"Round the Table"

   Recently I spoke at the high school baccalaureate service. I was asked to deliver a service that spoke to a diverse religious student body that would encourage them and give them hope for the future. With that charge my topic was "Table Manners". The world is our table and we come together round this table from different backgrounds, cultures and races. We come with different religious and political opinions. My question to the young faces looking up a me was "How do we get along and work together?"

   I chose not to put forth any particular religious or political agenda but rather to ask them to seek what they have in common rather than pointing out their differences. By working towards common goals such as clean water and food for all God's children or justice for women and children who are suffering from abusive governments or relationships. These common goals cross political and religious barriers and help us to build relationships with one another.

   Then through these relationships we build trust and that trust leads to dialogue with respect regarding our particular religious or political opinions. I also warned them that taking a position of always having to be right or believing that they hold the only truth can be dangerous and arrogant.

   In John 17:23 we read: "I in them and you in me, that they may be completely one". But oneness has never been a quality the church has had much of an opportunity to celebrate. Perhaps our greatest problem has been distinguishing Jesus' promise of oneness from our own concept of "hegemony." Jesus didn't come to establish the hegemony of the church. Jesus came to enable us to become a community united by love. As our world continues to shrink we find our own welfare increasingly caught up in the well being of our global neighbors. So then we are no longer strangers or aliens, but we are members of the household of God.

   I closed with a short video by "Playing for Change" entitled "One Love" which you can view at: www.playingforchange.com and selecting episodes #3 One Love. How was this received by the students? As expected -- some good, one negative, but most just remained silent.

   Thoughts? I'd love to hear from you.