John 17:20-26
A couple of weeks ago, I went to a clergy meeting. Nowadays (I mean, after the difficult Special Session of General Conference), we talk a lot about the future of our denomination. One pastor shared that he didn’t know how to respond to a question raised by one of his church members, “What does it mean to be a United Methodist today… in terms of human sexuality?”
I already shared what I believe. I believe we should welcome ALL people. It is very clear to me that we should truly be the inclusive church, but I don’t have a clear-cut answer to a question like, “How would you describe being a UM clergy these days? (because what I believe on this issue is not compatible with UMC’s official doctrine.” As you know, NYAC will be held this week and this is the most important topic this year. This year’s conference theme is: “Continuation of the Pathways and Possibilities, Journeying Together.” The key word is Journeying together.
I don’t think it is not an accident that the Gospel lesson assigned to this particular Sunday is all about love and unity. John chapter 17 is Jesus’ prayer on the eve of his death and the text we read minutes ago is the very last part of the prayer. As death approaches, Jesus speaks to his disciples of the deepest meaning of his life and of what faces them. In chapter 13, we read, “Love one another as I have loved you.” It was not just his parting advice. Rather, it was his dying wish to his “friends.”
In today’s lesson, Love appears five times in three short sentences. Jesus prays that believers will be one, united by that very same love that unites him to the Father, and that this unity be a sign that will bring “the world” to belief so that all may come to know God and the depth of God’s love.
In the conclusion of this prayer, Jesus prays for those who would believe because of the message of the disciples. In other words, he prays for us. He prays for the church. The one request that stands out (because it is repeated three times!) is that His followers be united as One.
The reason for unity is in verse 21: “May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you sent me.” You see, the world may have a hard time understanding or believing in Jesus but they cannot argue with love in His followers. In verse 23 Jesus says almost the same thing: “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” Jesus tells us (once again) that thegreatest tool of evangelism is the love we show for each other. Unity is the bedrock of evangelism. People understand the love of God when they see that love manifested in His/Her people.
There is another reason for unity: we need each other. In 1 Corinthians Paul likens us to a body. There are many parts, but each part is essential to have a well functioning body. Our differences serve a very important function:
Differences keep us fresh and alive. It is certainly true that “variety is the spice of life.” Different understandings on the Bible and/or the tradition help us to think about what we believe, which is good. It is easy to simply adopt what others say about the Bible and stop thinking. And when you stop thinking, you stop growing in faith. So, those who have different understandings or different opinions help you to stay mentally awake and alert. That’s good for us. Differences do not destroy us; they strengthen us.
But, unity does not mean ignoring controversial issues. We must not ignore those areas on which we disagree. The matters we disagree on are important to our growth and development. But, the attitude in which we carry on our debate must be one of love: first for God, second for each other. I believe the process of discussion and debate is what helps us to grow in faith.
When we discuss these issues, we must remember that unity is not the same as Uniformity. The unity that enlarges the kingdom of God is not meant to be the uniformity that makes us all the same. Unity is not meant to impose the“melting-pot”mentalitythat destroys cultural, theological, and social distinctions. Rather, the unity of God’s kingdom celebrates the diversity of God’s creation and various understandings and interpretations of the Bible as well.
The understandable criticism of many Christians nowadays is that we seem so sure of ourselves, so certain that God is on our side and that we are on God’s side. In our own imaginations, we know the truth, and it is absolute. So the tendency is to adopt an us-against-them mentality. Paul tells us we should not be ‘haughty.’ The dictionary definition of haughty is ‘disdainfully proud or overbearing: arrogant,’ which is exactly how we appear to others.” This is an uniformity approach, not an unity approach.
One of the best experiences of my life was attending somewhat liberal theological schools both in Seoul Korea many years ago and here in Madison, NJ. At first, it was certainly frustrating because I had attended a very conservative Presbyterian church in my high school years. In fact, I wanted to go to a conservative Presbyterian seminary, but all my family members advised me to go to the Methodist Theological Seminary. I could not resist, because I am from a Methodist family in which there are several Methodist pastors. It was frustrating because I disagreed so often with the teachers, but, it was valuable because it taught me that many people have reasoned positions that I disagree with.
(When I was young), I used to think that anyone who disagreed with me was spiritually inferior. All they needed was to be “shown the truth” and they would see that I was right. Yes, I was very arrogant. But, eventually, I learned that some of these people were serious students of the Bible and did love the Lord and still came down on different sides of an issue than I did. By listening to these people I was able to deepen and broaden my own understanding of God.
In our desire to promote our own beliefs we have a strong tendency to belittle and criticize others publically. This should not be done. We need to be clear on what we are about. We are about following Jesus and glorifying Christ, not our particular belief. We will have different approaches, different points of emphasis, but the same Lord.
We work together rather than against each other. We need to encourage rather than divide. We are not called to be the same; we are called to be one. Variety is valuable. In many cases the issues we have do not boil down to who is “right” and who is “wrong.” In most cases, issues are simply a matter of personality and preference. Different means just “Different.” Nothing else! It doesn’t mean “better than” or “worse than,” it just means “different.”
The unity of the Gospel requires us to live into the diversity of God’s creation. It requires us to be reconciled with love and compassion to a higher purpose – one that results in unity. It is the responsibility of people who follow Jesus. As we gather around the Lord’s Table, let us join together as one united Body of Christ. Amen.
