A new thing is happening in the community in which I live.  Since I believe in an active and sovereign God, I will attribute this creation to His hand, but will leave it to the observer as to what to make of the events of the past few months.

In May of 2010 Main Street hosted James Baldwin, a Youth with a Mission Impact World Tour missionary.  We heard about James through a friendship connection with a congregation in Covington, KY.  James promoted the upcoming Northern Kentucky Impact World Tour and invited Main Street to join as support.  With the opportunity to connect to literally thousands of youth and young adults in the schools, we jumped at the offer.  The next few months were peppered with all sort of labors and congregations from different Christian denominations joined together for the sake of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ through this event.  Hundreds responded to the call to turn from self-rule and surrender to the forgiveness and authority of Jesus Christ.

Even a casual observer of the Church would raise an eyebrow, for the Church long ago lost any sort of shared passion for unity, even for the sake of God’s kingdom.  In decades (indeed centuries) past the Church exchanged agreement on the crucial truths of man’s sinfulness, Christ’s sacrifice, and God’s grace and rule in the hearts of individuals for separation by programming, liturgy and familial loyalty.  In spite of the fractured nature of the Church, the good news took root in the hearts of enough people for the Church to remain present in a culture fully enveloped in the worship of Self.

Then something happened I had long desired and yet had not anticipated.  A Methodist pastor and Assemblies of God pastor and an Independent non-denominational pastor and a Baptist pastor all agreed to set aside their predetermined message series in favor of a “United” series.  Yes, 2011 will begin with the same topics taught from the “pulpit” in a trans-denominational, simultaneous manner…for five consecutive weeks.

I know the dead are not yet raised and there is no leper running through the streets screaming, “I am healed, I am healed” but this is a miracle none-the-less.  This group of Alexandria area pastors are not great friends, nor have we held a secret meeting and broke out into a chorus of some sappy campfire song.  It is simply a few among many who desire more of God’s rule and less of petty differences.  More of God’s grace and less of territorial protectionism.  More of God’s love and less of enmity between persons who are required to love one another.

So this Sunday the different denominations will tackle the question of authority by teaching about the Bible and explaining how it came into existence.

The following Sunday will address the question, “What does it mean to be a Christian?”.  The Sunday afterward will answer the question, “What is the Church and why do we assemble?”.

The last two Sundays in January 2011 will focus on the topics of a Christian’s personal devotional life and a Christian’s responsibility to share Jesus with others.

What a great privilege to stand shoulder to shoulder with my brothers and sisters and agree that these things are important and worthy of the attention of the Church regardless of the label on our meeting house signs.

Are greater things yet to come?  Time will tell.  In the present it is like we are actually fulfilling Jesus’ prayer for once:

…And the glory you have given me, I have given to them; that they may be one, just as we are one; I in them, and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, that the world may know that You sent Me and Loved them, even as You loved Me…(John 17.22-23)