PENTECOST VI
July 12, 2020
“Who, Me? Called?” “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)
Anyone who might wonder if the forces of evil are able to persist over time and space, this concise verse from the letter of Paul to the Galatians speaks directly to attitudes and issues that apparently are timeless. Whenever I have read it, my first thought has been, “Why can’t we get this?” Human beings have a hard, if not impossible, time seeing one another as they really are, not as they appear. Generations, in fact centuries, of attitudes have penetrated our very beings, so we have our work cut out for us if we are to go forward. Recognizing and changing the deeply ingrained elements of a value system isn’t done easily, quickly or painlessly.
Last week we reflected on the freedom we have through Christ, and the responsibility that accompanies that amazing gift. So how about relationships? If you think there are barriers between racial and ethnic groups today, be assured that there were rigid, bitter divisions among countries, tribes, and social groups during historic Biblical times. Jesus himself seemed to concentrate his ministry to the Jewish people, and then grew and expanded his scope to include all who were eager to listen to him. The letters of the Apostle Paul and other early church leaders reiterate the message of equality in the communities of faith. It wasn’t easy to adopt these principles — you know, the old saying, “we’re all equal, some are just more equal than others.”
“I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:1-6)
The oneness of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, is foundational to our faith, and eliminates the divisions and separations that we, as humans, create. We find oneness in our calling — not that we all are doing or supposed to do the same things, but that we share one purpose. As we navigate these difficult, worrisome times, being one in our calling sounds like a tall order when we don’t even know when we’ll gather as a church family again. Nowhere in Jesus’ teachings or the encouraging letters of the apostles does it say that answering God’s call isn’t hard work, challenging, discouraging, even frightening. But we are called, nonetheless, and we aren’t alone because the Spirit guides us, strengthens, and keeps us together in the one body of Christ our Lord.
Grateful to be as one,
Your friend in Christ,
Mary Rogers