On a recent business trip to Florida, my jet propulsion experience began with a 3:00 AM wake up call to make a 6:35 AM flight. Knowing the challenge that early rising would be on a cold January morning, my clothing for the next day was laid out and ready for me to slip on without a thought. Night transcended into a rosy dawn as the plane took off on schedule and arrived early. The first thing I noticed as I disembarked was the warm, humid air floating over me like a day at the beach. The interviews for which I had traveled progressed positively, and by the time lunch time came, I felt I had already experienced a productive day. While chatting with a potential colleague on a break before the next session, I jovially commented that I didn't wear pantyhose and high heels for just any occasion any more. We both laughed, and my conversation companion shared a powerful piece of wisdom: Nobody in Florida wears pantyhose.



Our meetings continued, but her comment gave me pause about all the assumptions we make about each other, how we think, what behaviors we choose, and especially about our spiritual beliefs. Because if nobody in Florida wears pantyhose, what do they wear? And what other fashion differences are hidden beneath long-held assumptions by those of us living in the forty-nine other states and the rest of the world? Although it is very clear to anyone who has worn pantyhose why they are not a practical garment in a hot, humid climate, my guess is that understanding variances among individual beliefs is not such a clear-cut venture, if we acknowledge those variances as existing and holding validity in the first place.

Consider for a moment the endless opportunities for worship in Christian communities in the United States. Have you ever worshipped in a church other than your own, or in a congregation from another denomination? What are some of the things you noticed that are different than your customary surroundings and practices? Was the sanctuary traditional, with pews, a pipe organ, and a choir loft and stained windows at the front? Or was the worship area more contemporary, with individual chairs, wide, bright windows welcoming abundant sunshine and warmth, and a band tuning up before everyone else arrived? Settling into your seat, did the bulletin hold familiar hymns and prayers, or did you learn as you went along with the service? Were the scripture readings worded as you recalled from your last hearing, and how did the minister interpret the main points of what the scripture held? Looking around you, did you pay attention to the people gathering together to worship that day? They most likely weren't the same people with whom you normally attend church, but they are people with whom you have this one activity in common. Having come together that day, you were embodying the simple premise of the twelfth chapter of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians: "Indeed, the body does not consist of one member, but of many (I Corinthians 12:14)." We are all a part of the one body of Christ as Christian believers, but we each bring our God-given uniqueness to that body.

While there are elements held in common among believers in Jesus Christ as God With Us, as well as among congregations of believers, it is this sense of knowing God created each of us as separate entities, yet all still in God's image, that unifies and strengthens the body of Christ, the embodiment of God in action here on earth. Because we are unique, we each develop our faith out of that uniqueness, our experiences, relationships and choices all shaping our faith and understanding of God With Us.

Despite our awareness of that personal nature and promise of our relationship with God, we frequently persist in believing, and pushing others to believe, that since there is one God, there is only one way to believe, which is the way we believe. Challenge that, and we ourselves are challenged to consider our own faith, maybe even expand or deepen it in some new or unusual way. Because, believe it or not, nobody in Florida wears pantyhose.