Today’s reading is John 17.
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. -John 17:20 NRSV
At a previous church I served, each week I’d stand at the back of the sanctuary greeting people as they exited. Each week, I’d hear a similar conversation.
“Eddie, how in the world could a fine Christian man like yourself ever vote for a Republican?”
“Page, I don’t see how a fine Christian man like you could ever vote for a Democrat!”
These two men certainly didn’t see eye to eye on politics and it’s probably safe to say that they didn’t see eye to eye on lots of others things, either. And yet they attended the same Sunday School class, sat near each other in worship, supported similar ministries in the church and community, and likely would have done anything for the other except vote for the other’s political candidate.
They understood, I think, that unity is not the same as uniformity. The key difference between unity and uniformity is their acceptance of differences; when there is unity, people tend to tolerate and accept differences, but uniformity implies that everyone should be alike, that there is no room for differences.
Eddie and Page ribbed each other regularly, but for the most part they coexisted peacefully and respectably. They tolerated each other’s varying viewpoints even though they didn’t necessarily understand them.
In today’s scripture, Jesus prayed for all the future disciples (that’s you and me) who would come after his ascension. His prayer was for unity. He didn’t expect us to agree on everything. He did expect us to find unity in being sisters and brothers in Christ.
May God grant us the grace to be seek unity today.
