That They May Be One

In his first letter to the Corinthians (12:12-13), the Apostle Paul wrote:

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

In other words, God has called all types of people together, from all types of backgrounds. And there are all types of labels we can use. In those days the labels were Jew and Greek, slave and free. Today we have other labels. We might say, black and white, rich and poor, republican and democrat, American, South African, Philippino, Mexican, physically challenged, mentally challenged, young, old. All labels. But underneath the labels are human beings – people that God created, that God loves.

And what Paul is telling them is that you all have this in common – Christ died for each one of you. And through your baptism, Christ has called each and every one of you into his one body – the church.

In these precarious times, our nation continues to be extremely divided. We are polarized on any number of issues, and there is a tremendous amount of anger and even hatred among us. As a result, the wounds are deep. Our common life is fragile and less rich.

It is precisely into our context, that Paul’s words speak to us as followers of Christ. His words echo one of Jesus’s most fervent prayers, that we would be one as he and the Father are one (John 17:21).

Today, I pray that we would each do our part to take the first steps toward healing. May we be quick to listen, slow to speak (James 1:19). May we look to the interests of others before looking to our own interests (Philippians 2:4). And, as we reclaim the unity we have in Christ, may we experience the fullness of his peace.

Let us pray: We pray today, O God, for healing. Use us, even us, as instruments of your grace, mercy, and peace, through Christ our Lord. Amen.