Unity is difficult for humans. Once Jesus ascended and was no longer physically there to provide direct guidance, we followers began to struggle with differences on all sorts of beliefs and practices. The Acts of the Apostles provides accounts of lots of early conflicts, and there are countless histories and theology writings detailing a wide array of disagreements and divisions through the centuries and up to today. The history of Christianity is absolutely flooded with the opposite of unity.
We find Jesus raising the importance of unity among his followers in various places in the gospels, including the prayer he prays over the disciples in this week’s reading. (Seems he anticipated our struggles.) The verses we have this week are a sort of stream-of-consciousness prayer about Jesus’ followers, those who will begin to follow because of them, the unity of Jesus with the creator/Father, Jesus’ love in the followers (which also predates creation), and how Jesus’ love continues in the followers.
Differences in belief and practice among those who follow Jesus still abound. They range from unimportant disagreements in worship style or administrative structure to core differences in the understanding of who God is and what God wants from humans. Given the human tendency to argue, we will surely spend the rest of history disagreeing about how best to follow Jesus. At the core of following Jesus, however, is the love that Jesus invites us into – love for God and love for our neighbors – based in the love of God the has been part of the world since before there even was a world.
Jesus lived love, generosity, forgiveness, compassion, and inclusion. As we follow Jesus, despite our differences in practices and less essential things, we will find our unity with other followers in the ways he lived, healed, and transformed lives and the world.
Peace,
Alicia