January 30, 2008
Ephesians 5:21-6:4
Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior. Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ love the church and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind—yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish. In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, because we are members of his body. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church. Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband. Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. ‘Honor your father and mother’—this is the first commandment with a promise: “so that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.” And, fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
I stood there in my maid of honor position as bridesmaid in my sister’s wedding and listened to the minister read these words of scripture with baited breath. My thoughts went something like this, “He could go one of two ways here and if he goes the way I fear, I’m going to freak out listening to this guy!”
This passage is tricky because we don’t know where the division of the paragraph is really supposed to come and if you attach verse 21 to the previous section (pericope) it offers a different connotation than if it is attached with the latter pericope. Verse 21 itself has no verb in it in the Greek so the best understanding is that it was meant to say, “Subject yourselves” and that by that intention it also meant that husbands should subject themselves as well. The idea was to communicate the value of voluntary submission and an understanding that as husband and wife, a couple was to leave their families and submit themselves to each other so as to become one.
Because there were Christians who devalued marriage and the body but placed much more concern on an ascetic lifestyle, the author saw the need to speak to one’s own body. He encourages them to understand that the ascetic would take good care of self and spirit. Marriage is a chance to value someone else as much as we would ourselves. That said, there must also be a parallel with the spiritual.
If we could understand that Christ loved the church so much that he was willing to give his own life so that she--the church could flourish, why can we not love each other with that same sort of love? This is a call for how we interact with each other in marriage, with our children and though the scripture doesn’t go to this extent the whole of the gospel does—why should we not love all others with that same love?
The minister got to that same point in his wedding homily and I breathed a sigh of relief. At least our understanding was the same. Now can our actions follow suit? That remains the perpetual question. As we seek to answer it for ourselves, know that I love you! Amen.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Love, light and wisdom
January 23, 2008
Ephesians 5:1-20
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But fornication and impurity of any kind, or greed, must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints. Entirely out of place is obscene, silly, and vulgar talk; but instead, let there be thanksgiving. Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure person, or one who is greedy (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be associated with them. For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light—for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be careful then who you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
When I was in college one of my closest friends was a young man named Jerry Hedden. Jerry was different from all of the rest of us. We were all Christians and loved God, worshipped God but frankly we were still pretty young and gained some excitement from doing stupid things that surely must have affected our Christian example.
Jerry was always intentional about being with all of us even during our most stupid moments. He never judged us but he also very clearly never participated in our shenanigans. Jerry lived his life as an imitator of God. He was not perfect nor did he purport to be. He simply tried to live his life by this passage. He tried to live according to the three-fold admonition of living in love, light and wisdom. He knew that if he could live in God’s will—seeking God’s direction for his life and for the ways that he chose to interact with others that would lead to a living out of wisdom. If he could live wisely, there would in turn arise a peace that would reflect joy and light in him and those things would all work together to enable him to look at others without the judgment to which so many of us are prone. Without that judgment, he was free to place himself in the shoes of the other and live out of more compassion and love.
Jerry is a testament to the meaning and the heart of this passage. The Ephesians were being easily tempted by the follies of those around them so that it was all too easy to fall into sinful actions that corrupted their witness and confused the definition of what it means to be Christian folk.
We, as Christians, understand that we aren’t perfect and thus the mantras of forgiveness and grace must ever be on our lips. Still, there must also be a striving among us as individuals to live lives that reflect love, light and wisdom.
In our churches we must also understand this in a corporate sense. This passage is a call for churches to examine their own identities. Are they fellowships of people who are focused on God’s will? If so, then love, light and wisdom should be evident both within the community and to all those who look upon it. A healthy church is not afraid to ask and answer honestly: what is it that others see when they look at us? A healthy church is not afraid to address the answers by its choice for living.
So, who is your church? What should she be? Is she living up to love, light and wisdom? The questions are ours to ask individually too. May we find ourselves like Jerry Hedden, as people of love and light and wisdom—people who seek God’s will! Amen.
