Can we agree on a few things?

Jesus prayed for the unity of his followers in John 17:20-23:

"I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me (that’s us) through their message. I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they (us) be in us so that the world will believe you sent me."

He further spoke against division in Matthew 12:25:

"Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand."

Interestingly, these two verses come from the apostles who were with Him throughout His ministry: John and Matthew. Mark is regarded as Peter’s interpreter, and Luke served as a historian reporting from first hand sources.

If we accept these verses as Christ’s desires and views, can we further extrapolate that He must have strong feelings about his fans that have divided into the approximately 47,300 Christian denominations worldwide as of mid-2023? Many of these groups spend considerable time pointing fingers, poking at others, and trying to establish themselves as their own authorities on such matters. I say "fans" instead of "followers" because while we all agree that Jesus is our Savior, that's about where the consensus ends. From there, we start arguing about how we are saved, whether we should interpret scripture literally or symbolically, and it just goes on and on.

Ad Nauseam.

Let’s also agree that the very first Gospel didn’t exist until at least 35 or 40 years after Christ rose from the dead, ascended into heaven, and sent the Holy Spirit to anoint His mother, the apostles, and approximately 100 other disciples, marking the beginning of the Church era. So, when those 120 tongue-talkers dispersed from the upper room to start preaching the good news, it was the good news they personally knew, guided by the Holy Spirit that had come to live inside them, right? Assuming Mary was approximately 48 years old when Christ died (if she was around 15 at His conception), that would make her about 83-88 years old by the time the first Gospel was written down. She could very well have been in heaven before the first gospel was ever written, for many years. Thankfully, she had shared some her her story with her friends, at least; but certainly not all of it.

Now, I'm a writer working on publishing my first book. I have private notes detailing events from as far back as when I was 20—a span of almost 50 years. But when I publish, it will be a selection of what I choose to include, much like John’s closing words in his Gospel:

"Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." (John 21:25)

Boom. Mic drop.

If they couldn’t write down everything about Jesus, they certainly didn’t tell us everything about His parents or the disciples. For the first 40 years or so of "The Way," there were no tracts; it was all word of mouth and the teaching of traditions, as practiced and stated by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 3:15:

"So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter."

This suggests there were likely differences between what was spoken and what was written. As anyone who speaks or writes knows, we share different thoughts in different settings and with different people. So, while I do not discount any part of Scripture, I also do not consider it to be the complete record or God’s little book of boundaries. The Word of God, who spoke the entire universe into being, simply can’t be confined to the 89 chapters of the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

The bickering between denominations reminds me of the disciples arguing about which of them was the greatest. And what was Jesus' answer? He said that the greatest among them should be the one who serves, not the one who seeks personal greatness. Who are any of us to criticize how another relates to God or experiences the kingdom of heaven if their fruit is good? If someone claims to have had an angelic encounter or that Mary appeared to them, leading them to turn from addiction and immoral behavior to surrendeing their life to Jesus, who are we to dismiss it as a demonic hallucination?

We are certainly told to test every spirit, but we are also told that we will know them by their fruit, and their love. I say all of this only in the spirit of giving Jesus what He wants: unity of the body. God is truly sovereign. He is God, and we are not, nor is He transactional. He has shown that He can make whatever rules He wants and bend them when He chooses to. Consider the parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16). The workers who labored only one hour received the same payment as those who toiled all day. The answer? "What is it to you if I choose to be generous? Didn’t you get what I promised you?" Then there's the thief on the cross. Guilty as charged, yet Jesus took pity on him and said he would meet him in paradise.

Some see this as proof that all you must do is believe in Jesus once, to enter paradise. I don’t feel that way at all. That doesn’t make me wrong, and it doesn’t necessarily make them wrong. But we definitely don’t agree. And not agreeing does not have to mean disunity. It becomes disunity when I say, "I can’t be in the same room with you and pray the Our Father, that Christ clearly dommanded  us to pray in unity because you think differently than I do."

I remember when my stepdaughter moved in and quickly formed a close bond with a new friend. They were inseparable—sharing clothes, doing homework together, and spending time at each other's homes. It seemed like the beginning of a lifelong friendship. Then, suddenly, it ended; for good. When I inquired about the cause, I discovered that the friendship dissolved because the friend couldn't fathom being close to someone who didn't like cheesecake. You heard that correctly; CHEESECAKE. True story. My stepdaughter wasn't a fan of cheesecake, while her friend adored it, and couldn’t convince her to eat cheesecake with her. And just like that, their friendship was over.

This experience made me reflect on how individuals can have different relationships with God and the kingdom of heaven yet remain united and aligned on fundamental beliefs. For me, unity is a cornerstone of Christianity. We are supposed to be one in the spirit, right? 

Personally, I don't fit neatly into any single theological category. Raised Catholic, I didn't engage much with Marian devotions or praying the rosary, but I valued the novenas, took my sacraments seriously, and learned the importance of serving others. Admittedly, I hadn’t found my stride of a true relationship with Christ- it was much more mysterious than a friendship. And he certainly wasn’t rad, as I’ve heard him explained in some churches.

