In Christ, There is no East or West

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.

In Him shall true hearts everywhere
Their high communion find;
His service is the golden cord,
Close binding humankind.

Join hands, then, members of the faith,
Whatever your race may be!
Who serves my Father as His child
Is surely kin to me.

In Christ now meet both East and West,
In Him meet North and South;
All Christly souls are one in Him
Throughout the whole wide earth.

On Monday of this week, our country recognized Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday as a national holiday.  Dr. King’s famous speech “I have a dream” was played numerous times over the airwaves over the weekend.  One of the themes of this speech was the desire for the equality of all mankind.  This theme is rooted in a Biblical understanding of who we are as human beings.   That all men are created by God in His image.  Paul wrote in Galatians 3:28 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.”  This may seem like an odd statement because the literal truth is that in Paul’s day there were Jews and Greeks.  There were slaves and free men.  There were men and women.  Paul’s point, however, was that through Christ, we are all equal – there is no difference.  We are all sinners in need of a Saviour.  But this same Jesus saves Jews, Greeks, slaves, free, men and women.  It is the same Jesus for all mankind – “All Christly souls are one in Him.”  Dr. King’s desire to have equality among all people is, however, only possible through the power and saving grace of Christ.  God is no respecter of persons.  But without the power of God in our lives, we cannot live out the “dream” that Dr. King longed for.

There is an interesting story surrounding this hymn that reinforces this concept of the ground being level at the foot of the Cross.   This incident occurred during the closing days of World War II.  Two ships were anchored together – one with Japanese aliens and one with American soldiers – all waiting to be repatriated.  These men stood on the decks of their respective boats and lined the rails glaring at one another all day long.  After a long day of staring, someone on one of the boats began to sing “In Christ there is no East or West.”  The other boat responded and began to sing along.  Two boats filled with “enemies” became united in song, and united in praise because of the great mediator – Jesus Christ.  He is the Savior of the East and West.  The North and South.  Both Jews and Gentiles.  Young and Old.  Men and Women.  Praise the Lord, He is no respecter of persons.

Couple of comments on the lyrics:

• “His service is the golden cord, close binding humankind” – Have you noticed that it is hard to grumble and complain about doing Kingdom work when you are working along side a fellow believer?  It is hard to have an “I’m the only one serving You” attitude when you have a Christian brother or sister working beside you and investing time and effort into Kingdom work.  Paul tells us in I Corinthians that “we are co-workers in God’s service.”  You and I are working together in His Kingdom.  But the most exciting thing about working in His field is that God is also working along side us.  The Phillips translation of I Cor. 3:9 says “In this work, we work with God, and that means that you are a field under God’s cultivation, or, if you like, a house being built to his plan.”  What an exciting thing – to be bound by the golden cord of service to Him.  Fetters that cannot be broken.  Ties that bind.

• “Who serves my Father as His child is surely kin to me” – In the South, the world “kin” is common vernacular.  If you have lived in the South any length of time, you have probably been called “kin folk” or you have called someone else our “kin folk.”  One of the things I appreciate about this line is that it reminds me that fellow believers aren’t just my friends.  They aren’t just close acquaintances.  They are family.  I am one who remembers a time, and am partial to it, when we called adults at church “Brother” and “Sister.”  To the outside world, it may have seemed strange for a 12 year old boy to call his pastor – “Brother Chambers.”  Maybe it would seem odd for an outsider to hear me call a 50 year-old Weds Night teacher – “Brother Frank.”  But as fellow Christians, that is what we are.  Brothers and Sisters in Christ.  We are “kin” to one another.  We are family.

There is an old chorus that I am a fan of, and that I love to sing in church.  It is called “The Family of God.”  Many of you know this song, but I wanted to share the lyrics in closing.

I’m so glad I’m a part of the family of God.

I’ve been washed in the fountain, cleansed by His blood.

Joint heirs with Jesus as we travel this sod.

For I’m part of the family, the family of God.

If you have been washed in the fountain, and cleansed by His blood, you are my brother and you are my sister.  You are family – whether you are from the North, South, East or West.