#DailyDevotion It Is A Beautiful Thing When We Gather In Unity In Christ
Psalm 133 See how good and pleasant it is for brothers to live in unity! 2It is like the fine oil on the head, flowing down on the beard, Aaron’s beard, flowing down over the collar of his garment, 3like the dew of Hermon coming down on Zion’s mountains. There, the LORD promised His blessing of life forever.
As they were ascending Mt. Zion to the Temple of the LORD they were united in their confession and worship of the God of Israel. Well, when they living in unity of confession and worship it was indeed good and pleasant for them as brothers. The LORD is One and yet there are distinct persons in the Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are one in essence, hence They are one God. They are also united in mind and spirit. They are united in purpose and confession. This unity is part of the image of God which is supposed to be reflected in marriage. As it is written in Genesis, “God said, let Us make man in our image and likeness. Male and female He made them.” That unity between husband and wife of loving submission to one another is spelled out clearly in Ephesus 4.
Ephesus 4 also spells out the unity we are to have with one another as Church and in Christ Jesus our LORD with God. He says, “3Do your best to keep the oneness of the Spirit by living together in peace: 4one body and one Spirit – even as you have been called to share one hope – 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6one God and Father of all, Who rules over us all, works through us all, and lives in us all. 7 But each of us has been given the gift measured out by Christ Who gave it.” You see, there is one faith, not many expressions of it. There is only a diversity of gifts. Those diversity of gifts are given” to build up the body of Christ 13until all of us get to be one as we believe and know God’s Son, reach a mature manhood, and grow to the full height of Christ. 14We shouldn’t be babies any longer, tossed and driven by every windy thing that is taught, by the trickery of men and their clever scheming to error.“
Just as the Israelites were to ascend to the Temple in unity of confession and spirit, so we too ascend to the LORD’s altar in unity of confession and love as Paul says in a contrary way in 1 Cor. 11, “17While I’m giving these instructions, I’m not praising you for doing harm instead of good at your meetings. 18In the first place, I hear that when you meet as a church you are divided, and some of it I believe is true. 190f course, there must be divisions among you to show clearly which of you are approved. 20When you get together for a common purpose, it is not the Lord’s Supper you are eating.” It seems to me their lack of unity in faith and love invalidated the LORD’s Supper, even though they got together for a common purpose. They were divided in their selfish actions.
Jesus prayed in John, “19In this holy way I give Myself for them to make them holy, too, by the truth. 20I’m not asking for them only but also for those who through their word believe in Me 21 that they all be one. As You, Father, are in Me and I in You, let them be in Us so that the world may believe You sent Me. 22I gave them the glory You gave Me to make them one as We are one. 23I am in them, and You are in Me to make them perfectly one that the world may know You sent Me and loved them as You loved Me.” When we have unity in faith, in the confession of that faith, it is a gift from God and an answer to Jesus’ prayer. We may not always have that unity that Jesus prayed for here, but we can have it at the Table of the LORD as we have confessed the Creed, forgiven one another, and given one another the LORD’s peace. We confess in unity what we are receiving and receive it as one body, the body of Christ. At such times it is as the psalmist says, 2It is like the fine oil on the head, flowing down on the beard, Aaron’s beard, flowing down over the collar of his garment, 3like the dew of Hermon coming down on Zion’s mountains. There, the LORD promised His blessing of life forever.”
Heavenly Father, as Jesus prayed for our unity with one another in Him in communion with You, give us that unity as we gather together in worship. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.