Month: August 2019

Pluribus or Unum?

This past weekend, our town celebrated its ethnic diversity by holding its annual Multicultural Festival. It’s a gathering of the community showcasing many different cultures through art, dance, traditional costumes, and (my favorite) a variety of foods. We didn’t make this year’s event, but attended previously, and found it to be fun and educational. Also, uplifting, to see so many different cultures represented here in our town, brought by people from around the world who found Elk Grove to be a desirable place to live. As people who have now lived here for 25 years ourselves, we can understand some of the attractions.

In relation to such rich diversity in our country, I have heard some people, mostly politicians, speak glowingly of such variety, saying, “Diversity is our strength.” But is it?

I believe diversity can be a great strength, if it is paired with another, vital social attribute: unity. This important connection is best expressed in our country’s motto, first adopted in 1782: E Pluribus Unum (out of many, one). This motto, which proclaimed the unity of the thirteen states and their common federal government, is even more relevant today when applied to the makeup of our citizenry. More than two centuries have seen waves of immigrants (some legal, some illegal, and some forced against their will) from all over the world come to this country.

So why is a 240 year-old motto still relevant? Because, if you have only pluribus or unum, you’ve got big problems.

First: If pluribus is all you have, you can end up with factions, rivalries, disputes, and eventually, chaos. Historically, the term, “Balkanization,” was invented to describe such a situation in the Balkan countries (such as what was Yugoslavia), where a number of small countries with different ethnic divisions fought each other. The term is now applied to any country or region that breaks apart into small, contending factions, leaving the whole vulnerable and beset by constant war.

I enjoy studying languages. Besides the intellectual challenge, I like being able to understand other people and communicate in their languages. I wish I could read and understand all 6,500 languages! (Good thing I’ve got eternity ahead to work on it.) I love that there are so many languages, but when everyone speaks a different language only, it’s hard to connect or accomplish anything together. Think of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11); how did God stop that project? By confusing their one common language so no one could understand each other. The project stopped and the people spread out, going different ways. Diversity was not their strength.

I believe everyone ought to be able to speak two or three languages fluently, if for no other reason than to better understand other people and their cultures. But at the same time, I believe we should all share one common language, too, so that we can all better communicate with each other. That way no one is an “outsider” who has to sit out while the rest of us communicate with each other.

When people interact and communicate openly with each other, and desire unity, walls can break down and people whose ancestors were enemies can end up becoming good friends. Think of former enemies of the US: France, England, Germany, Japan, Italy, etc. which are now allies. Think of Lutheran immigrants from Northern Europe who settled in the Midwest, setting up different Lutheran churches on each corner according to language: Swedes, Norwegians, Danes, Finns, and Germans. Over time, those differences diminished and their new, American identity (and English language) took over. Unity brought together diversity. Pluribus needs unum to be compete.

Second, if all you have is unity, the result is a bland sameness and tyranny. Did I say “tyranny”? Yes I did, because the only way you can have complete unity is by forcing it on people who want to think, act, dress, dance, sing, speak, and write in different ways. Whoever is in power sees any divergence from the approved order of things as a threat to society that must be stamped out. Dictators around the world have always suppressed speech, press, religion, and even minority languages to force common allegiance to the state. In the name of unity, they have oppressed anyone who dares step out of line, even committing genocide to force purity of race or religion.

Even if everyone were willing to adopt one common culture and language, how bland and repetitious would society be? Variety is the spice of life, according to one old saying, and there is much truth to it (especially if the spice is jalapeno!); if we all dressed the same, ate the same food all the time, wore our hair (or lack of it) the same, how boring would that be? Gone would be varieties of food, song, dance, art, etc. that have enriched the human race and shown off the great skills and creativity with which people have solved basic human needs over the millennia. That doesn’t sound too exciting to me (as just today I bought some sauerkraut, ate an English muffin, munched on some tortilla chips, and had some fettuccine Alfredo and a Caesar salad. Maybe some ramen noodles for a bed snack?). No, unity without diversity can be trouble; unum needs pluribus to be complete.

So, how does this issue relate to the Church?

The Christian Church has the same tension between unity and diversity that is experienced by the societies in which it operates. Here are some aspects to that:

1. There is the matter of ethnic and racial diversity. While churches can feel the pressures of cultural divisions reflected by their members (refer to the comment above about Lutheran churches in America divided by their languages and ethnicities), ultimately, the Church around the world is and will be eternally comprised of the greatest diversity. The Bible is clear that not only is God the Creator of all people, he also desires all kinds of people to be saved and to dwell with him in eternity.

