JOHN 17:20-26
Jesus prays for our unity,
those believing
through the word of the disciples.
There is a unity
of sorts:
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
expressed in diverse ways
stretching back
to the first congregations
in diverse settings.
No uniform rule for order
or worship
No one creed,
ambiguity about one baptism.
In our time
Spirit-born ecumenism
waxes and wanes in its enthusiasm
for a basic unity in one Lord
and our sometimes respectable
rusted-on
institutionalised diversity
includes elements of power and property.
A poor fit with Jesus’ prayer,
for unity in love.
How do we allow
the wind of the Spirit
fan our flames of faith
and live our witness and mission
in that one love?
(Adapted from a sermon from some years ago, which may have drawn on material from other, long-forgotten, sources.)
© Jeff Shrowder, 2013.
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