In a few minutes we're going to sing "One in the Spirit, One in the Lord". I love that "old" song. (40 years old is new!) It has a simple yet precious message we appreciate and long for - unity among God's people. It's a basic human need to get along, to be united. There are two basic human needs we all have: First is unity with God, and then, unity with other people.

         Unity with God is needed first because sin has fragmented us. Sin separates. It separates us from God and from each other. It also separates us from nature. That's why people and animals are often frightened of each other. Being separated brings loneliness and anger, and that's why we all seek companionship. Usually we seek human companionship, but other times we have an animal companion. We call it a "pet" because we like to feel its presence.

         After unity with God, our second basic need is unity with people. Few of us want disharmony. Harmony and love give us self-worth. To know that at least a few people agree with you is to feel good about yourself, and there's nothing wrong with that! The Bible tells us God delights in His creation. He is glad He made us, especially when we acknowledge Him and serve Him.

         Unity in the home is God's gift, and unity in church is God's will. Jesus prayed in John 17 that His people would be one, even as He and the Father are one (John 17: 22). Strife and struggle consume energy. They divert us from more important things. How much more productive the Body of Christ would be if all its parts got along! But due to sin, complete unity on earth will always be just outside our grasp, attainable only with God in heaven.

         God's will is not complicated. He wants His people with Him in heaven, and to help get them there, He brings us together in the Church. Yet we cannot achieve unity, let alone publicly declare we have it, when true unity is not present. To have unity, we must begin with Jesus Christ. We must make Him the center of our unity. Any other basis for unity is empty and false.

         If you can, sometime watch a piano tuner at work. He will begin with tuning the "A" above middle "C" to 440 bps, the standard pitch. And then he will tune all other notes to the "A". If the "A" is tuned rightly, the rest on the notes will be right also. It occurs to me, then, that a hundred pianos all tuned to the same pitch are automatically tuned to each other. They are not tuned to each other first, but when tuned to the same standard pitch, they become tuned to each other. So then a hundred worshipers meeting together, each one looking to Jesus Christ in faith, each trusting Him, are united with each other far more than they could possibly be if they tried to be united by any other way. Our unity is not in each other because we agree with each other. Our unity is in Christ, the Divine Standard to which we all must look for salvation.

         God wants us one with Himself, by faith in Christ. And He also wants us one with each other, if at all possible. He wants us "One in the Spirit, One in the Lord." As today's Bible text tells us, "As it is, there are many parts, but one body." And the Body is all tuned to Christ.

         The Body, of course, is the Church and its parts are the believers. It's a principal of church unity that we agree on essentials before we declare unity with another church body. Not all beliefs are of equal value. It's doubtful we can be unified on everything, because sin makes that impossible. But we can achieve some kind of unity if we follow three steps: (1) In essentials (Triune God, Bible, Way of Salvation), unity; (2) In non-essentials (supportive teachings), harmony; (3) In all else, charity.

         Jesus Christ as Lord and His Word as truth are the essentials. We must be "One in the Spirit." Actually, we're one because of the Spirit. The Spirit gives us faith in Jesus. Without the Spirit, no one can believe. The Bible says, "No one can say, 'Jesus is Lord' except by the Holy Spirit."(1 Cor. 12:3) The Spirit opens our hearts to trust Jesus, and He unites all believers in the Holy Christian Church. In effect, He reunites all those who have been separated by sin.

         We are "One in the Spirit" because we are "One in the Lord". The object of our faith is not unity itself, but Jesus, the one who gives unity. Jesus brings people together, not democracy, not love, not politics. The cross is a symbol, but the Savior who hung there is our unity. He's the focus of all things, as St. Paul said, "In Him we live and move and have our being."(Acts 17:28)

         Tune to Jesus and we are tuned to each other. People were created to glorify God. Adam and Eve were united perfect in the Garden until sin destroyed unity. God has sent the Savior Jesus who brings us back together, with each other and with God. The Body is held together when its parts trust in that Savior. He died and rose to forgive us, and He unites us, to Himself and to each other.

         Christian unity does not mean we must agree with each other on everything. We are all different, created with unique qualities and differences. I like vanilla but you like chocolate. I drive a Chevy and you drive a Honda. I like classical music and you like country western. You may be a liberal and I am a conservative. God didn't stamp out exact copies as His church members. He gave each of us our own abilities and talents. And God doesn't stamp out pastors as exact copies. Each one has his strengths and weaknesses. But we all have our unity in Jesus Christ.

