
When I searched for the words and saw the song’s title, the first thing that came to mind was the Communist Manifesto. Ugh, isn’t that a tough image from which to convey unified love?
According to Wikipedia, a manifesto is “a published verbal declaration of the intentions, motivations, or views of the issuer, be it an individual, group, political party, or government.” My Google search showed every sort of angry group’s manifesto, including one near the top warning of disturbing content and language.
The song by this name declares our common DNA as the unified children of God.
Very simply it focuses on the essentials:
One true God
Father, Spirit, Son
Good has won
We are free from sin
Jesus died and lives again
His kingdom has no end
Is there anything here we cannot accept as a unified Christian manifesto?
Over the centuries, various creeds were developed that stand strong today, manifestos of what we believe.
But Jesus spoke of an even more fundamental manifesto.
It is not only what we declare – that alone can divide – even though it is truth, because it can be delivered without grace.
It is also what we do. What we do, with or without grace, is what the world sees.
Our manifesto is to declare obedience to what he commanded us, to love each other as sacrificially as he loved us, full of grace and truth.
The seeds now being planted along the banks of Streamside will one day turn majestic, fed through the roots with Christian unity that the world can actually see.