Long division

1 Corinthians 1:10-18 and John 13:31-35

           I often refer to my "kids" when I talk and write but the truth be told they are both in their 30's. That hardly qualifies as kids but they will always be 'kids' to me, my beloved 'kids'. In today's passage from John, Jesus refers to us as little children. I suppose we would always be children to God.  Perhaps that is why God always finds joy in us, no matter where we are on our journey. God's love is boundless, endless and all encompassing. How could you not love your own kids?  I am sure God weeps also when we go astray and make poor decisions. God weeps when we perpetrate such horrible things to each other in relationships, personal, religious and internationally. 

             The idea of us as Little children conjures up images both good and bad. Children can be boundlessly loving, inquisitive, eternal optimists and all sorts of adorable and Godlike characteristics. Children can also be mean spirited, selfish and 'flat leave' people when they don't get what they want.  All is not peaceful in the sand box sometimes. Jealousy, division and a meanness can infest us as children and even into adulthood. 

             It is some of our worst behaviors that perpetuates the divisions in the world even as we proclaim we are followers of Christ. It boggles my mind how one can say they are Christian and then treat immigrants in a poor, disrespectful and unloving manner. That is not what Christ would do. That is even something actually written about in scripture numerous times (as a small sampling, Exodus 22:21; Matthew 25:35 and Hebrews 13:2 ).   There should be no division, all division have been man made either geographically or religiously. Is there not one God??? It seems we have nothing better to do than argue about a shade of color and divvy up our Creator into bite size morsels of our own design.

           If we call ourselves Christians we are called to respect others' journey (other religions), other peoples ( foreigners, gays, people of color ) and every living creature as well.  It is we who have created the divisions. As Christians as with many religions, we are told in these passages that we should rise to the most excellent behaviors of children and we should follow the two great commandments.  Anything else is truly, long division of the worst sort      

Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you should be in agreement and that there should be no divisions among you, but that you should be united in the same mind and the same purpose. For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. What I mean is that each of you says, ‘I belong to Paul’, or ‘I belong to Apollos’, or ‘I belong to Cephas’, or ‘I belong to Christ.’ Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name. (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas; beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) For Christ did not send me to baptize but to proclaim the gospel, and not with eloquent wisdom, so that the cross of Christ might not be emptied of its power.

For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

John 13:31-35

When he had gone out, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, “Where I am going, you cannot come.” I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’