That They All May Be One

"Traill's" Flycatcher

I pray that they may be one in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me. I don’t pray for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all may be one, as you, Abba, are in me and I in you; I pray that they may be one in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me.~ John 17:20

Printed bird checklists will often have a box labeled Empidonax sp. to use when you observe that flycatcher with an eye ring and wing bars that simply refuses to sing for you. There are subtle, and extremely difficult to determine, differences to separate the species in this family but their songs are the one diagnostic feature. In fact, banders can have a bird in hand and still not be able to determine if it is a Willow or Alder Flycatcher and so record it as Traill’s Flycatcher, the name before the two species were split. Thankfully, not all identifications are this difficult. On the other hand, if every identification were “bird” then there would be little point to birdwatching and it would hardly be entertaining.

Unity is not homogenization, nor is it the opposite of diversity. We can, and should, strive for unity out of our diversity, e pluribus unum, out of many, one. It is the difficulty of the challenge that sometimes builds community through the collective effort. Last Saturday, I joined 14 other birders on a seven mile round trip hike up to the summit of Kibby Mountain in search of Bicknell’s Thrush and other boreal species. These are birds that can only be found above particular elevations where they inhabit very particular habitat. At minimum, being in a group was vital for safety, and when the trail was littered with multiple blow-downs, it was helpful to be able to play follow the leader. Multiple eyes and ears came in handy when locating the target species in the small area around the fire tower at the top. On the descent, we surely would have missed the Boreal Chickadee and possibly the Black-backed Woodpecker had there not been one person in the group alerting the rest of us. Our individual differences in ability, experience, and even location, all were gifts to the larger community in a unified effort.

When Jesus prayed that we may all be one, surely he wasn’t anticipating that we would all be identical. Just looking at his chosen group of disciples is the first clue that diversity mattered. Then if there is any doubt, the book of Acts records that the first major debate in the newly forming church was whether Gentiles could also be followers. That fully Jewish group at the time, determined that the Spirit was pushing them to fling wide the doors, accepting that none were unwelcome.

Prayer: Holy Trinity, Many-in-One, keep showing us the dance of being all the facets in the jewel you have created. Amen.