Anyway, eventually, I faced serious marital challenges and couldn't find support within the Catholic Church. After a Catholic priest told me to divorce my husband after a 3 minute conversation, which imploded everything I ever knew about Catholicism,  I turned to an Assembly of God congregation, who stood with us for the next 5 years. There, I began applying biblical wisdom to my life, surrendered myself to God, and, after a period of growth, was baptized in the Holy Spirit—a profoundly different experience from Confirmation, not that confirmation was without merit, just different. I received my prayer language,  and grew more trusting of the Holy Spirit to the point that I have a pretty high “weird meter,” to Quote Dano McCollum. I can honestly tell you that God has touched every area of my life including experiencing emotional, spiritual, and physical healings. Now, I attend Catholic church every day, am the activities coordinator for my local church and worship with my brothers and sisters in other buildings in the city as often as possible. Mary is my mother, and I pray my rosary faithfully. 

I eventually did need to end my marriage to my first husband while I was attending that Assembly of God church, and then met my current husband right there on a Friday night. It was a good run. Eventually, a split occurred, leading us to follow our worship pastor to his new church, which didn't last. This pattern repeated as we moved from one church to another. I've lost count of how many congregations we've been part of, but I can say that I grew spiritually in each one. Interestingly, I was largely unaware of significant theological differences among them, aside from variations in musical styles, preaching quality, methods of collecting offerings, and children's programs. We chose churches based on what we "liked,” and what they offered educationally, socially, and relationally. 

Often, when fellow congregants learned of my Catholic background, it felt as though they saw it as a conquest that they had converted a Catholic. However, I was never an ex-Catholic; I was always a Catholic worshipping God alongside them in a different setting. Despite this, I encountered some vitriol and heard claims about the Catholic Church that were completely foreign to my personal experiences. They truly do not understand Catholocism, as Catholics, truly do not understand them. Division, unfortunately for Jesus, exists.

This journey has taught me that, much like the dissolved friendship over cheesecake, focusing on minor differences can lead to unnecessary angst. Embracing our shared faith and valuing diverse expressions of worship can foster the unity that is fundamental to Christianity.

As far as how each of us relates to the Trinity, Mary, the saints, and the angels, I think in terms of going to the town square for concert nights in our town, something i love! There will be a band, and a dance floor. I….am not a dancer. But I love to vicariously watch people who do like to dance. Especially the older people who grew up dancing for fun to the big bands, or even Dick Clark’s Bandstand;  instead of playing video games, smoking weed, and boinking like our poor kids think is entertainment today, that generation was active and experiencing joy.

 Remember, I’ve been around for a while, so I’ve seen some great dancers in my time. Lots of great male dancers, thanks to the likes of Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. I loved to watch as the male lead would switch partners, sometimes mid-dance, and how his style would change—he would immediately adapt to flow and swing with his new partner. He was the same guy and the same dancer, but the expression was different for each partner he danced with. He was the lead; he didn’t have to adapt, but he did. I see our relationships with the Lord that way. He is the lead, but He relates to each of us on our level, in his own unique way. And then it seems that there is always a great female dancer too - the Ginger Rogers types. She was known for keeping up with Fred Astaire, but doing it in high heels and doing it backward. 

Another common occurrence on the dance floor was the switching of partners. Occasionally, someone would cut in, forming a new dance partnership. The lead dancers remained constant, and any judges present continued to enforce the rules, regardless of the partnerships. Yet, dancers found joy and beauty in partnering with others beyond the primary dancers. They relished the communal atmosphere, everybody’s bodies were exercised, and everybody had fun. Importantly, the lead male dancer didn't feel disrespected if someone chose to dance with another partner. They actually seem to relish the full dance floor with all of the participants- it wasn’t just about them!

It wasn't uncommon for a less skilled dancer to bring their partner to the supreme dancer, handing her off to him, —essentially recommending her, acknowledging they couldn't keep up, or maybe wanting to see her enjoy dancing with one of the greats. And it certainly wasn’t uncommon to see a lousy male dancer seek the Ginger Rogers type. Invariably, her graciousness and kindness to his faulty dancing was truly heartwarming, never being unkind. 

 I see this as a metaphor for the kingdom of God. Jesus is our King, but He isn't a narcissist demanding all of our attention constantly, disallowing relationships with other saints, or even His mother. The saints and Mary are like these lesser dancers; they connect with us perfectly in the moment and extend loving kindness to us. When our needs surpass their capacity, they guide us to Jesus, recommending to Him that He assist us. Like the great dancer presented with a new partner, He promptly heeds their recommendation, sometimes allowing us to move ahead of others waiting for their turn—all because of who we know, whether it his Mother, or a cherished Saint that is bringing our needs to him. .

I don’t need to solve all the problems of denominationalism for my purposes and mission. Clearly, I want us to love each other regardless of what church we attend and to be able to support each other, especially to pray and implore our God to heal our world. Separate buildings of worship are not disunity. And we can’t all gather in the same place, anyway. We need different campuses, and different buildings, located where people can get to them.

We have a great church in our town that is anointed for sure, having grown from six people in a living room in the 1990s to multiple campuses and a huge facility in our town with three Sunday services. All of the services are jam-packed, and turning people away. They are at capacity. Other churches are empty. Instead of criticisms or finger-pointing, we need to all be praying and working as one mystical body of Christ to love God and each other and to implore God to send His grace on the world to heal it.

 And I’m only talking about those of us in churches. We haven’t even touched on those who deny Christ altogether—but that is another discussion. Let’s be open. Let’s explore the kingdom. If we’ve established that everything about the kingdom of God hasn’t been said in the 89 chapters of the Gospels, then let’s seek out and till great soil, fresh water, and feed the soil well, to produce the best fruit possible, all while uniting in prayer, repenting, and humbling ourselves before our God– so that He will heal our land.