There’s a little phrase in our Hebrews
scripture reading this morning that really got my attention. It’s found in
verse 11 where we are told that Jesus isn’t ashamed to call us “brothers and
sisters.”
Brothers and sisters.
Every time I begin at a new church, people
in the congregation will tell me, “Watch
what you say because everybody is related to someone around here.”
I served a small country church early in
my ministry. There were two ladies in who did everything in that church or at
least it seemed like they did. The one
lady had dark hair and the other lady’s hair was completely white and they
didn’t look alike at all.
It wasn’t until my last month in that
church that someone told me they were sisters! I didn’t know that! Everybody
assumed I knew! I was there four years and I had no clue! Fortunately, I can’t
remember ever saying anything negative about either one of them!
When I was attending my home church in
Pennsylvania, the pastor had me serve as a worship leader on Sunday mornings.
On several of those Sundays, my brother would offer special music.
When my brother was done singing, it would
be my turn to read the scripture lesson. And I would always say the same lame
comment that would always get a cheap laugh from the congregation.
I just couldn’t resist. I would say, “Thank you for your beautiful music, ‘Brother, David.’”
But it’s true. We’re not just
biological brothers. We’re also spiritual brothers like how the author of our
Hebrews scripture reading means it.
We might not call each other “brothers and sisters” like some
denominations do, but that’s who we are. We are brothers and sisters in Christ.
Just because we’re brothers and sisters in
Christ, doesn’t mean that we look alike or share the same opinions. Like those
two sisters, one with black hair and the other with white hair, on the outside,
you might never be able to tell that we are related, but we are.
We’re related because of our common
connection with Jesus Christ. Jesus is who makes us brothers and sisters.
And seeing ourselves as brothers and
sisters doesn’t mean that it’s always easy to get along and be in fellowship.
Maybe that’s why the bible uses this language of brothers and sisters as often
as it does. We need to be reminded that we are part of God’s family through
Jesus Christ.
This is one of the reasons that we observe
World Communion Sunday each year. It’s not only important to see each other as
brothers and sisters in this place, but also with churches and other
denominations throughout the world.
Even in the United Methodist denomination,
we have so much diversity. For example, both George Bush and Hillary Clinton
are United Methodist. Last time I checked, they don’t see eye to eye on many
issues. And yet, they are brothers and sisters in Christ and they represent the
wide diversity in our denomination.
I was at the Steelers/Ravens game this
past Thursday night in Pittsburgh. Those teams don’t like each other at all.
The fans can be brutal. Steelers fans might see each other as brothers and
sisters in support of their team, but they certainly don’t feel very brotherly
toward the Raven fans. The same is true of how Ravens fans feel about Steelers
fans.
This is what makes the church unique in a
world of we’s and they’s. We might disagree with each other over what color the
nursery carpet should be.
We might have differing opinions on the
meaning of scripture. Our thoughts on favorite hymns will probably be all over
the board, but what keeps us together is that we always remember that we are
brothers and sisters of Christ.
This is the reason why we think twice
before saying something hurtful about another person in the church. This is the
reason why we are more prone to offer an encouraging word rather than a
critical word to someone. It’s because we remember scriptures like this one
from Hebrews that reminds us that we are brothers and sisters.
There are also many Christian
denominations that are very different from the church we attend and the United
Methodist Church in general. They have different ways of worshipping. They have
different methods in finding a pastor. They have different views on what a
Sacrament is or isn’t.
All of these differences, and yet on this
day, this day we call, “World Communion Sunday,” we remember that in spite of
all of our differences, we are brothers and sisters in Christ.
Rachel Held Evans is a Christian blogger,
author, and gifted speaker. She’s not United Methodist even though her speaking
circuit includes a lot of United Methodist settings.
Rachel’s recent book is called, Searching
for Sunday, where she talks about her spiritual journey in finding a church
that she can call home. Rachel is in her early 30s and because she is a young
adult, her journey gives us a glimpse into how her generation views organized
religion.
In one of her chapters, she writes, “At last count, there are nearly as many
denominations in Christianity as there are trees growing in a forest. Each one
looks different – beautiful and broken in its own way – but we all share the
same DNA.”
