Devotion.al

Tag: unity

  • Unity Dream

    Psalm 100, Ezekiel 37:15–28, John 10:14–18, Galatians 3:28

    Unity is a powerful message, and it calls to the deepest parts of us. E Pluribus unum—Latin for “Out of many, one”—is the motto of the States. In this motto is the desire that no matter where people came from, and what differences they might have, they can be united in the United States. This is a great motto and a great goal. However, it’s easier (but not always easy) when the people come from the same general area (Northern Europe, for example) than when they come from diverse places (like anywhere in the world). Finding unity in such diversity is a struggle at best. It is it though.

    When Ezekiel is speaking, he is speaking to a people that were now divided. No longer were the tribes of Israel under one banner. As a result of the , animosity developed between people groups that at one time viewed themselves as one. Military and political conflict was occurring. That God led Ezekiel to preach this message shows us that the division of Israel was not what God wanted. It wasn’t the goal. A united Israel that worshipped God—and God alone—was what God wanted. David’s line would also again be king over this united land, which was a tie back to the height of Israel and a tie forward to the coming of , son of Joseph of the line of David.

    By the time of Jesus, the dream of unity was long gone, so it seemed. Samaria (formerly the Northern of Israel) had lost most of its Israelite-ness but retained enough to know where it came from. The bloodline was corrupted from a Jewish , but the ties were there. Into this Jesus—who was speaking to Jews—spoke of those that were in another flock. Jesus said he was gathering them, too. No longer would there be multiple flocks. There would be only one flock.

    “There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female; since you are all one in Christ Jesus.”—Galatians 3:28

    Time and time again God speaks to unity across all the boundaries that we have made.

    1) Where is God calling you to be a unifier, and not a divider?

    2) Why is the so strong to ourselves from ? When is it good, when is it bad?

    3) What behaviors, tendencies, or beliefs cause others to separate themselves from you? What of those things are God-oriented, and what are self-oriented?

  • Communal Sacrifice

    Exodus 12:1–20, Nehemiah 8:1–18, Psalm 133

    The Exodus story, specifically the first Passover, always comes up around Easter. Which makes perfect sense, as Week revolves around Passover, along with the seemingly obvious linking of being the ultimate Passover lamb (i.e., the sacrifice needed for Passover). All the Israelites were going to sacrifice a lamb for a household. This was a large communal thing. One could (and did) ignore it at their peril.

    Communal is something done or shared in a , such as a church. An action done by everyone creates a powerful effect. In the US, we’ve forgotten a lot of communal activities, much of this having to do with our culture of independence. We miss a lot. It is why communal celebrations such as and Baptism are so important to the of the church. There is something also very powerful—and community building—in sharing a meal together.

    “If the household is too small for a whole animal, that person and the neighbor nearest his house are to select one based on the combined number of people; you should apportion the animal according to what each will eat.” (Exodus 12:4)

    There are 2 important observations in this verse. The first is how important and sacred this sacrifice is. Sacrifices mentioned later do not have this built-in focus on not wasting the sacrifice; just properly disposing of it. This one mentions not wasting it as part of the sacrifice itself. It is to be part of the consideration when choosing the lamb to be sacrificed. There is a shared burden for neighbors to make sure that each other has enough, but not too much.

    The second observation is that by setting this boundary, extra emphasis is added to the communal nature of this specific sacrifice. This sacrifice and celebratory observation of Passover is not to be done in isolation.
    Isolation—the notwithstanding—allows us to not learn from , not to be in community with others, and not love others. When the Israelites return from exile, we read (Nehemiah 8:1-18) that the Israelites learned, mourned, and celebrated in community. Upon learning that there was supposed to be another festival—the Festival of Booths—they gather together (community) and celebrated it. Our celebrations, our learning, our mourning are (generally) more powerful in community, rather than in isolation. Fellowship and unity . Yet, we still tend toward isolation.

    Psalm 133 sums it up:

    How good and pleasant it is
    when brothers live together in harmony!
    It is like fine oil on the head,
    running down on the beard,
    running down Aaron’s beard
    onto his robes.
    It is like the dew of Hermon
    falling on the mountains of Zion.
    For there the Lord has appointed the —
    life forevermore.

    1) Do you find yourself tending more toward isolation rather than community? Why?

    2) If you are an introvert, how will you allow yourself to be drawn and actively seek community? If you are an extrovert, how can allow and encourage people to join the community without overwhelming them?

    3) What other communal rituals (including secular ones) can you think of? What do they have in people’s lives, and why?

  • Revealing Unity

    Numbers 16:1–50, Romans 16:17–20, 1 Corinthians 1:10–17

    Most of us have heard John Dalberg-Acton’s quip, “ tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” What is most often missed is Acton’s “tends”.

    David Brin takes a slightly different tack, “It is said that power corrupts, but actually it’s more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power.”

    Lastly, Robert Caro’s take might be the most significant for us, “We’re taught Lord Acton’s axiom: all power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. I believed that when I started these books, but I don’t believe it’s always true anymore. Power doesn’t always corrupt. Power can cleanse. What I believe is always true about power is that power always reveals.”

    Korah wanted more than he had. Whether he wanted power, prestige, or influence, is unclear. Who knows, maybe he thought he could earn holiness by being the chief priest. Regardless, his entire was given a duty in regards to the things of the . It was still an , but as some many of us struggle with, it wasn’t the honor he wanted. The undercurrent of this is power. At this point, the religious leader was the people’s leader. It’s not clear whether Korah convinced people to follow, or that they gathered somehow. The reality is that they did gather. Scripture says that they rebelled against Moses, but as the story unfolds into the relation that as they were rebelling against the leader by God, they were rebelling against God. Without question, Moses was chosen supernaturally by God, and there were multiple events that testified to that. It was abundantly clear. However, in our day-and-age is it the same?

    How our leaders are chosen is different than such an obvious outward of God’s hand. It is through prayer, wise thinking, discernment, and much counsel that good leaders are chosen. However, we are all human. Leaders make mistakes. Followers make them too. Two of the biggest obstacles to unity are not necessarily tied to the leadership position itself (for who wants the blame), but the influence and power of the leader, then there is and envy. This is human reality. Human selfishness often hides behind the call of doing the best for others, but truly only serves the self. When Paul talks about divisions in Romans, there are obviously people stirring up trouble. That’s got to be dealt with. Most people expect the leader to do it, yet it is not the leader’s responsibility, it is the responsibility of everyone. There is mutual accountability and responsibility in the . Yet, people will still be people, and divisions will occur.

    In Corinth, we read of divisions of which person they follow. While most of us would say, “I follow Jesus,” is that true? As the Western World runs away from Christianity (sometimes with good reason), while the Middle East and Eastern Worlds actively oppose Christianity, the Church has to come to a form of unity. The Church for far too long has been separated for good doctrinal reasons, but the reality is that every denomination and unaffiliated congregation will have to come to some sort of agreement with one another. As long as the church eats itself, it cannot feed the world the Bread of Life.

    1) Where do you see the greatest unity in your personal life? Where do you see the greatest division?

    2) Where do you see the greatest unity in the world around you? Where do you see the greatest division?

    3) For each of the above, what can and will you do to build unity and heal division?

    FD) People usually from others when they are hurt emotionally. What can we do to help?