Seeking Similarities

 In the current political climate, there seems to be so much divisiveness and strife.  The polar opposite opinions seem to pull us even further apart than "normally"...whatever normal is.  I frequently seek solace in my faith. In doing so, I am not trying to solve todays contemporary problems but to find the strength to continue to fight the good fight and to also find clarity and solutions for the problems at hand.  I also hope beyond hope that some of our community and world leaders can also find clarity and solutions. 

However, this is not a blog post about contemporary politics, rather it is about contemporary faith. It is amazing when you think how specifically different denominations have changed throughout history.  So many of the changes started with Martin Luther posting the 95 Theses to the door of the church, sparking the Protestant Reformation. In many ways that was just the start of monumental changes that continue today.

Any church that I have ever attended, the fellowship was comprised of many different backgrounds/ denominations.  It is rare to find an individual who was born, raised and died within the exact same denomination.  Many seem to have different spiritual paths. If you talk to your fellow church goers, in any church, I bet you will find a diversity of backgrounds. For example, there is probably a large sampling of Lutheran, Presbyterian, Methodist and also Catholic.  A little research revealed to me that there are 46 different types of Christian denominations! That number can vary depending exactly how you classify the groupings. With so many diverse denominations that still consider themselves “Christian”, there are characteristics that make each church unique, but also values that bring us together: the ties that bind.  Denominations within the Christian church are put in different categories based on different characteristics including theology and worship practices. Even though there are distinct differences in the worship, I truly believe that our similarities are more numerous bringing us together in weaving the fabric of our spiritual lives.

I myself was raised in a Unitarian Universalist church and I later gravitated to a Methodist church.  My Grandmother was a devout Methodist and I remember how comforted and enriched she felt by her Methodist faith.  I married my husband in the Methodist church and attended a Methodist church for years. We later attended a Presbyterian church, after moving we went to a Congregational church…then currently attend a Covenant church. Frankly I had never heard of a Covenant church before.  Yet, that’s the beauty of so many Christian denominations you can feel right at home when a church is following the teachings of Christ and honoring the wisdom that can be learned from the Holy Bible.

Another recent journey made me think of the ties that bind us as Christians, no matter what our denomination. While visiting my son is Alaska, we went to visit The Shrine of St.Therese near Juneau. It is a beautiful, serene setting paying homage to Therese de Lisieux, chosen as the patron saint of Alaska.  The choosing of saints is a practice by the Catholic Church and this was a place that was a Catholic pilgrimage.  Nevertheless, the beauty and serenity of the place made me feel very welcome, even as a non-Catholic. I felt open to being spiritually uplifted. There is a chapel built with beach stone, a walkway that goes through the woods and close to the ocean.  We even saw several whale spouts out on the water.

 Also on the property is a large prayer labyrinth. My son and his partner walked the labyrinth, in the warm September sun, and got quite the workout.  I spoke with my son about walking the labyrinth; he felt it was a long and winding journey, perhaps an analogy for life itself. Sometimes it would be tempting to quit, but you must see it through to the end. Yet, in following the path it also provided a mental “cleansing” of sorts.  Just as our walkway through life, it is a different journey for everyone.

Prayer Labyrinth at the Shrine of St. Therese

I’m sure there were differing spiritual backgrounds for everyone visiting that shrine, but there was a feeling of serenity and tranquility. There seemed to be a shared goal of peace and unity that transcended any denominational differences. So our spiritual roots may be diverse, but I think it is beneficial to uplift the similarities and not dwell on the differences.  As I mentioned before the "Ties that Bind" is a wonderful concept in how our similarities bring us together. The expression “the Ties that Bind” originates from a beautiful hymn:  Blessed be the Tie that Binds .(written in 1792)  It is an old hymn, but has the enduring quality of a hymn with a wonderful message. The message it sends is a powerful one: 

Blessed be the tie that binds, Our hearts in Christian love; 

The fellowship of kindred minds, is like that to that above.

Before our Father's throne, We pour our ardent prayers:

Our fears, our hopes, our aims are one.

Our comforts and our cares.

We share each other's woes, Our mutual burdens bear;

And often for each other flows the sympathizing tear.

There are differences of course in matters of our spirituality, but if we seek out the similarities, they can bind us together for strength, clarity and love.

    Julie E. Smith