Lord’s Day 21: Q&A 54-56: Unity within Diversity

I imagine you’ve read a thousand thinkpieces (or the headlines thereof) about how the ‘most segregated hour in America is 11 o’clock on Sunday morning.’ I’m not going to get into that much because it’s been done by people who can probably better speak into it than I, but the church has a unity problem. Not just in America, but across the world. Many corners of Christianity are more known for demeaning their brothers and sisters in Christ than they are for their witness to the Gospel or work of the Kingdom of God. The amount of siloing and belief that our specific version of interpreting the Bible is the only correct way to do so is frankly appalling.

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with preferring a certain theology over another, even being firmly convicted in it. However, we run into problems when we let the differences in theology and practice overwhelm our Mission and a church. There is great work to be done for the Kingdom of God, but we are often ignoring it for the sake of internal squabbling.

Just last week, my church participated in an Ecumenical Neighborhood Outreach Week, which included Presbyterians, Nazarenes, Baptists, Non-denoms, and a House of Prayer. Obviously there are some theological differences inherent in that group, but it was refreshing to see everyone put those aside for the sake of reaching our neighbors, and the delight on the faces of people from the neighborhood that I spoke to when I told them that we were a diverse group of churches banding together for the common good was invigorating.

This week’s Lord’s Day looks at what it means for the church to be truly catholic (in the universal sense) and united under Christ and only Christ. All of our churches need to discard our unhealthy pride and instead turn that into caring discernment. As with other potentially sensitive topics, your mileage may vary on how ready your church is to confess the sin of pride in their own theology, but we hope that these resources will spark your creativity to discern how best to approach this in your context.

Lord’s Day 21

Q&A 54

CALL TO WORSHIP (Psalm 95)

As Christ has called us through his Spirit and Word unto himself, we are called into a time of worship today as one body, united in Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker, for he is our God and we are the people under his care. As we are united as his church, let us unite our voices together to praise our God!

Q&A 54-55

CONFESSION AND ASSURANCE (Ephesians 4:1-6)

Lord our God, you have called people from all walks of life over the millenia to be part of your body, the church. We confess to you our pride in our way of expressing our faith in you. We have elevated our traditions, our denomination, and our theological accent above what you call us to: to be one, as you, the Father, and the Spirit are one. 

Forgive us, O Christ, for not loving our brothers and sisters as ourselves but turning them into an other. Holy Spirit, show us where you are at work, both in our own church and in the places of your church where we are not. Give us a heart of discerning care, that we may abandon division for division’s sake and hold true to what your word calls us to. 

Unite us in our faith in you, O Lord. May we love our fellow believers in you, even when we disagree on particulars. We pray that your church may be united that we may better bring the gospel to this fallen world. We ask this in the name of Jesus our Savior, the head of the church, Amen.

-time for silent confession-

Leader: There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Eph 4:4-6) Brothers and sisters, as members of the body of Christ, our sins are forgiven in Christ. May we go forth, united in our calling, united under Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.

People: Thanks be to God!

PROFESSION OF THE CHURCH’S FAITH

Brothers and sisters, as we have [confessed our sins, been assured of our pardon, etc], let us now together profess the faith that we have in our God: Father, Son, and Spirit. As the church across the ages has done, may we raise our voices together in unity with the communion of saints as we declare what unites us all, over and above denominational lines and theological differences:

What is it that you/we believe?

-Recite the appropriate Creed-

Q&A 55

BENEDICTION

As members of the church catholic, Christ’s body, we have a great opportunity to show the world the love of our God as we are united under him and him alone. May we go forth into the world today and show that though we are many diverse parts, the body of Christ is one body, unified under our head, Jesus, for the sake of his work in this world. Go in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.

Q&A 56

ASSURANCE OF PARDON

Friends, because of Christ’s satisfaction of God’s wrath which we all deserve to bear, God will no longer remember any of our sins, or even our sinful nature. Instead, God grants us righteousness to free us forever from judgment. In Christ, our sins are forgiven!

Thanks be to God!