In Christ There Is No East or West, ELW 650
1 In Christ there is no east or west, in him no south or north,
but one community of love through-out the whole wide earth.
2 In Christ shall true hearts ev'rywhere their high communion find;
his service is the golden chord close binding humankind.
3 Join hands, disciples of the faith, whate'er your race may be.
All children of the living God are surely kin to me.
4 In Christ now meet both east and west, in him meet south and north;
all Christly souls are one in him throughout the whole wide earth.
Devotion
I arrived in the south central Tanzanian mountain village on a cold morning. The first stop was, as usual, the pastor's house. She greeted me warmly and tea and bread soon appeared on the table.
A few minutes into the visit an elderly man slowly made his way into the room. He pulled a stool up to the charcoal fire in order to warm himself. The pastor explained that this was her father, also a pastor, and now more than 100-years-old!
I turned and spoke to him in his tribal language with the traditional words of greeting for an honored elder. His eyes grew wide, he flashed an almost toothless grin and began speaking excitedly with the others gathered in the room.
That morning I was privileged to live the truth that, in Christ, there is no east or west, but one community of love throughout the earth!
Prayer
Creator God, lover of each and of all of us, give us a heart for one another that we may recognize the one community of love you are weaving throughout the whole wide earth! Amen.