The Berlin wall, which divided the people of East and West Germany since 1961 came down in 1989. Shortly afterwards the band, U2, who had been going through their own disunity over the direction they were taking in trying new sounds, arrived in Berlin. They came to that new united city to try and experience their own new.
As they were writing and rehearsing a new song they ventured off into improvisation and created a powerful song called ONE.
Is it getting better?
Or do you feel the same?
Will it make it easier on you now?
You got someone to blame
You say, one love, one life
When it’s one need in the night
One love, we get to share it
Leaves you baby if you don’t care for it
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. Ephesians 4 v4-6
- There is no division of class, race, inequality, language differences, there is no special privileges and promotions based on colour. There is just ONE body.
- There is no special generation who experienced something unique, no special place and no place where He cannot be. There is just ONE SPIRIT.
- There is no individual heaven, no VIP appearing of Christ and no private viewing or experience of eternity. There is just ONE HOPE.
- There is no Jewish Lord and Gentile Lord only the same; there are not several equal authorities and powers of which we choose to worship one, there is not a Jesus of Nazareth who we follow or not. There is just ONE LORD JESUS CHRIST who is risen, ascended and exalted and there is no comparison.
- There is no African Christianity and Western Christianity or any other Christianity; there are no Catholics and Protestants, there are just Christians; there is no different salvation anywhere in the world, it is the same Forgiver, Redeemer and Saviour. There is just ONE FAITH.
- There is no better testimony that the other and your story has the same results as the next for the experience is the same of being transformed in Christ and identified with Him. There is just ONE BAPTISM.
- There is not a multiplicity of gods and there are not two fathers bringing about two families, just one. One Spirit, Lord and Father, who are one. There is just ONE FATHER.
Anything else isn’t what God had in mind nor what He wants today. Anything else is man-made and rises against what He has made. Anything else will not last.
Why give yourself to anything else or a lesser version of what is true?
Have you come here for forgiveness?
Have you come to raise the dead?
Have you come here to play Jesus?
To the lepers in your head
You say love is a temple, love a higher law
Love is a temple, love the higher law
You ask me to enter but then you make me crawl
And I can’t be holdin’ on to what you got
When all you got is hurt
One love, one blood
One life, you got to do what you should
One life, with each other
Sisters, brothers
One life but we’re not the same
We get to carry each other, carry each other
One.
One of the U2 band members said, “Suddenly something very powerful was happening in the room. Everyone recognized it was a special piece. It was like we’d caught a glimpse of what the song could be.”
If only the Church, if only you and me could catch a glimpse of what we could be here on earth. ONE.
Missions Paul 