Ephesians 5:1-20
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. But fornication and impurity of any kind, or greed, must not even be mentioned among you, as is proper among saints. Entirely out of place is obscene, silly, and vulgar talk; but instead, let there be thanksgiving. Be sure of this, that no fornicator or impure person, or one who is greedy (that is, an idolater), has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be associated with them. For once you were darkness, but now in the Lord you are light. Live as children of light—for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true. Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness but instead expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what such people do secretly; but everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Sleeper, awake! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be careful then who you live, not as unwise people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
When I was in college one of my closest friends was a young man named Jerry Hedden. Jerry was different from all of the rest of us. We were all Christians and loved God, worshipped God but frankly we were still pretty young and gained some excitement from doing stupid things that surely must have affected our Christian example.
Jerry was always intentional about being with all of us even during our most stupid moments. He never judged us but he also very clearly never participated in our shenanigans. Jerry lived his life as an imitator of God. He was not perfect nor did he purport to be. He simply tried to live his life by this passage. He tried to live according to the three-fold admonition of living in love, light and wisdom. He knew that if he could live in God’s will—seeking God’s direction for his life and for the ways that he chose to interact with others that would lead to a living out of wisdom. If he could live wisely, there would in turn arise a peace that would reflect joy and light in him and those things would all work together to enable him to look at others without the judgment to which so many of us are prone. Without that judgment, he was free to place himself in the shoes of the other and live out of more compassion and love.
Jerry is a testament to the meaning and the heart of this passage. The Ephesians were being easily tempted by the follies of those around them so that it was all too easy to fall into sinful actions that corrupted their witness and confused the definition of what it means to be Christian folk.
We, as Christians, understand that we aren’t perfect and thus the mantras of forgiveness and grace must ever be on our lips. Still, there must also be a striving among us as individuals to live lives that reflect love, light and wisdom.
In our churches we must also understand this in a corporate sense. This passage is a call for churches to examine their own identities. Are they fellowships of people who are focused on God’s will? If so, then love, light and wisdom should be evident both within the community and to all those who look upon it. A healthy church is not afraid to ask and answer honestly: what is it that others see when they look at us? A healthy church is not afraid to address the answers by its choice for living.
So, who is your church? What should she be? Is she living up to love, light and wisdom? The questions are ours to ask individually too. May we find ourselves like Jerry Hedden, as people of love and light and wisdom—people who seek God’s will! Amen.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Live in the light
January 16, 2008
Ephesians 4:17-32
“Now this I affirm and insist on in the Lord: you must no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart. They have lost all sensitivity and have abandoned themselves to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. That is not the way you learned Christ! For surely you have heard about him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus. You were taught to put away your former way of life, you old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, crated according to the likeness of God in the true righteousness and holiness. So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.”
Not too terribly long ago, an old, dear and respected friend said to me, that she had gotten to the place in her life where she had finally figured out what this life was all about. Basically, she said that we are to be good people who live a good life and help others along the way. I could only wonder what my facial expression was demonstrating because internally I was freaking out! I couldn’t help but wonder why she continued to go to church, why she bothered to call herself a Christian when Christ didn’t seem to figure into her equation of life’s purpose. I’m still “bumfuddled” by that.
The author of Ephesians would have the same reaction. The community around the Ephesian church had been influencing the church folk to live the pagan lifestyle and the preacher here must call the Ephesians to attention. As Christians theirs is to be a life set apart. They aren’t to engage in the pagan ways but to live lives that reflect God’s action in their lives. Among so many other things, this means speaking good of others, being kind and loving, compassionate and forgiving. It means being able to live out the relationship with other humans that God is living out with you. It means growing in your faith, learning and implementing so that lives are changed around you even as your life changes. Live your life in light not in the darkness of the pagan ways.
We live in a world that is not much different. Images bombard us daily with messages of life that can bring darkness into our lives. You know when you are in that darkness—if you are attentive at all --your very gut flags you that something is not right! Pressures are constantly upon us to involve ourselves in things that do not reflect Christ. At the same time there are those Christians who speak out boldly against those pressures and “evils.” Yet, those Christians fail to understand that by their bold voices they repel the very people who need the ultimate message of love that they have to offer.
To me, this passage calls us to do to things. First, remember our baptisms and examine our own lives. Are we living the kind of lives we pledged to live when we first chose Christ and Christ chose us? Can we say that we are kind, tenderhearted and forgiving one another? Can we say that the best things are on our lips and that those words are useful for building others up? If not, we need to work on that. Those are the very basic lessons of Christ’s love. Second, this passage offers us a chance as moderate Baptists to live lives so deeply committed to the Spirit of God that others see how we live and desire the peace that is ours. But it is not enough for us to just live in peace we have to tell people-- without the condemnation and judgment proffered by so many conservative Christians--why life is different for us. We have to tell them how that peace came to us. That should be the most exciting story that we have to offer. I’m guilty of not telling it freely and faithfully and I am ashamed of that.
