by Pastor Douglas Brauner
Jesus Calls us to Unity
Most of the Cottonwood trees in our neighborhood have died and been removed. Cottonwoods are known for growing fast, but they are messy. Some can live for years and others seem to die quickly. And when they grow in open spaces, they often produce more than one trunk.
Two trunks from one seed share the same roots.
For Cottonwood trees this is normal and can be a good thing, but for those of us who share the same roots in Christ, growing in two different directions is not a good.
“Brothers and sisters, I encourage all of you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to agree with each other and not to split into opposing groups. I want you to be united in your understanding and opinions.”
1 Corinthians 1:10 God’s Word Translation
These divisions to which Paul refers centered around personalities. The tree of the Christian community was growing in different directs because of personal loyalties and it was harming the fabric of the church.
Some of us reading this devotion have experienced the pain of division in the church. Though we are rooted in Christ and find nourishment in him, we bring our humanness into the community of the redeemed.
Many divisions in the church are not the result of what we believe about Jesus, but about some personal agenda, pride, and arrogance.
Paul calls us to repentance. The things that bring division among us need to come under the cross where we find our unity in Jesus, the One who died for us to heal our divisions and has breathed his resurrected life into us.
This repentance and renewal begin with you and me, not the other person. I have been a part of division in the church. It is hard for me to admit that when I pointed a finger at others, it was the same finger that pointed back at me.
Healing the wounds of division in the church begins with us taking ownership for our part, and it also involves our desire to come together for the sake of Jesus.
Jesus calls us to unity.
Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado
