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Introduction: Pastor Maxine Brooks

Good morning, and welcome to the UK’s second city, Birmingham, the most diverse in the country with a population of over two and half million of every nationality and religion.  I am Pastor Maxine Brooks, Musical Director of the Birmingham Community Gospel Choir and Pastor of The House of the Lord UK. We are here in the Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul in Aston, a church we used for many years to rehearse as a choir and where we have held many concerts.

We will be led in morning worship by the Birmingham Community Gospel Choir, BCGC which consists of singers and musicians.  Children who attend House of the Lord UK and children of choir members will also take part.  There will be a mix of well-known hymns and modern songs that all speak of God who is able to sustain you through the difficulties that you may experience in this life. And in the words of the opening hymn, a God who guides you, a God who is your deliverer, a God who is your strength. 

Music: Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah

On Thursday, the Commonwealth Games will open and there will be two weeks of sports with some of the world’s best athletes bringing ‘nations together in a colourful celebration of humanity’. What better place to hold the Commonwealth Games than Birmingham where that ‘colourful celebration of humanity’ is represented in the makeup of the population of the City.  What better theme for Sunday Worship than ‘Dwelling in Unity’ as the ‘Games aim to unite the Commonwealth family through a glorious festival of sport and is ‘underpinned by the core values of humanity, equality, and destiny’. Likewise, BCGC is a good example of people of different ethnicities, Black, South Asian and White, cultural backgrounds, church traditions and personalities dwelling in unity because what unites us is the commonality of our belief and faith in God; we are in unity with each other and with God. Disagreements are a normal part of life but our faith in God enables us to seek resolutions so that we maintain that oneness as we witness to the Christian faith in song. 

Music: I go to the rock

Let us pray for the Commonwealth Games which commences on Thursday and unity in a conflicted world, in a world that needs healing from its divisions, where suffering and every injustice will be no longer.

God of unity, you have called us in the Body of your Son Jesus Christ to continue his work of reconciliation and reveal you to the world: forgive us the sins which tear us apart; give us the courage to overcome our fears and to seek that unity which is your gift and your will.  We give you thanks for the Commonwealth Games, for the diversity of participants, of equal worth in your sight and who seek to excel.  May your Spirit of unity and excellence be poured out on all for your glory, through Jesus Christ your Son, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.  Amen.

The first reading is a celebration of unity among God’s people which is read by Tony, in age the most senior member of the choir.

Reading
Psalm 133.1-3

Prayer
Grant to your people, good Lord, the spirit of unity, that they may dwell together in your love, and so bear to the world the ointment of your healing and the dew of your blessing, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Pastor Maxine Brooks
Dion Dublin, a committed Christian share some thoughts on the people God placed in his life that enabled him to excel as a footballer.

Reflection: Dion Dublin

Prayer
God of harmony and accord, we thank you for the unity of teamwork, those people we see and those who work behind the scenes who are just as important.  Inspire us to respect those with whom we work and to honour what they do.  As we trust and encourage each other to walk in their God-given gifts and talents.  Where there is struggle, help them to stand strong and grow into all that you have called them to be.  Amen.

Music: This is our prayer  

Pastor Maxine Brooks
The second reading compares the human body to the Church and encourages unity within diversity is read by Lorrie, one of the longest-serving members of the choir.

Reading
1 Corinthians 12.12-14, 24b-27

Prayer
God of fellowship, just as your Son prayed on the eve of his death, ‘May they all be one. Father, may they be one in us, as you are in me and I am in you, so that the world may believe that it was you who sent me’,  let it be so with us.  Restore lost relationships, bless with love and harmony families, communities and places of work so that they will know they have been created to live in peace.  Amen.

Pastor Maxine Brooks
Pastor Vincent Ricketts, a member of the choir, shares his thoughts on the unity within common humanity.

Reflection: Pastor Vincent Ricketts

Music: What a friend we have in Jesus

Pastor Maxine Brooks
Our preacher today is the Rev Pamela Ogilvie. Pamela is Ministry Development Enabler, supporting curates in their ministry in the Diocese of Lichfield, for whom she is also co-convenor of the Racial Justice and Inclusion Task Group.

Sermon: Rev Pamela Ogilvie
In four days, it will be the start of the Commonwealth Games right here in Birmingham. On Thursday, diversity meets diversity.  This very city, the most diverse in the UK, will host teams from every continent in the world in a celebration of sport. Dion in his reflection gave us an insight into the importance of teamwork that led to his success as a footballer, not just the obvious people but those who were hidden from view but nonetheless equally as important.  This will be no different for those participating in the Commonwealth Games. They are representing their countries not only because of their own excellence in their field but because there are people who believe in them and have invested in them.  Like Dion’s experience, a body of people come together in unity, collaborating, each confident in their own skillset and committed to contributing to the success of others.  Pastor Vince in his reflection, likewise, identified what can be achieved when there is a spirit of unity but he also referred to the benefits when there is a commitment to promoting the wellbeing of society and the planet, wanting the best for each other, valuing self and others.  During the pandemic we saw unity at work, up and down the country, with people of different church denominations and people who had no allegiance to any faith, coming together, putting themselves at risk, because of their shared humanity and concern to reach out to those in need.

