May 31, 2020
St. John’s United Church of Christ, Union, Illinois
1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Acts 2:1-21[1]
E Pluribus Unum is Latin for “Out of many, one.”
You’re familiar with the phrase, of course, from the Great Seal of the United
States, which appears on the back of the One-Dollar Bill, among other places.
It was considered a de-facto motto of the U.S. until 1956 when the United
States Congress passed an act, adopting “In God We Trust” as the official
motto.
At the time of the American Revolution, the phrase appeared
prominently on the title page of a popular periodical, The Gentleman’s
Magazine,[2]
which collected articles from many sources into one “magazine,” an
old-fashioned news aggregate website, if you will.
The meaning of the phrase was that out of many states (or
colonies) emerged a single nation. It has also come to mean that out of many
peoples, races, religions, languages, and ancestries has emerged a single
people and nation—the “melting pot.”
Now, I think the melting pot concept has a flaw, in that it
suggests that, when we come together, we turn into a uniform material, that we
all conform to one common culture. While this sounds nice, it’s not what really
happens. I suggest that we – as a nation made of many different peoples – are
more like a stew. The chunks of beef, carrots, potatoes, and other ingredients
remain distinct while making one dish.
Most people adopt English as the language of interaction,
while retaining their first language at home and in gatherings such as
churches. For example, several years ago my wife, Felicia, led worship in
Spanish at the First Presbyterian Church of Marengo. This church, like many of
our sister congregations in the United Church of Christ, was formed by German
immigrants, and worship services were, until the 1940’s, conducted in German.
In 2001, following the September 11 attacks, the Ad Council
launched a public service announcement in which ethnically diverse people say
“I am an American.”[3] Near
the end, the phrase E Pluribus Unum is seen with the English translation
underneath. This is who we are today, a people made of many peoples, yet one
nation. As the musician David Wilcox wrote, “We are children of slavery,
children of immigrants, remnants of tribes and of tired refugees. As the walls
tumble down, we are stronger together.”[4]
As Christians, this concept of many becoming one takes us
back to that moment, Pentecost, fifty days after the resurrection of Jesus when
God’s Holy Spirit came like the rush of the wind. The church was born as the
Holy Spirit entered in and rested like a tongue of fire on each of them. Though
they, the disciples at least, were all Galilean Jews, the crowd that gathered
were from every nation. The people heard them speaking in many languages, and
each person understood, no matter where they were from.
Jerusalem is a crossroads of the ancient near-east.
Travelers, merchants, and armies have long crossed through this region. And
Jerusalem bears the scars of many invasions, as empire after empire conquered
the land and ruled over the people. So, the crowd that gathered probably
represented much of the region around Jerusalem, at least, and possibly from
much further away. And within just a few generations, the Holy Spirit would be
poured out, if not on all flesh, at least in nearly every nation in the Eastern
Hemisphere.
The rush of wind, tongues of fire, and humble Galileans
speaking persuasively in many tongues were dramatic signs that God was doing
something new, something that would transform the lives of all those present,
and far beyond, in time and place. Though the disciples, I’m sure, had no idea
what was to come, in hindsight we can see that the church was destined from the
beginning to circle the globe.
Now, it makes me sad that Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. is
the most segregated hour in this nation. Though we Christians share the same
bible, are baptized, and share The Lord’s Supper, we have fractured into
thousands of pieces. It is estimated that there are some 43,000 different
denominations of Christians.
Now, it depends on how you count, of course. These
“denominations” are defined in terms of being separate organizations, not
necessarily separate belief systems. The largest component (something like two
thirds to three quarters) are “independent” churches, mostly in Africa, which
are not necessarily different in doctrine, but are simply independent. The
estimate includes national branches of the same denomination, such as the
Lutheran Church of Germany and the Lutheran Church of Australia, as separate
organizations. And there are many so-called “non-Denominational” churches which
have effectively the same teachings, just different locations, different
leaders, etc.
