see little similarity between Wisconsin and New York, California or Texas. But the states form a union - one nation, indivisible.
Families can be "one" without sharing the same personhood - or personalities. Even identical triplets like Pam, Patti and Priscilla are alike but different. They appreciate their individuality AND they appreciate the fact that they share many of the same characteristics, values and friendships. They are "one" and yet they are also separate individuals.
Christians are to be "one" with one another, and yet we don't all agree on what it means to follow Jesus. Neither did the disciples or the early Church. But when we maintain unity - with our diversity - when we love one another - then we show the world that Christ lives in us. This is the goal for discipleship!
When there are divisions within a family, a neighborhood, a church, a community or a nation, there is grief. Divisions make it difficult to celebrate the good times or come together in bad times. Divisions can cause wars - between individuals and between nations. Divisions can diminish the productivity of businesses. Divisions kill churches, marriages, organizations, and friendships, and they also make a vital relationship with God impossible.
Please note that I am not speaking of disagreements or differences of opinion. There will always be disagreements in families, communities, churches, political parties and nations, just as there were disagreements and differences among the followers of Jesus - both before and after Jesus' death. In this prayer, Jesus calls the Christian family to unity instead of our historic divisiveness.
Historically the Church has been fractured because of how Scripture is interpreted. Some people choose to interpret Scripture literally - sometimes resulting in death, injury, excommunication, job loss or imprisonment to those with different interpretations. The people doing the judging believe they are right! They seldom experience guilt over their actions. They believe they are acting as God would have them to act. However, the health of a body depends on how people with different experiences, backgrounds and ideas work together to create diverse ways of looking at life and the gospel of Jesus. The health of the body depends on how we treat one another when huge differences exist.
So, how do we look at this prayer today? Do we decide that from the looks of our world and the Church that God didn't answer the prayer and move on, or do we see how we can participate in the answer to the prayer? My hope is that we choose the latter response.
Achieving unity is divine work and it's also hard work on our part! It's what Jesus asks God to do for us - but we must cooperate. And God helps us on that journey to oneness time and time again when we open our minds and hearts to a spirit of unity - not sameness but diversity in the many minority voices that God provides. When we desire to live in a right relationship with God and with one another, God will help us to be more forgiving, accepting, and loving, so that we become a united community.
Can we be "one" with the immigrant or refugee who comes to Milwaukee to seek a better life for his or her family? Can we be "one" with the gay couple that struggles to gain acceptance and equal rights? Can we be "one" with the poor, the homeless, the addict, the hungry, and the developmentally challenged? Can we be one with the Democrat, the Republican, the conservative or the liberal? We can become "one" when we seek God's help to understand, empathize with, and willingly help those who are different than we. There is an old proverb that says: "Let there be such oneness among you that when one weeps the other will taste the salt." I would guess that none of us tastes the tears of those who are different than we nearly as much as God desires.
Long ago, Plotinus, an ancient Greek mystic, wrote, "If we are in unity with the Spirit, we are in unity with each other, and so we are all one." These words suggest that there is an underlying unity in all of life, and recognizing the Spirit of God as the unifying force of all life becomes a most crucial recognition for us. When we accept the Spirit of God as the unifying principle of all life, we will find unity with God and people. (Howard Thurman, Weavings XXIII: 3, p. 15)
In order to be "one" with people, we must be with them. People who appear to be deeply religious can become intolerant and hostile toward others when they stay in their cocoons. Some of the most terrifying hate organizations are made up in large part of people who are very devout in the worship of their God. We can't be true to Christ in isolation.
To be in unity with the Spirit is to be in unity with others who may be very different from us. The reverse is also true. When we aren't in unity with others, we can't be in unity with the Spirit. The test of our unity with the Spirit is found in our unity or lack of unity with others.
When we are out of harmony with another, our life is out of sync. Gulfs appear between us and another and between us and God. When we draw closer to God, we draw closer to people. It's important to stay alert. I can't be at peace without God and I can't be truly aware of God if I am not at peace with others. For the sake of my unity with God, I must keep working on my relationships with people. (Ibid. p. 16)
Jesus knew that living in unity was difficult for even the most dedicated followers, so he asked God to protect them from forces that would keep them from being unified. Do we really believe we are a community for whom Jesus prayed? Are we willing to work for unity in diversity in our families, our church, our community and our nation? The decision is ours - and will need to be reaffirmed - again and again and again! We are all works in progress, but thankfully, we do have God's help!
