Sermon Proper 13

SERMON

PROPER 13

Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16

You might like to show the following two lists on a OHT

You give me that THEN I will give you this - SENSIBLE & SAFE

I want to give you this, when you recognise how valuable it is I trust you will respond with gratitude.

RISKY because I'll probably end up broke and feeling taken for granted

You do this THEN I will do that - SENSIBLE & SAFE

I've done that for you, you may show your appreciation by responding in this way.

RISKY because I could end up being taken advantage of.

You bring your qualifications THEN I will give you a job -

SENSIBLE & SAFE

This is your job, now let's see what we can do about some qualifications.

RISKY because you'll end up with duds

You come to my place THEN we'll play together

Stay there, I'll come to you, because I want to play with you

RISKY because when I come you may not want to play

You say you're sorry THEN I'll willingly forgive - SENSIBLE

I forgive you. It's important to me our relationship continues -

RISKY because our relationship may not be important to you.

You promise not to do that again THEN I'll allow you to stay - SENSIBLE & SAFE.

You can stay as long as you like, but I want you to know you'll hurt me if you do that again.

RISKY because you may want to keep on hurting.

You accept these rules THEN we'll let you join

You're part of our group, and these rules are important to us.

RISKY, because your right to do what you want may be more important to you than the group.

You disobey THEN you'll have to pay the consequences

I'll suffer the consequences of your disobedience, our relationship is so special to me.

RISKY - I may have to keep on hurting.

Our world takes the same safe and sensible path almost every time it has to and we have to because our resources and strength are limited. Our God takes the risky way every time. His gifts have no conditions. Our God continually opens himself up to the possibility of himself being taken for granted and his gifts abused.

The trouble is we are so used to the safe and sensible way of acting that we often want to rescue God's gifts from this risk of misuse. We wrap them up in what seems to us to be safe and sensible conditions. We act as high and mighty guardians keeping them away from undeserving people. But as we strive to shield God's grace from human abuse, we don't even see how we finally destroy what we're trying to protect.

For the first three chapters in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul tells his readers about God has done for us. How the barriers between God and his people have been broken down. He reminds us of all that God has done for us, all that he's lavished on us, all that now comes to us as undeserved gift from a gracious God. Paul announces that, because of Christ we are now God's special people. We've been made one with God and one with each other. We've been drawn together by his love.

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow-citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. (Eph 2:19-22)

Our text begins the second main section of this book which encourages our response to all that our God has done, and to live as people who've been made one with God and each other. He encourages us to live in ways that both express and maintain God's gift of unity. I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." God has given unity, enjoy it, live it, express it, work hard to maintain it.

But of course this is the risky part because we may not wish to respond. It's not very sensible because we may continue to demand to be and live as if we are the centre of this world - we're special people, you aren't. It's not safe, because we can refuse to accept what we have, comes as God's gift, believing instead it's the result of our own actions.

Let me illustrate the practical consequences of such misuse. Take our singing. If we believe that unity is up to us, that we create it, then we have to make sure that everyone sings as a unit. The last thing we can tolerate is some tone deaf fellow messing up our unity. We'd have to introduce a singing standard to ensure our unity. In our caring we'd have to keep a keen eye for any individual receiving more care than others. Our desire for unity would demand that everyone receive an equal amount. In our giving, we'd somehow have to make sure that there was uniformity in giving so that the burden didn't fall unfairly on the shoulders of a few.

But if we receive unity as a gift from God, if our task is simply to express and maintain our wonderful gift of unity with each other, then things change dramatically. Our singing becomes an expression of our unity and the last thing we want is someone not singing, no matter what sort of noise he/she is making. If we are one in Christ, then our care goes unconditionally to the one in need, not because it's their particular turn. Similarly in our giving as a common unified expression of our thanks for all that God has done, there's no place for comparisons, jealousy or complaints. Everything from a glass of cold water for one who is thirsty to gifts worth millions of dollars express exactly the same thing. We give what we can, maintaining our unity as each gives cheerfully and generously.

Indeed it's only because of our God-given unity that we can operate in the way that Paul describes, "with all lowliness, meekness, and patience." We serve others celebrating all that we have received and expressing what we have been given, rather than on the condition they one day repay our efforts.

O don't worry Paul knows how easily we can fail, he knows how petty we can become and so he lists one more very important quality "bearing with one another in love." Today, we'd probably say, "putting up with one another in love." But even that becomes not so much a duty or effort we have to make if we are to be unified, but a joyful expression of our God-given unity.

This isn't all we've been given. It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers". Christ's unity isn't uniformity. We are a unit of different individuals; wonderfully different, wonderfully and differently gifted individuals. But even our differences are there so that we can be an even more wonderful unit. These gifts are given for an important purpose, "to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.

Our God has blessed us so generously with everything that's necessary for us to enjoy living at one with him and each other. What a wonderful challenge it is to discover all he has given, and what a joy it is to respond by putting those gifts into operation in all we do.