For most of the history of the United States, we did not have an official motto. There was, however, one dominant un-official motto. It was a saying so pervasive to our cultural and historic identity that it appeared on our coinage even before our Constitution was written… so widely appreciated that it appeared on the Seal of the United States even before our Revolutionary War was complete: E pluribus unum: “Out of many, one.”
As a nation, we’ve latched onto this motto because it describes the historical realities of the origins of our country. We were many colonies, made up of different religions, nationalities of origin, economic means, and even native language. But out of everything that made us different, we found ourselves called to a kind of unity. Our rallying cry was “Freedom!”, but it was liberty we sought as we recognized that we have a collective responsibility to protect precisely those things that make us different. We realized we cannot be truly free if others are not.
As Christians, we could adopt the same motto. We are as different as human beings can be. Our origins are different. Our experiences are different. Our abilities are different. Our commitments are different. It has always been this way. And the lowest points in Christian history have all come when we failed to respect, honor, and guard one another’s difference.
We each come to faith and life with very different sets of eyes. The easy answers for one do not satisfy another. The deep theological wrestlings of her may seem unnecessary for him. But we are a body. We are one, with Christ as our head. And part of our responsibility in coming together is to share and guard each other’s differences.
There’s a hymn that I really like that celebrates this oneness we have when we are unified as the Body, with Christ as our head.
Our God has made us one — In Him our hearts unite.
When we, His children, share His love, Our joy is His delight.
Our God has made us one — His glory is displayed.
For as we build each other up Our love becomes His praise.
Our God has made us one — In sorrow and in joy;
We share the cross of Christ, our Lord, In Him we now rejoice.
Our God has made us one — One Church to bear His name;
One body and one Bride of Christ, And with Him we shall reign
This season — and especially right now, this year — I do offer thanks to God for this community of faith. Like Paul, I pray that God will give this church a spirit of wisdom and revelation, as we grow in knowing God. I pray that as the eyes of our heart are enlightened, we will know “what is the hope to which [God] has called [us], what are the riches of [God’s] glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of [God’s] power for us who believe, according to the working of [God’s] great power” (Ephesians 1:18-19).
I give God thanks for the resurrection power God is working in our midst — power that even now may be overwhelming our ability to resist it — as God breathes new life into God’s church, heals our wounds, forgives our failings, and teaches us to love again.
Remember, we’re all in this together.
Pastor Michael