We're All In This Together: Devotion for September 22
- whitneydeterding
- Sep 22
- 3 min read
We are coming off our 75th celebration as a church and what a celebration it was!
Our 75th anniversary was more than just a milestone—it was a beautiful reminder of what God can do when his people live in unity. Together, we brought our gifts, stories, prayers, and service to the celebration, each piece woven into a larger tapestry of gratitude and joy. Unity allowed us to look back with thankfulness and forward with hope, as one body, bound not by our differences but by our shared faith in Christ. Because we walked together, we were able to celebrate not only the past 75 years of ministry but also the promise of many more years to come.
Speaking of unity, let’s take a look at a painting celebrating it.
This painting is created in the style of Cubism—an art movement you might recognize from Picasso, one of its pioneers. Cubism, one of the most influential movements of the 20th century, breaks down objects and reassembles them in an abstract way. Instead of portraying a subject from one fixed perspective, the artist invites us to see from multiple vantage points, offering a fuller, richer context.
Normally, I don’t gravitate toward Cubism, but this particular painting of the Trinity captured me. Notice the stylized wings, the two hands at the bottom forming a heart, and the third hand holding a variation of the Russian Orthodox cross (a nod to the artist’s heritage). That cross, at the very center of the Trinity, reminds us of the Passion—the story of Christ’s suffering and death—and of God’s redemptive plan woven into history.
The Trinity itself is the ultimate picture of unity. Throughout John’s Gospel, we hear about the oneness of the Father, the Son, the Spirit, and even the invitation for believers to share in that oneness. On the cross, that unity is painfully broken when Jesus cries, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Yet after the resurrection and ascension, that unity is restored—the Father, Son, and Spirit together again—and we are invited into that same divine fellowship.
Unity is beautiful, but it’s something our world struggles to hold onto.
Recently, I came across a chart that outlines the progression of division, showing how persecution often begins:
Stage 1 is to stereotype the group you disagree with.
Stage 2 is to start vilifying the targeted group and accuse them of crimes or strange conduct.
Stage 3 is to start marginalizing the targeted group and make sure they don’t get certain jobs, are left out of events, etc.
Stage 4 is to criminalize the group, such as making gatherings illegal.
Stage 5 then moves to full-on persecutions and even killings.
It’s sobering to see how easily “us vs. them” thinking can grow into something devastating. But it also reminds me that unity begins in small choices. We resist division not just in public arenas but in our own hearts. Do I stereotype? Do I vilify? Do I marginalize?
When I pause and ask those questions honestly, I find room for reflection and repentance.
Maybe you do too. And in that humble turning, we begin to taste the unity that flows from the very heart of the Trinity.
Featured art: Georgy Kurasov, Trinity, 1992. ©2025 KURASOVART.com
