Ever since the Fall of mankind, God’s people have been divided. After Adam and Eve are expelled from the Garden of Eden, there is envy between their sons Cain and Abel, which ends in murder. After Noah comes off the Ark, he is violated by his son Ham while he sleeps, which leads to him cursing Ham. After Abraham comes to the land of Canaan and has two sons (Ishmael and Isaac) by two wives (Hagar and Sarah), there is tension between the boys and their mothers, and Ishmael is sent away. After Jacob sends Joseph to find his brothers in Shechem, they throw him into a pit and then sell him to the Ishmaelites, who take him to Egypt. After Moses brings Israel out of Egypt and they wander in the wilderness, there is rebellion in the camp against Moses’ leadership led by Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. After David commits adultery with Bathsheba, his son Absalom takes over the throne, kills his brother, and sleeps with David’s wives and concubines. After Solomon commits idolatry, the nation is split into two nations when his son Rehoboam loses the northern part of the kingdom to Jeroboam—from that point on, Israel and Judah become two distinct nations at odds with each other and are never reunited. The history of God’s people in the Old Testament (OT) is the sorry tale of a divided people.  

The same is sadly true in the New Testament (NT). Just think of the question among Jesus’ disciples about who will sit on his left and right, about who will be first and last; or in the church in Corinth, think about the divisions led by partisan groups following different apostles and leaders: “I follow Paul,” “I follow Apollos,” “I follow Cephas,” “I follow Christ”; or consider the group in Philippi who preached the gospel out of ill-motive to niggle Paul while he was in prison. The history of God’s people in the NT is the sorry tale of a divided people. Wherever sin raises its ugly head, it always divides the people of God. And yet this is not how God intended things to be. Jesus’ highly priestly prayer reveals as much. He prays that “that they [my people] 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” (John 17:22b–23). Church unity is not an option, it’s an obligation—a Christ-prayed obligation. 

One way we can express our commitment to this obligation is by praying for church unity, just as Jesus does in John 17, or as Paul does in Philippians 2:1-4. These passages are a good place to begin. But prayers also need to be supported by action. Gathering for worship each Lord’s Day, sitting under the means of grace—not as a “got to” but as a “get to”—is a great way to show one’s commitment to Jesus’ prayer, that his people may be one. But there are also other ways: you could become a member of Tenth (we currently have 30 people attending the members’ class—praise God!); you could join a small group (we have 33 available, and you can contact Pastor Brock to get connected); and—you knew it was coming—you could come to the church retreat (there are over 100 people signed up already). Whenever there is tension in a marriage or a family (with children, in-laws, etc.), we tend to retreat from contact to minimize awkwardness and alleviate tension. But actually, when things are tense in a marriage or family, sometimes the best thing to do is lean in and have some contact and talk about something else—find some other common ground, experience, event to enjoy together, so that when you do talk again about “the sticking point,” you can do so with some love and appreciation for the other person/party.  

For those who have been members at Tenth for the last few years, you know there have been several “sticking points,” as the church has tried to sort through the mess that sin has caused. But by God’s grace, I believe the congregation is beginning to turn the corner; we are beginning to see some signs of healing—albeit with important conversations still to be had in the context of ongoing repentance and forgiveness. But one way we can really take another step forward is to “come together” as a church for a concentrated time. A church retreat is a good way to do this. From May 30 to June 1, on the Tenth campus, we’re going to sit under the Word together, sing together, eat lots of great food together, and have some fun together—yes, even square dance together (who said Presbyterians were no fun?). Together. That’s the goal. So, may I encourage you to come?  

The writer to the Hebrews exhorts his congregation “to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24–25). So why not sign up to “come together” for a great weekend, and why not “encourage one another” to sign up too! By God’s grace, we can begin to answer the prayer of our Lord Jesus in some small way. 

If timing is an issue, you can come for parts of the weekend, and only pay for those parts; if cost is an issue, we have scholarships to help—just ask Suzannah Waddington; if something else is an issue, don’t let it be—come! We’d love to see you! Early-bird registration ends on May 19 at midnight; last-day registration ends on May 26 at 5 p.m. The church retreat is open to members, attenders, and friends of Tenth. Please register here.