From Old Testament prophets who foretold all nations coming to worship God on his holy mountain (Isaiah 11:1-10 and 66:20), to Jesus commanding his disciples to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20), to John’s revelation of heaven in which he saw “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,” (Revelation 7) God’s desire is to save us. He is not willing that anyone should perish, but that all would come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). He so loved the world (that’s everybody!) that he gave his only Son, so that whoever (that’s anyone!) who believes in him shall be saved (John 3:16). God’s love is universal; his Church is the largest faith on earth today, and the most diverse in people and cultures from around the world.

One Sunday in 1988 I worshiped at a Lutheran church in Helsinki, Finland. The service was in English (led by an American pastor from one of the Dakotas), but the small congregation was representative of what heaven will be like: worshipers were from Australia, Germany, Finland, and even from Namibia in southwest Africa. One of the Namibians was the mother of that country’s president. We were all different, but united in our faith.

2. Unfortunately, just as countries can be divided, so can the Church. I’m not talking about disputes over what color to paint the church door, or what kind of clothes the pastors should wear when preaching, but about matters of real importance. I’m talking about doctrines and essential practices such as baptism and communion. Over the centuries Christians have disagreed on the Nicene Creed (does the Holy Spirit proceed from just the Father or from both the Father and the Son?), the nature of Christ (God or man or both?), the cessation or continuation of the charismatic gifts, the role of the Church in society, and how we are saved (by grace or by the works which grace enables?). Some baptize infants, others insist on a “believer’s baptism.” Some believe that communion is only a symbol but done by obedience, others recognize that Christ’s true body and blood are received with the elements, and still others say the elements change physically into flesh and blood.

Schisms, anathemas (curses) and even wars have resulted from such divisions, and though settling such issues is important (the Bible commands true doctrine and condemns false teachings), the resulting divisions are a scandal to the world. Rather than presenting a united (unum) message to the world, we have such a diversity of beliefs (pluribus), that you can find some theologian, preacher, or church body that will proclaim just about anything. We see the Balkanization and weakening of the Church.

3. What we need in the Church is unum. Yes, we are a very diverse group of people consisting of people from every nation, tribe, and language. Our cultures and forms of worship vary. (Luther said, “Liberty must prevail in these matters and Christians must not be bound by laws and ordinances. That is why the Scriptures prescribe nothing in these matters, but allow for freedom for the Spirit to act according to his own understanding as the respective place, time, and persons may require it.”) Our songs and hymns vary. Our languages vary. But what must not vary is the Gospel.

For ultimately, we are one people, a royal priesthood, a chosen nation, created and called out by God from darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). We are one, for which Christ prayed in the Upper Room, as he is one with the Father (John 17:21). We are one, because “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

So which should we seek? Pluribus, or unum? The answer for Christ’s Church, for America and the world, and indeed, even for my town, has to be “E pluribus unum.” Let us celebrate our diversity – but in unity, for we have but one God, Creator and Savior of us all. To him be the glory. Amen.

And now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: Genesis 11:1-9, Ephesians 4:1-16, Revelation 7:9-17

 

Don’t Get Stung!

Over the past few weeks, Karen and I have been under assault by swarms of paper wasps that have taken up residence all around our house. And I mean, all around. They have built nests on every corner of our roof line, under the front porch overhang within three feet of the door, and even in our outside electrical box. Now, normally, I have a “live and let live” attitude toward all God’s creatures (except the ones with tasty meat on them), so I wouldn’t object to bees and wasps doing their thing.

But this summer has produced so many wasps, the risks of getting buzzed and stung have greatly increased. That, and the fact we have house painters coming over next week to do their thing, means we had to get the flying stingers under control. We could hardly have painters getting stung and falling off their ladders and scaffolds.

Since two of the nests greatly impeded our movement in and out of the house, I attacked them first. Under cover of darkness, when the temperature had dropped to where the wasps would be sluggish, I bravely sprayed the two most dangerous nests, and then quickly ducked back into the house. Each nest had over 20 adult wasps in it, which the spray took care of. Unfortunately, that was but a small portion of the total population, so I called in a professional exterminator. And stayed inside while he worked. Just to be safe. We did unlock our doors so he could duck inside in case he was attacked.

Which he was.

He sprayed all the affected areas, but the last we saw of him was him running from the wasps, spraying back over his shoulder as he ran. And the last we heard was him yelling when he got stung. In the days since then, the situation has much improved; the few wasps we’ve seen seem to be flying in from other locations. It’s just too bad the exterminator got stung.

When I thought about getting stung, a passage of Scripture came to mind. I thought of 1 Corinthians 15, where Paul writes about Christ’s resurrection and ours. After proclaiming the day will come when our perishable and mortal nature puts on the imperishable and immortal, Paul says, “. . . then shall come to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.”

