"Unity in Diversity"
Sermon Preached by
The Rev. John Torrance
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Text: John 1:29-42; 1 Corinthians 1:1-18
On behalf of Dr. Peter Holmes, I bring you warm greetings from the congregation of Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, on this day of observance of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, through Churches on the Hill. Actually, I'm also representing today the congregation of Calvin Presbyterian Church, since Rev. Ian MacDonald is away, and unable to participate in today's minister's exchange.
I love getting together like this! Whenever congregations of different denominations agree to cooperate in worship, that's a wonderful thing; and I think it pleases God. It shows that in spite of differing theologies, in spite of dissimilar styles of worship, in spite of distinct ways of proclaiming the Gospel, that God's people can worship together and work together in unity.
I myself am a composite of Christian denominations, like many of you here. I was christened as an Anglican, because my mother is Anglican, but for the first five years of my life we attended a United Church. When we moved to Claremont, Ontario, we began attending the Baptist Church because the Superintendent of the Sunday School drove by our door on the farm. That's why I'm Baptist. Then when I was at McMaster Divinity College, I worked as a student intern for two years at Zion United Church in Hamilton. My career has been as a minister with the Baptist Convention of Ontario and Quebec, and in each of the communities, I have been involved in local ministerials and participated in ecumenical exchanges such as this.
I have heard it said, in the form of criticism, that it is a pity that there have to be so many denominations within the Christian Church. Some people look upon the diversity of the Church as division in the negative sense, and think that this hinders our impact on the world. Although this is partly true, I no longer fully agree, though I must confess that I did at one time. Now I see that the present situation, where there are a number of denominations, is often an asset to the Christian mission, rather than a liability. In a world where there are many different cultures and viewpoints and a large variety of personalities, a diversified presentation of the gospel that is able to speak to many different sorts of people will reach more individuals than a single monolithic structure could at this present time. Of course, we do hope for the eventual unity of Christ's Church - in His time - but for now, it is a fact of life that different people like different styles of worship. Some are very comfortable in a structured, conservative form of worship service, with familiar hymns and an organ to accompany them. Others like a more free-wheeling service with contemporary music and instrumental accompaniment. Some like a very evangelistic sermon, others prefer a teaching style of message, and others like a plethora of illustrations. Many churches now tend to vary the services from week to week, or practice what is called “blended worship.” And some churches, such as Timothy Eaton Memorial, have two worship services on Sunday, one which is contemporary and the other traditional - and I commend you for that. I have often said that theology and style are as much a function of personality as they are of conviction.
Having said this, and recognizing that there are differences amongst denominations, I still firmly believe that churches must act in cooperation. Diversification need not mean division, and although we may have differing denominational structures, styles of worship and sacramental practices, it does not mean that we can't get along, and indeed, on many things work together, as we do, on both the local and national level. Through Churches-on-the-Hill, we have the food bank, the Good Friday Walk, the Advent Service, the Prayer for Christian Unity Service (observed today), and the congeniality of the monthly ministerial meetings. In times of social confusion and economic hardship for many people, our many denominations often cooperate to show not only a spirit of unity, but to speak out on behalf of those who feel dispossessed, and act out our faith through community projects for the disadvantaged and homeless.
It is true that the sheer number of denominations gives the impression to many people that Christ's Church is irrevocably divided, and that this hurts our witness. So it is crucial that we observe the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This, by the way, is the 100th anniversary of this demonstration of unity and cooperation. It began with a small group of Anglican Franciscan Friars getting together with the Sisters of the Atonement Convent in Graymoor, New York, on January 18, 1908, to pray for eight days for the reunion of the Anglican and Roman Catholic Churches. Other denominations joined this endeavour over the years, eventually the World Council of Churches was formed, and since the Second Vatican Council in the early 1960's the prayer movement has been universally observed as the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
But a sense of unity and cooperation amongst denominations is only one aspect that needs to be addressed. It is especially important that people within a single church work together well.
Unity is what the Apostle Paul insists is most important in church life when he writes to the Corinthians. “Be completely united, with only one thought and one purpose,” he says. The reason he emphasizes this is because the Corinthian Christians were marching to different drummers. Some were following Paul, others Apollos, others Peter, and others Christ. These opposing parties threatened the unity of the church with dissensions, so Paul made it clear that Jesus is the only Head of the Church, and that they should spend their time worshipping and serving Christ rather than in arguments over other leaders in the church.
Paul doesn't imply that the various groups have separated and are meeting apart, but rather that cliques are manifesting themselves within a single congregation and are quarrelling. He condemns the spirit of their arguments, not their right to various opinions. They have a right to dissent, but not to dissension.
Paul's concern for the unity of the Body of Christ, and his horror at any suggestion that a variety of fallible human leaders could possibly replace the sole divine authority of Christ, is apparent in his displeasure with them. It doesn't matter under whose instruction we first learn of the truth of the Gospel, says Paul. The church has only one foundation, Christ Himself. And we must remain united behind Christ in what we do together.
Paul gave to the Corinthians a prescription for their healing - a way for them to find their way back to the unity and the joy and the peace that they, as a church, so much needed.