I should have sat right there and told my friend the story of my Christian journey—of the funny feeling that came over me at age seven—of the non-stop questions about God—of the desire for 28 years to know more and more and more about God—of the epiphany that God does speak to us if we listen—of the remarkable nature of living a life that is guided by God—of Christ as the transformative figure of my life. Instead, I just smiled looked down and hoped the conversation would be redirected. I must have chosen the same path of the pagans and of my friend by my failure that day.
Let us all hear the call of the Ephesians pastor and may God find us faithful in the living and telling of our lives with God! Amen.
Ephesians 4:17-32
“Now this I affirm and insist on in the Lord: you must no longer live as the Gentiles live, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart. They have lost all sensitivity and have abandoned themselves to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. That is not the way you learned Christ! For surely you have heard about him and were taught in him, as truth is in Jesus. You were taught to put away your former way of life, you old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, crated according to the likeness of God in the true righteousness and holiness. So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin, do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil. Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need so that your words may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.”
Not too terribly long ago, an old, dear and respected friend said to me, that she had gotten to the place in her life where she had finally figured out what this life was all about. Basically, she said that we are to be good people who live a good life and help others along the way. I could only wonder what my facial expression was demonstrating because internally I was freaking out! I couldn’t help but wonder why she continued to go to church, why she bothered to call herself a Christian when Christ didn’t seem to figure into her equation of life’s purpose. I’m still “bumfuddled” by that.
The author of Ephesians would have the same reaction. The community around the Ephesian church had been influencing the church folk to live the pagan lifestyle and the preacher here must call the Ephesians to attention. As Christians theirs is to be a life set apart. They aren’t to engage in the pagan ways but to live lives that reflect God’s action in their lives. Among so many other things, this means speaking good of others, being kind and loving, compassionate and forgiving. It means being able to live out the relationship with other humans that God is living out with you. It means growing in your faith, learning and implementing so that lives are changed around you even as your life changes. Live your life in light not in the darkness of the pagan ways.
We live in a world that is not much different. Images bombard us daily with messages of life that can bring darkness into our lives. You know when you are in that darkness—if you are attentive at all --your very gut flags you that something is not right! Pressures are constantly upon us to involve ourselves in things that do not reflect Christ. At the same time there are those Christians who speak out boldly against those pressures and “evils.” Yet, those Christians fail to understand that by their bold voices they repel the very people who need the ultimate message of love that they have to offer.
To me, this passage calls us to do to things. First, remember our baptisms and examine our own lives. Are we living the kind of lives we pledged to live when we first chose Christ and Christ chose us? Can we say that we are kind, tenderhearted and forgiving one another? Can we say that the best things are on our lips and that those words are useful for building others up? If not, we need to work on that. Those are the very basic lessons of Christ’s love. Second, this passage offers us a chance as moderate Baptists to live lives so deeply committed to the Spirit of God that others see how we live and desire the peace that is ours. But it is not enough for us to just live in peace we have to tell people-- without the condemnation and judgment proffered by so many conservative Christians--why life is different for us. We have to tell them how that peace came to us. That should be the most exciting story that we have to offer. I’m guilty of not telling it freely and faithfully and I am ashamed of that.
I should have sat right there and told my friend the story of my Christian journey—of the funny feeling that came over me at age seven—of the non-stop questions about God—of the desire for 28 years to know more and more and more about God—of the epiphany that God does speak to us if we listen—of the remarkable nature of living a life that is guided by God—of Christ as the transformative figure of my life. Instead, I just smiled looked down and hoped the conversation would be redirected. I must have chosen the same path of the pagans and of my friend by my failure that day.
Let us all hear the call of the Ephesians pastor and may God find us faithful in the living and telling of our lives with God! Amen.
Unity
January 9, 2008
Ephesians 4:11-16
“The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.”
Yesterday, I traveled with a group from the church to the Billy Graham Library here in Charlotte. It is an impressive experience. Certainly, any of us who have observed Billy Graham from afar know of the integrity that defined his life but the experience made that picture of integrity more impressive. The experience elicited in most of us stories of our connections to Billy and his family. I must share a story that Bill Finger shared with me. (I’m sharing this without permission and will not do it the justice that Bill’s rendition would offer!)
