John 17:20-21

This is an amazing prayer. Within moments Jesus would be betrayed by Judas and arrested by Roman soldiers and Temple guards. Jesus knew exactly what was going on but, in the middle of it all, he calmly prayed this prayer to his Heavenly Father. He rejoiced in the unity they enjoyed together and longed for his followers to have a similar experience.

It is a tragic truth that the Church has never experienced much unity. There are said to be more than 45,000 different Christian denominations in the world today. The variety is staggering in terms of what they believe and how they worship.

People find their way into different denominations for a wide variety of reasons. I used to think that people would support one particular denomination because of strong doctrinal convictions, but it is much more complicated than that.

Some people attend a particular church because it’s close to their home or because a friend goes there.

My father’s family was split along gender lines. His mother and my aunts went to their local Church of England church. The service was early in the morning and allowed them time to get home and make Sunday lunch.

My father, grandfather and my uncles went to the local congregational church, which had a later service. This enabled them to get home just in time to enjoy the lunch prepared for them! I’m embarrassed to tell this story, but it illustrates the fact that church divisions are not always strictly along doctrinal lines.

Disunity is always sad. It wastes energy and resources and gives a very bad name to Christianity. There is nothing we can do to dismantle denominations and if you were to set up a new non- denominational church you would simply add to the divisions. But we can live in unity with God and ensure that we reach out with love and generosity to all those who follow him.

QUESTION

What can you do to promote Christian unity in your area?

PRAYER

Father God, help me always to live so close to you that I will be able to strengthen unity between the Christians that I meet. Amen