Text: Psalm 133
SN: 0082 06/01/2025
True unity and harmony are rare and precious commodities in our world. Turn on the television or read a news article, and you quickly see a world marred and broken by hatred and division. People willingly and eagerly divide themselves based on race, nationality, social status, religion, and political party. The pledge undying loyalty to their chosen group and view all others as hostile and dangerous enemies that either need to be avoided or destroyed at all costs. Hate and bitterness cause deep and lasting wounds that make unity difficult, if not impossible to find in this fallen world.
Unity is a precious and beautiful blessing that God has gifted to his church. We have unity with God through Christ, and we enjoy fellowship and unity with one another as we a one body under Christ. God wants us to treasure the unity we have in Christ and live contrary to the patterns of this world. God wants us to be able to set aside our petty differences and differing opinions and unite around the blessing of our joint faith. Jesus so deeply desired that the people of his church be unified that he prayed for unity on the night he was betrayed, “I am praying not only for them, but also for those who believe in me through their message. May they all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. May they also be one in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me.”
Unfortunately, we are aware of how easily the unity of the church can be destroyed. Disagreements and arguments can shatter the unity of a congregation and rob us of the joy that comes from unity. King David understood the pain of God’s people fighting among themselves very well. He had fought for years in a bitter civil war as King Saul tried to murder him. He knew what it was like to see God's chosen people fighting tribe against tribe. Later, he knew the bitter pain of having his son Absolam rise against him and divide the nation once again. David knew how precious the blessing of unity among God’s people could be and how easily it could be lost. Psalm 133 is his hymn of praise to God for the peace and joy that come from being united in God’s household. A Song of Ascents, of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, coming down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard, coming down upon the edge of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon coming down upon the mountains of Zion; For there the LORD commanded the blessing—life forever.
David describes the joy of our unity of faith like precious anointing oil that was poured on the head of Aaron the high priest. We, too, have been anointed with the Holy Spirit through the waters of baptism. Through the power of the Spirit working through the Word of God, we have been called out of our sinful way of life and have been reborn as children of God. Like Aaron, Jesus is our Great High Priest who offered himself as a sacrifice once for all, which paid for all our sins. Through the waters of baptism, we have been united with our Savior, as Paul says in Romans 6, “Or do you not know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him by this baptism into his death, so that just as he was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too would also walk in a new life.”
Because of our baptisms, we are all members of one body with Christ as our head. We have unity with our Savior and unity with each other. But this does not mean that we are all the same. Each of us has been given different gifts and abilities that we use to serve the body of Christ. Our diversity is one of our greatest strengths. We seek to use all our different gifts and abilities to the glory of God and to help our neighbor in their life of faith. But because we have different talents, we may at times have different priorities in our lives. We are not always going to agree on the direction our church should go. It is ok for us to have these disagreements, but we must always be careful that this does not lead to strife and division.
Our enemy, the devil, wants to do everything in his power to shatter the unity we have in Christ. Satan loves to sow the seeds of discord. He wants to divide us so that he can hinder the mission of the church. We know how easily this can happen. Our fellow Christians make a decision we disagree with, so we grumble and complain about how unfair it is, or we grow bitter and separate ourselves from the fellowship of believers. We are not happy that someone else got their way, so we gossip about them and try to destroy their reputations to make ourselves feel better. Our sinful natures love to cling to bitter grudges. We don’t want to forgive and forget the wrongs and slights that have been done to us. We love to try to get even and ultimately get our own selfish way. All these sinful attitudes destroy the unity we have as a body of Christ and advance the schemes of the devil.
We need to be on constant guard against the devil’s relentless assaults against our unity in Christ. We know what a precious and wonderful thing it is to be united in the work of our Savior, and we know how quickly that unity can be destroyed. When we face times of controversy in the church, we certainly can make our voices heard. But we must do so with gentleness and respect. We must be careful to speak the truth in love and not in bitterness or anger. Many of the early Christian congregations were filled with factions and disunity. Paul shared these words of encouragement with the congregation in Ephesus: “As a prisoner in the Lord, therefore, I urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called. Live with all humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in the one hope of your calling. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all.”
There are going to be things we disagree about in the church: mergers, service times, music, decaf or regular, or which is better, donuts or kringle. These things fade in importance when we remember that we have been united in one faith for one mission. Each of us has been called to be a witness of our Savior, lights shining in this dark and fallen world. We cannot accomplish this mission on our own. The forces of evil that are arrayed against us are vast and overwhelming. The unity we have in Christ and the fellowship we have as Christians united in our faith give us a respite from the attacks and assaults of the world.
How good and pleasant it truly is for us to dwell together in unity. Our faith unites us as we face the storms and trials of life. David describes our unity of faith like the dew of Hermon coming on the mountains of Zion. Imagine a hot and sweltering day. Think of how refreshing it is to feel a cool breeze and a tall glass of water glistening with condensation. The unity and fellowship we enjoy with one another are just as refreshing. We live in a world that is filled with disunity and anger. The church of God is a safe harbor from the storms of life. Here we can find respite and comfort as we share our struggles with others. We can learn from their wisdom and find strength as we deal with the trials of life. Here we can find refreshment and forgiveness as we eat and drink the body and blood of our Lord and Savior.
I often begin my sermons with the greeting: my dear brothers and sisters in Christ. I think at times we take that greeting for granted. Because of our faith, we truly are brothers and sisters united under God our Father. We all share the same struggles against the devil, the world, and our sinful flesh. We know the battle we face each day for our lives as we strive and contend for the faith. We know what it is like to find comfort in the grace of God and the peace we have knowing that our sins have been forgiven by the death of our Savior. And we all look forward to the glorious day when our earthly struggle will end and we will join together in joyous and never-ending fellowship that exists in the eternal glory of heaven. May God quickly speed the coming of that glorious day. Amen.
The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears this say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come. Let the one who wants the water of life take it as a gift. The one who testifies about these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!