This week, a friend told me, “It’s amazing that the world even functions with all the different opinions & problems we all have.”
It’s amazing, isn’t it? Think of all the tension & conflicting priorities & processes between all the different groups. Add in all the personal conflicts between individuals. It’s a wonder the world doesn’t entirely rip apart at the seams…
In First Communion class, we’ve been learning about God’s gift of unity. In communion, we’re united with Christ - connected to his death & resurrection. We’re also united with other believers. To demonstrate this, PD usually stands between a kid & their parent, has them hold out an arm & grabs each of their wrists. “This is what Jesus does. He stands between you & holds you together.”
We talk about how they are connected - not because of anything they are doing (or because of how they currently feel about each other). They’re connected because Jesus is standing in between them & his work on the cross holds them together.
This picture has become immensely helpful to me - especially when I find myself in rocky relationship seasons.
Seasons where my best efforts to mend, apologize, or fix all come out wrong. When I’m tired or in over my head. When I fight with the people I care about most. When I doubt if either side has what it takes to hold it together. When I’m not sure I want to hold it together.
When everything seems so bent on falling apart, I need to be reminded there’s more than my strength, ability, & willpower holding things together… more than the strength & willpower of the other person…more than feelings...
Ephesians 2 says that Jesus himself is our peace. He destroys the wall of hate that stands between us. Through his work on the cross he makes us one family.
When we take communion, we get to consider our shortcomings, ask for forgiveness. We testify that we believe that the blood of Jesus is powerful enough to cover even the greatest offenses. We ask Jesus to hold us together and we testify that we believe the blood of Jesus is better at holding things together than we are at tearing them apart.