Embracing Diversity: Unity in God's Love

Summary

Jesus prays for unity among his followers, but not for uniformity or sameness. The heart of his prayer is that we would be one in love—a love that is mature, visible, and compelling to a world that often doubts its reality. This unity is not about erasing our differences, but about celebrating them, just as God’s creation is filled with diversity: many flowers, many trees, many shades of skin. God’s creativity and inclusivity are woven into the very fabric of creation, and if we truly believe we are made in God’s image, then every person—regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation—is a beautiful reflection of the divine.

For too long, the church has acted as if love has limits, as if it gets to decide who is worthy of belonging. But Jesus’ vision is radically different. He calls us to a unity that does not require conformity, to a love that does not demand people hide or change to fit in. Inclusion is not a policy or a footnote to the gospel; it is the gospel itself. God’s love starts at our very existence, not after we have “gotten our act together.” Jesus makes God known so that the same love God has for Jesus would fill us, overflow from us, and especially reach those who have been rejected by the world and the church.

This is especially urgent during Pride Month, a time when many LGBTQ people have been told they are only welcome if they change or hide who they are. But the call is to build a church where inclusion is not just tolerated, but celebrated; where oneness means solidarity, not sameness; where love is the evidence of God among us. The new thing God is doing is already sprouting up in affirming pulpits, rainbow-stickered doors, and communities that boldly say, “You belong exactly as you are.” Let us become the answer to Jesus’ prayer by living into this divine love and building a community where everyone is truly welcome.

Key Takeaways

- Oneness in Christ is not about erasing our differences, but about loving one another across them. True unity is found in mature love that embraces diversity, not in demanding sameness. This kind of oneness gives the world tangible evidence of Jesus’ presence among us. [03:33]

- The church has often acted as if it can set the boundaries of God’s love, deciding who is in and who is out. But God’s embrace is not limited by human parameters; it stretches to include all, especially those who have been marginalized or rejected. We are called to resist the temptation to box in God’s love and instead reflect its boundless nature. [04:42]

- Creation itself testifies to God’s extravagant inclusivity and creativity. Just as God made countless kinds of flowers, trees, and people, so too are we called to celebrate the diversity within our community. Every person, including every queer and trans person, is a reflection of the divine image and worthy of love and belonging. [06:07]

- Inclusion is not merely a policy or a gesture of tolerance; it is a core theological conviction. God does not wait for us to become acceptable before calling us beloved, and neither should we. Our calling is to start with love, to see and name the belovedness in every person from the very beginning. [07:00]

- The love that God has for Jesus is meant to fill us and overflow toward others, especially those who have been rejected. This is the heart of the gospel: inclusion is not an add-on, but the very center of our faith. As we live into this love, we become the answer to Jesus’ prayer for unity and build a church where all are truly welcome. [09:10]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[03:33] - Jesus Prays for Oneness, Not Sameness
[04:24] - The Church’s Limits on Love
[04:42] - God’s Embrace Has No Boundaries
[05:19] - Unity Without Erasing Difference
[05:35] - The Diversity of Creation
[06:07] - God’s Extravagant Inclusivity
[06:28] - Every Person Reflects the Divine
[07:00] - Inclusion as Theology
[07:36] - Jesus’ Vision for the Church
[08:14] - Signs of Newness and Affirmation
[08:52] - The Goal: Divine Love Overflowing
[09:30] - Love for the Rejected
[09:48] - Building a Celebratory, Inclusive Church
[10:06] - Inclusion Is the Gospel
[10:26] - Announcements and Community Life
[11:08] - Invitation to Support and Join
[12:09] - Closing Blessing and Embrace

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide: “Oneness, Not Sameness: Living God’s Inclusive Love”

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### Bible Reading

John 17:20-23
> “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

Genesis 1:27
> “So God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”

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### Observation Questions

1. In John 17, what does Jesus specifically pray for regarding his followers’ relationships with each other?
2. According to the sermon, what is the difference between “oneness” and “sameness”? [[03:33]]
3. What examples from creation did the sermon give to illustrate God’s love for diversity? [[05:35]]
4. How does the sermon describe the church’s past approach to inclusion, especially regarding LGBTQ people? [[04:24]]

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### Interpretation Questions

