ONE

ONE

¹¹ And now I am no more in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to thee. Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. 

²⁰ “I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, ²¹ that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. ²² The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, ²³ I in them and thou in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as thou hast loved me. (Jn.17)

Jesus prays (in John.17) for unity of the Twelve, and then, the unity of all subsequent disciples down through the ages.  That prayer has not been realized, in many ways, since that time in the life of Jesus.  As a child, growing up in the American Restoration Movement, I sat and listened to many a sermon about this text.  The RM was, originally, an attempt to “unite believers in all the sects”.  Those familiar with the RM know that unity is an elusive goal, not really attained.  The RM has divided repeatedly in this search for unity.  Recently I sat and listened to a Holiness Church preacher work through this text, again.  But, even they do not all see “eye to eye” even though they emphasize the role of the “Spirit of Unity” in their fellowship.  A cursory review of their history will reveal two churches with the same name with two different headquarters!  Dig a little deeper and the differences are more than just names chosen.

Confessedly, my mind wandered as the Wednesday Bible class meandered.  I began to ask myself what it means to be “one”, what it looks like to be “one”, how does one attain and/or maintain this state of “one”.  I worked through different categories.  Then, I began to wonder if a complete paradigm shift was needed?!

1.                   First, I scribbled, SOUND ALIKE?  I work with good old boys that love “southern gospel” – only!  My daughter attends a church that has a rock concert every Sunday!  Their preacher explains that the music is not for “us” but for “them” – an attempt to “become all things to all men…”?!  Then, there are translations-wars.  I remember buying my children NIV’s so they could understand what they read; but, my traditional parents insisted they must have KJV’s.  There is room for much discussion in this matter. (and also multi-generational parenting guidelines!)  A corollary of this is the jargon of churches that is so foreign to outsiders.  And, we are just dealing with the English-speaking part of Christendom!  Some would like it all in Latin.  No, we will not be “one” even if we all sound alike.  [Hosanna – Jesus Saves; Hallelujah – PTL; Maranatha – Come, Lord Jesus!]

2.                   So, maybe we’d be “one” if we LOOK ALIKE?  “suits and ties are mandatory” – well not so much anymore, but there are some diehards about this.  Then, there was the “long hair” deal of my teens.  I hope that the next generation has gotten past this.  Some of them seem to have a problem with my hair style choices, though! (what little bit is left)  Maybe we could talk about tattoos and piercings?!  More seriously, different ethnic groups in this melting pot seem determined to keep their distinctive past the baptismal pool.  I do like my cowboy boots.  But, if somebody else wants to wear uggs or sandals, more power to them.  And, if somebody wants to wear a dashiki, more (black) power to him!  I may wear a kilt?!  I have Indian friends that wear saris.  What I have in common (“one”-ness) with them is not what we look like, at least not on the outside.  Wonder if the Twelve dressed alike?  But, I do not have a robe, other than a bathrobe.  [(me and Maurice); “in pain until X be formed in you…”  (Gal.4:19) – look alike on the inside!]

3.                   So, then I jotted down, THINK ALIKE.  That is mostly what I heard when growing up.  What I found that to mean was more like “do not think, just say what I say” or something like that.  It was consistent, seemingly, since many of the mouthpieces had no connection to any genuine or personal thinking.  Questions were often not really welcome, especially follow-up questions that went behind pat answers.  I dove deeply into systematic theology and strove to get the big picture with all the various nuances ferreted out of their rabbit holes.  But most of the ads I saw just wanted a “sound gospel preacher” on their payroll.  I ran into elders that did know “Generations from Revolutions” nor a TULIP from a DAISY.  “Orthodox” might mean some sort of foot powder, as far as they are concerned.  And I work with Baptists who “are not Calvinists”?!  (that is really strange to me)  Maybe it about “boiling down” to the essentials and fundamentals?  But, then defining “faith, hope, and love” would become divisive, I fear.  I once knew a sister who moved to India with her husband for his job.  They found Christian fellowship with differently-striped believers, surrounded by a majority population of Hindu people.  They had to focus on their common ground and ignore the peripheria.  Maybe, it would be a good unity exercise for all believers to assemble with others with whom they disagree, for at least six months?!  I despair becoming “one” because we all “think alike”?! [Lk.18 “…have mercy on me, the sinner…”  there is our one-ness – all sinners! Ground level at foot of Cross!]