“We
tend to lament this seemingly endless parceling of Christianity (which, let’s
face it,” she writes, “can indeed get
out of hand,) but I’m not convinced the pursuit of greater unity means
rejecting denominationalism altogether.”
“A worldwide movement of more than two billion people reaching every
continent and spanning thousands of cultures for over two thousand years can’t
expect homogeneity. And the notion that a single tradition owns the lockbox on
truth is laughable, especially when the truth we’re talking is God.”
“We
might instead think of the various Christian traditions as different facets of
a diamond refracting the same light, or as workers tending to a shared garden
but with unique tasks, or as a single body made of many interconnected parts.”
“Our
differences can be cause for celebration when we believe the same Spirit that
sings through a pipe organ can sing through an electric guitar, a Gregorian
chant, or a gospel choir – though perhaps not at the same time! – and that we
each hear the Spirit best at a different pitch.”
Rachel goes on to write, “In other words, unity does not require
uniformity. Jesus said his Father’s house has many rooms.”
“In this metaphor, I like to imagine the Presbyterians hanging out in
the library, the Baptists running the kitchen, the Anglicans setting the table,
the Anabaptists washing feet with the hose in the backyard, the Lutherans making
liturgy for the laundry, the Methodists stoking the fire in the hearth, the Catholics
keeping the family history, the Pentecostals throwing open all the windows and
doors to let more people in.”
I like what Rachel is conveying in her
book. She’s saying that Christian denominations may have their unique approaches
to the faith, but the main thing to remember is that even with all of our
differences, we are brothers and sisters in Christ.
In one of the churches where I served as
pastor, I became friends with a non-denominational pastor. He was the founding pastor of a new church in
town and they were getting ready to celebrate their fifth birthday anniversary
as a congregation.
He invited me to preach for their special
Sunday morning worship celebration that I gladly accepted. While I was honored that he chose me, this
mainline denomination pastor to speak at their special ceremony. I was also a
little intimidated because I knew that our churches were very different with
our worship styles.
I don’t think that I have ever experienced
a louder worship service than the one I attended that day when I spoke at his
church. I mean, it was really loud. Drums, guitars, and lots of singing. Lots of
singing. Their worship service that day
lasted two and a half hours.
About an hour into the service, and
knowing that I still had another twenty or so minutes before I was to preach, I needed to go
to the restroom. Even while I was in the restroom, the music was incredibly
loud. It’s the kind of worship that even
if you’re in the restroom, you won’t miss a thing.
So I
go back into the worship auditorium…notice that I didn’t say sanctuary, and
finally it’s time for me to preach. I
began by congratulating them on their five-year birthday celebration.
This was an incredible church because they
were reaching a lot of people through their recovery ministries and helping
people who were struggling with addictions.
They were doing a lot of really wonderful ministry in our community.
And then I said, “Our two churches are very different, though.” I said that by this
time I would already had lunch because our worship services are only an hour
long. And they laughed.
And then I said, “You’re church is celebrating five years and next year, my church will
be celebrating our 200th anniversary.” And the people applauded
which was really nice of them.
And then I said, “The biggest difference between our two churches is that the music here
at your church is a lot louder than at my church and I mean a lot louder.” I
said, “For example, before worship, you
hand out ear plugs because
the music is so loud. At my church, we
hand out hearing aids.”
After the worship service, so many people
came up to me to thank me for sharing with them on their special anniversary.
They were so supportive and loving. I could see why they were a growing church.
They saw themselves as a family, as
brothers and sisters in Christ. I became one of their brothers that day, even
though I had to get my hearing checked later that week.
No, it wasn’t a church I would prefer to
attend, but thank God they were part of our community.
Each church and denomination offers a
unique history and approach to the Christian faith. We’re not all meant to be
exactly the same. Some churches are able to reach people that other churches
are not as equipped to reach.
On this World Communion Sunday, we are
reminded to pray for churches all around the world who are seeking to live out
their faith. We are reminded that the church is bigger than one church or one
denomination. We are part of one great big world-wide communion.
The author of Hebrews is right. We are
brothers and sisters in Christ.
