To Live Together In Unity

“To Live Together in Unity” – November 17th, 2024 (Psalm 133)

Psalm 133 (NRSV) – “1 How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! 2 It is like the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes. 3 It is like the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord ordained his blessing, life forevermore.”

The first verse of this Psalm in Hebrew is included word for word in a song we’re about to sing together. Thank you, Don, for this great suggestion! Hine Ma Tov is a Jewish hymn that is traditionally sung at Shabbat feasts. Please follow along with the words on the screen and jump right in!

Some of the Pilgrimage Psalms we’ve looked at have been laments; others have been praise psalms. Psalm 133 has been described as “a lyric poem that celebrates the emotion of a moment” and as “a wisdom saying that employs illustrations from life to picture the abstract truth of living in unity.”

Even though it’s only three verses long, we can easily see that this beautiful psalm was designed and crafted by an artist, a poet. In our English translations we can notice similes, superlatives, parallelism, and repetition. In the original Hebrew there are other treasures including some of my favorites: alliteration and rhymes.

Verse one, which we just sang in Hebrew, says: “How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity.” To be able to understand Psalm 133 in our own context, we have to understand the word kindred. It’s not the same as our modern term kin or kinfolk, the people you are related to through birth, adoption, descent, or marriage. Kindred doesn’t have anything to do with a family reunion, family name, or family history. Kindred here refers to the family of God, which we know now is the body of Christ, the Church. We are not kindred because we happened to be born into a certain family or because we grew up in church or because we did something good. We are kindred because of whose we are. We are kindred because we are, together, in Christ, sharers and partakers in God’s grace (Philippians 1:7).

The psalm leaves the details of what “kindred living together in unity” looks like open to us. That reminds us that the Bible is not a rulebook to be woodenly applied. God has given us Scripture as a living blueprint that invites us into God’s story, such that as we experience the presence and power of God, we become part of the Good News of the Kingdom of God, right here, right now.

God desires that all people and all of creation live in shalom, the place of flourishing, wholeness, and delight. Benedictine monk Konrad Schaefer notes that Psalm 133:

“anticipates the harmony

of all people

as they live

without defenses

in God’s creation

whose care for all

is a continually unfolding blessing.”

Today we are going to look at four practical ways in which God calls us to live together in unity as kindred, as the family of God, as the body of Christ, as the Church.

The first way in which God calls us to live together in unity is to bountifully bless one another.

Verse two of Psalm 133 compares kindred living together in unity to “the precious oil on the head, running down upon the beard, on the beard of Aaron, running down over the collar of his robes.” When we hear something about fragrant oil, we might think it has something to do with a multilevel marketing scheme from Utah. In the ancient world, though, the Israelites anointed priests, kings, and house guests with fragrant oil. Ordinary people had welcome rituals when visitors entered their homes: “Welcome!”, kiss on both cheeks, and a splash of fragrant oil.

When Moses was on Mt. Sinai, God gave him the Ten Commandments and a bunch of other instructions. Some of these concerned the construction of the Tabernacle; others had to do with the consecration of the priests, as in Exodus 29:7 – “You shall take the anointing oil, and pour it on his head and anoint him.” A few verses later it is described as a sacred anointing oil. 1 Samuel 10:1 describes how “Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it on [Saul’s] head, and kissed him.” The vial, or flask, usually made from a horn, was turned upside down to pour out all of the contents on the recipient’s head.

The psalmist draws our attention to the completeness of the coverage. When it was poured out, that fragrant anointing oil flowed down, all the way from Aaron’s head to his beard, then onto his neck, even reaching the collar of his robes. I don’t know if Aaron’s beard would have won a prize at the World Beard & Moustache Championships. But I do know that the psalmist wanted to draw our attention to Aaron’s facial hair. Aaron didn’t likely have a goatee or freestyle sideburns, but this imagery of precious oil flowing down from Aaron’s waving hair all the way to his magnificent beard is all about assuring us of the fullness, the fragrance, and the forever of the Lord’s blessing.

This is what it’s like when kindred live together in unity. We are invited into God’s bountiful blessing, both for our own enjoyment and so that it will saturate and scent all of our relationships. There is plenty of love to go around. There is plenty of understanding to go around. There is plenty of forgiveness to go around. There is plenty of provision to go around.

