Column: The Power of Unity

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By Rev. Dr. James B. Lemler
Sentinel Columnist

Unity. My heavens do we need it! We need it in all parts of our lives… politically, personally, psychologically. The problem is that there is far too much fragmentation and alienation in us and around us, and the result is that we feel torn apart and rent asunder.

This week the Christian faith tradition celebrates unity that overcomes separation and enmity. It is called the feast and season of All Saints. The focus is on the human beings who through the centuries and in our own experiences and time have witnessed to the God-given gift of profound and powerful unity. The deep belief is that there is a communion, community, and unity that is so much stronger than the things that divide and pull human beings apart. This unity is stronger than enmity, division and even death itself.

I love the prayer that my faith tradition offers during this All Saints season because of the way it begins: “O God you have knit us together…” As a person related to and benefitting from generations of knitters, I have a particular affinity for this image. I have the good fortune of so many scarves, sweaters, and (aptly called) comforters that have been knit with yarn and also with love.

The image of the great God and Creator of the universe with divine, cosmic knitting needles working on the project of weaving and knitting together a fabric of compassion, love, and humanity is simply delicious. I believe that is who God is and the way God works. Both the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures witness to God’s project. In the Jewish faith tradition it is God restoring the creation that has been ripped apart; in the Christian tradition it is the primary work and purpose of Jesus of Nazareth in “tearing down the walls of suspicion and enmity that divide us” as the early Christian literature puts it.

We know too much about disunity and division. It is blaring from every audio source as we come to the election next week. It is the theme of top news stories in a divided and fragmented world. You can see it in our town and our own backyards. And in our lives: We are pulled in so many different directions and long for wholeness and peace.

Wholeness and peace… I believe these are precisely the gifts God has for us. For our part we need to enter the space of those gifts. We need to take a deep breath and offer a sincere prayer to rest in the place of Communion, community and unity. Restoring creation, joining with other human beings, and experiencing peace and unity in our souls… These are God’s gifts and purposes for us. For our part, we need to receive those same gifts, not settling for disunity but seeking the things that create wholeness and hope.

It’s the season of All Saints, a time focused on what joins us together and overcomes alienation and separation.  It is also autumn and the time when I am putting on the beautiful scarves and sweaters that have been knit with thread, and more important, with love for me. All week this week, each and every day, I am going to begin my prayer with this reminder, “O God, you have knit together…”

Life, community, unity, fellowship, friendship, family. And I do believe that these are much, much stronger than the things that divide and pull us apart. They are stronger than hatred, suspicion, and death. Just think of what that means for this world, this country, this community, and your own life.

The Rev. Dr. James B. Lemler is the rector of Christ Church in Greenwich.

 

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