Both Dion and Pastor Vince, in their reflections give a glimpse of some of the ingredients that foster living in unity.  Their experience resonates with the first verse of Psalm 133: ‘How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!’  The Psalmist is applauding the virtues of a community that lives peaceably.  The beauty of harmonious relationships is described in two very striking ways, as ‘precious oil’, valuable and treasured that overflow in such measure.  In ancient times oil was valuable and in limited supply in any community.  The second is as ‘mountain dew’.  In a dry and parched land, any droplets of water however small were celebrated. The Psalmist, in using the two images, conveys a community that basks in the richness of harmonious living.  God’s heart is for all people to live in unity and there is God’s blessing in harmonious engagement.  Not only is the community blessed but unity is an imperative of the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ.  I am referring to community in its widest sense, whether it is global, societal, local, or familial.

What does the blessing of God look like when there is unity?  We have clues from Dion’s and Pastor Vince’s reflections.  God’s love becomes manifest in the values that are important to a community and in the qualities that are nurtured.  There is trust and respect.  Each person is valued because of their uniqueness as a child of God.  There is a concern for the welfare of others with the endeavour to enable others to shine which may mean outshining you!  Disagreements and conflicts get resolved quickly even if it is to agree to disagree.   There is encouragement and affirmation.  There is constructive feedback where the intention is to bring out the best in the other person.  Sharing the joys and sorrows and praying one for another.  Where there are the true blessings of God, there are no favourites, and power dynamics that might seek to disrupt the unity of the community are quickly addressed.  The striving for justice becomes the bedrock of such communities, so that all may experience the blessings of a God that shows no partiality.  This kind of community is a continual work in progress. There is no arrival at a perfect state of individual and community wellbeing.  Each person plays their part in nurturing and sustaining a community in the image of God.

In contrast, living in a state of disunity where there is a lack of harmony, where there is a hierarchy that cultivates injustice and destabilising power dynamics, takes its toll on the wellbeing of individuals and the community.  This can manifest in a myriad of ways including emotional, physical, spiritual, financial and social.  This is precisely what Paul, the writer of the First Letter to the Corinthians we heard earlier, attempts to address.  He uses the analogy of the human body to address the dysfunction in the church.  He equates the parts of the human body with the diversity of members in the church, all with different gifts and with a particular purpose, none better than the other. He is forthright in declaring that the church is like a body that belongs to Christ.  You can only understand the verses if you have a sense of the wider context.  Paul does not refrain from making it clear what these issues are.  Paul may have taken such a stance because, in the context of the day, those who considered themselves the elite drew parallels with the physical body and ‘human society’ and used this to exploit the most vulnerable in society.  They used this parallel to justify structural inequality.  Those considered at the bottom of the hierarchy were led to believe that it was their duty to maintain this position for the stability of the whole of society.

However, Paul in this instance put forward a counter-narrative based on the Kingdom of God.  He challenged the prevailing ideology. Instead, diversity was God’s gift and all had a vital role to play.  He writes against hierarchical differences and preferential treatment.  In this letter he advocates that there is no place in the vision of the Kingdom of God.  Diversity was God’s gift to the church in Corinth.  It is God’s gift to the Birmingham Community Gospel Choir.  Diversity is God’s gift to the City of Birmingham.  It is God’s gift to the Commonwealth. Unity in diversity can be achieved.  Human structures and processes can be transformed so that God’s Kingdom come, God’s will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 

Music: Holy, Holy

Prayer
God of mercy and grace, grant to all peoples of the earth the spirit of cooperation for the common good.  Teach us to use our resources for the relief of suffering and the spreading peace and harmony.  May those in authority lead the way in breaking down barriers that keep people of different ethnicities and nationalities apart so that we will know the joy of unity in diversity.  Amen.

Lord's Prayer

Pastor Maxine Brooks
In the hymns and songs, in the words that have been spoken, and in our prayers, we have been given a glimpse of what it means to dwell in unity in a conflicted world.  Living in fellowship with God, as a foundation, the solid rock and refuge, a place of safety; living in fellowship and love with each other that strengthens and allows each person to excel and shine for the glory of God.

May God, who gives patience and encouragement, give you a spirit of unity to live in harmony as you follow Jesus Christ, so that with one voice you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the blessing of God  Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be upon you and remain with you always. Amen.

Music: How Excellent!