Christian unity has a word to say about death.
The first century Christians, hour by hour, had to live with the possibility of death. It happened frequently in an excruciating manner. Eusebius, in The History of the Church from Christ to Constantine, speaks of the ordeals of one hundred and forty-six martyrs and names ninety-seven of them. In speaking of those in Tebais, he says, "They were torn to bits from head to foot with potsherds like claws till death released them." From the beginning, our spiritual ancestors kenw first-hand about death and the depravity that could accompany it.
In those early decades there was but one Church. There were those who fought among themselves; we have ample proof in some of the Pauline letters. However, the pernicious divisions had not come upon them yet. East and West were one under Jesus the Christ.
While the death of Moses seems to be a faraway occurrence to us, it must have been very much a part of the reading, studying, and discussion of those who had barely separated themselves from the synagogues to become more than a sect of Judaism.
Regardless of how death comes upon us, our passage points to a commonality and a value for Christian unity. There are four elements in the story which speak to us across all denominational lines.
Self-Acceptance
Moses was allowed to view the Promised Land. However, the Lord said, "but you shall not go over there." There is no indication he tried to get the Lord to change his mind. Moses knew who and what he was. Better yet, he understood this in relation to the Lord.
It is our self-acceptance before God that enables us to look in the face of death and not be disillusioned by it.
As we march together under the banner of Jesus the Christ, I think there is a clear message. We are called to aid and assist one another in accepting ourselves as mortal and with limitations, regardless of whether we are relating to this or that branch of the Faith. It would certainly be dull to hear only Baptists speak to Baptists, Methodists to Methodists, Lutherans to Lutherans, about this matter.
Death is a grand opportunity! It provides a spiritually enriching experience which can lift us in our walk with Christ and not defeat us with ignominy. This opportunity is for all Christians and it especially grants us a means to reach out to those parts of traditions different from our own. In helping another pilgrim accept himself/herself before the death angel, we prepare ourselves to do the same thing. Ministry is real ministry as we support and learn from one another.
I knew a winsome fellow who would jokingly say, "The hardest thing for me to do every morning is to look into the mirror." My response was standard: "I can relate! I can relate! Thank you." Furthermore, I am confident there are not different mirrors for each denominational label.
There is a brief word of caution. It seems much of our society is caught up in a myriad of self-fulfillment programs. Too many of them are pervaded by narcissistic themes. Even those which claim to be Christian are often no more than schemes to put a generous supply of money in someone’s pocket. To accept oneself is not to deify oneself. We dare not confuse the Creator and the created! The bottom line is, we do not belong to ourselves, but to Christ. He reminds us: "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." (John 15:4) The Apostle Paul helps us to get this in perspective when he says, "I can do all things in him who strengthens me." (Philippians 4:13)
There is more to be said, from our passage, that lends itself to Christian unity.
Reality
The death of Moses is conveyed to us respectfully, but with a full dose of reality. Hebrew Scripture has a way of doing this again and again. Death is not avoided, as it is in so many situations in our society. Sometimes, I think, we would rather say anything than that he/she is dead. Names, phrases, and nuances have been coming into our vocabularies for a number of years, apparently seeking to diminish the fact a person has died.
Christian unity cannot get its work done apart from reality. There is no object in covering up the scandalous divisions which have been with us for centuries. Those outside the Body of Christ certainly know about them, and we only lose credibility by attempting to gloss them over.
Gerald F. Moede, in his book Oneness in Christ: The Quest and the Questions, tells it like it is: "In the course of reconciliation, what we do must not hide, but make abundantly clear, that division among Christians is radically sinful, as a distortion of the Church’s true nature." Such statements bring home the truth of our separation from one another and, yet, provide hope through a vibrant ecumenism that is sweeping across the universal church.
It would appear that reality is viewed as just another way of laying another burden on people who already have too many. Christian unity requires reality, but does not presuppose overwhelming negative overtones are the result. Much good has already come from the simple admission that Christians are a divided people, and should not be this way. The "Decree on Ecumenism" says it well in these words: "The Lord of Ages nevertheless wisely and patiently follows out the plan of His grace on our behalf, sinners that we are. In recent time he has begun to bestow more generously upon divided Christians remorse over their divisions and longing for unity."
