In Christ there is no east or west, in him no south or north; but one great fellowship of love throughout the whole wide earth.
Lyrics: John Oxenham (1852-1941)
Once upon a time, in a farmhouse far away, I led a weekend retreat for adults. I’d had a lot of fun planning and preparing with the team we’d assembled for the event. There was great participation, wonderful food, nice accommodations and cooperative enough weather that by 8 pm we were in, settled, well-fed and ready to dive-in to the chosen theme: Difference and Diversity.
Weren’t we surprised to find that our first lesson was NOT one we’d planned!!!!! After the opening prayer we stood and launched ourselves into the opening hymn. Full voices. Talented singers. Great enthusiasm. Terrible result.
It seems there are two tunes commonly associated with John Oxenham’s early 20th century hymn, “In Christ There Is No East or West.” For most of us, the one we learned first will always be “the” tune. For me, it is MCKEE — the tune we sang in church when I was a kid. For others, it is ST. PETER — the tune that happens to be used here at SCC, as printed in the THE HYMNAL. We sang both. At the same time. Trust me when I say — they are not meant to be sung together.
What a perfect object lesson for a study of diversity and difference! We had diverse experiences that led to different expectations… and the choices clashed. It wasn’t like saying the Lord’s Prayer in a mixed group, when you simply slow down to accommodate the blend of debts, sins and trespasses that invariably results. These two tunes don’t mix. It had to be one or the other. We had to choose.
Now, I know this is a simple example, but I think there’s a lesson here. Participants in that weekend retreat knew each other pretty well. We worshipped together. We broke bread, attended meetings, did projects, planned events and managed budgets together. We knew each other’s kids and cared about each other’s parents… and had no idea that we didn’t sing that song the same way.
It was an interesting moment. Some just sang louder – hoping to lead the others onto the right path. Others dropped their voices to mere murmurings – sticking with their preference without admitting that they disagreed. A few tried to switch tunes. That’s trickier than it sounds in mid-song. Some gave up in confusion and the rest just stopped and waited for someone to tell them what to do.
Me? I laughed. Well, that is, I laughed after a fruitless attempt to first sway the crowd to my version, followed by an even less effective attempt to join others in singing the other tune.
Trust me when I tell you, laughing worked best. Pretty soon we all stopped, regrouped and agreed that – at least for that evening – we would pick a different hymn.
Some differences of opinion, preference, experience or perspective can be managed by consensus, some by compromise, some by concession and some by simply choosing to do something else. Sometimes it’s a matter of taking turns and other times it is best to just pick something and stick with it. But always, always, always, always, the first step is to acknowledge that even our closest and most thought-aligned neighbors sometimes sing to a different tune. A little humor, a dose of grace, the assumption of good intentions, honesty and mutual respect can carry us most of the rest of the way.
In faith,
Pastor Karen