United We Stand

By Rev. Heidi L. Barham |  January 22, 2023

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Read 1 Corinthians 1:10 – 18
 
This morning, the Lectionary continues to draw our attention to Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, picking up where we left off last week in 1 Corinthians 1. 
 
Now depending which version of the Bible you may be looking at, the heading that appears before today’s text could be, “A Church Divided Over Leaders” or “Divisions in the Church” or even simply, “Taking Sides.”
 
No matter which way we slice it, Paul was faced with the challenge of addressing a serious problem… there were folks within the Corinthian church who had gone back to their worldly ways and were causing strife within the congregation.  They were quarreling and picking sides over who they should be following… some suggested Paul, while others wanted to go with Apollos or perhaps Peter… with others looking rightfully to follow Jesus.
 
While, I do realize that is something that would never happen here among the members of Ledgewood… nevertheless, it is still worth us giving consideration to the subject: UNITED WE STAND.
 
Now, it was almost three weeks ago that we heard the first reports on the news about Buffalo Bills player, Damar Hamlin, going into cardiac arrest on the field at Bengals stadium in Cincinnati during a Monday night football game. 
 
As startling as the situation was, however, what was truly astounding was how people across the country and around the world came together and united in prayer… forgetting about any divisions and rivalries that may have existed… and focusing instead only on what they had in common… a desire to see Damar Hamlin recover. 
 
And as we continue to see day by day, the prayers of the righteous have truly been effective… in fact, there are even some reports that Damar may actually be at the game this afternoon when the Bills and Bengals meet for their rematch.
 
What brought that situation back to my mind was something I read in the commentary in the Life Application Study Bible regarding today’s text:

 
Unlike the Bills and Bengals who came together in an unprecedented show of unity on the field that day… the folks within the Corinthian church could not get along even amongst themselves.  Clearly, they had forgotten what the Psalmist David wrote in Psalm 133:1, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!”
 
Now for those who may have been around the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) for any length of time, you may be familiar with something that served as a guiding principle for Barton W. Stone… one of the pastors who was instrumental in starting the brotherhood that became the fellowship that became the movement that eventually became the denomination as we know it today.
 
That guiding principle which is most closely associated with Barton Stone is this, “Unity is our polar star.”  And while this call to unity within what is now known as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has not been without its own bumps in the road over the years… it did result in the establishment of the Council on Christian Unity which is now known as Christian Unity and Interfaith Ministry.
 
According to our denomination’s website, the Disciples were actually “the first denomination in the world to have an organization devoted to the pursuit of unity” (Source: https://disciples.org/our-identity/history-of-the-disciples/). 
 
Disciples were also instrumental in the organizing of the National and World Council of Churches. 
 
Even with all of that history of being overwhelmingly responsive to the call to unity, however… our work within the Christian Church (DOC) is still not done.  There remain ample opportunities for us to join together as siblings in Christ as we link arms with other denominations in the common goal of spreading the Good News about our living Savior, Jesus the Christ.
 
And the only way we, as followers of Christ, will see our efforts be rewarded is if we remember that UNITED WE STAND… because as you are probably well aware, what commonly follows that declaration is “divided we fall.”
 
Now, it is no secret that in some respects, our country is more divided than ever… especially if you look within the political arena.  However, when we look within our homes, our schools, our places of business and our communities… what we find are people who have far more in common than there are differences… especially when it comes to our churches.
 
When we keep our eyes on the prize and focus our hearts and minds on Jesus… we can let go of the differences and grab hold of the promises and truths we find in Scripture.  Not the least of which is Paul’s encouragement to the Ephesians:
   
That is the tie that binds us together in our quest for unity when we embrace the idea that UNITED WE STAND.
 
Now, looking at our text as it is found in the Message Paraphrase, the opening verses read as follows:
   
As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are called to live together in unity because the fact of the matter is that UNITED WE STAND but without a doubt, divided we will fall.  Now, this is something that Paul not only addressed in his letter to the Corinthians but also in his letters to the Ephesians and the Philippians as well the Colossians (see Ephesians 4:3, 13, Philippians 4:1 – 3, Colossians 3:14).
 
But even more than encouragement from the Apostle Paul, the unity of believers was part of Jesus’ prayer that we find recorded in John’s Gospel (17:22- 23) where we read:
   
And yet the fact remains that divisions within the church still existed (then and now) and that was something that Paul knew needed to be addressed… including within the church at Rome to whom he wrote:
   
It would seem that the problems in Corinth were not unique to them… and sad to say they do still exist in one form or another to this day… both within congregations as well as across denominational lines… When people are attracted by celebrity status and put leaders on pedestals based on popularity and personality… that is an issue. 
 
So, it is incumbent upon us to be intentional in our efforts to foster unity and create welcoming and inviting spaces that will draw people closer to the only One any of us should be following… Jesus the Christ.
 
As a pastor, one of the things that we learn early on is that there is no hurt like church hurt.  In other words, when people come to a church in search of healing and connection and inclusion… and the members of that church respond instead with rejection and criticism and exclusion… those people will go right back out the door even more quickly than when they first came in… some who will never enter another building that is called a “church” again.
 
In fact, in preparing for today’s sermon, I came across this story:
   
This story may be good for a laugh… but it also serves as a reminder of how some people will be quick to pack up their toys and go home (so to speak) if they do not feel welcomed or find a sense of belonging within the church.
 
And let me just pause right here with a point of clarification.  When we talk about people leaving the “church” … we are not referring simply to the edifice… we are referring to the body of believers.
 
As the lyrics to the song say:
   
And when we can take those lyrics to heart and accept that UNITED WE STAND… that is when the church, the body of believers will be able to touch hearts and touch lives in extraordinary ways.
 
That is why the work that we are already doing is so important… like our support of the Food Cupboard at Burton Congregational Church and the annual Greg Weemhoff C.R.O.P. Walk… as well as our participation with ecumenical organizations like the Chagrin Valley Council of Churches and God Before Guns… and it even extends to our ongoing relationships with the Scouts as well as the Ledgewood Recovery Groups.
 
Whenever we open our doors and our hearts to others without hesitation or reservation, we are doing what Jesus commanded us to do… we are loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.
 
That is the hallmark of what it means to be a Christian, a true disciple of Christ… I am not referring here to being a member of our denomination but to anyone who is a full-fledged follower of Jesus… to all those who have heard and said, “Yes,” to the call to take up their cross and follow Him….
 
It is over in Luke 9 (23) that we read these words of Jesus, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”
 
While over in John’s Gospel we read, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).
 
We must be committed to taking up our cross every day to follow Jesus… setting aside our selfish desires for the benefit of serving others.  We must also be willing to love one another as Jesus loved us… unconditionally… without regard for social status, political affiliation, ethnic background, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other artificial means of separation and categorization we might be tempted to use… because at the end of the day none of that matters to Jesus and it should not matter to us.
 
What should matter to us is our common bond of faith in Jesus… the firm foundation on which we can all stand united. 
 
Jesus gave His life for us so that we would be able to live together in unity with Him for all of eternity... no divisions, no separations, no boundaries, just all of God’s children dwelling together in peace and harmony… knowing that when all is said and done, we truly are one in the Spirit and one in the Lord.
  
And so, with that thought in mind, let us stand and join in singing our Hymn of Discipleship: They'll Know We Are Christians #494.
 

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