That They May Be One

John 17: 11

May 28, 2006

That They May Be One

"Jesus prayed, 'Holy Father, keep them in thy name, which thou hast given me, that they may be one, even as we are one'.." Jesus prayed for unity in his disciples. How do we here those words today?

They can, of course, express a goal toward which all Christian denominations should strive,for one church, or lacking that, at least greater understanding and closer cooperation among denominations. The story is told of a carload of ministers entering a city to attend a church, meeting and becoming lost. They stopped a little boy in the street to ask directions to the Church of God. The little tike thought for a moment and said, "The church across the street is Rev. Jones' church and the one in the next block is Rev. Smith's church and the one around the corner is Rev. William's church. Mr., I don't believe God got no church in this city." Substitute denominational names for those pastor's names, and it is conceivable that a young child might find it difficult to direct a stranger to a Christian church in Estes Park as well.

The ELCA from the beginning has had a strong ecumenical bent. Its leadership took seriously Jesus’ prayer “that they might be one.” This was the motivation behind such recent ecumenical results as the Joint Declaration on Justification by Faith with the Roman Catholic Church and, in the late 1990s, the formal establishment of altar and pulpit fellowship with the Episcopal Church (Called to Common Mission) and the Reformed Churches (Formula of Agreement). Similar talks continue today with the Methodist Church.

Those words, "that they may be one" speak to us also as Lutherans. It is the biblical command behind the decision to unite the Lutheran Church in America, the American Lutheran Church, and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches into a single church body in January 1, 1988. The prevailing sentiment among these church bodies was that it was not enough to know among ourselves that we were one in ministry, a oneness expressed through cooperation. Rather, we needed an observable unity that witnessed to our oneness to all Christendom. The beginnings of our own congregation began during that movement when a half-dozen Lutheran families in Estes Park gathered in 1988 to celebrate the birthday of the ELCA. Those half-dozen families were the beginning of Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church.

But we would be the poorer if we did not also hear those words of Jesus, "that they many be one", as a congregation. After all, it was for a specific group of believers, the disciples, that Jesus' prayer for unity was first directed. In John •17: 20, Jesus continued in prayer, "I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word..." If the disciples were to fulfill their mission, as Jesus 'would later detail in Acts 1:8, "....and you shall be my witnesses in and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth", they would have to do so from a united center. If the congregation today is to fulfill its mission, that is, to be the body of Christ, it too must hear and heed the words of Jesus in his prayer, "that they may be one."

In my private devotional book, the same psalms is appointed for each day of that particular week. In a sense, one lives with that psalm all week. Psalm 33 was such psalm for this past week: "Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity! It is like the .precious oil upon the head, running down upon the beard, upon the beard of Aaron, running down on the collar of his robes! It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion! For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life for evermore."

"The precious oil upon the head..." here is the oil of anointing, as it is made clear when Aaron’s name is invoked, and was the practice conferred on a king. As the Interpreters Dictionary of the -Bible notes: "The anointment of the king was not merely a part of the ceremonial of enthronement; it was of decisive importance, for it conveyed the power for the exercise of royal authority. By strength of anointment, the king became a theocratic vassal of the Lord..." There is, then, this interesting connection of "brothers who dwell in unity" with the anointing oil confirming authority and tacitly promising success. "Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers and sisters in faith dwell in unity." It is in that same unity that the Lord has commanded the blessing, life for evermore. There is, then, in this unity, divine authority and divine power.

Let me draw an allegory from an old commercial for Borax laundry detergent. Their symbol was the 40 mule team pulling the loaded wagon over the desert floor to its destination. There are here three elements: there is, first, the task of moving the wagon from point A to point B; second, there is the tremendous potential power of 40 mules; and third, there is the unifying effect of the harness that brings those 40 mules into a oneness that pulls the wagon and cargo from point A to point B.

Here is an allegory of the modern church congregation. I hope you would pardon the mules-for church-members comparison, but it does seem strangely appropriate at times. The church, as an institution, is the wagon. Of itself it is unimportant save for its capability to carry a cargo. On the other hand without it the intended cargo would have nothing to carry it. But in the end the importance of the wagon depends on the value of its cargo.

That which the church carries likewise gives its importance. God has poured into the church Word and Sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, the teachings of Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the commission “: therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them ,in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all I have commanded you." So also the church carries in her bosom, that is close to her heart, the implicit command of Jesus to feed the hungry, give water to the; thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, and visit the prisoner.

But to be the repository of those precious goods and remain still in the desert is a tragic waste. God's will is that, as the mineral from the mines must be transported to a place where it might be used for benefit of someone, so also all that which the church has must be taken to those who need its blessings. The wagon depended on the mules; the church depends on its members. And just as important, it depends on all of its members not only pulling, but pulling in the same direction.

Picture this. The borax miner is in the desert with a full wagon and 40 mules milling about. He has all the raw power necessary to move his cargo, but that result is not a forgone conclusion. Somehow he needs to apply the power to the task. Suppose he were to harness each mule separately to the wagon. What might be the result? More than likely all 40 mules are going to be pulling in separate directions, and the miner will go nowhere. Only when he harnesses them together, bringing their collective power to bear in a oneness of purpose and direction will the precious cargo in the wagon get to its intended destination.

So also the church. It has a wealth of potential power in its members - persons endowed by God with time to use as they choose, a full compliment of talent brimming over, and financial resources that exceed physical needs. The work of the Holy Spirit is to harness that raw power and potential into a single purpose, and single direction, that all the blessings entrusted .to the church might reach those who need them. Only when that unity of purpose and direction are established can the church fulfill its mission.

God has placed in our hands, Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church, a sacred, a holy task and a divine power. The sacred trust - Word and Sacrament, and divine love. The holy task - to carry that Word and Sacrament and divine to that who-need them. The divine power -to its individual members a raw potential for work equal to the task. It remains only for us to be harnessed into a unity of purpose and direction, that we pull together in the service of God. Jesus prayed for this unity. Jesus prayed for this unity of purpose. It is our prayer as well.

May the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in and through Christ Jesus. Amen.

May the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Amen.