Devotion - Thursday, January 28

In my prayers this morning, I kept returning to last night’s program at LCM. We had as our guest the Rev Casey Callahan, campus pastor at First Baptist Church. In my prayers, I thanked God for the oneness of the Church. I thanked God for the sense of common mission. And I asked God that we might do more to illustrate to the world how the love of Christ transcends our denominational tags.

I had failed to devote even one of last week’s reflections to the designation attached to that week. The days which stretch from the Confession of Peter (Jan 18) to the Conversion of Paul (Jan 25) has been designated as The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. It is an invitation for Christians to set aside the fine lines of thought which divide us and express to the wider community that which unites us. The Week is observed in some settings, ignored in others.

One of the reasons I was so quick to follow up on the Student Council suggestion to invite as a guest speaker one of the other campus pastors, was the awareness of how finely I split the hairs of Christian Theology. I remain convinced that our study of the Bible ought to include consideration of the subtle distinctions of thought. But knowing the subtle details and appreciating them is different from an intention to use those particular traits as a way to condemn others.

I came home from LCM and immediately sat down to the TV coverage of President Obama’s State of the Union address. Part of his speech was to acknowledge the deep divides among those who serve in Senate and House. He didn’t need to comment; one could see this as the cameras panned the chamber. President Obama asked the members not to turn every discussion and every vote into a “who will win” battle; that the drive to win should not overshadow the willingness to serve. Sometimes we do this in our Churches.

There are many reasons why we are separate denominations and congregations. As good students, we learn the history and the arguments which lead to division. But as children of God, we remain united in our mission of proclaiming the name of Jesus and inviting all persons into a deeper relationship with Christ.