Some sources suggest Christian denominations can be divided
into 6 major groups: Roman Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans, Protestants,
Independents, and “Marginals”. Wikipedia[5]
lists about 40 major divisions, each of whom have some variation in belief. And
there are serious disagreements between our various churches. Is this a bad
thing? Not necessarily.
The differences among us, just as the differences among the
members of the crowd that heard Peter preach that Pentecost morning, reveal the
diversity of humanity united as followers of Jesus. Instead of dividing us, that
diversity can provide a startling illustration of just how great the power of
God is. Rather than dressing us each in a white robe and erasing our individual
identities, God enters into relationship with us just as we are, wherever we
have come from, no matter the languages we speak, and despite all that might cause
us to turn away from one another.
Even as we have sheltered in our homes, worn masks when we
ventured out, and avoided close contact with others, we have taken part in a
global exercise in unity. “We are in this together” the signs read. By the
simple act of wearing masks, meant to protect others from any droplets we may
breathe out, we have engaged in a tremendous act of love for our neighbors. Most
of us, when exposed to this virus, would survive. But, because a few of us
would die, we have tried to save them by our sacrifice. And not just us, but
people around the world. In a short video from late March, showing empty
streets and closed shops, these words were spoken: “What you’re seeing in those
empty spaces is how much we do care for each other… It isn’t the end of the
world. It is the most remarkable act of global solidarity we may ever witness
in our lifetime.”[6]
Today, on the birthday of a church called to spread to the
ends of the earth, the love of God is given for everyone. Not just the
disciples, gathered in a room, trying to figure out what to do now that Jesus
has gone. Not just the holiest or the most faithful or the most learned, not
just the believers, not just those who were with Jesus on the road or who
witnessed him resurrected. No, at this moment, “all flesh,” male and female,
old and young, slave and free, all are invited and included—all of us members
of one body, indispensable.
The same Spirit of God that inspired the tongues of those
gathered in Jerusalem is looking to inspire a rebirth within us. It is the same
Spirit that led Isaiah to envision a holy mountain for all people, and gave the
vision to John of Patmos of a city with no walls and no temple, where God
dwells among us. It is the same Spirit that is breaking in to our cloudy
consciousness renewing us.
The differences between us don’t matter to God. You’ve heard
it said: “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free,
there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”[7]
The rules that are designed to keep us apart have been broken by this God who
loves all people. God is bigger than one group or another. There is no longer
Catholic or Protestant, there is no longer Presbyterian or Methodist, there is
no longer Congregational or Evangelical. God is bigger than any denomination.
God is the Creator of the entire universe and all that is within it. God’s love
is not limited to this people or that; God’s love is for all people, no
exceptions.
This can be a time of great renewal for our church and all
churches, an opportunity to re-examine the essential questions of how we are
the church. This is a time to re-commit ourselves to the idea that “If one
member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all
rejoice together with it”[8].
This is a time for our children to prophesy, for young people to dream dreams
and older folk to see visions, a time to welcome the outpouring of Spirit that
calls us into tomorrow.
Today’s story is our beginning story. The celebration of
Pentecost, which began as a remembrance of God giving the Law to Moses at Sinai,
now marks the giving of new life and the gift of the church, a new way of
living for those who would follow Jesus in every land and in every age. Not
just some kinds of people, but all different kinds of people, in all different
places, different languages and customs, different cultures and backgrounds and
experiences, different abilities and genders and races and orientations, all
different kinds of people, loved by God and filled with God’s Spirit, a new
creation just as it could and ought to be.
May you experience the fire of God’s Holy Spirit, anticipate it with joy and hope, give in to it with love. Live in solidarity with all people, so that they’ll know we are Christians by our love! Out of many, may we be one in living the gospel, bringing good news to the world that God loves. Amen.
[1] The
scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard
Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the
National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[4]
David Wilcox, “City of Dreams” on Into the Mystery © 2003.
[7] Galatians
3:28.
[8] 1 Corinthians 12:26.
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