4.                   ACT ALIKE?! Seriously?  The “holy rollers” look down on others who do not shout and raise hands.  The “mainliners” look down on emotional outbursts and academically-challenged teaching.  The Pietists stress the heart.  Presbyterians are a head-game.  Act alike in-house, or always?  Sunday behavior and Monday behavior is so often inconsistent, within any of these sub-groups.  Cross-group Monday behavior may be more similar?!  I have known sincere disciples that love ritual, and, others who despise predictability.  Who is to say?  And, all this is just in the “Bible Belt”!  I’d love to worship with Chinese underground churches, then African deep-jungle believers, then Amazonian disciples of Jesus, then a Bronx storefront church, then … all in the same month!  I seriously doubt they’d “act alike”?!  Yet, they’d be “one” on some level?  [all act like Jesus – WWJD?! ; Patheos 12-month Jesus study -> 52 weeks?!]

5.                   Maybe, VOTE ALIKE?  For years churches have tried to be a-political.  The IRS demands it.  The Democrats push gay-marriage, abortion, …  The Republicans push greed, inhumanity, white-supremacy … (these are not my stereotypes)  I know serious, sincere believers who line up on different sides of this complicated dichotomy.  I really do not think the answer to this world’s problems is going to come out of Washington.  I fear, no matter how we vote, this world machine is picking up speed.  Unless we fly with wings from above, we will never be “one”. [“give to Caesar what is his and to God what is His!”]

6.                   Next, I jotted down MARCH ALIKE.  By this, I mean cult-like uniformity.  I hear, even from well-meaning, growth-oriented leaders, words such as “maybe this is not the church for you…”  I was once a part of a mega-church that had a program Amway would have drooled over.  It reminds me, in retrospect, of the Borg. (think Star Trek)  With a HQ and military-chain-of-command, the adherents are “one”!  But, who is decide between Rome and Constantinople? Between Anderson, IN and Cleveland, TN?  Are clones what He wants?  But, look! “CL-ONE”?! [the Twelve upset that an outsider was doing Jesus-work – “…not against me is for me…” (Mk.9:40)]

7.                   Slightly different, maybe we should SERVE ALIKE and then we’d be “one?  Within our ranks we have the Salvation Army who do not serve like the Moral Majority who do not serve like the UBS who do not serve like the Gideons who do not serve like … But, not everybody is a foot, now an eye, nor an ear.  The listener is one with the feeder is one with the teacher is one with the helper? [greatest is servant of all]

8.                   LIVE ALIKE  was my next thought.  Today we have metrosexuals, rednecks, the hood, … I once called them city-slickers and such.  I personally like the thought of the rugged, individual frontiersman!  “New York City” about as close to Hell as I want to get! (ha!)  Now we have “green” people.  I am an animal lover – fried, roasted, grilled …   We will never all live alike.  I have a dnl who reminds me of Zsa Zsa with the Beverly Hillbillies when we have holiday gatherings.  She likely thinks they should have named me Jed, not Jerry.  There is not “one” Christian way to live. [only a narcissistic megalomaniac would demand everybody be like himself?!]

9.                   LOVE ALIKE?!  Surely, we, as children of God, who is love, should all, alike, love.  But, this is not the same as if we were to “love alike”.  Some will speak kind gentle words.  Some will silently drop off a casserole.  Some will give away a washer or dryer to a needy single-mother.  God is love.  This how we prove we are His disciples.  There are innumerable ways to love.  Pick one! [this is the place to start in our dream of being “one”!]

A different paradigm is difficult to visualize.  What does it look like to be “one”?!  I remember seeing a strange tree in a seed catalog.  It was a six-in-one tree.  Some call it a “fruit cocktail tree”.  (by now, you may be thinking I am fruity?)  They had grafted different varieties of fruit into one tree! I have to wonder how such a tree would cross-pollinate and what hybrids would grow?!  And, there are nine “fruit (singular) of the Spirit”?!  Paul says we are “grafted in” wild olives?!  (some are green, some are black?! [yeah, I know “ripe”])  Jesus calls upon us to “bear fruit”.  He is the vine and we are the branches.  Hmm.

Also, consider circles:  1.  Venn diagram with overlapping areas that are crucial; or,  2.  Concentric circles with self in middle, and all others at different radii from your center;  or,  3.  Jesus as the circle, (He is the “One”!) and, all others moving toward Him, and getting closer to each other at the same time?! (I vote for #3)