United We Stand, Divided We Fall.

During the past few weeks we have seen a ever growing division within our country due to differing political views, perspectives on the Covid-19 virus and the recent events highlighting racial injustice and police brutality within our nation. I recalling growing up as a young boy and learning the phrase “United We Stand, Divided we Fall”  inspiring unity and collaboration when working with others. I recall participating in a few youth sports teams that could have embodied that phrase a bit more and been more successful because of it. 

President Abraham Lincoln in his 1858 House Divided Speech shared these words, "A house divided against itself, cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other.” Lincoln's pleaded for a united nation, rather than one bound for destruction through conflict.

But where exactly do this phrases come from? Where perhaps do we find their origin? This type of thought appears twice in the Bible. In the Gospel of Mark 3:25, Jesus states, "And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand."  In the Gospel of Matthew 12:25, "Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. “ Jesus is using the parable of a divided kingdom and a divided house to show that if He is using Satan's power to cast out demons, Satan's kingdom won't survive. Satan would gain no strategic value by allowing Jesus to use Satan's authority to attack his own work. The furthering thought behind these famous quotes is simply that division will bring destruction and ruin.

As our country once again recognizes and celebrates our Independence Day, allow me to remind you of the words penned by our founding Fathers in the Declaration of Independence. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

 

It seems 224 years later we are still struggling and falling short of living out these principles as a nation. There are many social injustices that still need addressed. Most notably we cannot deny the racial injustices that continue to permeate areas of our culture. The recent deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery bring to light some of the underlying problems within our society. We as Christians, as followers of Christ, as those who are “Growing in Full Devotion” must be willing to address and help fix the many disparities and complexities of social injustice in our world.

 

When our world is divided and people are hurting, what’s our responsibility as followers of Christ? Where do we even start?  When you examine the life of Christ, he intentionally, purposefully, and passionately addressed very specific causes. He radically addressed the diverse and complicated conflicts of the time and shattered the status quo. Jesus wasn’t just preaching a universal salvation message for the world, but he was also addressing specific political, social, and racial issues. He was helping those who were being abused, violated, and oppressed. Jesus fought for the Samaritan, for the Women, for the Lepers. We, like Jesus, just need to take the time to identify those who are suffering both in our country and around the world. It is we as followers of Christ who must stand up and say, “NO MORE, Not on my Watch!”

Will this be uncomfortable? Probably so. Will it be difficult and require sacrifice? Probably so. Is it what Jesus and the church of Christ is commanded to do? Absolutely! Christ did not come to elevate one race, culture, or sex over another. In Galatians 3:28 we read as Paul states, “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus”  We are all one in Christ and United. Absolutely nothing else matters beyond our faith in Christ. Also, in Micah 6:8 we hear the call to combat social injustice, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Join us as we regather on July 5th for in-person worship and we learn how we can embrace the role God wants us to play in bringing unity and healing.  God, help us unite!