Contributed by Bryant Rodriguez
For awhile now, I have been obsessed with the idea of unity. It seems like its one of the prayers of Jesus left unanswered.
I thought I had the concepts of community and union well understood in my mind. Then I begin to dorm with seven other people in this Lightbearers internship and my perspective has changed.
I may talk a good game, but learning it in practicality has been quite difficult. We don’t always see things the same, we communicate differently, we are sensitive to different things because of our diverse backgrounds, and often times we just simply get on our nerves. However, that hasn’t stopped us. Partly because we have no other choice but also because we are interested in becoming a solidified group. A group of lifelong good memories to one another.
In my experience in Adventism, I have observed similar things on a larger scale. It seems we talk a good game about getting united and coming together under one call, but in a way we aren’t acknowledging just how difficult it actually is. Or perhaps some of us have tried and it hasn’t gone well so we have backed off because we felt like we were the only ones trying to shed labels, overcome differences, and come to a fellowship relishing diversity in the small things and commonality in the large things.
Let’s not convince ourselves conformity is community, either.
In reading my good friend James Rafferty’s The Ministry of Reconciliation, a compilation of Ellen White quotes he assembled, I felt convicted that I had been going about establishing a pattern of unification in the wrong way. Both in big picture Adventism and in small picture relationships.
In the same way gossiping, derisive humor, a critical spirit, and an I-am-better-than-they attitude hindered how much genuine fellowship I could partake in with my fellow interns, I think those faults have caused me problems in truly letting my brothers and sisters know I want to fellowship with everyone and anyone, no matter where you come from.
If you love Jesus, if you love good study of the Scriptures, if you love humanity and the world, and if you love the Adventist movement, then we have something in common.
Whether we eat, drink, dress, music, vote, communicate, or whatever it may be differently doesn’t bother me if we have that common ground established mentioned above. Because I know we are in good hands, I know the Spirit will take care of us, and I can assume that you are fully persuaded in your own mind (Romans 14) and do everything to the glory of the Lord.
We will let the Lord Jesus judge our consciences, rather than man. (Romans 14)
And to be honest, doesn’t it make sense that in some way diversity would exist? Doesn’t it make sense the hands would be different in some aspects than feet? Or eyes than ribs? A body is one in intent, function, and personhood but not in all the details. So as I look at my life and assess my existence, I notice that the sins of labels are my sins.
I notice I am Adventism. We, as individuals, are the Adventist Christian movement.
I notice the sins of the liberal are committed by me, the sins of the conservative are done so by me, the sins of the fundamental, the progressive, the black, the brown, the white, the laity, the clergy, and so forth have been committed by me and continue to be committed by me.
So now the problem has suddenly changed from being on them and been placed upon my shoulders. As it occurs, I am overwhelmed by grief and sadness for the condition we are in. And like Daniel, like Moses, like Paul, I fall to my knees and cry out to the Lord to have mercy and not forsake us. To remember His covenant with us. And now I realize that the sin of division, of unrighteusness, of slandering, and of messing up the plans of God are mine just as much as they are the liberal, the conservative, the colored, the white, the conference’s, the church’s, and so forth.
Because you, me, the person beside you and the individuals around us, are Adventism and no temptation has overtaken you except as that which is common to man and woman.
So I pray, and I invite you to pray.
A prayer of confession
O LORD, great and awesome.
Beautiful and terribly mighty is Your name,
you are faithful to Your word
and you never forget those whom You called.
Have mercy upon us,
remember us now in the days of our affliction.
For we have transgressed against Your name,
and against Your love we have rebelled.
Since the days of our pioneers,
even in the very beginning of our movement,
we hardened our hearts
and shut up the messengers of righteousness.
And now we sit idly,
fat and content playing church.
We are happy to jealously defend our theology,
yet our hearts love not
and our spirits don’t yearn for the world.
The sons of this world have grown wiser than us,
indeed they preach the messages given to us
and show themselves better fit for the kingdom.
While we put the house of the LORD to shame,
trampling upon the very souls He shed blood for.
Bring us back to Calvary.
Bring us back to the empty tomb.
Return us, O LORD, to the loud cry of love,
remind us of the victorious example of Your Son.
Afflict our wicked hearts that we may grieve,
curse us in Your mercy and not anger.
Make us like the men of old who stood strong,
like the remnant the prophet Isaiah spoke of.
Like a dove,
Like a calm breeze,
May your Spirit descend and move in our lives.
Cause us to dance
cause us to rejoice again,
like when we first fell in love at Shiloh.
Show us Your faithfulness,
show us Your might,
That we may stand forgiven and battle-fit.
That we may eat at the same table,
because in that day many will come from the left and right
and those from afar and near will gather together.
And who can unite us, but You O God?
Therefore, have mercy upon us,
smile upon us once more O LORD.
Though we have missed the mark in so many ways,
there remains yet a precious few.
Do not shame or forsake them,
and though we have failed the world,
give us one more chance that Your name may be vindicated.
Judge us by Your staff.
Try us, test us in love.
In that day, we will honor Your name,
yes, we shall say, ‘Faithful and worthy is the Lamb.’
And we will lead the loud cry.
We will lead the sons of God and of Christ,
even the doubter and skeptic will join as we sing,
‘Beautiful is name of the LORD.’
Let us seek to make the prayer of Jesus come true. By the Spirit’s power, let us stop talking about each other and start knowing one another. It’ll be hard work because relationships are fragile, but would you rather we remain where we are now?
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The Table 