Dwight A. Moody
This sermon was preached on June 11, 2000, at the Sportscenter of Owensboro, Kentucky on the occasion of the Jubilee 2000 sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of Western Kentucky.
It is a spectacular thing that is happening here today. This jubilee gathering in one way in which God is answering the prayer of Jesus, “that we might be one.”
I am thrilled to participate in this service. I am honored to represent the Baptist people of the Commonwealth. I am humbled at the invitation to speak the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ. But I confess I am ambivalent at the prospect of being preacher number four! If this were a baseball game, it would be different! But when the fourth preacher gets up in a Baptist church, it is time for that most oft-asked question of church life, “Mommy, is church almost over?”
In some respects, this service, with four preachers, reminds me of the primitive Baptists of the mountains of Kentucky. The presiding elder calls upon men to preach, and the preachers in the congregation must be ready, never knowing if and when their turn will come. But they have another tradition, called “singing down the preacher.” When the presiding elder thinks the preacher has gone on quite long enough, he simply begins to sing, interrupting the sermon. Gradually, the entire congregation joins in the hymn; and the preacher then knows it is time to quit. Do we have a primitive Baptist elder in the congregation today? I just want to be ready.
In 1994, John Paul the Second, Bishop of Rome and leader of the Roman Catholic church, published his book Crossing the Threshold of Hope. In the interviews that created the text for the book, John Paul spoke about the unity of Christians: “Personal contacts are so important. I grow more convinced of this every time I meet leaders of the churches, whether in Rome and during visits to various parts of the world. The very fact that we are able to come together and pray is very significant. Some years ago, this was absolutely unthinkable” (143).
The Pope is right. Today we have come together to pray. But a few years ago this would have been unthinkable. I grew up in Murray, a town dominated by Baptists and Churches of Christ. There is a small Catholic church, St. Leo’s. Only one member of my high school class was a member of St. Leo’s, and he moved in from out of state. In those days the Baptists had no dealings with the Churches of Christ, let alone the Catholics. Today it is different. In prayer, in marriage, in community service, there is a fresh attitude among Christian people. How do we account for this? Someone has been praying the prayer of Jesus, that we might be one.
Today, not just in west Kentucky, but throughout a good portion of the Christian movement, there is a new spirit of openness, cooperation, and affirmation. This celebration is but one signal of the several factors that have conspired to make this possible. I mention first the Protestant ecumenical efforts including the National and World Council of Churches. Second, I draw attention to the modern study of the Bible, bringing together Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, and Pentecostal scholars. Third, the charismatic movement has had a dramatic impact on worship, fellowship and prayer. And, of course, the Second Vatican Council has had a profound influence. That gathering reshaped Catholic life in accordance with the conviction of Pope John the Twenty Third who said, “What separates us as believers in Christ is much less than what unites us.”
What is it that unites us here today? Can I mention five things that united all Christians? First, there is “the” prayer. It is the prayer that is prayed everywhere, at all times, by everyone who claims the name of Christ. It is the prayer our Lord taught us to say, saying,
“Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”
Do you want to be a Christian? Pray this prayer; live this prayer. It will unite you to Christ and to Christian people all over the world. When we say this prayer, God is at work among us answering the prayer of Jesus, that we might be one.
There is a second thing that unites us, the cross of Jesus. It is the universal symbol of the Christian faith. The cross is found everywhere: on buildings and bumper stickers, museums and monuments, schoolgirls and scholars. It is more prominent and powerful than any other symbol in the world today. The cross unites us. We stand by the cross of Jesus. We kneel at the cross of Jesus. Paul the apostle said, “Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.” As we honor the cross, display the cross, and present the cross of Jesus, God is at work among us, answering the prayer of Jesus, that we might be one.
We are united today by a simple meal. We Baptists call it the Lord’s Supper, many here today call it the Eucharist, others know it simply as Communion. There is a cup of wine or grape juice; there is bread, either a loaf or wafers. There are the words: “This is my body; this is my blood.” We don’t all agree on what these words mean. But in every congregation, from underground house churches to center city cathedrals, followers of Jesus gather to remember him in the breaking of the bread. As we eat this bread and drink this cup, God is at work among us answering the prayer of Jesus, that we might be one.
