Worship for the Week Beginning 31st October2021

Time to Reflect

Have you ever found yourself in agreement with someone who you would normally find yourself to be opposition with? It might be someone who has different political beliefs from you, or who has very different interests, or it could be a simple personality clash between you. What was that like to find that agreement?

The reading that we have this Sunday is a conversation between Jesus and a scribe, a group of people who Jesus comes frequently into conflict with. However, on this occasion they are in complete agreement. Jesus states that the love of God and the love of neighbour are the most important rules of life to follow. In so doing he focuses on the most important teachings in the Jewish tradition, affirming the teachings of the law and the prophets who came before him.

Perhaps this passage can play an important role in reminding us that we too should find our unity in God’s call to love. Too often our churches can become divided because we hold different opinions on the way forward and these divisions can then foster disunity within the body of Christ. However, our differences in opinion should not be an obstacle to us finding a unity in love for God and for our neighbour.

In recent years some of the most challenging conversations we have been having in the Methodist Church have been on the subject of marriage and human relationships. Across the connexion we have been discussing how we can better express our love for God in how we love one another, and in how we enable each other to love. Whilst these conversations have highlighted some of our ‘contradictory convictions’ they have also shown that we can gracefully disagree and yet still maintain the bond of unity and love in Jesus Christ, with the help of the Holy Spirit.

In perhaps one of his most well known sermons on the ‘Catholic Spirit’ John Wesley argues that differences of opinion amongst Christians should not lead us into breaking the bonds of fellowship:

“Though we cannot think alike, may we not love alike? May we not be of one heart, though we are not of one opinion? Without doubt, we may. In this all the children of God may unite, even though they retain these smaller differences.”

If we can find that unity in Christ, and through the Holy Spirit, in loving God and in loving our neighbour, then perhaps we will see more clearly the presence of God’s Kingdom here amongst us.