Is has been great for us to have some time today to think about our Mission. To consider what Jesus’ mission was and what our mission is, here at Christ Church.

But why is it important to reflect on our mission and, in particular, to reflect on our common understanding of our mission?

Our New Testament reading today is taken from a letter by the Apostle Paul to the early church at Corinth. He wrote letters to encourage these new Christians and to guide them in Jesus’

These Christians were quarrelling and had broken off into groups.

There seems to have been four groupings within the Christians at Corinth. Some were associating with Paul, others with Apollos (a teacher who came to Corinth after Paul had left), Peter (one of the twelve disciples) and those who united around Christ.

It is not exactly clear what distinguished each of these four factions and what divided them but the divisions led to bitterness and arguments.  So much so that Paul has been informed of their quarrels.

So Paul writes to them, and his concern is so strong that, following his greeting, it is the first thing he writes about.  He gets straight to the point, straight to the priority of addressing the divisions within the church.

He begins ‘Brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, I beg all of you to agree with each other. You should not be divided into different groups. Be completely joined together again with the same kind of thinking and the same purpose.’

Today we are reflecting on our mission and, in particular, reflecting on our common understanding of our mission here at Christ Church because we need to be completely joined together with the same kind of thinking and the same purpose’.

Our Mission, our thinking and purpose are completely intertwined.

We need to reflect on our common understanding of our mission to avoid dividing into different groups.

Paul was adamant that there should be no division within the church because Jesus was adamant that there should be no division between his disciples and all believers.

We need to be united in our thinking and our purpose.

There are very few examples in the bible of what Jesus prayed for, as often Jesus went alone up into the hills to pray in the early hours of the morning, but one example is his prayer on the night before his passion.

He prays for his disciples and for all believers ‘to be as one’ and with a unity that is so strong that it mirrors the unity between the Father and the Son.

In his prayer he explains why this unity is so important.  Jesus explains, ‘As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.’

We are to be united so the world may believe.  For the world to see a unity that crosses all boundaries, all races, gender and classes. A unity with our fellow brothers and sisters that will appear so amazing that the world will see in our unity a glimpse of God.

We are to be united so the world may believe that God sent Jesus.  Isn’t that our mission?

We have come back round full circle to our Mission Statement. We are to be united so the world may believe that God sent Jesus. We can achieve our mission by being united.

But how can we be become completely one, completely united with the same kind of thinking and the same purpose? It’s going to take a lot more than a well written Mission Statement!

Can we live in unity with each other? We are all uniquely and wonderfully different and at times it is hard to see how, given these differences, that we can live up to Jesus’, Paul’s and God’s request for us to be as united as Jesus and God are to each other and with the same kind of thinking and same purpose.

But what happens when we don’t unite?

We only need to switch on the news to listen to the media enjoy reporting on a fragmented and declining church, arguing over women’s positions within the church, gay marriage, stem cell research and so on.

It is quite right that these issues are debated but they must be debated in a respectful and loving manner.  The Methodist church is currently having conversions around the report on ‘Marriage and relationships’ and we all must pray that these conversations are being carried out in a  respectful and loving manner and in accordance with God’s will.

A lack of unity causes fragmentation within the church and a mixed message to the outside world.

How can we be become completely one, completely united without division and with the same thinking and purpose?

Jesus prayed ‘that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.’

Jesus’ prayer continuously repeats messages of love.

Love defies all boundaries, crosses over every race, gender and class.  Love for each other is more powerful that any disagreement over the trivial matters of church life. Our love for each other will help us listen to each other and respect each other’s opinions.

Our Old Testament reading from Micah asked ‘What does God want from us?’ What is our Mission? We heard ‘Be fair to other people.  Love kindness and loyalty, and humbly obey your God’.

Love can and will unite us all.

Let us heed Paul’s warning, ‘Brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, I beg all of you to agree with each other. You should not be divided into different groups. Be completely joined together again with the same kind of thinking and the same purpose.’

If we want to achieve our mission here at Christ Church we need to be without division and with the same thinking and purpose.

Let us start with ourselves. Is there any division amongst us? When we find ourselves in disagreement with each other we need to look first at ourselves.  To look at our own heart and our own mind and compare it to Christ and God’s Word.

When we disagree, we need to change. We need to be completely joined together again with the same kind of thinking and the same purpose if we are to accomplish our mission.

Let us start with our love for one another.

Let us focus on what unites us, and not our differences.

Let us accomplish our mission.

Amen