As Jesus was literally making His way to the Mount of Olives where He would be betrayed and handed over to be crucified, He prayed for His disciples and for those who would believe through their message – US! He prayed that they (us) be one, just as the Father is in the Son and the Son is in the Father. Jesus prayed that the fellowship of believers be united and in harmony with Him and one another. Many years earlier King David wrote in Psalm 133: “How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! For there the Lord bestows His blessing, even life forevermore.” We might call this God’s will for the “United State of the Church.”
Our country has taken a very hard hit over the past two years of the presidential campaign, and it shows no signs of getting better after the election. As the voting results revealed, we are a deeply divided nation when it comes to its direction and leadership. This division seems to run pretty deep and has caused fractures among families and friends. It has even seeped into churches and other organizations. Sadly, Trinity Lutheran Church included. Passionate partisanship has left little room for compromise and harmony. Throw into this mix a politically charged media, and our country is filled with unrest and protest, anger and hatred. One is hard pressed to see our land as the “United States of America.” In some respects, perhaps this isn’t all so terrible. People are engaging, speaking out and getting involved.
But it doesn’t “feel” too good, and we certainly need to pray for our nation as we wrestle with what we claim to treasure – the democratic process.
We need to pray as well for the unity of God’s church. As I mentioned, Trinity has felt some of the tremors of division and opposing opinions. A few, but only a few members I’m told, have chosen to stay away from worship and the activity of the church. Hopefully that is only for a short “time-out” so to speak, and a cooling off period. God’s will is that His church remain united together as one in Him and with Him. We may have to wrestle with a variety of opinions among our members regarding some of the issues of the day, but we have much more to keep us united than drive us apart, namely the Gospel and our hope and mission in Jesus! As David declared, “it is good and pleasant when brothers live in unity.” Such unity does not demand uniformity. It does require love, patience and respect for one another and their points of view.
Let us pray for unity in our church and in our country. Let us pursue harmony in our work together in the Lord’s church, even as we sing different notes. May our prayer like Jesus’ be for oneness with Him and through Him with one another. Let our heartfelt prayer and desire be for the “united state of the church,” and the United States of America. God bless both!
~ Pastor Dennis Krueger