• "Unity in the Church"
• Sermon for the Seventeenth Sunday after Trinity
• October 12, 2003
• The Reverend Stephen C. Scarlett

The epistle (Ephesians 4:1-6) talks about unity-an attractive ideal that is difficult to practice. Unity in the church is fostered in two ways: by unity in matters of the faith and by the practice of unifying behavior in relationship to others in the church.

Unity is rooted in our common assent to what we call "the faith." The epistle says, "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all."

The place where this unity is most evident is in the liturgy. We come to the liturgy as the community of those who have been baptized by one Spirit into the one body of Christ. We bow down as one body before one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom we have the privilege of calling God, "Father."

We all hold to a common faith summarized in the creeds. We confess, in common, that we are sinners in need of God's grace. Together we say "amen" to the prayers that proclaim Christ's death for our sins. We receive in common the sacred gifts, which unite us in Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:17). In the liturgy we actualize the unity of which the epistle speaks.

This is the traditional and biblical idea of unity. However, some advocate a new and different approach to unity. The newer idea is not common faith and common prayer but diverse faith and diverse prayer. The newer idea is to develop a wide range of liturgical options that express various nuances of individual belief so that there will be something for everyone. If one is uncomfortable with an emphasis on the cross, there are liturgies that make the blood of Christ less central. If one is offended by the paternal image of God as Father, there are neutered liturgies that skirt the issue.

In this new model, unity is not accomplished by common assent to a common faith expressed in a common liturgy. Rather, unity is accomplished, allegedly, by defining the faith so broadly that everyone is included no matter what he believes. The problem is that this moves beyond the horizon of Ephesians. It is not "one lord and one faith" but "many lords and many faiths."

And this model creates division rather than unity. For it exalts the personal opinions and preferences of the individual over the common, revealed faith of the church. The church becomes a collection of special interest groups, each vying for rights and recognition. It creates warring factions, not a unified body.

There are, to be sure, uncertain and nonessential areas of faith and practice where our different perspectives and opinions do not compromise unity-when these perspectives and opinions are held and advocated with humility and charity. Nonetheless, unity in the faith is maintained primarily by our loud, firm and common "amen" to the doctrines and prayers that express our common faith.

Unity is also fostered in the church by the practice of unifying virtues in our relationships with others. The epistle says, "With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."

The unity created by our common amen is not much good if we kill each other once we walk away from the altar. Indeed, the devil, when he fails to create doctrinal disunity, undermines the unity of the church by fostering personal animosities and arguments. He encourages the small slight, the bothersome habit and various other sources of annoyance and ill will. He instigates petty feuds. He works on our pride by getting us to think that the "principle" involved in our small squabble is worthy of a major conflict.

To put unity into practice we must, at least, put up with each other. Then, we must make an effort to love, which means to act for the good of others, especially those we are not predisposed to like. This requires that we practice the virtues the epistle mentions, beginning with humility.

Jesus provides the pattern for our practice of humility. He is, by nature, the Son of God, the Lord and heir of all things. Yet, for our sake he came down from heaven to save us. He left his rightful place of eternal glory and power to become man; to bleed and die for us. Having received the gift that he humbled himself to give us, to what lengths are we willing to go in our service to each other?

There are dozens of reasons we ought not to put up with any more baloney from that nagging, insufferable church member; but there is one good reason we should: Jesus puts up with us. The gift is always given to us at that altar. He continues to listen to our prayers, despite our many failures to uphold our end of the bargain. He never says, "That's it. I've had enough of him" But he did command us to "love one another as I have loved you" (John 13:34).

The church, the body of Christ, is a place where we are required to love real people in real time. Loving real people in real time is hard. This is why the church that gathers in front of the TV, which I can attend alone in my easy chair with remote control in hand, is attractive for so many. It frees one from having to practice humility and gentleness; it frees one from the need to forebear and suffer long. But it also frees one from the practice of any real Christianity.

Doctrinal unity and interpersonal unity both require submission. To maintain doctrinal unity, we must each realize that our common assent to the catholic and apostolic faith of the church is more important than our contrary personal opinions. To maintain interpersonal unity we must realize that the good of the body as a whole and the salvation of individual souls are more important than personal vindication in our petty differences and disputes.

Many today claim that unity can be fostered through doctrinal diversity and by a militant stress on the rights of individuals to behave as they please without regard to the impact of their behavior on others. These are two sides of the same counterfeit coin.

Unity can only be fostered by our common "amen" to our common faith and by the sacrifice of our individual rights for the good of others after the pattern of Jesus: "With all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." For there is "One body and one Spirit...one hope...one Lord, one faith."