Saturday, July 18, 2009

Thoughts on unity, spurred by Paul

I have recently been reading and reflecting on Philippians (and Ephesians), and I have been thankful for the many deep ministry partnerships I have experienced in my life. But I also feel frustrated: most of these partnerships began before I joined my current denomination, and well before I became a pastor within it.
All this, of course, leads to the question of why: have I not given myself enough to form new friendships? Have I just not networked enough? Am I just not giving people enough credit? Am I just hoping for too much?
Perhaps, no, I don’t think so, and if any of Paul’s letters are to be believed: definitely no.
But as I have gotten to know my fellow pastors I wonder if we are all rather impoverished in this area. Even when I hear people talk about partnerships, it so rarely seems more than merely social, rarely more than mere affection or approval (or envy). We so often illustrate unity itself as mere comity or in intensely outward terms: being 'nice' and tolerant of each other, being willing to be in the same judicatory together, having attended the same seminaries, sharing worship styles, etc. Even in our individual congregations I hear little that is deeper.
In our denomination do we have so little actual unity in the Spirit, so little common understanding of faith, so little common understanding of who God is, that all we have are the outward markers and definitions of unity, and not true partnership in the gospel? Worship style, buildings, governance, rules for discipline: all these and more we not only insist on, but come to see them as what defines our unity. But the reality, I am persuaded, is the opposite. To the extent we actually serve God and God alone, to the extent we are truly turned to Christ fully and only, then we will find that we will have great diversity in all things merely external (worship styles, leadership structures, etc.), while still tangibly living in the fullness of unity that we were created (and are continually invited!) to enjoy.

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