We are united today by a confession of faith. This is our confession: Jesus is Lord! Jesus is Lord of life and Lord over death. Jesus is the Lord, risen from the grave. Jesus is the Lord, coming one day on clouds of glory. There are longer confessions and creeds, some of them powerful and useful. I think especially of the Apostles Creed, recited my many Christians the world over. Each denomination, including the Baptist, has it own doctrinal statement, drawing attention to those ideas and practices that shape our spiritual life. This is not wrong. But it is right, fundamentally and eternally right, that together we make this confession. Jesus is Lord. Every time we make this good confession, God is at work answering the prayer of Jesus, that we might be one.
Christians are united by this book, Holy Scripture. I know there are some differences in content; and I know there are disagreements over interpretation. But as we open the Bible and read the Bible together, we watch creation unfold according to the spoken word of God. We escape from Egypt with the Hebrew slaves. We are thrilled with the lyrics and laughter of David. We sit by the Sea of Galilee and marvel at the wonder-working deeds of Jesus of Nazareth. These stories, commandments, poems, and sermons are the Word of God. They stir our imagination; they settle in our memory to bless and comfort; they shape the manner in which we live and think and pray. Today we have read from the book of Leviticus, Acts of the Apostles, and the Gospel of John. As we have done this, God is at work in our midst answering the prayer of Jesus, that we might be one.
The oneness of the Church is like the oneness of the trinity; Father, Son and Spirit are one yet distinct. Each has a personality, a role, and a purpose. There is a rich and eternal diversity even in the God to whom we pray. Jesus prayed to the Father: “Make them one even as we are one.” Even as we are one, brothers, and sisters, we are many. The forest, seen from above, is one; it is vast, living, and green. Yet walk through the trees, and you will encounter a world of diversity, biodiversity, life diversity, it is called today. Every distinct element plays a role in the ecology of the forest. So it is with the church. We are many, we are diverse, yet our diversity itself is a gift of God. It is another way in which God is answering the prayer of Jesus, that we might be one.
Consider the orchestra. There is one unit, with one conductor, playing one piece of music and creating one delightful sound. There are many instruments organized into sections. There are strings: violin, cello, and bass. It is usually the largest section of the orchestra, most often playing the melody and playing it with power and wonder. Can we call this the Catholic strings in the orchestra of grace? Next to them are the Orthodox winds. We see the Russian clarinets, Greek flutes, a Syrian oboe or two, and a bassoon being played by somebody I don’t even recognize.
Then comes the brass, the Protestant brass. In this section are Presbyterian trumpets, Lutheran trombones, Anglican tubas, and two French horns; those must be the Baptist and a Disciple. In the back, raising all the ruckus, the percussion: cymbals and bells and drums and a ratchet or two. Holy commotion! It must be the Pentecostals! Those Pentecostals have stirred up the church! It makes me think of the song from “Guys and Dolls,” “Sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down, sit down, you’re rocking the boat.”
Here then is God’s orchestra: Catholic strings, orthodox winds, Protestant brass, and Pentecostal percussion. In the past, each section has thought themselves the only musicians playing, the only ones with the right music, the only ones watching the conductor. Sometimes each section has ridiculed and repudiated all the others. Shame on us!
What would an orchestra be if every instrument were a violin? If all musicians played timpani? Or even French horns? Who would care to listen to such a musical group? It would not be harmony, only monotony! Yet when each plays a part as given to them by God, when each plays in the filling of the Spirit of God, when each plays under the direction of the conductor, the Son of God himself, what sound, what beauty, what harmony, what grace! This is gospel music! It is another way that God is answering the prayer of Jeus, that we might be one.
This is the united and diversity of the people of God. Out of this vision of the church arises a fresh spirit of gratitude.
Thank God for Roman Catholics and your vision of social justice and church unity. Thank God for the orthodox Christians and your cultivation of the mystery and majesty of Almighty God. Thank God for the Protestants and your focus on the importance, the primacy, and the power of the Word of God. Thank God for the Pentecostals and your openness to the wonder working spirit of God. And I take the liberty to add: thank God for the Baptists and our insistence on freedom in all things that pertain to religion.
Which of these can be eliminated from this symphony of salvation? What part of this music must be silenced in order to hear the sounds of salvation.
Together, this is the song we sing, the music we play: God loves you and me and every person on this good earth. Jesus died on the cross for you and me and for every person who has every lived. On the third day, God raised Jesus from the dead and triumphed over all sin, death, and despair. In and through Jesus, there is redemption, even the forgives of sins. This is the gospel.
This is our union. We together have the opportunity, even the responsibility, to tell this story to all the world. As we tell good news and live good news, God is at work among us answering the prayer of Jesus, that we might be one.
So be it: for the glory of God and the common good! Amen.
