All one in Christ

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. - Gal 3v28

In the short history of our church here we have had the joy of having Christians from all over the world. Even now we have Irish, Filipinos, South Africans, an Australian, and Americans. We have a German chap from Switzerland who often travels here on business. Through the years we have had Christians from Zimbabwe, the Congo, Nigeria, Spain, Brazil, Cameroon, and I am sure a few others.

One of the most interesting things I have ever done is to preside over a couple of Nigerian baby naming services. Nigerians traditionally give their children several names, one of which is from the pastor. My role is to explain each name and why it was chosen. The best part about these services was the Nigerian foods. In fact, we have never had to have an international dinner because we have that every time we eat together. If you have never had Filipino food you don’t know that you are missing. And then there is this South African dish, ah, but I digress.

At the Lord’s Table last night we talked about what the Lord’s death means to us. The theme that reoccurred last night was that as the body of Christ, we can all share in the common purpose of remembering his body. After salvation all of us, no matter what our culture, have put on Christ. Since we have put on Christ we are all one in Him. There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male of female, black or white, British or Irish, and on and on.

This week there was a major occasion as Bertie Ahern, the outgoing Taoiseach of Ireland, and Ian Paisley, the soon outgoing First Minister of Northern Ireland met together to open a heritage centre commemorating the Battle of the Boyne. It was indeed momentous because it was a true sign of the peace which has in many ways finally united this island which for so long was ripped apart by political and religious struggle.

But Mssrs. Ahern and Paisley were a little late. Several years ago a little church in Belfast met for a baptism on the Boyne. New believers from both the British Protestant and Irish Catholic cultures joined together and stepped into the waters of this historic river to follow the Lord in baptism. They joined, not in celebrating a political peace, but true peace in Christ.

All over the world those who were once enemies have found mutual peace in Christ. True peace and true unity replace division and violence. Many saw the meeting on the Boyne this week as a miracle, and in some ways I guess it was. But how much more miraculous the unity that comes as people from every background and culture find perfect unity as they put on Christ. We all become Christians, “Christ-ones” and in that there is no room for division.