In this prescription Paul speaks over and over again about the cross and its power. Indeed he elevates the cross above all other things in his letter to the Corinthians. It is in the cross and what it means that we also find the answer that we need in our offices and homes, in our clubs and sports organizations, in our churches and our families.
Simply put - Jesus calls us all to the cross. He calls us to die with him so that we might also live with him. And whenever we forget that this is our calling, whenever we seek to put ourselves first - to put our own interests first - we deny the cross and we set ourselves up for the death that sin brings.
The power of the cross is a power that reaches across the walls that divide us from God and from each other. The way of the cross brings us the light and the salvation of God in spite of whether or not we deserve light or salvation. The cross was endured by Christ for our sakes in the hope that its healing will be accepted, that its power would be embraced by those who are made aware of it.
If we want to make a difference, if we want to be a light in the darkness, a healing presence in the midst of pain, then we need the way of Christ - the way of a faith which asserts that God's kingdom will come and that it is for all.
Along the western coast of Ireland, fishermen use a round-bottomed keel-less craft known as a currach. This boat has a tarred canvas cover over a wooden frame. Because of its unique construction, it is vulnerable to sharp rocks or floating debris or capsizing, so it requires the oarsmen to cooperate completely, rowing in perfect unison.
Out of this need for unity has come the Irish expression, “You will have to pull with the crew.” Or, as another Irish proverb states, “There is no strength without unity.”
What is true for Irish fishermen is especially true for believers in Jesus Christ. When we consider the various functions we're involved in as individuals at a church, whether on a committee, or a group, teaching Sunday School, a youth programme, or an outreach venture, if everyone doesn't “pull with the crew,” the job of serving Christ as one body will not get done.
Unity is so important to the success of the cause of Christ that Paul pleaded with the Corinthians to eliminate division and to work in harmony. We must always be conscious of not forming cliques in which others feel excluded. It's not only important to have a sense of unity, but also to make sure that everyone feels that they belong.
In the Gospel lesson from John 1, we read the story of John the Baptist recognizing Jesus as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” When two fishermen hear this from John, they immediately start to follow Jesus. In Matthew's Gospel we are told that they are called by Jesus to retain their profession, but change their catch. “Come with me, and I will teach you to be fishers of men (of people).” I wonder if Jesus called several of these men who worked together because they knew the importance of teamwork. One third of the twelve disciples were fishermen. If they didn't work in unity in rowing the boat and in casting their nets, then they could never be successful in their profession. Their new profession was to bring people to Jesus.
When was the last time you shared your faith with someone who is not a believer, not a member of the church? I imagine that many of us have never had that experience. We are uncomfortable talking about our faith with other people. We don't want to be “pushy,” or to be identified with the TV evangelists, or to be caught not knowing what to say. But fear of being too “pushy” leads most of us to say nothing about what we believe, to segment our lives, carefully sealing off our faith which may be the most important part of our lives.
Do you know the major reason given by people who don't go to church when they are asked why they don't attend? “Nobody ever asked me.”
And the statisticians tell us that the overwhelming response that people give when they are asked why they started attending church is that a friend asked them to. It's not the family connection that matters so much, or special evangelistic appeals, or the preacher, but the invitation of a friend.
And yet we have done a poor job of fishing with Jesus. We hesitantly cast our nets and then we quickly pull them in, satisfied with a meagre catch, simply because we're an attractive boat on the side of the street.
And yet Jesus has commanded us to share the good news, has promised to make us “fishers of people,” to help us feel the joy of bringing other people to Him.
Think about the people with whom you work at the office, the people who you enjoy having lunch with at school, your next-door neighbour, the friend at the sports arena. Have you invited them to come to church with you?
We can no longer assume that Canada is a “Christian country.” Increasing numbers of people are utterly ignorant about the church, have no idea of the Bible, and feel alone and disconnected from religious faith. But rather than simply lament about this situation, perhaps we need to read the polls that tell us that people's spiritual hunger has actually increased this decade, and that we ought to see this as a great opportunity for us to enjoy fishing with Jesus, casting our the nets, telling what we have seen and heard and felt, pointing to the God of love who has loved us and called us, and calls and loves our neighbours as well.
We are called to live out the Gospel in the midst of our ordinary lives. You are not called to stop being a teacher, a salesman, an electrician, a store clerk, an engineer, a student, a civil servant, a parent, a spouse, or to stop engaging in other normal human activities. You are not called to give up being a citizen of the world. Instead, you are called to bring Christ to all of those ordinary obligations. You are called to transform the world by your Christian witness, and to demonstrate a love that is all encompassing for those around us.
That's the kind of love that the first disciples felt from Jesus after having been with Him for awhile. That is the kind of love that the Apostle Paul desired the people of Corinth to feel, rather than rivalry. When we are experiencing that kind of love in our lives, and through our churches, despair cannot get the best of us, sin cannot scar our lives, and differing opinions cannot tear us apart.
The theme of unity - in love, and in service - is so important that Jesus prayed earnestly for it just before he was arrested and went to the cross. Let's close with His words: “I pray that they may all be one. Father! May they be in us, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they be one, so that the world will believe that you sent me... and that you love them as you love me.” (John 17:21f.)