My first recollection of people not seeing eye to eye was when I was three or four years of age and my mom read the book, “Sneetches” to me. Authored by Dr. Suess, this story was about a population of yellow creatures that mildly resembled a walking bird with a pear-shaped body, and I believe they lived on beaches. Of course, they did because that rhymes with Sneetches. The main characteristic about the Sneetches is that some had a star on their belly and some did not. Those with a star ranked themselves superior over those who did not have one. And so, the division began, and the disunity ensued. Then somebody came on the scene with this ingenious machine that could add a star or remove a star, and amidst the chaos the Sneetches realized that not a one of them was superior, they embraced their differences and found unity to be favorable within their society.
We have one long sentence, one verse to camp on. I can’t promise that it’s going to be written like a Dr. Suess book with playful rhymes and unusual characters, but I think YOU will be surprised at how many times “YOU” is in it, or should I say, “YOU” are in it.
“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.” 1 Corinthians 1:10
Wow, what a big sentence. How many “yous” did you count? That’s easy. Five. Let’s try a more challenging question . . . Is unity easy? After reading this passage the spelling of unity should be reconsidered and changed to you-nity because there is a “You” in unity. And here in this opening letter to the church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul is pleading with them to be followers of Christ who are unified. There is a wonderful contrast that we see here as well; divisions vs. perfectly united in mind and thought.
Can we agree that unity is God’s way, deference is vital, and then choose to focus on our shared identity in Christ. Can we agree to function as a whole, to be a witness to the world, and to be a source of encouragement to one another?! It’s time for You-nity!
We have one long sentence, one verse to camp on. I can’t promise that it’s going to be written like a Dr. Suess book with playful rhymes and unusual characters, but I think YOU will be surprised at how many times “YOU” is in it, or should I say, “YOU” are in it.
“I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree with one another in what you say and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly united in mind and thought.” 1 Corinthians 1:10
Wow, what a big sentence. How many “yous” did you count? That’s easy. Five. Let’s try a more challenging question . . . Is unity easy? After reading this passage the spelling of unity should be reconsidered and changed to you-nity because there is a “You” in unity. And here in this opening letter to the church at Corinth, the Apostle Paul is pleading with them to be followers of Christ who are unified. There is a wonderful contrast that we see here as well; divisions vs. perfectly united in mind and thought.
Can we agree that unity is God’s way, deference is vital, and then choose to focus on our shared identity in Christ. Can we agree to function as a whole, to be a witness to the world, and to be a source of encouragement to one another?! It’s time for You-nity!