"E Pluribus Unum" ** a sermon for 25 Pentecost**

 I have here a quarter.  Obviously, this is a fake quarter.  That makes it easier to see.  What does it say on the back of the quarter?  Anyone remember?  E pluribus unum.  One out of many.  That’s America’s motto.  Unity, however, does not equal uniformity.  Nor is unity about glossing over differences.

Unity is about going beyond what divides us.  Unity is about being able to find the common ground and focusing on those things we all share.  For example, we all want some of the same things.  We want safe communities in which to raise families.  All of us want adequate access to food, shelter, and health care.

Some of us may be rejoicing.  The election has “gone their way.”  Others are in mourning.  The election left them in despair.  That makes this a very tender time for our nation and our communities.  Emotions are running high this past week, on both sides.  I want you to know that it is okay. 

That we feel those feelings is natural.  You and I are human, after all.  It’s also okay to sit with those feelings for a bit.  To process and take them all in.  Take all the time you need.  But, then, it is time to continue being the Church.  Here, I think, we can look to the early community in Corinth for guidance.

        Corinth was a major city with a major problem.  Sure, there was a rich cultural and religious diversity.  A place on trade routes made for a strong economy.  The diversity was not the problem.  Our diversity is a gift from God.  Deep divisions within the Christian community were the issue.

        The poor were snubbed for the rich.  There were tensions between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians.  Some spiritual gifts were valued more than others.  Such divisions were causing confusion and disunity in the community of Christ.  So, the Apostle Paul wrote to remind them:

I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance.  For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of.  An enormous eye or a gigantic hand wouldn’t be a body, but a monster.  What we have is one body with many parts, each its proper size and in its proper place.  No part is important on its own.  Can you imagine Eye telling Hand, “Get lost; I don’t need you”?  Or, Head telling Foot, “You’re fired; your job has been phased out”

I Corinthians 12  (MSG)

        In other words, no one person, no one spiritual gift is more important than another.  All are counted as equals, as beloved Children of God.  And, more to the point, we need one another.  We are connected to each other.  The fate of one affects the fate of the whole.  That’s a good message for us, too.

        The problem comes when we draw lines that God never intended.  When we mock, bully, and name call.  When we vilify those who don’t look like, think like, or act like us.  Hatred, violence, oppression, bullying, and intolerance destroy the image of God in us.

God-made-flesh teaches us a different way.  The Way of Love.  A way of radical   acceptance and inclusion.  Jesus always drew the circle wider and wider.  A tax collector, a political zealot, a foreign woman.  No sincere seeker was turned away.  Unity in Jesus was and is the only standard.  All were welcome.

Be kind to others.

Do no harm.

Feed the hungry.

Clothe the naked.

Visit the lonely.

Stand up for the bullied.

Pray for your enemies.

Turn the other cheek.

Love as I have loved you.

Care for widows and orphans.

        Jesus asks those who follow Him to do all these.  None of these are Liberal or Conservative.  Democrat or Republican.  All of these are about creating a more just society.  A society that reflects God’s Heavenly Kin-dom, right here, right now.  We glimpse that at the Altar rail as we gather in our diversity.

The Episcopal Church prides itself on being a church where ALL are welcome.  We don’t tell you have you should think or what you should believe.  All we tell you is to love your neighbor and that you are welcome at Christ’s Table.  Sometimes we even get it right and do those two things well.

Our Church can be a powerful witness to a deeply divided country.  Together, you and I can point the way to healing and reconciliation.   To being peacemakers and bridge builders in these anxious and unsettled times. No, this work will not always be easy.  But it is the way of Love Jesus commanded us to walk in.  The way of Love you and I commit ourselves to in the Baptismal Covenant.