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 4 – Ephesians 4:4
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling.

The British sitcom, Derry Girls, follows the misadventures of Erin, Orla, Clare, Michelle, and Michelle’s British cousin, James, as they navigate their teenage years during the Time of Troubles in Northern Ireland. While riotously funny, the show often invites reflection on topics of deeper relevance.

In one particular episode, entitled “Across the Barricade,” the Derry Girls, along with their classmates at Our Lady Immaculate Catholic School, attend a weekend retreat with pupils from a Protestant All-Boys School. The aim of the retreat is to build bridges between the Irish Catholic and Irish Protestant communities. The retreat facilitator has the young men and women sit down facing two chalkboards. On one board is written “similarities” and on the other, “differences.” The teenagers are then asked to compare their respective communities.

You can probably guess what happened. Before long, the board bearing the word “differences” was completely filled, while the one searching for similarities remained bereft of a single word.

The differences named, however, were not simply religious or denominational (Catholic vs. Protestant), but cultural (Irish ancestry vs. British ancestry), political (republican vs. constitutional monarchist), and gender-based (male vs. female). The empty chalkboard spoke volumes about human nature.

Human beings, at least since the time we tripped over ourselves due to an unfortunate apple and a chatty snake, have found it much easier to spot differences than commonalities. We hone in on differences, on those things and qualities that may divide us, because doing so takes less spiritual and mental energy than focusing on what is shared.

Difference detection, as typically practiced, is not about cultivating a healthy appreciation for diversity, but is little more than a lazy dismissal of diversity, a lassitude of love for the divine image expressed in the genders, cultures, heritages, and experiences that compose our humanity in its sometimes discordant, sometimes harmonious tones. At worst, difference detection can be an occasion for “othering.” On the other hand, the search for commonality, for a oneness that seeks to honor difference, takes hard work. It is to such work that we, as Christians, are called.

When Jesus prays that “[we] may all be one” (John 17:21), he is not praying for our uniformity, our sameness, or even our similarity. He is praying for us to be family, to be community, to be in communion in such a way that our being complements other beings, that our expressions of faith complement other expressions of faith, that the richness of our diversity makes us more fully human, more fully what God intends us to be.

The diversity of the various faith traditions that compose the universal church are reflections of the unique histories and relationships enjoyed by these traditions with our God in Christ, whose aim is not sameness, but a loving oneness which reveals God’s own love for the world and ultimately our hope for eternity.

To use a musical metaphor, too often our search for Christian unity is like trying to find the one perfect note on a piano that all performers (read: disciples) can agree to play over and over again. Doing so may have a certain purity of tone and intention, but it is also largely boring, unadventurous, and akin to a child hammering on a single key imagining that she or he is playing a pleasing song. The noise is irritating and unattractive to the listener who, in our metaphor, is both the world and, likely, God.

Only when we play different notes harmoniously and progressively in service to the song, can a beauty “ancient and new” (to paraphrase Saint Augustine) shine forth through our efforts. The diversity of our notes in the hands of the great Composer of the Universe allows the Composer to create a symphony of love to inspire the world, in which every note has its own dignity, for without it, the song would not be complete.

A Question to Consider

In what ways can we, as a church or community, embrace the challenge of our one calling, while maintaining our unique identity and traditions?

Prayer

O Beauty Ancient and New, whose Son Jesus Christ prays for our unity but not our uniformity, help us to honor the diverse richness of our shared Christianity and discipleship. May we complement each other not simply as Christians, but as humans being brought to the full stature of your intentions for us. As your Son is one with You, may we ever be united as one in Your Son, revealing your loving desire for the world and our hope for eternity. We ask through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen.

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