Text: John 17:20-26, Acts 1:14
Title: We Are One
By Rev. A. LaMar Torrence,
Cross of Life Lutheran Church
I yet believe that we are living in some amazing times when our horizons are both expanding and contracting. Never before has it been so easy to be in direct contact with people from all over the world. We are slowly becoming one global village. Uplinks, email, teleconferences, Internet, bulletin boards and all these electronic pit stops on the information highway offer us the chance to interact and interconnect in a nanosecond. Technology is pulling the diverse corners of the world into one community. We are becoming one. And it’s my belief that the church should be the leader in uniting this diverse community into one godly kingdom. The church is to be a place emulating unity where there is truly no Jew, no Gentile, no slave, nor master, no male or female. We are called to become one. We are called to be one church -without a spot or wrinkle prepared to scale heights of heaven upon our Lord’s return; We are called to be one faith- regardless of doctrine, denomination, creed, and confession; We are called to be one family- brothers and sisters, familiars and family united under the blood of Christ. We are to be one.
And yet, in spite of humanity’s technological evolution towards globalization, we are still living in a culture of selfishness and individualism. We are living among a people who frequently say, “I don’t need anybody. I can make it out here on my own. I can do it my way and exist by myself.” That’s why we are witnessing an ever-growing rate of self-help programs, self-empowerment books, and self-motivational speakers. We are busy trying to become self-made people-doing things on our own. Movers and shakers are trying to become self-made millionaires whether it’s by making deals on Wall Street or dealing out dope on street corners. Some of our children are willing to live in ally-ways rather than abiding by their parents’ household rules. They feel that they are grown enough to make it on their own. We see mothers choosing to raise children without fathers. We have Black women willing to live without Black men because of the ‘ I don’t need a men’ attitude. We see men too proud to commit to a monogamous relationship because they want to selfishly play the field. Each of us is taking care of our own business. We feel that we don’t need anyone. Even when some of us get trapped in our sick bed, we want to be left alone in our afflictions. Our pride causes us to close our doors to visitors and others that want to help. We don’t want anyone in our business or feeling sorry for us. We feel that we can get through our troubles by our selves.
But Jesus reminds us that we cannot function alone. He reminds us in this prayer that we are to be one. We are all apart of the one body and if one member suffers, all suffer together. If one member is honored, all the members are to rejoice together. When God said, “that it is not good that the man should be alone”, I believe he was saying that we need others to share our success and share our pain. We need others to partake in our joys and help us with our burdens. We need each other. Like Jesus, we too need fellow Simons standing in the wings ready to help us carry our cross. When pharaoh has burden us down with oppressive duties at work, we need love ones in our homes ready to refresh our spirits. When friends deny us, family forsakes us, and our loneliness seems overwhelming, we need the company of God’s beloved church to encourage us. Even on our sick beds, when we are unable to make it out to fellowship, although letters, cards, and flowers, are precious – we still need the physical manifestation of God’s love present by our bedside. We need someone to hold our hand, dry our tears, and calm our fears. We need each other. Tell somebody-we need each other.
Jesus prays, “That we would be one as he and the father are one…I in them as you are in me that they may be perfectly one.” In other word, Jesus is saying, “Lord, let them have a sense of unity. Give them a spirit of oneness. Let them realize that they are all created equal in your sight. Let it no longer be about them and us, but let it be about “ours and we”. Let them be one as you and I are one. When the world sees me, they see the father. When the world seeks the father, it seeks after me. So, let them, Holy father be unified that they aren’t seen- but let the Christ that is in their midst be seen. Let them be one. Let those who are colored in the many hues of the rainbow collectively mirror your true colors. Let the dark shades of Africa mixed with the soft pastels of Europe and the florescent spices of South America. Let them form the mosaic stained glass windows adorning your spiritual temple here on earth. Let them be one. Tell someone, ‘let us become one.”
And the fulfillment of this prayer seems impossible. How can we become one? How can we become unified when we can’t agree how we should worship, what hymns to sings, and how long we should sing them? Lord, how can we become one? How can we be unified, when everyone has a different opinion and want their voice to be heard? How can we be one when from 11 am to noon on any given Sunday, your people effectively separate themselves by race, class, and culture? How can we be one, when on any given Sunday, Sunday morning still becomes the most segregated hour of the week in our country? How can we become one when it matters to some of us, who sits in our pews and who bows next to us at the altar? How can we be one when it matters to us, whether we clap our hands, sway to a beat or just meditate in silent? Lord, how can we be one?
Well the answer to our problem comes in the answer to Jesus prayers. Jesus prayed that his people would be one, and the writer of acts tells us that that prayer was answered. He tells us that Jesus’ followers were gathered in one place, with one prayer, and for one purpose.
