The Marks 11: Live in Harmony

There are glimpses of it in various expressions of life.

How an organisation works well. How a team succeeds together. How those singers sing different notes that blend together so well. Even how a family comes together to arrange an important event.

Those glimpses sees a recognition of the different people combining their differences to put together something better than the sum of its parts.

These glimpses, however, highlight the running norm, which is about people working together in harmony from time to time and supporting each other in harmony on occasion. Yet actually living in harmony is something greater.

A lot of the time we’re really tolerating each other. In the sphere of work, there’s that knowledge that the day will be over and we don’t have to be in each other’s company all the time. Beyond that, great efforts are made to be civil and polite, amiable and reasonable. That is not what Paul has in mind when he encourages the church in Rome to model the life of Christ together by living in harmony.

The imagery to consider is hinted at with the psalmist’s words,

How wonderful and pleasant it is
    when brothers live together in harmony!
For harmony is as precious as the anointing oil
    that was poured over Aaron’s head,
    that ran down his beard
    and onto the border of his robe.
Harmony is as refreshing as the dew from Mount Hermon
    that falls on the mountains of Zion.
And there the Lord has pronounced his blessing,
    even life everlasting.

Psalm 133

More than a project or an activity, more than the world of work, God made us to be able to live together in harmony. It reflects something of His nature as seen in the divine fellowship of Father and Son in the Spirit. Creation is about this. The eternal purpose is about this. Male and female is about this.

Live in harmony with each other.

Romans 12:16

Harmony in life sees friendships deepen as relationships recognise how their interaction is to engender fruitfulness throughout life. In harmony we see why it’s so harmful to think that the individual is to be venerated and it’s so dangerous to idolise independence. Fruit emerges in the context of harmony. Godly growth takes place in the context of harmony. It’s more than I need you and you need me – it’s the celebration of our identity as aspects of life are expressed together.

It is such a beautiful picture to behold that there’s no surprise that there are significant opponents to it. Those differences that make us unique or groups us with others of a similar take are used to divide and separate. Age, ethnicity, economic class and other identity matters are highlighted as reason why we cannot get along and so we got to do what we can to make do and at least respect each other.

The individualistic approach even evident in church looks at the individual salvation issue as something that can be focuses on in itself. Never takes on all the ‘one another’ verses in scripture that indicate an individualistic approach to faith is at best counterproductive and at worst a monstrous distortion of the Word that became flesh so that a new humanity would emerge based on family connection to the Father by the Son in the Spirit and each other.

Being in it together is about life together. Not life together ticking the box of a weekly meeting. Life together engaging and interacting through all the episodes that emerge and seeing why God commands a blessing on the expression of life in harmony.

This is something that requires effort and an awareness of just how important it is to God and why it should be important to us. This is something that takes us out of our comfort zone because it’s not just about activity after activity. It’s about support in weakness, it’s about patience in the lack of progress, it’s about not needing to say anything in troubling situations, but just being there. It’s the pleasure that’s taken in letting others flourish in expression and not needing the attention to be on you.

It’s also about that desire for God’s glory to be seen in the love we have for each other that makes it a delight to live together rather than living apart.

Some read things like the book of Acts and think that they’re idealistic days that can never be lived now. This does not take into account that what we read is something that happens and flawed people allow God to work in them and through them. The instruction Paul gives to the church that makes the Body of Christ so remarkable, is that this is not a utopian dream. This is something that goes beyond the glimpses and is something that is experienced as believers submit to the leading of the Spirit of God and submit to each other.

If it is something that you have not expereienced, it does not make it less real. It should make it something you hear God talk about and lead you to desire it wherever it can experienced.

We can understand where each other is coming from. We can be courteous and respectful of each other’s background. We can even allow space for others to celebrate what matters to them. What Jesus has in mind is more than that and is only possible because of Him.

This is about the wonderful blessing of a community of believers known not just because of good works, but known for the web of relationships expressing the life of Christ at peace.

This is a mark of a true Christian in true Christian community.

(This blog series was inspired by the Christian meditation on The Marks of a True Christian from the Encounter podcast.)

(Photo by Jen Theodore on Unsplash)

For His Name’s Sake

Shalom

C. l. J. Dryden