Recently, I have been reflecting on unity.
I suppose, what brought it to mind, was a meeting I attended yesterday. I came from it encouraged. When I got home, I said to my wife “They were people I could really work with.” I felt excited by the prospect.
This morning, as part of my quiet time, I listened to the Monks of Pluscarden Abbey singing Ecce quam bonom. The words are from Psalm 133;
How good and pleasant it is
when God’s people live together in unity!It is like precious oil poured on the head,
(Psalm 133)
running down on the beard,
running down on Aaron’s beard,
down on the collar of his robe.
It is as if the dew of Hermon
were falling on Mount Zion.
For there the Lord bestows his blessing,
even life for evermore.
In three short verses, the Psalmist beautifully sums up the joy, the blessing and the, sometimes, messiness of unity.
Unity does not sit easily with the worlds view. “I am entitled to my opinion”, “I will only agree with you, if it suits me” seems to be the mantra chanted by many. Unity calls us to put self to one side and seek common ground where more than “self” can dwell.
As I look back over my (many) years, I have seen the good side of unity and the hurt and pain caused by disunity. Jesus understood the challenge that we would face when, in the garden of Gethsemane, he prayed;
that all of them may be one
(John 17 vs. 21)
Jesus knew that his Church, united, would speak with a greater volume than one divided. The Apostle Paul saw the effects of division in a Church fellowship when he wrote to the Church in Corinth;
The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already.
(1 Corinthians 6 vs. 7)
Ouch!
The quarrels amongst the Church in Corinth meant that their witness was not a good one!
Division = defeat.
What began to form within my mind was realisation that Church and Christian unity comes not from my being surrounded by the right kind of people but, by me being willing to become the right kind of person.
For that to happen, I need to be open and willing to allow God to be at work in my heart and through my life.
Today, as I spent some time praying for my new friends and for my established friendships, I prayed that all of them would;
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace
(Ephesians 4 vs. 3)
It is a good prayer to pray.
Perhaps you would like to pray it too.