You may know that Bill Finger is retired from the Charlotte DOT so Bill often had the duty of manning the command center with others from the DOT. At one of the last crusades that Billy Graham held here in Charlotte, a voice came over the central communication system. It said, “I’m told that everyone who is involved in managing the traffic for this event can hear me. This is Billy Graham and I just want you to know how deeply grateful I am for your work to make this experience happen. You are crucial to what we are doing here and I want to be sure that you understand the depth of my gratitude and your ministry here tonight. You are most appreciated! May God bless you all!” It was a powerful moment that spoke to the fact that Billy Graham understood so well. It spoke to the very heart of this passage.
The passage calls us to understand ourselves as those equipped for ministry. Each one of us has something to offer to the larger working of the church. It may seem small to us but without our contribution there would be a large gap in the ministry of the church.
We each have crucial pieces to play in the life and ministry of the church. You have gifts that I can’t begin to offer and I have some that you wouldn’t dare attempt. We need each other. Our unity is crucial.
The unity that Billy Graham practiced was evident in that library. There was a large room that outlined the people who worked for him and what they brought to the ministry of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. This week, I would encourage us all to observe the ministries of people that might not often receive praise and thanks for their work and let them know that we appreciate them! Let them know that we support them, that we are honored to be connected to them and yes, that we love them!
Know that you are loved and appreciated by me—whether your work happens at St. John’s, in and around Charlotte, or in and around Apex or Atlanta! Thank you for what you do to make the Church the rich entity that it is! Amen.
Ephesians 4:11-16
“The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.”
Yesterday, I traveled with a group from the church to the Billy Graham Library here in Charlotte. It is an impressive experience. Certainly, any of us who have observed Billy Graham from afar know of the integrity that defined his life but the experience made that picture of integrity more impressive. The experience elicited in most of us stories of our connections to Billy and his family. I must share a story that Bill Finger shared with me. (I’m sharing this without permission and will not do it the justice that Bill’s rendition would offer!)
You may know that Bill Finger is retired from the Charlotte DOT so Bill often had the duty of manning the command center with others from the DOT. At one of the last crusades that Billy Graham held here in Charlotte, a voice came over the central communication system. It said, “I’m told that everyone who is involved in managing the traffic for this event can hear me. This is Billy Graham and I just want you to know how deeply grateful I am for your work to make this experience happen. You are crucial to what we are doing here and I want to be sure that you understand the depth of my gratitude and your ministry here tonight. You are most appreciated! May God bless you all!” It was a powerful moment that spoke to the fact that Billy Graham understood so well. It spoke to the very heart of this passage.
The passage calls us to understand ourselves as those equipped for ministry. Each one of us has something to offer to the larger working of the church. It may seem small to us but without our contribution there would be a large gap in the ministry of the church.
We each have crucial pieces to play in the life and ministry of the church. You have gifts that I can’t begin to offer and I have some that you wouldn’t dare attempt. We need each other. Our unity is crucial.
The unity that Billy Graham practiced was evident in that library. There was a large room that outlined the people who worked for him and what they brought to the ministry of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. This week, I would encourage us all to observe the ministries of people that might not often receive praise and thanks for their work and let them know that we appreciate them! Let them know that we support them, that we are honored to be connected to them and yes, that we love them!
Know that you are loved and appreciated by me—whether your work happens at St. John’s, in and around Charlotte, or in and around Apex or Atlanta! Thank you for what you do to make the Church the rich entity that it is! Amen.
Gifts to all
December 19, 2007
Ephesians 4:7-12
“But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it is said, “When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.” (When it says, ‘He ascended,’ what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fulfill all things.) The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ . . .”
Some months ago, I was charged with the duty of doing the prayer time at our Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina retreat for those of us who serve on the leadership ministry councils. I decided that I would make it a point to teach those gathered about two-way prayer. Two way—meaning you write whatever comes to your mind in the form of a prayer, spend some time breathing and clearing your mind and then you write whatever else comes into your mind being sure to test it. Is it honest, pure, loving and unselfish? If it passes on all counts you can be sure it is a message from God. In that case, you have effectively listened to God. I do not go through a day, if I can help it, without doing this practice. And, it is obvious by my mood, if I have not done it. That speaks to the effectiveness of the process and to the active involvement that God has in our lives if we will just let God be at work.
