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 together all kinds of people, from all kinds of backgrounds. There are many labels we use. In Paul’s time, the labels were “Jew” and “Greek,” “slave” and “free.” Today, we have others: Black and white, rich and poor, Republican and Democrat, American, South African, Mexican, physically challenged, mentally challenged, young, old. All labels. But underneath the labels are human beings—people created and loved by God.

What Paul is telling them is this: you all have something in common—Christ died for each one of you. And through your baptism, Christ has called every one of you into his one body: the Church.

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

It is precisely into this 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 each of us would do our part to take the first steps toward healing. May we be quick to listen and slow to speak (James 1:19). May we look to the interests of others before our own (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.