To live together in unity is to bountifully bless one another.

The second way in which God calls us to live together in unity is to wholeheartedly worship God together.

The psalmist also uses a second metaphor to help us to understand what it’s like when kindred live together in unity: “the dew of Hermon, which falls on the mountains of Zion.” This imagery also speaks to the abundance of God’s grace. The geography of Israel is very diverse, ranging from deserts to snow-capped mountains. Most of the water in that region originated in the snow, rain, and dew that fell on Hermon in the far north and flowed down from there, covering the entire land with blessing. Just as the life-enhancing dew of Hermon irrigated the crops and made the land more fertile, so the life-enhancing unity of the body of Christ brings long-term blessings and far-reaching benefits to the community who wholeheartedly worship God together.

May we pause for a few moments to acknowledge and grieve that life-enhancing unity does not describe the body of Christ in our generation. (pause) We are deeply divided. We are known more for what separates us than for what Jesus said in John 15:12-14 – “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you.” Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

As we walk through life on the way of love, as we do what Christ commands, as we follow Jesus, we get to wholeheartedly worship God together on the journey. We are challenged to put the common good over and above our own. Borrowing the framework from one of my favorite C. S. Lewis quotes, I came up with this maxim: “Aim at communal shalom and you’ll get individual shalom thrown in; aim at individual shalom and you’ll get neither.”

If we are concerned only with our individual relationship to God, then we miss out on the great blessing of corporate worship. To be clear, “corporate worship” is not limited to singing songs together on a Sunday morning. Corporate worship is how we walk with God together in the world. Yes, meeting together is a key part of that. And beyond that, we show up for one another as we pray for one another, encourage one another, support one another, and love one another. Another great quote from Brother Konrad: “Fraternal love is a blessing which keeps on giving in the vitality it fosters and the fragrant atmosphere it gives.” There are countless creative ways to walk with God together in the world. Your presence, your love, and your good deeds in the body of Christ are needed! Unity is not just a great idea, it is an active, daily, relational choice.

We are not doomed to isolation, competition, or disunity. Whenever we experience any of these things, it means that we need to make some course corrections in our hearts and in our lives. If we’re feeling isolated, we can participate in corporate worship, we can ask someone to pray with us, we can meet someone for coffee, we can make room for other believers who are just as imperfect as we are. If we’re feeling competitive, we can humble ourselves, we can go out of our way to give glory to God, we can celebrate the achievements of others, we can serve one another in love. If we’re feeling disunited, we can pray with others, we can express gratitude to others, we can learn about what God has done through the body of Christ in other times and places, we can give generously of our time, talents, and treasures.

To live together in unity is to wholeheartedly worship God together.

The third way in which God calls us to live together in unity is to be properly present to one another.

Do you remember the first day of this sermon series when we read all of the Pilgrimage Psalms aloud? Remember that these psalms are also collectively known as Songs for Going Up to Worship. These Pilgrimage Psalms were sung by crowds of people who gathered in Jerusalem to worship God together at three annual festivals. These festivals brought together people from all the tribes, from all walks of life, and all levels of society. Even though as Israelites, they were all related to one another, unity was not automatic. It was possible to be related, eat alongside each other at festival meals, and dwell together during the festival, and not experience unity. Being related through birth, adoption, descent, or marriage does not guarantee unity, as even the briefest look at scripture, church history, the news, or our own families confirms. There have been way too many painful family splits and church schisms! We need unity and God’s blessings which accompany it!

In our country, we all know from painful experience what it’s like for diverse peoples to try and get along in families, communities, or online in an atmosphere marked by disunity, distrust, displeasure, and disagreeableness. In our divided nation we are plagued by widespread anxiety, despair, frustration, and confusion. How can we get past this? How can we heal the wounds?

Author and grief counselor Alan Wolfelt has coined the term “companioning” to describe how we can be present to one another. I’ve adapted and crafted five statements to help us to reflect on how the Lord would have us to be properly present to one another:

• We can cultivate compassionate curiosity and learn from the other; it is not about our expertise or teaching.
• We can be present to another person in their pain; it is not about judging or taking away the pain.
• We can practice being present to someone in sacred silence; it is not about many words or frantic movement.
• We can go to the wilderness of the soul with someone; it is not about thinking we are responsible for finding the way out.
• We can listen to the whole person with our whole self; it is not about talking past them or limiting our listening to the head or the heart.