Our scripture today was being written to a group of people facing controversy. We will hear about the controversy in future devotionals. Nonetheless, the author seeks to communicate the message that God is actively at work in our lives if we will let God be. The references to ascending and descending in the scripture are really unclear and there are several conflicting perspectives on what was happening there. The references to the gifts create an incomplete list and other texts offer fuller perspective of what it means to have all of these gifts. Still, scholars are agreed that the message ultimately is the same—God his alive and at work among us!
What does this have to do with my CBFNC story and two-way prayer? As I grow in my faith and as I practice two-way prayer, I come to realize that it is a gift to me. It allows me to know God at deeper levels and to understand others with more compassion. I realize that two-way prayer is the tangible way for me to know that God is at work and that much of my life’s mission is wrapped up in helping people understand how to listen to God. What was shocking to me at that meeting was that the ministers to whom I was speaking (not all of them, mind you, but most) didn’t seem to comprehend the value of the practice. They were content to live life on their own terms. These who purport to speak a word from God every Sunday to the people of God were content NOT to take time to really listen in a practical sort of way. The failed to see that God could open all sorts of paths for them if they would just open themselves to embracing the gift they were being given.
The same could be said of the Ephesians. They have the opportunity to claim the gifts of apostleship, etc. and by living out those gifts to see God’s work in their lives in tangible ways.
How often are we like those ministers of CBFNC? How often do we not choose to be intentional about listening and following the guidance we receive?
Let this scripture be a challenge to us today—to stop, to listen, to claim the gifts God wants to give us and to celebrate that God is alive and at work among us if we can open ourselves to God. The latter is the most difficult challenge of all! But, I know that we are equal to the task! May God’s joy be yours this week! Amen.
Ephesians 4:7-12
“But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it is said, “When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.” (When it says, ‘He ascended,’ what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fulfill all things.) The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ . . .”
Some months ago, I was charged with the duty of doing the prayer time at our Cooperative Baptist Fellowship of North Carolina retreat for those of us who serve on the leadership ministry councils. I decided that I would make it a point to teach those gathered about two-way prayer. Two way—meaning you write whatever comes to your mind in the form of a prayer, spend some time breathing and clearing your mind and then you write whatever else comes into your mind being sure to test it. Is it honest, pure, loving and unselfish? If it passes on all counts you can be sure it is a message from God. In that case, you have effectively listened to God. I do not go through a day, if I can help it, without doing this practice. And, it is obvious by my mood, if I have not done it. That speaks to the effectiveness of the process and to the active involvement that God has in our lives if we will just let God be at work.
Our scripture today was being written to a group of people facing controversy. We will hear about the controversy in future devotionals. Nonetheless, the author seeks to communicate the message that God is actively at work in our lives if we will let God be. The references to ascending and descending in the scripture are really unclear and there are several conflicting perspectives on what was happening there. The references to the gifts create an incomplete list and other texts offer fuller perspective of what it means to have all of these gifts. Still, scholars are agreed that the message ultimately is the same—God his alive and at work among us!
What does this have to do with my CBFNC story and two-way prayer? As I grow in my faith and as I practice two-way prayer, I come to realize that it is a gift to me. It allows me to know God at deeper levels and to understand others with more compassion. I realize that two-way prayer is the tangible way for me to know that God is at work and that much of my life’s mission is wrapped up in helping people understand how to listen to God. What was shocking to me at that meeting was that the ministers to whom I was speaking (not all of them, mind you, but most) didn’t seem to comprehend the value of the practice. They were content to live life on their own terms. These who purport to speak a word from God every Sunday to the people of God were content NOT to take time to really listen in a practical sort of way. The failed to see that God could open all sorts of paths for them if they would just open themselves to embracing the gift they were being given.
The same could be said of the Ephesians. They have the opportunity to claim the gifts of apostleship, etc. and by living out those gifts to see God’s work in their lives in tangible ways.
How often are we like those ministers of CBFNC? How often do we not choose to be intentional about listening and following the guidance we receive?
