A Sermon on Christian Unity

Ephesians 4:1-6,14-16

The story is told of a Christian who was stranded by himself for several years on a deserted island. One day a ship happened to see three huts on this island and sent a rescue team to investigate. The rescuers were confused to find one man but three huts and so they ask him about them. The man answered: That one is my house. That one is the church I go to. That one is the church I used to go to. If we are to think of the church as one big family, it would seem most days we give definition to the word “dysfunctional.” But if it’s any consolation, it seems it was that way in the church from the very beginning. Most of Paul’s letters were written to address issues that were threatening to divide the churches to which they were written. The letter to the Ephesians is one of those letters. In chapter four, Paul pleads for Christian unity. I will be reading verses 1-6 and 14-16.

“I (Paul), the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all … We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.”

One commentary on the book of Ephesians says, “No passage in the Bible is more descriptive of the church in action than Ephesians 4:1-16.” In these verses, the Apostle Paul does not voice confidence that the churches will not have differences of opinion or practice. Rather, he expresses his hope that they find a way to live with those differences in a way that is worthy of their calling. What is our calling as Christians? It hasn’t changed since Paul wrote his letter: our calling is to live according to the teachings of Christ and the example he set for us in his life. As Christians, we are part of the family of God and we are in Christ as Christ is in us. We are to love God with all of our heart and with all our soul and with all our mind. Then we are to love others as we love ourselves. As Jesus said, these are the two greatest commandments … our calling finds its source in love. The problem is, the church at Ephesus knew of all this and probably even said the word “love” often in their worship and in their prayers. But when it came to putting the word into practice, they weren’t doing it. They were divided between Jews and Gentiles. They were divided by what they ate. They were divided by ideas about worship. And their division was not just hurting the church, it was hurting the message. Paul wrote to remind them that their calling required them to actually live love. Paul’s words are just as true for us today as for the churches in Ephesus then. Churches – none of us here, of course – have divided over worship service times, music, money, and even the color of the carpet in the sanctuary. Disunity within any church hurts that church, but disunity in the Church of Jesus Christ is much worse because it hurts the message of Christ that we are commanded to share with the world. So, what is Paul’s advice for finding unity in disagreement? 

Paul’s first advice is to remember what unites us. It’s so easy to focus on our differences that we tend to forget those things we hold in common. Paul writes, remember that you have one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. In just two verses, Paul repeats the word “one” seven times. Through repetition, his hope is that we focus on our oneness instead of our divisions. These are the same things that bring our individual churches together for these Lenten services – in Lent we remember the God who created and loves us, in Lent we remember the Christ who lived and then died on the cross for us, and in Lent, we look forward to Easter Sunday and the celebration of the resurrection which affirms the promise we have of eternal life. The things that are the most important unite us. When it comes to our core, we share one faith.  

Paul’s next advice goes to dealing with all the smaller things that can cause division. How do we not get drawn into our divisions such that they cause disunity in the body of Christ? First, he says, walk with humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Making every effort, Paul says. In other words, living into these words isn’t easy for us. I don’t know about you but humility and patience are not two of my favorite words. What are the words to that old country song? “O Lord it’s hard to be humble when I’m perfect in every way.” And when it comes to patience, I’m fine with being patient as long as I get what I want when I want it. When we are humble we think of others’ needs ahead of our own and we admit that we just might be wrong … on occasion anyway. When we are patient we don’t listen more than we speak and when we do speak we take time to reflect on whether our words come from a place of love. Ever speak too quickly or hit send on a text, email, or social media post and immediately wish you hadn’t done that? What Paul is saying is simple to hear and understand, but hard to live: The Christian life is a life of putting up with other people. Our talk becomes our walk. Not because it comes naturally to us, but because the rewards are so great: when we are humble, patient, and bear with one another in love we are united in the Holy Spirit and bound together in peace. 

Secondly, Paul says, don’t just walk in unity, be unified in your ministry. ICAN is just one reminder of how we are better together. Our call to ministry is to build up, not tear down, the body of Christ. We know we can drive people away from the church by our divisiveness, but we can also reach more people for Christ together than we ever could separately. 

Finally, Paul says, remember that growth comes through unity. V. 14: “Then (when we have come together in unity and peace), we will no longer be little children tossed and blown around … but let us grow in every way into him who is the head of the Church – Christ.” We cannot be Christ-like until we learn to live like Christ, the one who said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."  

It’s clear that we all have differences of opinion. We worship differently. We have different views on politics, government, and culture. We see the world through different lenses, shaped by our own life experiences. That is true even among the people who call themselves United Methodists. But it might help us to remember that division is not the same thing as diversity and unity is not the same thing as uniformity. 

John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, preached numerous sermons on Christian unity in the mid to late 1700s. I would like to share a few of his words:

• In essentials, unity; in non-essentials liberty; in all things, love (in all honesty, he might have borrowed that one);
• Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion? Without all doubt, we may. I dare not presume to impose my mode of worship on any other; my belief is no rule for another. My only question at present is, “Is thy heart right (in Christ) as my heart is? If it be so, give me thy hand.”
• Unity does not mean be of my opinion. You need not. No one knows God to perfection. Hold fast that which you believe is most acceptable to God, and I will do the same. But love me, commend me to God in your prayers, and provoke – or encourage – me to love and good works. I will do the same for you. And together we will love God with all our hearts. 

And since I am here tonight, I found this quote by Pope Francis in 2014: “Unity does not imply uniformity; it does not necessarily mean doing everything together or thinking in the same way. Nor does it signify a loss of identity. Unity in diversity is actually the opposite: it involves the joyful recognition and acceptance of the various gifts which the Holy Spirit gives to each one and the placing of these gifts at the service of all members of the Church. It means knowing how to listen, to accept differences, and having the freedom to think differently and express oneself with complete respect towards the other who is my brother or sister. Do not be afraid of differences!”

This is the Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.