2nd Saturday of Advent (December 13). With one voice

Prepare to Listen.  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
 
Prayerfully Read Romans 15:4-13
4For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.  5May the God of steadfastness and encouragement grant you to live in harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, 6so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
7Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.  8For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the ancestors 9and that the gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written,
“Therefore I will confess you among the gentiles and sing praises to your name”;
10and again he says, “Rejoice, O gentiles, with his people”;
11and again, “Praise the Lord, all you gentiles, and let all the peoples praise him”;
12and again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse shall come,
    the one who rises to rule the gentiles; in him the gentiles shall hope.”
13May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
 
Prayerfully Wonder and Reflect
What do you think it means to glorify God “with one voice”?
 
Twice in this paragraph Paul highlights the importance of unity among God’s people--live in harmony; together with one voice.  His call to unity echoes Jesus’ prayer request that believers in Christ “may all be one” (Jn 17:21).  Unity takes work because the church is diverse, both Gentile and Jew.  The oneness for which Jesus prayed, and Paul expected of the church at Rome, isn’t about agreement in all things.  Of course we’ll disagree, including over what Jesus most wants from those of us who claim to follow him.  Oneness has to do with remaining in fellowship, loving one another even when we disagree; participating together to reflect Jesus to the world despite our many differences.
 
Ask yourself: Can I live in harmony with the person who votes for a political candidate I think is opposed to the way of Jesus?  Can I live in harmony with church members who promote causes and behaviors I disagree with?  Can I live in harmony and sing and glorify God with one voice with the diverse and crazy people in my church?  We should do so, says Paul, because church isn’t about me and mine.  We do church for the glory of God, to point the world to a God who is greater than our petty differences of opinions.  When we live in harmony and glorify God with one voice, we’ll reflect to the world a more faithful imagine of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
 
What image of Jesus are you reflecting to the world and how true to Jesus is it?  What caught your attention in these verses?
 
Prayerfully Respond
Lord Jesus, forgive us for so often causing division in the church over nonessentials and other silly stuff.  Help me work on living in harmony and singing with one voice with your diverse and sometimes crazy people.  Amen.
 
Live obediently.  Choose harmony over division.