Rooted in WorshipSample

Unity in Beautiful Diversity

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had, so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.

Romans 15:5-7

There is a church in the Old City of Jerusalem called the Church of Saint Anne. It sits next to the Pool of Bethesda, which you may remember from the story of Jesus healing a man who had been lame for 38 years! (John 5) The Church of Saint Anne is often known as the singing church because, on any given day, hundreds of Christians from dozens of diverse Christian communities worldwide will stop by to sing praises to the Lord. There is no need to sign up to lead a song, and there is no announcement of the name or location of the singing group when they stand and sing. The praises may be sung in any language by people from any continent. When a song begins to rise, hundreds of others will join in, not because they must but because they are moved by this little snapshot of heaven on earth.

In Revelation, John saw a spectacular moment of worship in heaven that displayed unity in beautiful diversity. Try to fully engage your imagination as you read so that you can “see” what John saw.

"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Revelation 7:9-12

What a beautiful vision John saw! Notice that he did not hear about or read about this moment. He says that he “looked” at it. That brings up a question—how could John see that these people were from every nation, tribe, and language?

The obvious but surprising answer is that this heavenly multitude was fully united in worshipping the Lord while still expressing beautiful diversity. John saw people from different tribes and nations, and he could tell that there were people from every language of the earth, but somehow, they all cried out together in worship as one voice. How is this possible?

The truth is that this scene is impossible apart from God. It is a supernatural snapshot of God’s heart for his people.

The worship in heaven will be beautifully unified.

The worship in heaven will be beautifully diverse.

Pause for a moment to think about the worship of your church community. Is it beautifully unified? Is it beautifully diverse?

Throughout the New Testament, there is a consistent focus on bringing about unity in a beautiful diversity. In the book of Romans, Paul repeatedly revisits God’s plan to bring Jews and Gentiles together into one family united in Christ. Romans 15:5-7 includes three key phrases that lead to unity in diversity.

• "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that Christ Jesus had...”
• “so that with one mind and one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
• "Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.”

Amen! Lord may your Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven!

Reflection:

As a reflection activity today, consider the following questions and then have a conversation with the Lord about them. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you any actions that he wants you to take.

Do I hold any prejudices against others that I need to bring before the Lord?

Is there anything dividing me from another disciple of Jesus?

Do I need to take any steps to restore unity or encourage diversity within my church community?

Do I accept others as Christ has accepted me?