In this past week's Gospel, Jesus asks the Father that the Disciples be one, just as Jesus and the Father are one.
The idea of oneness is reflected in our Prayer Book. In the Nicene Creed, we state that "we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic church" (you can learn more about what "catholic" means in this context in a previous faith fact), and in the first response in the Prayers of the People Form III, we pray "that we all may be one."
Oneness does not necessarily mean we agree all the time, as anyone who has been part of a group can attest to. It does, however, mean we all move forward with each other. That means being committed to discovering Truth together.
In my studies at St. John's College, all our classes were discussion-based, yet we certainly didn't all agree with each other, or even approach the books we read in the same way. Our classes were not about trying to win an argument, but instead seeing how we could better understand each text using our different viewpoints. It was less about debate and more about dialogue.
The same is true in our individual selves. When we learn a new fact, sometimes we have to sort that fact with our previously held opinions. As conflicts arise in our thoughts, we dialogue the issue within ourselves so that we might learn and grow.
As the church, we need to be the same. Our oneness doesn't mean we always agree, but it does mean that we move forward together in our search to know God better. It means we use our differences to move forward in learning the Truth about God. Sometimes one person will have a thought or idea that is better when other times another person will.
What gives me hope is that there are ways we are coming together as one in the church while also recognizing how those differences can help us on the spiritual journey. The Episcopal Church has already entered into full communion with churches like the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, and the world-wide Anglican Communion has been in ecumenical dialogue with other denominations such as the Roman Catholic Church and the various Orthodox Churches. My hope is that we can also be as gracious with each other in our own denomination as we have been with other Christians so far.
Our faith, witnessed in the creeds, is what binds us together as one. Our dialogue with one another helps us to understand that faith better and to walk with God more fully.