April 16 (Easter Sunday)

1^st Congregational Church of Redwood City, UCC

Carol Barriger

Sunday, August 13, 2006

10^th after Pentecost

Ephesians 4:1-3, 11-16

“Many Gifts, One Spirit̶= 1;

“We Are Everything,” Jim Bell

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 itsel= f up in love. (Eph 4:15-16)=

<= /o:p>

R= 20;We are one people. Though we may differ in culture and color, in the core of our being we are all the same….We are one life. = Plants and animals, we are part of, and dependent upon, the total that we are.R= 21; Those are the words of Jim Bell= 217;s poem. They might as well have= been the apostle Paul’s. We = are bound together as human beings, as parts of Creation – unique, but vi= tal, life-giving to one another. <= o:p>

Let&= #8217;s create a little mental movie together.&nbs= p; Paul refers to himself as a prisoner of the Lord – or in some translations, a prisoner of Christ. (Eph 4:1) When he wrote that he was actually in jail in Rome – a prisoner of the Roman Empire, even though he had Roman citizenship. So here is the scene. = He is probably in a situation which more resembles house arrest. He is in his 50s, a very old man b= y the standards of the time – an old Jewish man. There is a guard set there to watc= h him, despite the fact that a chain shackles him to a ring set in the wall. This old man is painstakingly writ= ing letters – letter after letter to people in faraway places that he has= met on his travels. He has been w= orking on this one long letter for days. It will be carried for many weeks to reach the people in the town of= Ephesus= in Asia Minor.

The = letter has three parts. In the first= part, he tells his followers, “I want to remind you that this is what God created you to do and be.” In the second part, he pleads with them to lead a life worthy of what God has = laid before them, and finally he describes what such a life actually looks like = in terms of behavior. So he move= s from (1) encouragement – “Don’t forget the message. You’re great, I have faith i= n you, and God has graced you,” – to (2) challenge – “livi= ng in the way of Jesus and creating the beloved community will not be easy,= 221; – to (3) the practicalities – “This is what you need to d= o in order to build that beloved community.” It’s a very thorough and org= anized letter. The part we heard tod= ay came from the middle section – the challenge to live a life worthy of= the love of God showed for us in the Spirit shining through Jesus, and poured o= ut for us in blessings every day.

Back= to the letter-writer himself. Notice= what Paul does not write. H= e is careful not to say, “I am a prisoner of the Romans,” even though that is obviously true. He says, “I am a prisoner in Christ.” That is his greatest reality. I am a captive of love and service= in Jesus’ name. I can do no other. He acknowledges that G= od is in ultimate control of his circumstances.&= nbsp; He has undergone quite a change from his days as Saul, the authority= in Jewish Law, when one’s spiritual circumstances would be determined by adherence to the minutiae of that Law.&nbs= p; Instead of playing on the respect and authority that he certainly co= uld command from his followers, instead directing them to live in accordance wi= th rules, and ordinance, and sacrifices … he pleads with them to do something far harder; to live in a way that is consistent with who they alr= eady are in God’s sight – to be a body unified by the Holy Spirit, in spite of a wide diversity of gifts and attitudes; to trust God completely; = and to live to build up the body of Christ.&nb= sp; One of my favorite songs has always been

We are one i= n the Spirit; we are one in the Lord

And we pray = that all unity may one day be restored

And theyR= 17;ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love

Yes, they= 217;ll know we are Christians by our love.

We will work with each other; we will w= ork side by side…

We will walk with each other; we will w= alk side by side…

<= o:p>

Paul= is speaking to us. But it is imp= ortant to admit that the behavior of the church universal over the centuries as regards this song has been less than exemplary in this regard. We haven’t worked or walked = side by side. We have spent long centuries in disunity and discord. The world has not always known that we were Christians by our love – but rather by the rigid message that we own the way, the truth, = and the life and that no one comes to [God] except through [J= esus Christ].[1] Narrow theological agendas have le= d to endless splintering and bloody confrontations. Energy and focus have been diluted= when suffering and oppression could have been alleviated. Some claim that the church has fai= led to be “above the world,” but has become “of the world”= in the sense of being completely captive to the same things that govern all hu= man institutions – the need to be right, to be in control, to be financia= lly sound, the need for power.

I do= not believe that the church is ever to be “above the world” in the sense of transcending it. We = are to be radically “in the world” in a different way – not R= 20;of the world” but in it, in the same counter-cultural way that Je= sus was. That is what it means to= bring together our many gifts in the service of that one Spirit. That one Spirit is the Spirit which challenges injustice, even when it is perpetrated by governments and corporations whose authority we have been conditioned to respect. That one Spirit is the Spirit which challenges marginalization and oppression, even when it aligns with values which were part of our upbringing. That one Spirit is the Spirit which sees intellect and engagement as spiritual gifts, the Spirit which refuses to allow us to check our brains at the door, even as we come into this place for a profound experience of the heart.

