Connected

For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body -- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free -- and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:12-13 NRSV)

Paul talks of one body in the passage quoted above. He is writing to a church that was struggling with unity among a great deal of diversity - to a church that was trying to discover who it would be in a world that wasn't prepared for the message it was bringing about God and God’s love.

We’re not in a vastly different place today. Although the church has existed for a couple of millennium, we are still living in a world that doesn't know what to do with the message of love and grace we bring from God. Of course, that message isn't always clearly stated. Far too often the message received is about Christians themselves and their conflicts with one another over one theological issue or another.

I once served in youth ministry at First Lutheran Church in Chambersburg, PA. My wife joked when I told her about the job, “Oh, as opposed to Second Lutheran.” I said, “Yes, that church is on the other side of town.” Second Lutheran had formed over a disagreement whether to continue to use German in worship. That disagreement happened around 1835. During my time there the two churches still didn't talk much or work together in any way. It’s so incredibly easy for us to find ways to disagree and tear our communities apart rather than seek ways to live in the unity of Christ.

In many ways, we model a better model of unity here in this place. We come together from different faith backgrounds and worship together as one body of Christ. We recently had a Revival that included our Catholic brothers and sisters, just as we had gathered together at the foot of the cross on Good Friday.

The world will continue to try to pull us apart. The world and our own sinfulness will continue to drive wedges of discord and conflict between us as we fall away from the call to be one body in Christ. This weekend we will celebrate Pentecost - the moment when The Holy Spirit brought the message of God to a diverse community. Open your heart to the Holy Spirit to hear the love of God in a way that brings you closer to your neighbor - to a fellow child of God. You might be surprised how much you have in common.