Eastertide
May 11, 2018
Scripture Reading: 1 John 5:9-13
If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son. Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son. And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.
God’s life is in God’s Son and God’s Son’s life continues in and through his followers. To fulfill our calling to be the hands and feet of Jesus in our world today, just as we must continuously strive to be whole, we also must strive to be one. God surely had purpose in creating us as diverse people in every aspect of our being. The Myers Briggs personality types* define 16 different combinations of personalities based on four criteria. I am very goal oriented so having someone who is more process oriented around helps me see the broader picture. Such markedly different personalities must work hard at understanding the gifts of the other so skills can be maximized.
But, of course, personality is not the only form of diversity, we differ in language, rural/urban, skills, skin color and hair texture, gender, handedness—you get the idea the list is endless. I at times am dependent on someone tall enough to reach the back of the top shelf in the grocery store. As a child, I helped my dad work on machines because his hands were too big for the task. Learning to love the synergy in diversity is a first step in becoming one. God knew what God was doing when God created us.
Prayer:
Weave, weave, weave us together.
Weave us together in unity and love.
Weave, weave, weave us together.
Weave, us together, together in love**. Amen.
*For more information see http://www.myersbriggs.org/my-mbti-personality-type/mbti-basics/the-16-mbti-types.htm?bhcp=1
**Weave by Rosemary Crow, may be found in the Chalice Hymnal. For more information see https://hymnary.org/hymn/CH1995/495