Public Unity

Two weeks ago I finished Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Life Together. The book is written as a study of Christian Community and is a quick and easy read (its a little over 100 pages with size 14 font). One of the points that I particularly enjoyed was his emphasis on public worship.

He says, "Why do Christians sing when they are together? The reason is, quite simply, because in singing together it is possible for them to speak and pray the same Word at the same time; in other words, because here they can unite in the Word."

The church is united as One Body, yet this unity that we share is spiritual, unseen by the eye. We cannot see the unity we share, nor can the outside world. Only God truly knows who is united together in the body of Christ. Public worship is a way to visibly reveal this unity.

Think about it, as we gather on Sunday mornings what do we do? Someone prays, then reads the Bible, then we sing, then one person sings, then someone gets up and teaches, and finally that person prays and its over. In every activity one person is doing the act of worship while everyone else is passive, except one. When we sing! Bonhoeffer's point is that our spiritual unity is made known publicly only when we sing because during that time our voices are united together in praise to our God. One of the reasons its important to sing together is that when we lift our voices together it is a testimony of the unity we have found with those around us in Christ.

Bonhoeffer also saw communion as accomplishing the same purpose. In communion we all take the bread and wine together, the bread symbolizing the body of Christ, which is now the church, the wine representing the blood which was spilt for each of our sins. The act of communion not only symbolizes the unity we share in Christ, but literally does unite us.

Some may question the importance of coming to the service on Sundays. The reasoning may be that they don't "do much" or contribute to the service. Bonhoeffer's quote not only shows the importance of coming to the service, but of taking part in the worship through song and communion as a testimony to unbelievers, and as an encouragement to brothers and sisters in Christ of the unity we have found in Jesus alone.