To My Flock at Marion:
A Call for Unity
This Sunday on the Presbyterian calendar is designated as Trinity Sunday. This usually calls for a very deep study on the triune God and can be very challenging to preach without losing people to the boredom of details. I have found in the past that I spend a lot of time getting myself to the point of understanding and then I am faced with the task of explaining the Trinity in a way that is understandable to the whole congregation. I was going to steer away from this topic today because of the unrest that is taking place in our nation, but as I started to pivot I found that the two subjects make sense when placed together.
The word Trinity is not found in the bible, but what you will find from the very beginning are references to God in the plural sense. In Genesis 1: 26 the scripture says, “Then God said, ‘Let Us make man-kind in Our image, in Our likeness.’” Very clearly God is being referred to in the plural sense, and the triune God, not just God the Father, is creating all things. In 2 Corinthians 13: 11 – 14 we hear this: “Finally, brothers and sisters, rejoice! Strive for full restoration, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All God’s people here send their greetings.” Now I will get back to those verses, but for now let us focus on verse 14. You hear me say this at the end of every Sunday’s worship, and I will say it in my own words. “May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.” A very clear reference to the three parts of the God head. So, as we put the references from Genesis and 2 Corinthians together, we see God in three persons working as one in creation. We must recognize that God the Father was still active while God the Son, Jesus, was on the earth, for many times we see that Jesus is praying to Him. And Jesus very clearly told His disciples that He was sending the Holy Spirit to dwell in them after He ascended to heaven, as we celebrated last week on Pentecost.
I want us to take notice of the call to the church, the body of Christ, in verses 11 – 14. We are called to restoration, to be encouragers, to be of one mind, to live in peace. We are called to unity in Christ, the same unity that we see in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. With that in mind I would like to share with you from my daily devotional Daily in His Presence by David Jeremiah. “Some things in life don’t go together; oil and water, nuts and chewing gum, love and hate, criticism and unity. Constructive criticism can lead to greater unity. But when the criticism is motivated by selfishness, envy, or anger, it can never lead to unity.” I have said this many times in the past, but I believe that the church today needs to hear this, the church cannot resemble the world. The church has to be different and we must display that difference to the world, especially in these days of difficulty and strife. Our nation seems to be exploding around us and coming apart at the seams. Most of you, like me, lived through the ‘60s. I grew up during those turbulent years and as a young person, I probably didn’t fully appreciate the magnitude of what was going on around me. It is easy to look back and romanticize and gloss over the bad actions and only see the wrong that was being protested and the change that seemed to be so necessary. As an adult I can clearly see that no matter the wrong that might be perpetrated, violence is never the answer. The policy of “an eye for an eye” and “a tooth for a tooth” will eventually leave all of us blind and toothless. What happened in Minnesota to that young man was a crime and should be punished as such, no matter who committed it, and I do believe that there is a need for real change in this nation, but eight days and counting of rioting, looting, killing, and destruction is uncalled for and will never bring a solution. This is how the world reacts. This is a reflection of the sin and evil that is all around us. This should never be the reaction of religious leaders and especially Christians who are very clearly called to unity. We should not be judging or standing with those who are committing these violent acts. Our opinion, as Christians, should never be that the ends justify the means, as I have seen some so called religious leaders do. We are the church of Jesus Christ, and our Lord left us an example of how we should respond. Jesus gave His life for us and never as much as raised a finger to defend himself.
Why does this matter in the whole scheme of our Christian existence? The answer is found in my last scriptural reference of the Triune God. Matthew 28: verse 19 – 20, otherwise known as “The Great Commission.” “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” We can never achieve the goal of making disciples for Jesus if we do not stand united in His name. The world may be against us, and our stand for Jesus might put us at odds with society, but we are to be the peace-makers, the salt of the earth, the light that shines in the darkness. That is what will draw people to us so that we can point them to Jesus. My devotion ends with these words: “Unity comes when individual Christians submit their will and agenda to the Lordship of Jesus Christ—it’s a good way to begin every day.” Our nation needs a call to unity, and Christians should be leading the way.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with each of us and all of us, this day, and every day. Amen.
In Christ’s Love and Peace
Pastor Bob 6 June 2020
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