Tag Archives: Ending Divide and Conquer

Division in the Body of Christ

Living in the Spirit

June 15, 2020

Scripture Reading: Genesis 21:8-21

The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. So she said to Abraham, ‘Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.’ The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. But God said to Abraham, ‘Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named after you. As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.’ So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. Genesis 21:8-14

Evil impels us with divisiveness. My Sunday school class recently discussed hospitality encouraged by Walter Brueggemann’s book A Gospel of Hope. In it, he points out that our quarrels large and small divide and thus weaken our ability to be the whole Body of Christ in the world today. The sons of Abraham have been battling ever since Sarah and Hagar quarreled.

In my lifetime, I have observed breakdowns in churches over whether it is appropriate to place upholstered chairs at the communion table to how hedges should be trimmed. My own denomination split at the turn of the 20th century over whether it was Biblical to use organs in worship. Of course, I doubt if these were the real reasons for any of the disputes. All were most likely related to who had the most power. I find myself recoiling from ideas I hear in the public specter that are reportedly derived from the Bible that are totally foreign to my understanding of God.

So, how do we heal the wounds that lead to quarrels that divide? How do we lay divisive issues aside and only work together on those things on which we do agree? I volunteer with the Oklahoma Conference of Churches in is justice work. This organization is composed of a variety of denominations and routinely works with interfaith groups. It has defined the seven issues that are priorities and gained agreement on those issues. It also functions within a rule that it does not pursue topics on which there is no agreement across the board. Of course, individual groups can work on any issues they desire. The result is that OCC has a powerful voice of strength when it speaks about the issues it champions: poverty, health care, criminal justice, the environment, education, discrimination, Immigration.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we waste our time arguing over issues on which agreement is distant at the least, weave us together as a powerful force of your love on the areas on which we do agree. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.

Putting the Puzzle Together

Eastertide

May 9, 2020

Scripture Reading:
John 14:1-14

‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling-places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. And you know the way to the place where I am going.’ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.’ –John 14:1-7

We are created as unique individuals with equally diverse life experiences that mold us into the persons we are and are becoming. The most miraculous aspect of that idea is like a puzzle, we are all crafted to become one beautiful picture reflecting the love of God. For some reason, I have little or no concern about what happens after death. Scriptures like the one above, assure me that I will be with God, and in my way of thinking that is all that matters. Our energies as people of faith need to be focused on doing our part in putting God’s great mosaic together. In times like these, such a commission is imperative.

Evil thrives in dividing and conquering; Christ invites us to sit at his table and break bread together. It is an opportunity to learn we have far more in common than that which divides us. Calling a  moratorium on divisiveness seems appropriate. What if we designated one day and challenged ourselves to politely and graciously introduce a new outlook when we are confronted by that which divides us? What if we identify those issues for which no common ground seems possible and set them aside while we invest our energies in solving common interests? Finding success in addressing less volatile concerns could pave the way for identifying creative methods of dealing with more challenging differences.

Prayer: Lord, broaden our vision of how to address the problems we face so that our solutions reflect your way of love. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.