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Consider the extraordinary range of personalities among church members. Consider the
diversity of opinions. Jesus’ prayer is that our differences not divide us. Jesus’ prayer is that we remain
one.
Keep praying, Jesus. For we know that brokenness exists. We know there are hurts, slights,
disappointments, frustrations and wounds. Pray for the church, Jesus. For we share your prayer. We
desire to be restored to wholeness. We pray for brother and brother, and sister and sister, and sister
and brother to have peace. We need your peace, a peace which passes understanding.
May the church be one, as Christ and God are one.
Christ also prayed that the disciples have joy. He spoke of a specific kind of joy: “that they
may have my joy made complete in themselves.” (John 17:13) The joy about which Jesus prayed was
his joy. “That they may have my joy.” The joy of Jesus is the joy of being the one upon whom the
Spirit of God is poured beyond measure.
Imagine being filled with God’s Spirit! This was Jesus’ experience. And it was his desire for
us. He prayed to God “that they may have my joy.”
Jesus even suggested how the disciples could have his joy. He prayed, “that they may have my
joy made complete in themselves.” The disciples could impact whether God’s Spirit would fill their
lives. Christ’s joy would be made complete in themselves. When they had unity, when they were one,
when all among them had made peace: then the joy of Christ would be theirs.
Jesus recognized the intricate way in which our lives are connected to each other. We are a
Christian family. Like any family, we participate in a complex maze of relationships. The fullness of
living we will experience is contingent upon our getting along with each other, honoring the dignity of
each person. If we are to be one as are God the Parent and God the Son, then we must have unity.
Our capacity to have unity, as a church, remains an ongoing challenge. The church has
struggled to remain united as one ever since Jesus called us together as his body.
The Presbyterian Church certainly has had its trying times. Fifty years ago, two hotly contested
issues resulted in Presbyterians placing themselves in opposite corners. There was great contention
over the ordination of women and the allocation of mission funds.
In 1955, women still were denied the right to be ordained as ministers of Word and Sacrament.
General Assembly voted in 1929 and, again, in 1946, on whether to allow the ordination of women to
that office as ministers. The overtures failed at those previous assemblies, and it was on the docket
once more in 1955.
The second source of contention involved money for mission. New mission fields were being
established by the Board of World Missions, requiring new line items in the church budget. Advocates
of existing mission programs were concerned that support for their programs was eroding because of
the new endeavors.
At the meeting of the General Assembly, the differences need to be resolved. One observer of
the task before the church was hopeful, saying at the time:
The Assembly will recognize that within the church
there is ample room for brotherly differences in matters
of tactics in our spiritual warfare. There is no difference
among us in the fundamental strategy of exalting Christ
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