One

Galatians 3:23-29 (NRSV)

Now before faith came, we were imprisoned and guarded under the law until faith would be revealed. Therefore the law was our disciplinarian until Christ came, so that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to the promise. 

I think we need to hear this text over and over again.  Maybe we should start with it each day: "there is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male or female; for we are all one in Christ Jesus."

Remember that song, "One is the Loneliest Number?"  I often feel as if that's the "one" we think Paul is talking about here, rather than the "One" of U2's song: "We're one, but we're not the same.  We get to carry each other, carry each other."

One doesn't make us the same, but it makes us connected though our baptism in the body of Christ.  I makes us stand side by side equally before the throne of grace.  That means both you as well as the lady who sits two rows behind you in the service and annoys the heck out of you because of her gossiping.  It means me and the new visitor who is looking for a church home but sat in my pew.  It means us and the harried mom and dad with three kids who laugh and act out throughout the service making it hard to pay attention.  It means you and the young man struggling with his sexual identity and afraid to come out at church.  It means me and the Hispanic migrant workers who have moved into the area and are looking for a church home.  It means us when we have gotten into an argument, said hurtful things to each other and written each other off as the wrong kind of Christian.

Christ came into the world reminding us of that connection.  He came into the world poor.  He came into the world where outcasts and aliens and animals were his first worshipers.  As he grew he connected people from every strata of life.

I'm not going to stand on a soapbox and say it's easy.  "Carrying each other" hasn't always been my strong suit.  But what if we remember that we are first carried so that we are able to carry each other?  What if we remember that we are all heirs to that promise?

What if we remember that we don't have to like each other.  We simply have to love each other.  And love here is a verb, not a feeling or emotion.  A verb like "carry."

Loving God, carry us in your arms when we falter and fail.  Lift us up to remind us of the strength you give us: strength to love our neighbor and strength to see that our neighbor is not always who we wish it would be but it is possible to love them anyway.  Amen.