1. Why might Jesus pray for unity (oneness) instead of uniformity (sameness) among his followers? What does this say about God’s vision for community? [[03:33]]
2. The sermon says, “Inclusion isn’t a policy for us. It’s our theology.” What does it mean for inclusion to be at the core of our beliefs, not just a practice? [[07:00]]
3. How does seeing every person as made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27) challenge the way the church has sometimes set boundaries on who belongs? [[06:07]]
4. The sermon claims that “inclusion is not a footnote to the gospel. Inclusion is the gospel.” What does this mean for how we understand and live out our faith? [[10:06]]

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### Application Questions

1. The sermon challenges us to celebrate, not just tolerate, diversity in our community. What is one practical way you can celebrate the differences you see in others this week? [[09:48]]
2. Have you ever felt pressure to hide or change who you are in order to belong—in church or elsewhere? How did that experience affect your sense of being loved or included? [[04:59]]
3. Think about someone who has been marginalized or rejected by the church or society. What is one step you could take to show them God’s love and welcome? [[09:30]]
4. The sermon says, “God doesn’t wait for us to get our act together before calling us beloved.” Is there someone in your life you find hard to accept as they are? What would it look like to start with love, as God does? [[07:00]]
5. During Pride Month, how can our church or small group move from “inclusion as a policy” to “inclusion as our theology”? What changes—big or small—might that require? [[06:43]]
6. The sermon mentions “rainbow-stickered church doors” and “affirming pulpits” as signs of newness. What are some visible or invisible ways we can signal to others that “you belong exactly as you are”? [[08:30]]
7. Jesus prays that our unity would be “evidence” to the world of God’s love. What is one thing you can do this week to make God’s love more visible in your daily life? [[03:50]]

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Closing Prayer:
God of extravagant love, help us to see your image in every person. Make us one in love, not by erasing our differences, but by celebrating them. Fill us with your Spirit so that our welcome is wide, our love is deep, and our unity is a living sign of your presence among us. Amen.

Devotional

Day 1: Jesus Prays for Oneness, Not Sameness
Jesus calls us to a unity that is rooted in love, not in uniformity or sameness. True oneness in Christ means embracing and caring for one another across our differences, offering the world evidence of God’s presence through our love for each other. This unity is not about erasing what makes us unique, but about maturing together in love so that the world may see Christ in us. [03:50]

John 17:20-23 (ESV)
“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.”

Reflection: Where in your life can you practice loving unity with someone who is different from you today, showing Christ’s love through your actions?

Day 2: God’s Love Has No Limits
God’s embrace is not restricted by human boundaries or conditions; it is limitless and unconditional. Too often, people have been told they must change or hide to be loved by God or welcomed by the church, but God’s love is not confined by our boxes or rules. You are beloved from the very beginning, just as you are, and God’s love stretches to include everyone, especially those who have been pushed out or rejected. [04:59]

Romans 8:38-39 (ESV)
“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Reflection: Is there a part of yourself or someone else you’ve believed is outside of God’s love? How can you open your heart to God’s limitless embrace today?

Day 3: Celebrating Diversity as God’s Creative Design
God’s creation is wildly diverse and extravagantly inclusive, reflecting the beauty of God’s image in every person. Just as God made countless kinds of flowers, trees, and skin tones, every queer, trans, asexual, or gay person is a beautiful reflection of the divine. Inclusion is not just a policy but a core part of our theology, affirming that all people are made in God’s image and beloved from the start. [06:28]

Genesis 1:27 (ESV)
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”

Reflection: How can you celebrate the diversity of God’s creation in your community today, affirming the divine image in those who are different from you?

Day 4: Love Is the Evidence of God Among Us
The love that God has for Jesus is the same love poured into us, meant to overflow especially toward those who have been rejected by the world or the church. When we let divine love fill us, it spills out in all directions, becoming the clearest evidence of God’s presence among us. Our calling is to become the answer to Jesus’s prayer by building a community where love is visible, active, and inclusive. [09:10]

John 13:34-35 (ESV)
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Reflection: Who in your life needs to experience God’s love through you today, especially someone who may feel excluded or unseen?

