Ephesians 4
Lent, Week 4
Read Ephesians, Chapter Four.
In the first three chapters, the writer of Ephesians has dealt with some of the great and eternal truths of the Christian faith:
- Salvation through faith.
- Unity in Christ.
- The abundant power of God at work through all.
Listen again to verses 1 through 3:
“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.”
I chose this passage to be our scriptural theme for the 2008 Dakotas Annual Conference, and I chose it for this reason. This chapter is the very heart of what the author of Ephesians is trying to say – to the early churches and to us. First of all, it reminds us of our common calling as disciples of Christ, and secondly, it gives us a guide for how we are to live in community with each other
As we listen to the political dialogue around the various candidates running for office, we hear a great many words used to describe those who seek the highest office in the country. Words such as: leader … visionary … competent … respected … Strong words. Good words.
And yet, what would it look like if instead we measured our candidates by this list in Ephesians?
“Humility ... gentleness ... patience ... bearing with one another in love ... unity ... peace.”
In fact, this list may be a helpful, though difficult, plumbline not just for choosing our country’s leaders, but for measuring the life we have all been called into through Christ. And what makes it so difficult is that these qualities are not necessarily the qualities that our society values.
For instance:
1. “Humility” is a difficult concept to grasp in our society, but the kind of humility the writer of Ephesians speaks of is a humility that places our lives beside the kind of life God envisions for us and honestly looks at the disparity there. True humility comes when we face ourselves and see our weaknesses, our selfishness, our failures, and know that God desires more from us. And know, as well that, with God’s help, we can move closer to that goal.
2. “Gentleness” ... The Greek word used here is “praotes,” which is defined by Aristotle as the midpoint on the continuum between being too angry too often and never being angry at all. In other words, one who is gentle is angry only at the right time, but never at the wrong time.
3. “Patience,” too, has a little different meaning here. The Greek word used is “makrothumia” which has two definitions. One: it describes someone who never gives up and who endures to the end. But it also means being patient with others, as one who has the power to take revenge, but never does.
4. “Bearing with one another in love” - how can we argue with that? But how difficult it is to really live that out!
In a political year when both sides try to tear the other down ... in a corporate world that too often worships the bottom line, and where all too often one is expected to make it to the top by climbing over anyone in the way ... when even the church itself has difficulty loving those who are different ... perhaps this is the most difficult quality of all to embrace.
You see, these are not necessarily the virtues our society sees as important. We easily understand the need for strength and assertiveness and single-mindedness and leadership. But humility ... gentleness ... patience ... love? And yet, it is this second list that brings us closer to becoming one in the body of Christ. Closer to unity.
For, listen to the next few verses of our reading today:
“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, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all." (vs. 4-6)
Anything that divides us, divides the Body … divides Christ.
Dan Moseley, Professor of Practical Parish Ministry at the Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis, has written this about this passage:
“One of the most disorienting things for those of us in the church is to believe that somehow it all depends on us. (We) forget all the other baptized ones who have been received into the body of Christ. Sometimes, the most grounding thing is the one which connects us to the larger reality of the body.”
The work we, as Christians, have been called to do, cannot be done alone. Our common calling as Christians – baptized into the work and life of Christ – is what holds us together.
And, as we read in verses 11 – 13, it is through the many and diverse gifts given to the members of this body that the Body of Christ is strengthened, 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.” (vs. 13)
To live by these rules guides us to new life as the full and complete Body of Christ.
Questions to ponder:
1. Why do we tend to use “powerful” words, like vision, leadership, and independent, as the words we want to live up to, instead of words like humility, gentleness, and patience? What is it about these words that make them less desirable for people in power?
2. What does it mean, or would it mean for you in your life to live a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called? What is your calling?
3. What keeps us as Christ’s Church from true unity?
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