One

Eph. 4:4 - 6 (NKJV)

There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

The theme of Ephesians is... you guessed it, unity. Today's world is marked by individualism we are all gravitating to the "i"pod, eating our burgers "my way", and scheduling TV shows around our own time. Self centered-ness permeates our culture and uniqueness is seen as a virtue. We tend to focus more attention on our differences than what we have in common. Chipper Jones, the great baseball player of the Atlanta Braves comes to mind. They call him chipper, because he had (before he made millions and got it repaired) a chipped tooth. You see we nickname people based on their differences. We describe people by their peculiarities. The short pudgy one with wirey hair, bucked teeth and glasses who always wears the chartreuse pants. Unity and for that part Christianity requires that we focus more on our commonalities that our conflicts. Paul does good to remind us here that although we as a church are very different in our looks, styles, cultures, and countries of origin, that we have the important things in common. We are one Body (church), One Spirit, One Hope, One Lord, One faith, One baptism, One God.