I went with Leah to one of the conferences that she attends. The conference focused on one movement within Christianity and included people from all over the world. I bet there were people from every corner of the planet: Africa, Asia, Australia, South America, and on, and on. These people did all kinds of different work: scientists, psychologists, theologians, historians, and other fields that I might not be able to spell correctly. It was probably the most diverse group of people I have ever been a part of. Attending such a conference, some might wonder, “What in the world can all these people have in common? They come from different parts of the world, identify with different cultures, possess very different levels of wealth, and study/teach/work in many different fields. What in the world unites them?" That is a good question.On the last evening of the conference, this diverse community gathered for a banquet at which the keynote speaker gave his closing remarks. I could understand very little of what he was talking about, but at the end of his talk he began to sing, “At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light.” I understood that – and so did everyone else. Immediately, the audience comprised of very different people joined in. They sang loudly. Some added harmony. Some hummed the words they didn’t know. In the middle of a conference filled with people who, at first appearances, didn’t seem to have anything in common, a “worship song” broke out. That seemed to be the answer. The conference goers had their worship of the risen Jesus Christ in common.
On a smaller scale, the same might be true for us at the Cathedral. Though we may be a diverse mix of people, we have the worship of the risen Lord in common. We come together week after week and make hundreds of different voices into one. “At the cross, at the cross, where I first saw the light.” Young, old, rich, poor, men, women, Kennewick, Prosser, Connell, Pasco, those new to the faith, those raised years in the faith: we all come together in our worship. “At the cross, at the cross, where WE first saw the light.”
Now this is very different from what we hear every other day of the week. Some say, “The young hang over here and the elderly spend time there. The rich live in the neighborhoods over there. The poor live ‘on the other side of the tracks.’ Kennewick is like this. Prosser is like that. Men do this and women do that.” The division is everywhere.
Not so in Christian worship. We can be united by our worship of Jesus Christ. To repeat the words of the Apostle Paul, We “all have sinned and fall(en) short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23). That means that the ground is level at the foot of the cross. As we approach it, we do it as equals. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus,” (Galatians 3:28 and Colossians 3:11).
As we come together in worship this weekend we do so as one. We are rich, poor, young, old, male, and female sinners who have come to delight in the marvelous grace of a God who loves the world enough to save it. As you approach the cross in worship this weekend, join in the one voice of the Cathedral of Joy. Sing with all your heart. Sing as a member of ONE body. Worship the ONE true God!
