| According to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, there are 38,000 Christian denominations in the world today. That's 38,000 different brands of Christianity, each of which probably doesn't agree with the other 37,999.
It is mind boggling, really, the level of division and disagreement that can exist in a single religion, all based around the life of one man and the teachings of one book, and whose primary message was one of love and reconciliation. But such it is.
In the first reading for the Seventh Sunday of Easter (Acts 1: 12-14), the first followers of Jesus respond to his departure by gathering together in a room where some of them were staying. They "devoted themselves with one accord to prayer," we're told. For at least this shining moment, the followers of Jesus Christ were united in spirit and action.
We are called to acknowledge our own imperfections and to accept those of others. In our faith, we are given the tools to find unity.
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I don't claim to be an expert in ecclesiology, which is the study of church doctrines. I imagine that most churches have a reasonable explanation for why they were formed, and for why they felt that they could not exist within whatever church that they split from. The fact of the matter is that it is rare to find a collection of human beings united and of one accord about just about anything.
We live in an age of division. In many cases it is intentional. Political parties strategize to find "wedge" issues that they hope divide groups in reachable voting blocks. Many ethnic, political and religious groups want their own political states, and go to war to drive out their enemies. And in our communities, debates about issues as seemingly innocuous as where to build a department store can lead to hostile and divisive debate. 
When I think of the divisions in the world as an issue of acceptance, I can understand it better. I have a hard time accepting people whose ideas differ from mine. And I find it frustrating when people don't immediately agree with my point of view. Take this attitude to its logical end, and you can easily have two or more parties refusing to come to terms with one another. When each party gathers its supporters and declares war - whether political, social or physical - you have a very painful division.
God calls us to accept one another. To listen to one another. To be willing to learn from one another. We are called to acknowledge our own imperfections and to accept those of others. In our faith, we are given the tools to find unity. We can safely love, challenge, forgive and change because we are supported by the unlimited love and grace of God.
It would be a wonderful thing to experience the kind of community displayed in today's reading. Is it impossible? Maybe. It is not easy to be of one accord. It is not easy to find and keep common ground where we can, and to preserve unity with our friends, neighbors and coworkers, let alone within our Christian communities. But the promise is there for us to embrace. Perhaps it starts with accepting our own neighbors. Bill Peatman writes from Napa.
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