February 24, 2015--unity of spirit

1 Peter 3:8-18a

⁸Finally, all of you, have unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. ⁹Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—that you might inherit a blessing. ¹⁰For “Those who desire life and desire to see good days, let them keep their tongues from evil and their lips from speaking deceit; ¹¹let them turn away from evil and do good; let them seek peace and pursue it. ¹²For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” ¹³Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good? ¹⁴But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated, ¹⁵but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you;
¹⁶yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil.
¹⁸For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God.
________________________________________________________
I watch the news, I have worked with many congregations, I have friends and family, and I wonder--is it really possible to ever have unity?  Scripture will talk about being of one mind, not to argue.  Is it really possible?  I have to believe it is, or else why would scripture speak so much about it.

I don't believe unity means to be alike, to agree with everything others may say.  The writer of 1 Peter encourages a unity of spirit, of sympathy/care for one another, love one anther, have a tender heart, and a humble mind.  Don't repay evil with evil or abuse for abuse, rather repay with a blessing.

I encouraged the people of Ascension to give up fear for Lent.  I wonder how much fear has to do with why it is so hard to have a kind of unity that God seems to desire.

The first fear I can imagine is the fear that things won't be the way "I" like things to be.  Things will change and it won't be my way, and I like my way.  It's always been that way.  We might make up rules that speak to us, that work for us, and we expect them to be met.  But so often these rules are about us.  Instead we are to have a humble mind, to think of ourselves less and to think of others more.  What would be best for the community might be our first question instead of what is in this for me.

 One fear I have seen when difficult decisions need to be made is the fear and threat of money.  If the congregation makes a decision, we know some people will stop giving.  We assume we know who the big givers are, and we want to make sure we keep them happy.  It saddens me when I have heard congregational members even say this is what the pastor is to do (I have never heard this at Ascension!)  Clearly the church leaders were not happy with Jesus' decisions, with Jesus' way of expressing faith in God.  So much so they killed him.  But Jesus did not repay evil with evil, instead he said Father forgive them. 

What would happen if Ascension and let me go there, the whole church were to be in unity of spirit?  Oh, I can only imagine, and what an imagination I can have.

 unity of spirit, sympathy, love for one another, a tender heart, and a humble mind. ⁹Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing