A Unit of Unity

This Sunday, we will look at unity.  How do you measure unity in a church?  You can measure baptisms and budgets.  You can count attendance and offerings.  You can list the value of buildings and property, but how do you measure unity? 

In the Bible there are measurements of "homers" and "talents."  There is never a mention of a homer of harmony or a talent of togetherness.  It does say, "they were all in one accord" but Honda has never released those numbers.  (Bad play on a really old joke, I'm sorry).

How can something so vital to the church be so immeasurable?  I do know this, when Hattie Marshall came to our church from a neighboring African-American Church, she and her husband Victor brought some diversity to our church.  Hattie had a unique voice, no one else sang like her, no one else shouted Hallelujah like her (no one else ever shouted but her) and no one else spoke quite like her.  But that difference, that diversity, brought a greater sense of unity.  We grew more diverse but not more divided, we became something more than what we had been and we became more unified.

Hattie went home to be with the Lord this morning.  She is now in a place where there will be people from every tribe and every tongue and every nation but that place is more unified than any place here on this earth.  In Christ, the greater the diversity, the greater the unity.   That is not what common sense would lead us to think - unity should come from uniformity - not with God.

Common sense would lead us to say then that we need to focus on diversity to get to unity but that is not the case either.  Unity and diversity are only possible in the church as we as individuals step out in faith as Christ leads.  Hattie always said that Jesus led her to our church.  No transition like that is easy but she came.  I really think Jesus did not lead her here for her but he led her here for us - and for a new sense of unity.  So the way to unity and the measure of it, is only something that happens when we obey Jesus.  Can someone say, "Hallelujah, thank you Jesus!"  Can you shout it today?  Hattie can.

for the journey...

Tim