Paul is writing to us, as well as the people of Ephesus= , and he is pleading for unity. Unity does not mean uniformity, or conformity. Thank God, the Un= ited Church of Christ “gets” this!&= nbsp; It does not mean that all Christians think alike. It does mean that we embrac= e a common perspective in the life of Jesus; that we accept the fact that we are interdependent, and accept that fact that we will struggle. It does not mean that all Christia= ns perform identical ministries. It does imply a common purpose and need for o= ne another. Every person within the body of Christ has the capacity for ministry, for service – but for each person it is shown = in a different way. Many gifts = 211; one Spirit. Your particular capacity to serve is your “spiritual gift” – the gift of music-making, of hospitality, of compassion, of preaching. Some functions don’t appear = to be very spiritual, but the outcome is of great benefit to the whole body. Those who volunteer to help with mailings; those who work with finances to steward our resources in the best possible way; those who make telephone calls; those who set up chairs and tables; sort through old files; those who type up the lyrics to our songs; = who defrost the freezer on work days.

It doesn’t seem so long ago that many churches (and the Christians in them) would have stopped reading at verse 11 where it says The gifts [the Spirit] gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, so= me evangelists, some pastors and teachers,… which implies that minis= try is the job of the clergy. But we’re pushed to read further. The spiritual gift of being a pastor-teacher is in verse 12: to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the b= ody of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowle= dge of the way of Jesus. To e= quip the saints.

The Greek word for “equip” εξοπλίστ&= #949; (eks-o-plees-tay) is used fo= r (1) fitting out a ship or an army. It is used for exercise or training. It also has the sense of (2) restoration – of mending a net, or putting things in order, restoring a broken limb. In both of these, the pastor or te= acher is like a coach – in fact that is the word that Paul Nickerson used w= ith us on our leadership retreat day. The coach does not and cannot win a game single-handed, but prepares the people= to play well as a team. Squabble= s and differences have to be ironed out. People must be united in spirit and working toward a common goal. This is the struggle and joy of li= fe in covenant to which we are pledged, and it is the responsibility of the pasto= r to facilitate and nurture it. He= re are some insights of how this applies to our life together going forward:<= /o:p>

&= nbsp; --The true work of ministry that will cr= eate a new church is in your hands, not mine. Do not let me stop y= ou from carrying out your part of the ministry by trying to do it all. That is an old and destructive model. None of us are in the business of living up to the expectations of others, but rather using the g= ifts we are given – mine and yours – for the benefit of all.

&= nbsp; --Our Sunday worship time is not designed for ministry so much as it is for expressing our gratitude to God and empowering – equipping – ourselves for that ministry. = Ministry mus= t be done outside the church and on days other than Sunday.

&= nbsp; --Find out your place in our church and get involved. Be persistent, if you have to.&nbs= p; We are re-shaping ourselves and sometimes the shape isn’t obvi= ous... Don’t be afraid to declare, “I have a gift to give. Where can it best be used?” A= sk more than once. Everyone has = this mandate.

&= nbsp; As the old man sits there writing, he recalls the troubled days in Corinth= and Ephesus= . The early church had a very difficult transition from being a sectar= ian Jewish movement, to being a more inclusive community of faith. Embracing that degree of newness w= as a challenge. Do we not face a s= imilar challenge for Christianity in the 21^st century? The greatest difficulty Paul faced= was factionalism, and it was to counsel against this that he wrote. Is he also writing to us? His plea is to depend upon the Spi= rit with her particular gifts of humility, patience and love to be the resource= for creating unity – the necessary unity to move forward. I think we have experienced that w= ork of the Spirit in our midst in the last three years.

We are called to cooperation. We are given different gifts and graces. Sometimes those gifts work harmoniously, and sometimes they butt up against one another, but all are important. Our different gift= s have one goal – that we might contribute to the peace and strength of the church, and thereby to the spread of justice and hope in the world. In our calling as followers of Jes= us, none of us exists in isolation. We are called to unity in this body.

= 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 bod= y's growth in building itself up in love. (Eph 4:15-16)

&= nbsp;

We are one people. Th= ough we may differ in culture and color, in the core of our being we are all the same. We are part of the proc= ess of the universe knowing itself. = We are the light of stars looking back at ourselves as we ponder the future it is = our destiny to create.

(“We Are Everything,” Jim Bell)

Amen. <= /o:p>

<= /o:p>

The first= reading is from Paul’s letter to the early church at Ephesus. He reminds them that while they are diverse in gifts and outlook, individuals must be united in building themselves up as a community for God’s purposes.<= o:p>

<= /o:p>

Ephesians 4:1-3; 11-16

= I 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 lov= e, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peac= e.

= The gifts [the Spirit] gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, so= me 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 way of Jesus.

= 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.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'>

= 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 ev= ery ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promo= tes the body's growth in building itself up in love.

<= /o:p>

The second reading is a poem by Jim Bell, an expert in ecology and sustainable living.= He has lectured and written books and poetry about the unity and interdependen= ce of all things in Creation … including this poem, entitled, “We = Are Everything.”

<= /o:p>

We Are Everything

We are one substance.
Matter and energy,
Differing forms of the same thing.

We are one age.
Out of the substance of the universe
We are formed anew from what has existed
Since the beginning of time.

We are star children.
The literal transformation of light
Into thoughts, feelings and physical form.

We are one life.
Plants and animals, we are part of and dependent
Upon the total that we are.

We are one people.
Though we may differ in culture and color,
In the core of our being we are all the same.

We are part of the process
Of the universe knowing itself.
We are the light of stars looking back at ourselves
As we ponder the future it is our destiny to
Create.

Jim Bell
(6/7/91= )