The more I considered stinging as a metaphor for sin, the more I saw an analogy between what we were experiencing with our wasps and the dangers of sin. Some of my thoughts were the following:

  1. Infestations of wasps can start small. Likewise, sins can start small and be hardly noticeable in our daily lives: a small indiscretion here, a well-meaning lie there, a fudge of taxes here, an “innocent” flirtation there. It may all seem normal and harmless (it’s not – see James 2:10, “For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.”) but just as the few wasps produced hundreds more until we could no longer ignore the consequences, so one small “peccadillo” can lead to more and worse trespasses. One lie leads to another; coveting leads to theft; anger leads to violence.

2. A live and let live attitude may be good in many ways, but when it comes to sin, we can’t ignore it and hope it goes away. What doesn’t seem to bother us or be our business does have a ripple effect on our lives and on our society. Hearts are hardened and sin is accepted, even celebrated. The more sin is winked at or openly condoned, the more it flourishes, building nests and strongholds which make it hard to root out. Even if there are not immediate practical consequences to us from other people’s sins, the fact we accept it cannot help but sear our souls. When we excuse sin or call it “victimless,” we are “calling evil good” (Isaiah 5:20) and earning a “woe to you” from God.

3. Another part of the wasp analogy to sin is the fact that our home was not immune to their invasion. Sin is not just something that happens to other people out there somewhere, but comes crouching right at our door (see Genesis 4 and God’s warning to Cain before he murdered his brother), ready to come in and infest our homes themselves. If we don’t address sin when it first shows itself in our lives, we will suffer its consequences. As believers in Christ, I don’t believe we are lost because of our sins (after all, we all continue to sin even when we detest doing so – see 1 John 1:8 and Romans 7); Christ came to redeem us from the eternal consequences of our sins. But there are still earthly consequences from our sins, affecting ourselves and other people and hurting and even ruining lives. We can lead and cause miserable lives here due to sin, even as we look forward to heaven.

4. When you sin, you get stung. Those earthly consequences can be devastating to us and those we love. Relationships suffer or are broken completely, people are hurt, and our lives can be overturned. Divorce, estrangement of children, criminal charges and punishments can change our lives for the worse.

It’s interesting that police conduct what are called “sting” operations to catch criminals. My favorite story is of investigators in New York who suspected a man in Washington State of being a murderer. They even had the killer’s DNA, but not enough direct evidence to warrant testing him directly. So, the police invented a phony lottery, and mailed the man a notice that he had won a huge prize. He just had to return the enclosed envelope accepting the prize and show up to claim it. The suspect sent back the acceptance letter and showed up on the designated day – only to be promptly arrested. When he licked the return envelope, traces of his DNA appeared on the glue, providing the needed evidence. The man sinned against God and man, and got stung for his actions.

5. Sin leads to death. In the case of the wasps, probably dozens, if not hundreds, of them died. If enough of the wasps had stung one of us or the exterminator, we could have died. So also with us and sin. The only way to finally deal with sin is through death. Romans 5:12 teaches, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. . .” Likewise, Romans 6:23 begins: “For the wages of sin is death.” Paul continues in Romans 6:23 by adding, “. . . but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Fortunately for us, God loved us enough to provide us with someone to bear the punishment of death that our sins have earned. Christ is the Great Exterminator, who though he suffered the sting of sin for our sake, won the victory, eliminating sin and its eternal consequences. Thank you Jesus!

6. We must remain constantly vigilant, lest the wasps (and sin) take hold once again. One victory does not mean the war is over. We may resist one temptation, only to be hit with another when we think we are safe. We must respond quickly to the first signs of either problem. How do we do that?

In the case of the wasps: “Let us spray!”

In the case of sins: “Let us pray!”

Ultimately, we have the victory over sin only in Jesus Christ. When we are found in him, we are victorious. We share in his victory. Our sins were nailed to the cross with him, and forgiven totally by God. We are reconciled to our Creator, and can look forward confidently to eternal life without sin or death. When we trust in God’s Word, we read not only that our sins are forgiven, but that Christ understands our temptations and that he will provide us a way out of every temptation to sin. His Holy Spirit guides and warns us about the sins which are trying to build nests in our hearts and minds; only through him can those inroads be cleared out.

This life will not always be easy, but we need not live it alone, for God is with us, and promises never to leave or forsake us. May you always rest assured in that!

May the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.

Read: 1 Corinthians 15, Romans 7, Hosea 13:14

P.S. This is my 100th blog since I started in January 2017! Thank you to everyone who has commented and encouraged me to continue!