That they may be one

I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. John 17:20-22.

There are a number of things that Christians work towards that are, theologically and practically, unattainable – complete sanctification; the salvation of all people; world peace and justice; the end of poverty and disease. We pray that God’s kingdom will come and our calling is to be part of the answer to that prayer. But we know that we will not see full attainment until every knee bows and every tongue confesses Jesus as Lord and all creation is brought under his reign.

Jesus prays that all his disciples will be one, in the unity of the Spirit. Working as a team on a project, attending a course, on a church weekend, many of us have experienced rich times of Spirit-filled unity. But such unity is not our everyday experience in our local fellowships, our denominations and the worldwide church. Yet Jesus prays that the unity of believers will show the world that Jesus is sent from God.

This unity may be unattainable, but we are required to pursue it with genuine commitment. Jesus’ prayer is one we have to pray and work for. We are given a grand vision of the church – one, holy, apostolic and universal, a magnificent and ‘mighty army’ filling space and time. We need to do all that is in our power to ensure that the small, particular part to which we belong demonstrates the unity of the Spirit to our world.

On a practical everyday level, how do we deal with the factors that fracture our unity? How do we make difficult choices between truth and unity? Are we willing to accept in humility that sometimes we are a cause of disunity? The church may need to be admonished and critiqued, but are we always the ones to do it? Are we contributing to the caring, loving and serving that binds a fellowship together? Do we pray for those responsible for wider unities between churches and within denominations? I don’t know about you, but I know I need to do some serious self-examination!

Perfect unity may not be possible, but we have to try.

Margaret Killingray

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