For the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (January 18–25), the members of the NC Conference Christian Unity and Interreligious Relationships (CUIR) committee are sharing daily devotions rooted in Ephesians 4.

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Day 6 – Ephesians 4:6
One God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

There are days when this verse feels familiar, almost too familiar. And there are days when it feels unsettling, especially this word.

All.

It is a short word, but not a simple one. I often see how all has been used to overlook the complexity of real lives and even to justify inequality and oppression.

At the same time, I notice how quickly I grow suspicious of the word all itself. There are moments when it feels safer to resist it, to draw clearer boundaries, and to protect myself by keeping my distance from those who feel too different.

Yet in the broader context of Ephesians, all does not mean the erasing of difference. Nor does it suggest that difference is meant to be ultimate. The community reading this letter was a diverse one, where enslaved and free, Jews and Gentiles shared life together, carrying real tension with them.

Paul does not deny that reality. Instead, he speaks of a unity that is not uniform but rooted in one God who embraces difference without dissolving it. In this way, Ephesians places God’s reality in the midst of our own:

God is above all, so no group can claim to own God or speak for God alone; God is through all, so even the smallest voices matter; God is in all, so no life can be treated lightly; even the lives of those we call our enemies.

Yet, how often do I fail to see God in all?  

It is here that I am reminded of the words spoken by James T. Laney when he received the World Methodist Peace Award in 2019: “Peace is not possible as long as we demonize the other side.”

He spoke the words as a pastor, theologian, and former U.S. ambassador to South Korea, who spent years working for peace and reconciliation amid deep and unresolved conflict, including the first North Korea nuclear crisis in 1994.

Listening to his speech, and carrying mixed feelings about North Korea, I asked myself: In a world shaped by separation and suspicion, who is the all I find hardest to accept, even among my own people? When I think of the person I find most difficult to love, can I pray for them? Can I even begin there?

These are not easy questions to answer.

Friends, where do you find yourself in this?

As we sit with today’s verse, may this time be a moment to place our hearts once again before the reality of God, a God who is above all, through all, and in all.

May it be so.

Amen.

A Question to Consider

In what ways can the image of God as the loving and caring Father of all be integrated into the mission and ministry of our different church communities so as to promote a more unified Christian witness in the world?

Prayer

We confess with faith and worship you, Loving Father,
for you are in heaven beyond words, and on earth beyond understanding,
through your Son, Jesus Christ.
In your tender care, you are the beginning and fulfilment of everything.
Glory forever to you, Father,
with the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

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