Readings

Ephesians 4:1-13 – I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it is said, ‘When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.’ (When it says, ‘He ascended’, what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.

John 12:31-36 – Now is the judgement of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ He said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die. The crowd answered him, ‘We have heard from the law that the Messiah remains for ever. How can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?’ Jesus said to them, ‘The light is with you for a little longer. Walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overtake you. If you walk in the darkness, you do not know where you are going. While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become children of light.’ After Jesus had said this, he departed and hid from them.

Sermon

One of the great challenges of our time is learning how to live well with difference. We live in a world that often feels fragmented — divided by opinions, identities, backgrounds, and experiences. Even within families or communities, it can feel hard to stay connected when we see things differently. Against that backdrop, today’s readings speak with surprising clarity about unity — not as wishful thinking, but as something real, costly, and deeply rooted in Jesus Christ.

In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul urges Christians to “live a life worthy of the calling you have received.” That calling is not first about what we believe or what we do individually, but about who we are becoming together. From the very beginning, Christianity understood itself as a shared life — a community drawn together by God.

The qualities that are named next tell us a lot about the kind of unity being imagined: “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” These are not abstract virtues. They are the skills needed for living closely with other people, especially people who are not the same as us. Unity, the Bible suggests, is not automatic. It requires effort, patience, and grace.

Crucially, this unity does not depend on everyone thinking alike. In fact, the passage goes on to celebrate difference. We hear about different gifts and roles, all given for a shared purpose: “to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.” The image of the body makes it clear — unity is not uniformity. A body needs different parts, doing different things, if it is to be alive and healthy.

But if unity is not created by sameness, what holds it together?

This is where the reading from John’s Gospel becomes essential. Jesus speaks about what is about to happen to him — his death on the cross — and he says something remarkable: “And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” Notice that phrase: all people. Not people who are alike. Not people who agree on everything. All people.

For Christians, unity does not begin with us reaching out to one another, as important as that is. It begins with Jesus drawing us to himself. The cross stands at the centre of Christian unity because it is there that God’s self-giving love is revealed most fully. It is there that barriers are broken down — between God and humanity, and between people themselves.

Jesus speaks of light and darkness: “Walk while you have the light.” In John’s Gospel, light represents truth, life, and the presence of God. To walk in the light is to allow our lives to be shaped by what we see in Jesus — a love that gives itself for others. When we walk in that light, we discover that we are walking alongside others who are also being drawn towards him.

This helps us understand what the letter to the Ephesians means by unity. Unity is not something we manufacture by trying harder to get along. Nor is it something we achieve by ignoring real differences. Christian unity is something we receive, as we gather around Jesus Christ. We are united not because we are the same, but because we are held by the same love.

That is why the passage speaks of “one body and one Spirit … one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” The focus is not on us, but on God’s action. Unity is God’s gift before it is our task. Our calling is to live into that gift — to protect it, nurture it, and allow it to shape how we treat one another.

Particularly for those who are new to Christian faith, this is an important point. The church is not a gathering of people who have everything sorted out. It is a community of people who are learning, often slowly and imperfectly, what it means to live together in the light of Christ. Differences of background, personality, experience, and understanding do not disqualify us. They are part of what God brings together.

The reading from Ephesians speaks of growth — “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God.” That word “until” reminds us that unity is not a finished achievement. It is a journey we take together, guided by Christ. Along the way, we will misunderstand one another, disagree, and sometimes fail. But unity is sustained not by our perfection, but by Christ’s faithfulness.

So what does this mean for us today?

It means that Christian unity begins by keeping Christ at the centre. When we lose sight of him, our differences easily become divisions. When we stay close to him, those same differences can become gifts.

It means that humility and patience are not optional extras, but essential expressions of unity. Bearing with one another in love is not a sign that something has gone wrong; it is a sign that we are truly living together.

And it means that unity is always something we do together. No one walks in the light alone. We are drawn, side by side, towards Jesus Christ, who gathers us into one body and calls us to grow into his likeness.

As Jesus says, “Believe in the light … so that you may become children of light.” To believe is to trust him enough to walk together — not despite our differences, but through them — held in the unity that only he can give.

May God give us grace to live that unity, for his glory and for the good of the world.