When kindred live together in unity, the psalmist describes that as “very good and pleasant.” That means that it is at the same time intrinsically right and emotionally refreshing. Living together in unity makes us active participants in the goodness and loveliness of the Lord. It allows us to experience more and more of the shalom of God, the way things were meant to be.

To live together in unity is to be properly present to one another.

The fourth and final way in which God calls us to live together in unity is to resolutely remain together.

In our society today, and even in the body of Christ, many of us have lost touch with the concept of committed relationships. Oxford University’s nonprofit organization Our World in Data has this to say: “In many countries, marriages are becoming less common, people are marrying later, unmarried couples are increasingly choosing to live together, and in many countries, we are seeing a ‘decoupling’ of parenthood and marriage. Within the last decades the institution of marriage has changed more than in thousands of years before.” In numerous countries today, more than 50% of all children are born outside of marriage.

Committed relationships of marriage and family are so important and enduring in human societies that languages give them special names like mother, father, daughter, son, wife, husband, sister, brother, grandmother, grandfather, granddaughter, grandson, aunt, uncle, and so forth. In addition to family relationships, the early church modeled and calls us to value committed relationships within the family of God, utilizing some of the very same names for relationships in the body of Christ, especially sister and brother.

In any human relationship, it’s not the name of the relationship that holds people together. It is the commitment to resolutely remain together through all kinds of weather. This is why our traditional Christian marriage vows include promises to remain together “for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.” We don’t know what kind of trouble this year will bring. What we do know is that there will be trouble this year!

We don’t make vows within the body of Christ. But Romans 12:4-5 (NLT) tells us that “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.” In describing how very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity, the psalmist is calling us to live very differently to the ways of the world.

Here what the world’s values tell us:

• Make major decisions alone.
• Look after yourself first and foremost.
• Don’t let anyone else tell you what to do.
• Mind your own business.
• Escape conflict: run away, blame someone else, cover it up, lie about it, deny that it exists, don’t give it your best effort to resolve it.
• Attack people with whom you have a problem: confront them aggressively, put them down, gossip about them.
• Instead of working things out, if you have a problem with your spouse / friend / boss / community / club / church, ditch them and find another spouse / friend / boss / community / club / church.

Biblical unity is not just a theoretical concept or great idea. It’s not uniformity or agreement. Biblical unity is a lifestyle choice to walk with God together in the world.

Let us remember the wisdom God gives us to live by in Romans 12:18 – “If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” There will be times when a conflict cannot be resolved satisfactorily. But even if only one person is willing, it is possible to move towards unity in the body of Christ, perhaps with a reduced amount of proximity. No one is obliged to or should spend any amount of time with someone who is unsafe or abusive in any way. There are times and situations when it is prudent to lean on a wise and trusted mediator.

As we look around our social circles, we recognize that we humans have a propensity to fragmentation. We can resist the temptation to cut and run when the going gets tough. We can proactively choose to live according to God’s higher and better way to which the psalmist calls us in Psalm 133. Living together in unity is a very counter-cultural thing to do. As we pursue closeness to God, we are better able to live together in unity with one another. It’s also true that as we resist living together in unity, we become unable to experience greater intimacy with God. We cannot selectively open or close our hearts. It is impossible to have an open heart to God and a closed heart to people. Remember Jesus’ words we read earlier, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you?” This is the distinguishing mark of Christians. May it be so, Lord, in each one of us, in Liberty Vineyard Church, and in the entire body of Christ! Help us, oh God!

To live together in unity is to resolutely remain together.

May we embrace Psalm 133’s expanded vision of what it looks like to live together in unity. May the Lord give us the desire to accept and act upon God’s word: to bountifully bless one another, to wholeheartedly worship God together, to be properly present to one another, and to resolutely remain together. May God give us the grace and grit and desire and determination we need in order to live together in unity. That is where the Lord ordains and commands his blessing, life forevermore! Come, Holy Spirit!