One: Praying With Jesus That the World May BelieveSample

When asked why I love ministering with the YMCA, I always share the Y's compelling commitment to be "for all."

As Jesus calls His people to love God, love one another, and love our enemies, we recognize our higher calling to be with and for all.

Because of this higher calling, I cannot think of a better group than Christians to embody what "for all" means in our local branches and the larger community.

In John 17:21, Jesus reminds us that our "for all" ministry begins with being for our fellow believers. Let's be honest; this is where things get complicated.

To be for all, we must begin by being for one another.

A gentleman who regularly stops at the prayer table I host in a local YMCA asked, "Why do my Baptist friends always try to save me? I'm Catholic. I'm already a Christian."

I responded that maybe we should be honored when other Christians try to save us because it means they care. I also talked about the temptation to discredit what we don't understand.

In praying that "they all may be one," Jesus is calling for unity among believers. We are often tempted, however, to confuse unity with uniformity.

That's why we find Christians attempting to save other Christians. Have we concluded that if "they" don't believe the same things, one of us has to be wrong?

As a result, we can be hesitant to reach across denominational and theological lines. We let our differences divide and diminish the beauty of another's expression of faith.

Rather than seeking unity through uniformity, let's seek unity through harmony.

Singing in unison requires a choir to sing the same song and the same notes. The choir may be singing different notes in creating harmony, but they're still singing the same song. The results can be beautiful!

The YMCA creates a safe space for people of all walks to join together. Maybe this is a place where Christian unity through harmony can inspire belief in Jesus?

"Jesus, you prayed that we would be one with each other and God so that an unbelieving and skeptical world would come to believe. As we strive to be one, help us focus on creating beautiful harmonies that can provide a powerful and transformational witness for all."

[by Pastor Jason Morris at Central Branch YMCA]