God’s purpose which was revealed in the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is to gather up all people and all things into a loving unity.  It is clearly stated in Ephesians, and Ephesians even tells us how to go about it.  It is in everyone’s Bible.  Whether we take it literally as Paul’s faithful testimony to God’s self revelation in Christ, or as the inspired counsel of some unnamed later follower of the Pauline theology and perspective, it is there and it is unambiguous.  God’s holy purpose is the unity of the whole creation and the unity of the church as a witness to that purpose.  Nothing is more important or takes priority over the divine embrace of unity in Christ.  We read it and weep at the continuing and growing scandal of our multiple divisions.

Likewise, the words of Jesus in his “High Priestly Prayer” in John 17 leave no doubt as to the divine purpose:
 “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one.  As you, Father, are in me and I am in you may they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (17:20-21).
Again, whether we take it literally as the actual words of Jesus faithfully inscribed by John, or as the beautiful vision of a later apostle faithfully representing the full meaning of the love of Christ, it is there, and it is unambiguous.  God in Christ is seeking to reconcile and unite the world in and through Jesus and the testimony of his followers.  We cannot dodge it, and we dare not put other priorities before it.

Much as we cherish the lives and testimony of the 16th and 17th century Reformers, and deeply as we honor the traditions that have grown as a result of their faithfulness, we still know that separated as we are, we are not and cannot be whole.  Throughout the generations since then, revered leaders in all our various traditions have seen the painful reality of our division, distrust, competition, mutual disdain and downright indifference.  That reality is evident, in spite of the clear purpose of God and of Jesus.  They have bequeathed to us a variety of ecumenical initiatives, locally, nationally and internationally.  They have led, but too few have followed.  It is hard work talking through centuries old prejudices and misperceptions, and it takes us out of our comfort zones to entertain the notion that our ecumenical counterparts may be just as faithful, just as authentically Christian as we.   

The Ephesian formula for engaging in that task, “speaking the truth in love,” is difficult, to say the least.  We do not want to reveal our prejudices, not to mention our woeful lack of knowledge of the other.  We think of others as kindred in Christ, but have made little effort to get to know or appreciate them and their stories of faith and faithfulness.  And besides, we have so many other pressing obligations and responsibilities.  On this day, and in relation to this text, we should remind ourselves that there is no more important task than God’s purpose to unite and gather up all things in Christ, and that the first order of business in that task is the unity of the Church.

I am not naive.  I know what you know.  I have been a local church pastor and have served in a judicatory ministry.  In both those roles I spent an inordinate amount of time dealing with institutional necessities and conflict resolution.  To participate in the God given ministry of Christian unity we all must make the time and see it as a priority.  Besides, every pastor knows just how hard it is to speak the truth in love.  Even if you have the best of motives and intentions, you know that the truth can hurt, can be taken wrongly, and can be resented.  So you speak cautiously, guardedly, so the whole truth, or some version of it, comes out over the phone or in the parking lot, and not usually in love.  It is true in ecumenical gatherings if we get beyond the ecclesiastical niceties, and it is doubly true in congregations: Christian unity is a demanding vocation.  Speaking the truth in love is a demanding vocation.  But it is the vocation of all Christians, and it is a precious gift.  “Speaking the truth in love we grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ.”  Christian unity is the vocation that draws us into Unity with Him, into the new life He offers.

By Rev. Rollin Russell, former Conference Minister, Southern Conference, United Church of Christ