“We go together like

Ramma lamma lamma

Ka dinga da dinga dong.”

We go together like…Mac n cheese,

or as Forest says, “We goez together like peas en carawts Jenny.”

Church unity, friendships, love, such a blessing when we have it isn’t it?

#birds chirping, flowers blooming#

I cautiously say “have it” as though unity was somehow always meant to be ours for the illusive taking…

Got it!…slip…got it again…oops…Did you mean UNITY? Or un-tidy?…oops…

Sometimes I feel like global church unity is a monkey’s banana dance. All of God’s little monkeys are enjoying the food (word of God) but then slipping around on the peel when it comes to performing the task at hand. Ie.Giving the world the show of their life!

According to the scripture, “They will know you are my disciples by your love for one another.” …slip…ouch.

Here’s where the “yes buts” tune their voices in their solitary unity song…  “Yes but, to love someone doesn’t mean you have to agree with them Andrea.”

Your right…

But do we love them? Avoid speaking ill of them? Care when they are hurting and not rejoice when they do poorly, or fall into sin? We have to actually be able to work with them, stand being around them, and not judge them….ouch.

Here’s an example of our “love for one another” sometimes. Perhaps you’ve heard quotes like these, or said them yourself :

Rick Warren- “Oh my he’s all about his big church.”

Billy Grahm- “Did you hear what he said in his last sermon? Think he’s becoming ecumenical…”

Bill Hybels- “Heard he’s gone liberal…Lets women teach men! For shame.”

Mark Driscoll – “What a harsh man! Foul mouth!”

Francis Chan- “Seems nice enough, but bit of a dreamer,not realistic.”

R.C. Sproul (as is roll, not sprowl as in growl)- “Ugh not gospel oriented… like most reformed people, dryer than a mouth full of cotton.”

Peyton Jones ( say something about him and I’ll kill you)…slip…

And off us monkeys go, devouring God’s word while slipping on the banana peel and the devil laughs at his creative chaos!

Dada da da…and for my next trick…

I got jealous the other day. I know I’m carnal. I said something unkind about someone who got some acknowledgement that I felt I deserved. So I bad mouthed the whole dang organization! ( but only to my husband so it was ok right?)

Later I realized “Monkey-face” was in fact my carnal name and not just what my family called me. You know that face monkeys get don’t you? When they’re up to no good and being ridiculous? Lips turned inward in an over exaggerated fake smile?

Church, don’t we realize that that is what our Christian smiles look like to a lost world when we can’t unite for the gospel?

Now look at this perfect picture of unity: 

Without the love of God renewing our minds we will never be like Nancy and kiss the top of Mr. T’s head.

Who is your Mr. T?

Who is your Nancy Reagan?

If Nancy Reagan can sit on one of my all time fav. T.V. Characters an plant a big one on his shiny forehead…we can manage unity can’t we church?

Come on Calvinist, plant one on a shiny Arminian forehead!

Come on Baptist, give a little squeeze to our charismatic friend.

Church we need each other. We need mercy from each other, BECAUSE God has made us so diverse.

“Blessed are the merciful…for they shall receive mercy”…and I need mercy.

We are called the Bride of Christ not the bride of Frankenstein. We are not meant to be fragmented pieces of different bodies only sew together for the final wedding feast fit for the Walking Dead. Who wants a bride like that?

Perhaps that is why our groom is still waiting church? Perhaps Christ is waiting for his bride to get her groove on, become one loving body, then the world will know we are His, and he is ours.

Are we merciful to our fellow believers? Or are we jealously competitive with their “denomination” suspicious of their theological “persuasion”? Do we wait five minutes till we hear key “authentication” words come out of their mouth before we truly decide we can fellowship with them?

We go together like…

“Ramma lamma lamma Ka dinga da dinga dong,” Mac n Cheese,  “Peas n carrawts Jenny.”…

When your brother or sister is being chased down the street by the hatchet man, put in prison for her faith, are we really going to pause and question her on whether or not sanctification precedes faith? (Hmm I could be tempted…) Infant baptism? Hymns or Jesus Culture? What’s your pet? What’s that one, two or etc. thing that keeps your heart from being able to unite on mission with another believer? Tempts you to “Judge another man’s servant?”

Bride of Christ… we Don’t have to look alike…to love. But we have to love.

For nancy to kiss the top of Mr. T’s head, he didn’t have to change his cloths. For her to receive a coveted Mr. T doll, Nancy didn’t have to prove her coolness by sporting a Mohawk. Jenny didn’t have to fail an IQ test to love forest, Olivia didn’t have to become a greaser to catch John’s eye ( but he did like it), and where would Mac be with out cheese?

Could it be in our unified diversity, we give a slightly more balanced, flavorful picture of a   wildly complex and colorful God?

…and that’s all I have to say about that…for now.

We go together like

Ramma lamma lamma

Ka dinga da dinga dong

Remembered forever like

Shoo-wop sha whada whadda

Yippidy boom da boom

Chang chang changity chang shoo bop

That’s the way it should be

Waooo Yeah

We’re one of a kind

“For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.” Heb. 4 v2