First, we learn that they were gathered in one place. One hundred and twenty persons were drawn together by one common impulse to merge their separate existences, their various pursuits, their divergent vocations, their several movements, and their independent actions, into one common action, and by that action to come together to one place. All of the different reasons, motives, and excuses which would have kept them apart or caused them to be at different places at this time in history were overcome by the common reason and motive which drew them to this one place. Think about it church. Would it not be amazing to see what would happen if we as a church for one Sunday or one day of worship would place the necessity of being in fellowship with each other over the many different excuses and reasons for missing church? Would it not be marvelous to see what would happen if every so-called member of Cross of Life would show up all on the same Sunday and at the same worship service? And I know that we all could roll off legitimate excuses for missing worship. However, would it not be a greater act of faith to trust in the word that says “forsake not the assembly of yourselves” knowing that God will not forsake our situation. Think about it. For that one day- the call of God would reign supreme. For that one day our companies, friends, and even our family would know that we have to be some place that took eminence over our paychecks, our family, and need to please others. Tell somebody, ‘we need to be in one place.’
These people were all together in one place, physically, and mentally. But they also had one purpose. They were all of the same mind. Many of us are here in body but our minds are some place else. Our minds are thinking about problems at home and problems at work. Our minds are not all in this place. We are thinking about what we have on our list of duties for today; cooking dinner, watching the game, making phone calls, or going shopping but this early group of Christians were of the same mind. Now, it took three years of ministry to get them to this place in their lives. It took the death, burial, and resurrection of their leader. But finally, they were of the same mind. . They had what we refer to in afro-centricity as ‘ubuntu.’ Ubuntu is an African word meaning the ‘collective consciousness’ among African people. It is the spirit of community and solidarity. It is the notion of freedom through our community. ‘Ubuntu’ or collective consciousness is simply two or three touching and agreeing. Ubuntu says we are one. It is dialogical in nature where the church does not impose its beliefs unto the community but formulates a common language with the community so that both may name its world and transform it. It is a collective consciousness that causes us to consider ourselves as a chain where we can only be as strong as our weakest link. In order words church we are only as strong as those who are the victims of social isolation, Black on Black crime, single parents, absentee Black fathers, gang violence, AIDS, and other social depravities. We are only as strong as those who have to worry about where next month’s rent is coming from, where tomorrow’s supper is coming from, and when will I get a job. We are only as strong as those who struggling to get their prescriptions filled, those struggling to pay their college tuition, and those praying for some form of transportation. Ubuntu says we are one people with one purpose.
They were one by the fact they met in one place. They were one in the fact they had one purpose- a sense of ‘ubuntu’. And they were one in their prayers. And you see it is my belief that our oneness can only become a reality through the act of prayer. Through prayer we who are filthy rags can behold the perfecting glory of a Divine God. We who are citizens of these United States can become inhabitants of the New Jerusalem – the holy city once beheld by John. Prayer is the key to contextualizing the Christian church in a multicultural, economically stratified, racist society. Prayer is the resolve to break down the last barrier keeping Americans from obtaining Utopia.
You see prayer still changes things. Prayer changes people, places, situations, and circumstances. And in our ever-changing society, prayer can be effectual in changing those things that seem immutable. Poverty seems to be immutable. Even our Lord Jesus said that the poor you would have with you always. Hunger and disease will be a permanent fixture to remind us of human frailties. Crime and violence will persists as long as we have lustful hearts and unmet desires. Disappointments and depression will continue to occur as long as we have hopes and dreams. And yet, with these life sentences of pain and agony, toils and troubles I still believe that prayer has the power to change things.
You see it is not the prayer itself that changes things but the person to whom we pray that changes things. If prayer itself had power then the prayers of wicked and ungodly will avail just as much as the righteous. No, it’s not the prayer that has power. It is to whom the prayer is directed to that has power. God alone can change that which he has ordained and created. God and God alone can calm the stormy seas that he brought up from deep. Only Jehovah can take H2O and remix the molecular structure to produce new wine. Only Elohim can tell the sun to stop shining during high noon while Jesus passed from life to death. Prayer changes things because our God has the power to make that change. It changes attitudes. It changes perceptions. It changes you by drawing the people of God closer and closer together. Prayer unites believers in the body of Christ.
To pray our father is to say we are equal and we are family. But it is to also boast of a powerful protector and keeper. Jesus gave his disciples the privilege of call this awesome God, “Abba”. When children were weaned in Israel they called their fathers “Abba” and their mothers “ Imma”. It is a term of endearment and trust. To say ‘our father’ is to say, ‘our daddy’ or ‘hey dad’, or ‘yo pops’. It’s to boastfully declare a relationship with the source of your being. Children have this concept down packed. They often brag and boast about they dads. “My Dad is bigger than your dad” My Old man can beat up your Old man.” In essence when we pray “our Father” we too are boastful declaring the power of our daddy. We are saying to the world “My Daddy can beat up your daddy.” The old folk use to say my God is so high you can’t get over him. He is so low you can’t get under him. He is so wide you can’t get around him. My Daddy is bigger and badder than yours. He is bigger than Buddha is. He is bigger than Mohammed is. He is badder than Dharma. My Daddy is awesome God. Before time began – he was. When he talks imperatives, every clause and phrase becomes a reality. There is no interrogative in which he has not concluded. My God is an awesome God. He reigns from heaven, with wisdom power and love; my God is an awesome God.