Let this scripture be a challenge to us today—to stop, to listen, to claim the gifts God wants to give us and to celebrate that God is alive and at work among us if we can open ourselves to God. The latter is the most difficult challenge of all! But, I know that we are equal to the task! May God’s joy be yours this week! Amen.
worthy lives
December 11, 2007
Ephesians 4:1-6
“ I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, on God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.”
Up until this point the author of Ephesians has been a little lofty at times. But now, this is the getting down and dirty part. This is where he engages the practical and begins to paint the picture of what it looks like to really be a Christian and to live in Christian community. Maybe this is a good time for us to take a little self-evaluatory quiz:
1. Am I able to define my basic calling?
(Hopefully, you answered yes and that at the most basic level our calling is to
live a life worthy of Christ.)
2. Do I practice humility in my living?
Humility was a depised word in that culture. It was a word that would have been associated with slavery. But with the New Testament it came to be understood as a virtue. We are called to be slaves to Christ and thus live in his example.
3. Do I practice gentleness? And what about gentleness with patience?
If we speak in imperatives, if we instruct people with what and how WE want them to do things and with definitive ideas as to how things SHOULD be done, we’ll need to downgrade ourselves on this one!
4. Do I tend to react and fail to hold back words that are better left unsaid?
This is forbearance. This is love. Love—true love—has the ability to not say that thing that we so want to let loose in our anger and frustration. So are we loving?
5. Do I maintain unity so as to be consonant with the Spirit? And therefore, do others experience peace in my presence?
We might have to poll others on this but by its very definition unity is love. So we can think about whether our acts or choices not to act are loving by thinking first of the consequences that will come from them. Will those consequences separate me from others or will they maintain the bond between us?
This simple test gives us the answers we need to live as one body in the one Spirit with one faith and hope in the one Lord, God and Father of us all. When answering these questions I am able to answer some of them well and others not so well but that fact doesn’t let me off of the hook nor does it let you off of the hook. It exhorts us to do everything in our power to work harder at being Christ-like. Within our church family, we are so good at affirming certain things—that our differences will not separate us—that we will admonish each other as occasion may require. Maybe we need to do an even better job of exhorting each other to be more Christ-like! Maybe with a commitment to hold each other to such accountability, we would experience the wonder of this life and the wonder of each other in ways we have yet to fathom! May unity be ours! Amen.
Ephesians 4:1-6
“ I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, on God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.”
Up until this point the author of Ephesians has been a little lofty at times. But now, this is the getting down and dirty part. This is where he engages the practical and begins to paint the picture of what it looks like to really be a Christian and to live in Christian community. Maybe this is a good time for us to take a little self-evaluatory quiz:
1. Am I able to define my basic calling?
(Hopefully, you answered yes and that at the most basic level our calling is to
live a life worthy of Christ.)
2. Do I practice humility in my living?
Humility was a depised word in that culture. It was a word that would have been associated with slavery. But with the New Testament it came to be understood as a virtue. We are called to be slaves to Christ and thus live in his example.
3. Do I practice gentleness? And what about gentleness with patience?
If we speak in imperatives, if we instruct people with what and how WE want them to do things and with definitive ideas as to how things SHOULD be done, we’ll need to downgrade ourselves on this one!
4. Do I tend to react and fail to hold back words that are better left unsaid?
This is forbearance. This is love. Love—true love—has the ability to not say that thing that we so want to let loose in our anger and frustration. So are we loving?
5. Do I maintain unity so as to be consonant with the Spirit? And therefore, do others experience peace in my presence?
We might have to poll others on this but by its very definition unity is love. So we can think about whether our acts or choices not to act are loving by thinking first of the consequences that will come from them. Will those consequences separate me from others or will they maintain the bond between us?
This simple test gives us the answers we need to live as one body in the one Spirit with one faith and hope in the one Lord, God and Father of us all. When answering these questions I am able to answer some of them well and others not so well but that fact doesn’t let me off of the hook nor does it let you off of the hook. It exhorts us to do everything in our power to work harder at being Christ-like. Within our church family, we are so good at affirming certain things—that our differences will not separate us—that we will admonish each other as occasion may require. Maybe we need to do an even better job of exhorting each other to be more Christ-like! Maybe with a commitment to hold each other to such accountability, we would experience the wonder of this life and the wonder of each other in ways we have yet to fathom! May unity be ours! Amen.
finding abundant hope
December 5, 2007
Ephesians 3:14-21
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Bill and Carolyn were a couple who from the outside seemed to have such a great marriage and watching them from afar, I always wanted to find ways that they could share the secrets to having a good marriage with others. Finally, one day, Carolyn sat me down and admitted that they did indeed have a good marriage but they wouldn’t purport to share their secret with others because she didn’t think that their secret would work for others. It was unique to their relationship. Each morning as they awoke, they would look at each other and verbally commit to the marriage and to loving each other for that day and that day alone. They made a daily conscious choice for each other.
