Pursuing Unity in a Divided World
Written by Rebecca Blackburn
I think many of us can agree that we are living in an incredibly divided time. What’s especially sad to me is the fact that the Church is so divided. How can we as Christians possibly think we can minister to the world when we are just as divided as it is? When we are arguing and debating over vaccinations, masks, or who to vote for? Some of you have your hackles up now, but I hope you’ll continue reading with an open mind.
We can’t unite the Church by yelling at one another or trying to convince each other that our opinion is the correct one.
We are God’s children. We are not children of the world, children of the left or the right on the political spectrum. I love what Jefferson Bethke once said using the imagery of American politics, “I don’t pledge allegiance to the donkey or the elephant. I pledge allegiance to the Lamb.”
We as the Church are the family of Christ. We are brothers and sisters in the Lord. What if your brother in the Lord, through their prayer life and time spent in communion with Jesus, has felt compelled to not get vaccinated? What if your sister in the Lord, has felt Jesus leading them to vaccinate and continue wearing a mask in all public places? Who are we to judge them for that?
What if we paused for a moment, and put ourselves in each other’s shoes and tried to see things from their perspective? What I believe we are lacking, friends, is empathy. I’m not writing this article to try to convince one side or the other to change their minds. I’m simply hoping you can examine yourself and find the empathy I know we are all capable of.
The greatest commandment, Jesus says, is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and the second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). Those are the two greatest commandments! Are we really living that way? Mother Teresa said, “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”
How can we be united and shine the light of the Lord to a lost world when we are so busy criticizing the Church and its members? How can we be loving when we are so busy being offended?
We can’t unite the Church by yelling at one another or trying to convince each other that our opinion is the correct one. We can’t be united with one another if we’re pointing fingers and hurling accusations. We are united in Christ, and Christ alone. Only Jesus had the right to cast the first stone, and He didn’t (John 8:7). So, I think it’s time to put down our stones and open our arms and hearts to each other. After all, we’re going to be spending eternity in Heaven together.
We are living in an unprecedented time, there is no doubt about that. We can’t predict much of anything right now, and it’s impossible to know what to expect. Here’s just a few things that we can be sure of:
- Jesus commands us to love Him, love others, and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 22:37-40; Matthew 28:19).
- We are the light of the world, and we are to let that light shine before others for the honour and glory of Jesus (Matthew 5:14-16).
- We are to be united in the Church (1 Corinthians 1:10).
- Jesus is returning for His Bride, the Church (Revelation 19:7; John 14:2-3).
Friends, Jesus is coming. We don’t know if that will be in a month, a decade, or even a century. But He is coming, that much is certain. I don’t think we want Him returning to us sitting on Facebook being keyboard warriors. I want Him to return to us listening to and loving our neighbour. To us hearing their view of things, whether we agree or not, and loving them and being kind regardless. I want Him to return to us being tender and loving to His Bride.
Mother Teresa said, “Three things in human life are important; the first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. The third is to be kind.”
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