Seeking unity in a dysfunctional Church
I get a twinge of pain, (I’m not entirely sure if it is just emotional or if it actually physical), each time I see brothers and sisters in Christ arguing online. We agree to be family because we all believe that Jesus is Lord, but we’re so dysfunctional that it’s pretty embarrassing.
Now, I’ll be the first to confess, I have been guilty of this kind of dysfunction in my life, but I’m just so tired of it. And I think Jesus is too.
A heart for unity
When Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane on the night he was betrayed, among many other things, he said this:
"I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:20-23 NIV
Jesus is praying for us. Jesus, the Son of God, is praying for us. Breathe that in for a second. And, he doesn’t pray that we will be doctrinally perfect; nor does he pray for us to be ready to shame those who differ theologically with us. He prays for our unity. He prays for the unity of his church, of his people, of his family.
Maybe in our quest to evangelize, disciple, and "save" people, we should take a minute and think about how we talk about our family. Do people want to join our family if we talk trash about one big chunk of it?
If I were to invite a good friend to a family gathering, but preemptively tell them what horrible people my family are, that friend may second guess her decision to join us.
Jesus’ heart for us is unity. His heart for us is to love and care for each other. But we so often muck it up. We pick apart stuff Paul said and make that core to our faith, and forget this unity stuff Jesus pleads to the father for on our behalf.
Living unity
What would it look like for us to live out this unity that Jesus craves for us? Truth be told, I don’t know. But I do know what it looks like for a family to seem somewhat functional, let’s call it unified.
I’m totally cool with family disagreements - that's a regular occurrence in our home. But we try to keep the disagreements there - in our home. Not on the street. Not at our neighbour's. At home.
When we call out other Christians - our family - on social media, it feels like we're airing family laundry at a town hall meeting. That's dysfunctional and gross.
Now, I’m keenly aware that there are flecks of hypocrisy in what you're reading. You see, I sit in this tension of wanting to say, "Can't we all just love Jesus and get along and stop arguing on online?!" But I'm doing it online. So that's not perfect, but I'll embrace the messiness of it to make the point.
How would the Church be perceived by the world if we seemed more unified? Click To TweetHow would we be perceived by the world, then, if we seemed more unified? If we majored on the majors – Christ’s divinity, his death, and resurrection – and let the minor disagreements be civil in-house conversations? Would it convince more people that Jesus is who he said he is and that God, the Father, loves them too? Jesus thought so in his prayer, and for what it’s worth, I really do believe him.
Letting go of labels
So can we stop labeling each other heretic for every small disagreement? Can we link arms with each other across denominational lines? Can we say, "Yeah, I totally disagree with you about that issue, but I'm so glad we're family"?
What happens when a dysfunctional family becomes slightly more functional? It has the ability to grow, flourish, heal, serve, invite, enjoy, and have fun.
I want to invite the world over for a family gathering; can we please agree to a unified front in Jesus’ name?
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