What can you and I do about facing the divisions among us? Surely a twofold plan can be implemented, at any moment, by laity or clergy, novice or experienced, and ecumenist or denominationalist. We can admit much of our past history bespeaks of needless crucifixions occurring among Christ’s people. Then we can be obedient to the unifying Holy Spirit working in and through us.
There is more to be explored from this rich Hebrew passage as it relates to Christian unity.
Grief
Moses’ people grieved for thirty days and then it was time to move on.
The number of books and articles on the grieving process related to death is almost beyond enumeration. Our professionals in various fields are to be commended. Many of us have seen first-hand the therapy present in hospital rooms where chaplains and those grieving are working together. The kindness, finesse, and genuine concern of the caring professions are some of the most positive ingredients we experience and observe in ministry today. Rarely have I ever heard of hurting persons requesting a particular counselor or chaplain "because he/she belongs to my church." We ought to be thankful for such effective ecumenism which inspires daily.
I have been at gathering after gathering where tears have been shed over separations. This is especially true in regard to committed ecumenists, as they face up to the fact that not everyone in the Faith can partake of Holy Communion in a given setting. Indeed, there is a grieving process at work among many of us, and it has lasted far more than thirty days! The winds of the Spirit, however, are blowing independently as they always have. New liturgies have been born and they have shown, in some cases, no church has a monopoly on the right method and substance. Perhaps the most significant of these is the one usually titled "the eucharistic liturgy of Lima." It was used for the first time in Lima, Peru, in January of 1982. It was used in the Ecumenical Centre Chapel in Geneva, Switzerland, in July of 1982. It was also used at the Sixth Assembly of the World Council of Churches in Vancouver, Canada, in 1983. It brings to light the solid theological achievements of "Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry," a document produced by the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches. Members of the Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox churches have found a deep richness in the service.
Like many of my friends, I appreciate the phrase good grief. For one thing, it is a means of pointing to pain with purpose, hope encased in travail. It is right, necessary, and therapeutic to grieve. As the early Christians knew so well, death is not the end. Their Lord proved it wasn’t. The divisions in Christ’s church are not the end of the story. Grief will bring us to a new and better day.
There is a final point to be made.
Transition
Once death occurs, things are not the same. Moses was gone and Joshua had taken over. The importance of Moses was not lessened; it may have reached greater heights. Yet, he was gone from the scene in a physical sense and a replacement, whom he had blessed was now the leader.
One of the most thrilling characteristics about the universal church is that transition upon transition occurs across the decades, generations, and centuries, but never does she cease to exist! We have read and heard those who were sure the universal church was going through death rattles, and it was only a question of time. Such persons have died and the Body goes on, renewing and being renewed.
The current disarray which bothers our brothers and sisters in the Faith appears to be beyond fixing. Dare we even begin to believe this, as serious and committed ecumenists? God forbid! One of the many lessons screaming to be learned is God is the alpha and omega; the universal church has been set among us until the end of time. Closely related to this is our inability to fix anything for very long. Even those who have spent their lives in Christian unity freely and humbly admit they do not know the final shape of Christ’s Body, once it is visibly united. Again, the Spirit blows at will.
Whether one is attracted or not to the primacy of Peter and the place of his successors to John Paul II, such a clear series of transitions offers an important view for all who call themselves Christians. The passage from Matthew 16:18 which says, "And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church and the powers of death shall not prevail against it," is there for all of us to read and ponder.
A helpful way of responding to change is to remember, under God there is an ongoing pattern of creative trauma and, despite our limited perceptions, "we know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose." (Romans 8:28)
CHRISTIAN UNITY IS WELL-ACQUAINTED with death. It can’t help reflecting upon Good Friday and taking the episode into its being with gratitude. It affirms Christ died for all, and those who profess his Name have the right to be treated as brothers and sisters in the Faith. The shed blood and the broken body call, without interruption, to his people to be one. Soon after he speaks of the Lord’s Supper, the Apostle Paul reminds us: "For just as the body is one and has many members and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ." (1 Corinthians 12:12)
It is with the tools of self-acceptance, reality, grief, and transition, in the presence of death, that we come to grips with our task as reconcilers. It is as we reach across denominational lines that we are energized to make death a positive happening under the Lordship of Christ. Even death becomes a tool to unify Christ’s church. In Christ there is no East or West. To allow historical and theological misunderstandings to die, to watch, in thanksgiving, as they arise in forms never before thought possible, and to give God full credit is, indeed, a glorious sight to behold.