Harmony

As the tme for his death approached, Jesus prayed for the unity of his disciples - that they might experience the kind of oneness found in the godhead itself. His prayer, however, was not limited to the small band who closely followed him or even the larger group in Jerusalem - it was universal in scope:

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me …" (John 17:20-21).

Did you catch the width of the net cast - "all who believe in me"?  Notice he did not say "all who believe like you."  In fact, he chastised the early disciples for trying to exclude someone they did not recognize as part of their movement: “Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me" (Mark 9:38-39).

Just because someone is different than you in religious practice doesn't mean they are not unified with you in faith. A quarterback directs more than just receivers and a conductor directs more than just wood winds. Have you considered how different the parts are in four-part harmony?  Unity is achieved in harmony that comes from following the same Director, not necessarily walking lockstep.

Do you remember the song "Ebony and Ivory?"  The polar different piano keys of black and white work together to create perfect harmony. In the Church Universal and between the churches local, we can live and work in harmony of faith without uniformity of religious practice. And when we do, the world around us will be drawn to that harmony which points to our Father above. Jus' Sayn.