“The body of Christ is a multicultural citizenry of an otherworldly kingdom.“
David Platt
–
AUGUST 16, 2024
In the 1950’s, America was a deeply divided nation, divided primarily on issues of race. Schools were segregated and so were many churches. Even pastors preached segregation from the pulpits and the more radical voices in American culture inspired violence.
On September 15, 1963, white racists bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama., killing four young African-American girls who were attending Sunday school.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at the eulogy for these children.
“This afternoon we gather in the quiet of this sanctuary to pay our last tribute of respect to these beautiful children of God…
They are the martyred heroines of a holy crusade for freedom and human dignity. And so this afternoon in a real sense they have something to say to each of us in their death.
They have something to say to every minister of the gospel who has remained silent behind the safe security of stained-glass windows. They have something to say to every politician who has fed his constituents with the stale bread of hatred and the spoiled meat of racism. They have something to say to a federal government that has compromised with the undemocratic practices of southern Dixiecrats and the blatant hypocrisy of right-wing northern Republicans. They have something to say to every Negro who has passively accepted the evil system of segregation and who has stood on the sidelines in a mighty struggle for justice.
They say to each of us, black and white alike, that we must substitute courage for caution. They say to us that we must be concerned not merely about who murdered them, but about the system, the way of life, the philosophy which produced the murderers.”
Today, our nation is again divided, divided over political issues and party affiliations. Some preachers even elevate political identity to the level of our identity in Christ and political rhetoric to the level of scriptural truth.
In his letter to the Romans, Paul was writing to a divided Church living in a divided, sometimes violent, culture. He pleaded for unity under the headship of Jesus.
May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 15:5-6
This call to unity does not mean giving up what is distinctive about us or forcing others to give up what is distinctive about them. It means finding a common sense of purpose.
We must remember that the community of believers is not an aspiration, it is who we are. We are members of a family. It is not a family by blood, where we are all the same, but of the Spirit. It is a family from every tribe and nation baptized in the Holy Spirit, a Spirit that unites and overcomes divisions in society, overcomes our desire to stand alone rather than stand together. We are the Church. We are the Body of Christ.
“So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Galatians 3:20-30
Questions for reflection and discussion:
- Why is division so damaging to the Church and its witness to the world?
- What do you think causes it?
- Practically, what are some things you can do to help bring greater unity to the Church?
Church Reading Plan:
- Today, Augus 16: Jeremiah 44; Psalms 20-21
- Saturday, August 17: Jeremiah 46; Psalm 22
- Sunday, August 18: Jeremiah 47; Psalm 23-24