Made One

My wife, Carol, and I are back from a lovely trip outside to Billings, MT and Yellowstone. We had a great time with our three children and one soon-to-be daughter-in-law. We worshipped at our daugther's home church, Bethlehem Lutheran in Billings, pastored by Eric Thorson. It's a small church that was nearly dead. It's now being raised from death, by welcoming the stranger, the odd and different, the children who make a bit of noise, the gay and lesbian, etc. Our daughter made this her church home largely because the people are so welcoming. Some young families are starting to come and join. It's interesting to me that the full liturgy is sung ("Now the Feast" when we were there), with the feeble help of a weak electronic keyboard, and that the people sing the hymns of the faith from ELW and yet it is so welcoming and "family friendly." People manage a worship book, a liturgy booklet, and a bulletin. Imagine that!

What do you think brings us to church, gathers us in and empowers us to participate? Is it that we expect a good show, that we look forward to seeing our church friends, that we hold in common certain opinions, political views, work habits, social and economic status, ethnic heritage, family roots? What unites us? What makes us one? Are we one because we think or feel or do something. No. Not if we are the church of Christ. God makes us one in Christ. God does this in and through Holy Baptism and then continues doing it, re - membering us as one in Christ, in and through Holy Communion.

Our unity is given, by God. It is not our doing, not our achievement. We sisters and brothers in Christ, members of the body of Christ, baptized believers in and followers of Jesus are MADE ONE in Christ Jesus. We are MADE ONE, not by virtue of ourselves, our efforts or any of our supposed virtues. We are MADE ONE by Christ, in Christ, through Christ, for Christ's sake. All the rest, what seems to separate us or distinguish us from one another, is overcome in and through our belonging to Christ.

The faith is not about us. The church is not about us. Our worship is not about us. It's all about God, God in Christ. The Spirit of God, through the gospel, calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies us in the true faith, making us one in Christ Jesus. God's work in, among and through us is what matters. If we put something else ahead of God's Spirit, then our faith is false, our worship empty and our church dead. If we do not together focus on Jesus, journey together with Jesus, faithfully follow in the Way of Jesus, then we deceive ourselves and others, for then we are not church, not Christian, but just a religious club, a society of spiritual sentiment. We are not the church of Christ when we focus on ourselves. It is not worship when we come primarily to receive and get instead of to offer ourselves to God and give God thanks and glory. It is not faith if we are in it just to save our own skin.

Related story: A woman in one car and a man in another have a fairly serious automobile accident. Both cars are "totaled," unable to be driven. Although both the man and woman are "shaken up," neither is physically hurt. They carefully crawl out of their cars and the woman says, "Wow, look at our cars! There's nothing left; but praise God we're alive! This must be a sign from God that we should meet, become friends, and live together in peace." The man agrees. "And look here," the woman says, taking a full bottle of wine from her demolished car. "It's a miracle. This unbroken bottle of wine must mean that God wants us to celebrate our good fortune and drink to one another's health and happiness!" The man agrees. The woman opens the bottle and hands it to the man. She tells him to drink first and to drink as much as he likes. He begins sipping the wine from the bottle. He offers it back to the woman, but she says, "No you enjoy yourself. I'll wait my turn." Finally, when the man had drunk about half of the bottle, he says to the woman, "Aren't you having any?" She replies, "No. I think I'll just wait for the police."

Hmm? I think I'll trust the God who makes us one.