For the week of Christian Unity
The German philosopher Schopenhauer compared the human race to a bunch of porcupines huddling together on a cold winter’s night. He said, “The colder it gets outside, the more we huddle together for warmth; but the closer we get to one another, the more we hurt one another with our sharp quills. And in the lonely night of earth’s winter eventually we begin to drift apart and wander out on our own and freeze to death in our loneliness.” To survive we need to forgive and be forgiven, appreciating that we need each other. We need to focus on what unites us, rather than on what divides us. If we can say and mean the words of the creed, we are Christians, no matter the denomination or less important theological differences. If we are at odds with our fellow Christians we are looking sideways too much. We need to look to God together. As we come closer to God, we inevitably draw closer to each other. What divides us must never become more important than what unites us.
North Severnside Benefice
Diocese of Bristol
