Unity without Uniformity
The statement was made to me, “If ever Christians need to be tightly united, it is now!” By my count there are at least eight Christian Churches in Young. The late James Calvert, Pastor of the New Life Church in Young, was a passionate advocate for Christian unity. I believe that a very real sense of unity does exist and it is growing. The pastors of many of the Churches meet together each week to pray for one another and our Churches, for the well-being of people and the businesses of our town. We encourage and support one another. The bible says, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity” (Psalm 133:1).
The question could be asked, “If we were truly unified, wouldn’t we have just one Church?” That’s not what unity means.
There is incredible diversity amongst the Christians of Young. They don’t fit a stereotype. You could be sitting next to a Christian right now and not know it. We certainly don’t agree on everything, but we do agree on the things that matter. Just like anyone else, we have our preferred ways of doing things. We like different types of music. Some like their gatherings to be relaxed and informal. Others like more formality and ceremony. Hopefully, that means there is a Church in this town where everyone can feel comfortable. A desire for unity doesn’t give us the right to impose our preferences on others. In fact, maintaining our differences gives depth and richness to the Church, just as diversity and multiculturalism give richness to the life of the community in which we live.
Jesus was passionate about unity and his passion came from his nature. Last Sunday, some Churches celebrated Trinity Sunday. The word “Trinity” describes our belief that God is, at the same time, one God and three persons - Father, Son, and Spirit. Within one God, these three persons exist in perfect unity, with an absolute commitment to one another and a complete unity of purpose, and yet they remain quite distinct and quite different. Within God, there is both unity and diversity. As Christians, we strive to reflect Jesus in our lives. The bible speaks of God’s desire that “we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).
The question could be asked, “If we were truly unified, wouldn’t we have just one Church?” That’s not what unity means.
There is incredible diversity amongst the Christians of Young. They don’t fit a stereotype. You could be sitting next to a Christian right now and not know it. We certainly don’t agree on everything, but we do agree on the things that matter. Just like anyone else, we have our preferred ways of doing things. We like different types of music. Some like their gatherings to be relaxed and informal. Others like more formality and ceremony. Hopefully, that means there is a Church in this town where everyone can feel comfortable. A desire for unity doesn’t give us the right to impose our preferences on others. In fact, maintaining our differences gives depth and richness to the Church, just as diversity and multiculturalism give richness to the life of the community in which we live.
Jesus was passionate about unity and his passion came from his nature. Last Sunday, some Churches celebrated Trinity Sunday. The word “Trinity” describes our belief that God is, at the same time, one God and three persons - Father, Son, and Spirit. Within one God, these three persons exist in perfect unity, with an absolute commitment to one another and a complete unity of purpose, and yet they remain quite distinct and quite different. Within God, there is both unity and diversity. As Christians, we strive to reflect Jesus in our lives. The bible speaks of God’s desire that “we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13).