Day 5: Inclusion Is the Gospel
Inclusion is not a footnote to the gospel—it is the gospel itself. The good news of Jesus is that everyone belongs, exactly as they are, and that our communities should boldly celebrate this truth. Oneness in Christ means solidarity, not sameness, and our churches are called to be places where inclusion is not just tolerated but joyfully embraced as central to our faith. [10:06]

Galatians 3:28 (ESV)
“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Reflection: What is one concrete way you can help make your church or community a place where inclusion is celebrated as the heart of the gospel?

Quotes

Jesus prays for unity. But Jesus doesn't pray for uniformity. Jesus doesn't pray for sameness, but oneness. Oneness in love. And oneness is not the same as being the same. Oneness means that we love each other. We care for each other. Jesus prays that we be mature in our oneness. That we give the godless world evidence of Jesus through our oneness. [00:03:28]

And friends, I believe that this is a prayer that we need desperately right now. And I think it's especially a prayer that we need to hear in Pride Month because far too for far too long, the church has acted as if love has limits. And even more than that, the church has acted like they hold the key to where those limits are. [00:04:08]

They say that LGBTQ people are only welcome if they change or if they hide or if they repent or if they do something to fit in their box in order to belong. But that's not what Jesus says. Jesus says that they all that we all may be one. This is unity in Christ. [00:04:59]

And it's not about erasing our difference. It's about celebrating it. I mean, just look at creation. All that God has created. God didn't stop with one flower. God didn't say, "Hey, a rose is my fa my favorite. A yellow rose is my favorite." God didn't stop at that and say, "Oh, I fa I finished the one that I like the best and that's it." [00:05:26]

Nope. God created a lot of different flowers. ones that we maybe really like and maybe ones that we really don't. God didn't stop at one kind of tree. There are many kinds of trees and God didn't stop at one shade of skin color. I think if we look at creation, we see that God is wildly creative and extravagantly inclusive. [00:05:51]

God didn't stop at one kind of tree. There are many kinds of trees and God didn't stop at one shade of skin color. I think if we look at creation, we see that God is wildly creative and extravagantly inclusive. [00:06:00]

And if we believe what we say that we are made in the image of God in mo day, then every queer person, every trans person, every asexual person, every gay teenager stepping tentatively into their truth is already a beautiful reflection of the divine. [00:06:22]

This past Thursday at book club, Abby said, "Inclusion isn't a policy for us. It's our theology." Talking about salt. And I like that so much that I just can't stop thinking about it that it is our theology inclusion. Because God doesn't wait for us to get our act together before calling us beloved. [00:06:43]

Because God doesn't wait for us to get our act together before calling us beloved. We don't wait for others to fit in our box before we call them beloved. God starts at the very beginning at our very existence. [00:07:07]

We don't wait for others to fit in our box before we call them beloved. God starts at the very beginning at our very existence. Jesus starts at the same place at our very existence to love us. So when Jesus prays, I in them and you in me that they may become completely one, he's not praying for a future church that is exclusive. [00:07:13]

Jesus is envisioning a now where love becomes the evidence of God among us. And now where we where we the church where we as salt finally look like the Christ we claim to follow. I think as salt we do a pretty good job of that. And somehow this new is coming. [00:07:49]

And maybe we don't see the way that the new is coming. Maybe we don't know what new is. But it's coming. It's already sprouting up in queer affirming pulpits, in rainbow stickered church doors, in communities like us, like ours that boldly say, "You belong exactly as you are." [00:08:22]

Jesus ends his prayer with these words. I made your name known so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them. This is Jesus talking to God. I made Jesus made God known to us so that the love that God has for Jesus is the love that we have in us. [00:08:52]

And that is the goal. that divine love would fill us so fully that it spills out in all directions and it spills out especially toward those who the world has rejected to those that the church has rejected. So in this pride month, I encourage you to live into that love. [00:09:23]

Let's become the answer to Jesus's prayer. Let's keep building a church where inclusion isn't just tolerated, but it's celebrated. Where oneness doesn't mean sameness, but it means solidarity. Where inclusion is our theology. Because inclusion is not a footnote to the gospel. Inclusion is the gospel. [00:09:48]

Let's keep building a church where inclusion isn't just tolerated, but it's celebrated. Where oneness doesn't mean sameness, but it means solidarity. Where inclusion is our theology. Because inclusion is not a footnote to the gospel. Inclusion is the gospel. [00:09:48]

Chatbot

What does oneness in love truly mean?

How does creation reflect God's inclusive nature?

Why is inclusion central to the gospel message?