“Paul” writes to the Ephesians this prayer for the Church in which he desires them to see themselves as one with Christ, to understand that every action that they make as a church is a reflection of Christ’s action in them. That being the case, his heartfelt prayer is that they will know or experience the love of Christ as opposed to knowing of love from an intellectual perspective. He prays that they will be so anchored in Christ that their spirits are renewed daily. It is his hope that these people will have the attitude toward Christ that Bill and Carolyn had to each other! Paul wants the people to make a conscious choice to choose every day to both allow and be aware of God’s Spirit at work in them. With that awareness will come the understanding of being rooted and grounded in Christ’s love as well as the gift of a fuller awareness of love and its meaning. With such awareness, Christ’s reflection to the world will be seen in each of those believers.
As I drove home from work yesterday, everyone whose path I crossed seemed to be perturbed. The driver who couldn’t get the chance to turn left wouldn’t choose patience but instead threw up her hands in frustration. The neighbor who wanted to put her trashcan back in its place remarked with disdain that the sanitation crew had not arrived . . . yet! I know that we are human and we often let ourselves off of the hook with that excuse, but I’m inclined to think that if Bill and Carolyn have it in them, if the Ephesians had it in them, that maybe we have it in us, too, --to choose to seek God’s Spirit daily and as a result live in love.
We have entered a season in which we focus on the preparation for and arrival of a baby that would grow in wisdom and stature and then sacrifice his life for you and for me. If we really believe that to be true, then I think we have a duty to render our gratitude by making a daily choice for God’s Spirit to be at work in us and for that Spirit to overflow through us. May we rise to the challenge and in so rising find abundant hope! Amen.
Ephesians 3:14-21
“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Bill and Carolyn were a couple who from the outside seemed to have such a great marriage and watching them from afar, I always wanted to find ways that they could share the secrets to having a good marriage with others. Finally, one day, Carolyn sat me down and admitted that they did indeed have a good marriage but they wouldn’t purport to share their secret with others because she didn’t think that their secret would work for others. It was unique to their relationship. Each morning as they awoke, they would look at each other and verbally commit to the marriage and to loving each other for that day and that day alone. They made a daily conscious choice for each other.
“Paul” writes to the Ephesians this prayer for the Church in which he desires them to see themselves as one with Christ, to understand that every action that they make as a church is a reflection of Christ’s action in them. That being the case, his heartfelt prayer is that they will know or experience the love of Christ as opposed to knowing of love from an intellectual perspective. He prays that they will be so anchored in Christ that their spirits are renewed daily. It is his hope that these people will have the attitude toward Christ that Bill and Carolyn had to each other! Paul wants the people to make a conscious choice to choose every day to both allow and be aware of God’s Spirit at work in them. With that awareness will come the understanding of being rooted and grounded in Christ’s love as well as the gift of a fuller awareness of love and its meaning. With such awareness, Christ’s reflection to the world will be seen in each of those believers.
As I drove home from work yesterday, everyone whose path I crossed seemed to be perturbed. The driver who couldn’t get the chance to turn left wouldn’t choose patience but instead threw up her hands in frustration. The neighbor who wanted to put her trashcan back in its place remarked with disdain that the sanitation crew had not arrived . . . yet! I know that we are human and we often let ourselves off of the hook with that excuse, but I’m inclined to think that if Bill and Carolyn have it in them, if the Ephesians had it in them, that maybe we have it in us, too, --to choose to seek God’s Spirit daily and as a result live in love.
We have entered a season in which we focus on the preparation for and arrival of a baby that would grow in wisdom and stature and then sacrifice his life for you and for me. If we really believe that to be true, then I think we have a duty to render our gratitude by making a daily choice for God’s Spirit to be at work in us and for that Spirit to overflow through us. May we rise to the challenge and in so rising find abundant hope! Amen.
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