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TLDR: Our unity as a church is key to our understanding of who we are as Episcopalians.

O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior, the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.^[1]

This past week, I turned on the news and saw a great deal of division. I was instantly grateful to be part of a Christian faith that could embrace the “both and” approach of faith. The members of our church recognized the need for a “prayer for unity” before the 1892 revision.^[2] The prayer came from the English prayer book and had not been included in the earliest American Prayer Book. Thinking of the timing when we reinstated this prayer; our country was deeply divided. Within recent memory (less than thirty years) we had gone through a Civil War and reconstruction. In many ways, the country did not know who they would become, officially.

The American church had divided itself into two factions during the war and then reunited under one big umbrella. We, as the Episcopal Church, never discussed our division at length. In fact, Bishops that were consecrated during the Civil war in the South were welcomed into the fold without much discussion on the issue. In fact, several of the Southern states attempted to segregate black clergy and parishioners into “Archdeaconries for Colored Work,” which limited the ministry in number and scope.^[3] This type of separation certainly created a division among Episcopalians. Instead of being united through Christ’s works, they were divided by human distinctions.

Yet another example of theological and polity differences. Throughout the nineteenth century, many of the Episcopate believed a defining point of the Episcopal Church came through the succession of clergy. Some found faults with the idea that The Anglican Church was becoming overly entangled with the government.^[4] My perspective is that these divisions further drove a wedge within the Episcopal Church making it more difficult for the church to focus on being one heart and one soul.

With all of this as a background, the church gathered together for the General Convention in 1892. In what showed a bit of humility, the leadership of the church reinstated the Collect for Unity. It is this prayer that reminds us that we, Episcopalians, are the church of both; those who are black and white are welcome as leadership. In the same way: those with differing theological views are welcome. In fact, all are welcome around the table of Christ.

So today, as you prepare your devotion time, take a moment to say the Collect for Unity so that those who are divided from you may find a way to be one with you in Christ.

For His Sake,

Mtr. Beth Anne Nelson +

^[1] Book of Common Prayer (1979). Collect for Unity. p.818

^[2] Hatchett, M.J. (1980). Commentary on the American Prayer Book. New York: Seabury. pp.555-560

^[3] Prichard, R.W. (2014). A History of The Episcopal Church: Third Edition. New York: Morehouse Publishing.

^[4] Prichard, R.W. (2014). A History of The Episcopal Church: Third Edition. New York: Morehouse Publishing.