Unity?

So, my dear friends, flee from the worship of idols. You are reasonable people. Decide for yourselves if what I am saying is true. When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ? And though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body. Think about the people of Israel. Weren’t they united by eating the sacrifices at the altar?”
1 Corinthians 10:14-18 NLT

Paul wrote, “though we are many, we all eat from one loaf of bread, showing that we are one body”. There are several different ways of sharing the Lord’s Supper. In Corinth, they started with a single loaf of bread, and each communicant took some of it as it was passed around the church. In many churches today, the sacraments are contained in a small plastic cup, with the liquid sealed and then a wafer sealed on top, a modern solution to the potential transmission of diseases such as Covid. Anglican churches have a special mass or Holy Communion service that involves a cup of wine and a plate containing wafers. But in it all, there is the sacrament of sharing in the body and blood of Christ, in memory of all that Jesus did for us.

To the Corinthians, Paul asked a question designed to focus their minds on the implications of sharing from the same loaf of bread. Surely, he was saying, this act of unity should be outworked in their relations with each other as they sensitively avoided any behaviour or belief that would upset their fellowship. Paul wrote to the Philippians the following: “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too” (Philippians 2:3-4). Jesus said to His disciples, “This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:12-13). And to the Corinthians, Paul wrote, “I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose” (1 Corinthians 1:10). 

Today, there are many facets of the Christian church. As I write, the appointee for the post of Archbishop of Canterbury has just been announced —a woman from the more liberal wing of the Anglican Church. This is likely to be an appointment that will be divisive rather than inclusive, and we can expect, sooner or later, to see a schism emerge between the liberal and traditional wings of the Church of England. However, we also have various denominations and movements, each representing distinct biblical positions and interpretations. Unity in the church? We are far from it. Unity in our churches and fellowships? In many cases, that is not so apparent either. How God must grieve sometimes. 

We pilgrims carry a message of hope and reconciliation, which we share with those both inside and outside our churches. Human nature is full of its egos and sensitivities, and this is sadly very apparent in our churches. Worldly behaviour is so often brought inside our church doors, and this disrupts and distorts the true reason for why we are there. Church unity, I’m afraid, starts with us, and our example in sharing the love of Jesus with those around us. We are all at different stages in our Christian journeys, and our fellow believers often carry heavy burdens, such as health problems, financial worries, and so on. And yet we are commanded to love one another, with all that that entails. So we look out for one another and bless them as we are able, in the name of Jesus. We pray for them, we help them practically, we weep with them, and we laugh with them. And we graciously accept the love shown to us by others when we, too, struggle with our own issues. A fellowship of believers living in the “sweet spot” of Jesus’ love is a fellowship that will grow, both numerically and individually. 

Dear Father God. We are Your children, and our squabbling and lack of unity saddens You greatly. Please help us get this right, because one day we may spend eternity with the very people we lived with on earth. We ask this in the name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.