Church: Branches, Zombies, Fire & Life

Beloved,

My allegiance is to You above all.  I trust that You are in Your Church, no matter how divided it may seem.  I wish, Lord, that denominational (and non-denominational) branches would not exclude one another, but would have more interaction.  Each individual congregation strives for their own vision, their own purpose, and their own future.  Do they not realize that we are all one in You?

"Thirsty Tree" - Photo by Trista Wynne

This pointless striving against one another, whether overtly or in undercurrents, has sadly been our legacy from the beginning.
  Your apostle Paul wrote in one of his letters that there was fighting regarding allegiances depending upon where one had been baptized.  “I belong to Paul,” “I belong to Apollos,” “I belong to Luther,” “I belong to Calvin,” “I belong to Christ”.  All of these “expressions of faith” are used as exclusionary forms of boundary setting. 

Lord Christ, You commanded us not to act as those who do not yet know You.  Those folks, You said, attempt to boost themselves up by climbing atop one another, by devouring one another, and by cutting each other down.  It is not to be so among us.  This is what You said.  And yet, we ignore Your call to love one another as You have loved us. 

We refuse to enter communion with one another except on paper.  We pay lip-service to the ecumenical councils and agreements, but really we just value our own theology.  The congregations do not want to learn from one another.  There are many even within each congregation that find reasons to draw their verbal swords against one another and shred their own communities. 

They say it is to preserve a heritage, or to prevent heresy.  What is this pure bloodline that they seek?!  Is it not written that even You, although connected to a heritage of faith, were not born into a special bloodline?  Do we ignore Your Scriptures in order to write our own?  What is this thing that I, if I am to become an “anointed” leader must supposedly choose?

Oh Sophia-Spirit, Breath of Life, will You please bring a calm over the storm of Your Church-tree?  When the branches are working against one another, or even attempting to cut other sections of their own branch off, is it any wonder that there are many who see our actions and decide to cut themselves off of You?  Truly Lord, if You were to cut all of the branches off of this Church-tree and toss it all into the fire, I would understand.

And yet…

and yet all hope is not lost.

Somehow, even in the midst of all of our infighting,

in the middle of all of our sword-play and king-of-the-mountain declarations,

even in our zombie-like devouring of one another,

You find ways to make Yourself known.

Oh Lord, who are not bound by our verbal barriers and castle walls, You are holy.  You are completely Other.  You are beyond our comprehension, for the judgment that You bring breathes life and health and peace.  We play at justice, but You are wholly just and wholly merciful.  Your Word brings life where before only death was evident.  You bring wholeness where formerly there was division.  You provide hope in the midst of despair.  You, Holy God, are making all things new.

Even in the midst of our brokenness, You, O Lord, are evident.  All of these tree branches in the heritage of our faith have something to offer to those who do not yet know You.  Each one, even as they currently stand, still provides some expression of Your love and grace.  Perhaps through the simple fact that each one exists in the first place, Your grace and mercy are shown. 

None of us worships as fully as You deserve, but when taken together, there is a beauty that is beyond compare.  No single branch is the “true church,” but all of us together, truly are Your Church.  Grant us the grace and wisdom to provide the world with a fuller picture of Your love, O Lord.  Let the fruit that we each bear be for the healing of the nations, in Your name, Beloved Christ, amen.