John 17:20-23 When we hear the word unity, most of us instinctively think it sounds like a good thing. We can picture it - a team playing well together. A choir where different voices somehow make one sound. A family gathering where everybody gets along. There is something really attractive about unity, because when it is there, life seems to work as it should. People don’t have to be identical, but they belong together. Different personalities, different gifts, different stories - and yet somehow moving in the same direction. And maybe that is why division hurts so much. Because we see so much of it. In the world, in communities, in families, and sometimes, sadly, in the church as well. It feels like we live in a time when it can feel easier to argue than to listen, easier to divide than to come together. And into that kind of world comes this prayer of Jesus. And what makes it especially moving is when He prays it. This is the night before the cross. Jesus knows wha...
There is a striking thing about Paul's words in today's reading from Romans (12:9-21), and that is that at first glance they seem surprisingly simple: "Let love be genuine." Only four words in English. No difficult theology. No complicated doctrine to unravel. It sounds like advice that could be stitched onto a cushion or written inside a greeting card. The trouble is that once we begin to think about it, it becomes one of the most demanding things Paul ever says. Most of us think we are reasonably loving people. We love our families, care about friends, and help others when we can. But Paul refuses to leave the matter there. He keeps expanding the circle: "Bless those who persecute you." "Live in harmony with one another." "Do not repay anyone evil for evil." "If your enemies are hungry, feed them." Suddenly we discover that Paul is not talking about the people we find easy to love. He is talking about the people who test us ...