         We're not much united today. Christians argue with each other. Democrats distrust Republicans and Moslems hate Jews and Americans. Christians are often suspicious of Christians different from themselves. I think Satan is behind most of it. He is a master at keeping people apart.

         During World War II, Hitler commanded all religious groups to unite, for the purpose of controlling them. Among some of those churches, half the members complied and half refused. Those who went along with Hitler's order had a much easier time, but among those who didn't, almost every family had someone die in a concentration camp. When the war was over, feelings of bitterness ran deep between these groups. Finally one of the churches decided to try healing. Leaders from each group met separately at a quiet retreat and for several days, each one spent hours in prayer and self-examination, praying only for healing. Then they came together. "What did you do then? "one on the participants was asked. "We became one," he replied. "As we confessed our hostility and bitterness to God, and yielded to His control, the Holy Spirit created a spirit of unity among us. God's love dissolved our hatred."

         Oh, that this could happen among more Christian bodies. When people yield to God, miracles do happen. But we must be willing to be healed and to be open to God's direction, or else any unity will be weak and temporary. When we surrender our will to God, we can come together, regardless of our differences or even of our sins.

         Sin separates us - remember that! We choose to sin. No one forces us to lie and lust or rant and rave. God shows us the right way in His commandments, but we still choose our own way. We make excuses; we look for someone else to blame -- an abusive father, an unloving mother, a church that offended us, or just a bum rap in life. But none of that gives us the right to sin. We choose to sin, and we can choose to stop, or at least we can choose to ask God to help us stop. In this, we all need God's help. We need to pray for the help of God the Holy Spirit.

         In the coming days, Epiphany Lutheran Church will have many opportunities for unity, or for disunity. Next Sunday noon, January 28, members will meet to choose their next pastor. Opinions will run high. Some will want their point of view to prevail. But one pastor will be chosen by secret ballot, and then will come a special moment. Everyone present will be asked to cast a unanimous ballot for that pastor. Even if you didn't vote for him, you will be asked to give the new man your vote of confidence. And let me tell you a truth. To not do so, to vote against unity in this, is to invite Satan right in our front door. I ask you please, make it unanimous! For that moment, be "One in the Spirit, One in the Lord!"

         Our text says all parts of the body are needed to make the Body work, even the weak ones, the "unimportant" ones. Each person with faith in Jesus is part of the Body. One day, all the faithful will be in heaven, and we will rejoice at who we will see, even if we are surprised.

         God knows our weaknesses. He knows we can't make it on our own and He doesn't want us separated in hell for eternity. He has told us, "The wages of sin is death, but the free gift is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23) Heaven comes through faith in Christ. You may struggle with certain sins your whole life, but if you trust Christ, you are forgiven. Yielding to sin never makes it right. Just remember - where there is repentance, there is forgiveness.

         I've had to ask for forgiveness a lot in my life, and I will have to keep doing it in the future. So will you. It's no good being separated. If we insist on our own way, we must be very sure we are right. I once saw two sets of deer antlers mounted on a wall. They were mounted tangled, locked together because they were found that way. The two deer fought with each other until they were locked together and they died together. What a shame! What a waste!

         Conflict can even be humorous. A Bulletin announcement once read, "The peacekeeping meeting scheduled for today has been cancelled due to a conflict." Another said: "Our annual Valentines lunch will feature an evening of fine dining, superb entertainment and gracious hostility." In a Peanuts cartoon, Lucy demands that Linus do what she wants, threatening him with her fist if he didn't. Linus says, "What makes you think you can walk right in here and take over?" "These five fingers," says Lucy. "Individually they're nothing, but curled together like this into a single unit, they form a weapon that is terrible to behold." Looking at his own hand, Linus says, "Why can't you guys get organized like that?"

         Dear friends, "We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord." Well, maybe not always, but most of the time. Because of the Spirit, we've always been more united than divided. Unity and fellowship -- that's what God wants. May He fill our hearts with forgiveness and love and unity, amen!

Credits:
 
  Epiphany logo designed and provided by Dale Bargmann at daleb@ecentral.com