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Keeping The Peace
Sermon by Rev. Sarah Buteux
for Sunday, August 19, 2001
Scripture: (Old Testament) Ephesians 4:1-16
, (New Testament) Ecclesiastes 9:1-18
Before I begin, I would just like to say how nice it is to be here
with all of you. It is a great gift to have the opportunity to stand
before you this morning, and I want to reciprocate in some way. I want to
communicate a sermon that will encourage you and help you, because you are
a small group of people with a lot on your plate. So two weeks ago, after I
received Lar's e-mail about coming up sometime in August, I sat down and I
prayed that the Lord would show me some truth from which we would all
benefit this morning. He led me to Ephesians chapter 4. Why Ephesians?
Well, Ephesians was a general letter that Paul wrote from prison to
churches around Asia Minor. It is a letter intended to travel from one
community to the next, much the same way Johnny Appleseed passed the
writings of Emanuel Swedenborg around the Early American frontier. The
title "Ephesians" was affixed because that is where the letter was
eventually found. According to the introduction in the Revised Standard
Bible, the theme of the entire letter is "God's eternal purpose in
establishing and completing the universal church of Jesus Christ" (Intro
RSV). It is a letter written to a diverse group of people who have been
drawn together by God to grow his church against seemingly insurmountable
odds. I must say that something about that description reminded me of you.
So let me begin by first briefly outlining my approach. In verses
7-13, (you will note that I am actually starting us out in the middle,)
Paul tells us that Christ has a job for each of us - some essential
position that we are called, and gifted, to fulfill in order that the
whole body, that is, the whole church, can function properly. In verses
1-6, he tells us how we should comport ourselves when we are at work, doing
our part for the church. And in the last few verses, he concludes with the
benefits we receive from being a part of this whole process. So, lest
there be any confusion about where I am going with all of this, we are
going to start in the middle this morning, return to the beginning, and
then, as Prince Humperdink so eloquently put it in that eternal classic,
The Princess Bride, "skip to the end".
To the middle then: Ephesians 4:7-13
But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned
it. This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his
train and gave gifts to men." (What does he "ascended mean except that he
also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very
one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole
universe.)
Let me stop there. If all of that sounds like a mouthful, it is. There's
a whole sermon packed in those few words that I'm not going to touch this
morning. Instead I'm going to refer you to the Swedenborgian cliff note
version we have in our affirmation of faith. For verses 8 and 9, read -
"he overcame the hells and so delivered man". Simply put, that is why
Christ has the authority to apportion out gifts to all of us.
So let's try that again. "But to each one of us grace has been
given as Christ apportioned it. (Christ, " who overcame the hells and so
delivered man"). It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be
prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to
prepare God's people for works of service, (Now, it doesn't say this, but
Paul could just have easily continued with: some to chair committees,
organize potlucks, arrange for visiting ministers, write grants, prepare
the communion table, read the scepter, greet people at the door, etc.) He
gave these gifts of service, "so that the body of Christ might be built up
until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the son of
God and become mature, attaining to the full measure of the fullness of
Christ."
Okay, let's stop there for a moment. There are three ideas that I would
like to point out - some from scripture and some from my own observation..
Point 1- According to Paul, each person has a function that fits into the
larger whole, so that the whole body can keep running. Everyone sitting
here this morning has been called by Christ to contribute to the overall
survival of this community in some way. And in keeping with that call we
have been gifted in some unique way. We each have a talent necessary to
this church's growth and well-being.
Point 2 - If we take a step back from scripture and look around, we see
that this is a small church, with all the responsibilities of a big one.
There is much to do around here and not a whole lot of people to do it.
But looking around this morning I can see that each one of us has responded
to this call of Christ in some way. I know all of you, and I know how much
you do. I believe that Christ has called us. How else can we explain our
presence here, and our willingness to sacrifice our time and energy for
this little church, each other, and the ideas that flow from the Writings.
Christ has called us, and we have each, in our own way, said "[H]ere I am
Lord, send me".
Point 3- If we have responded, and I think everyone here has, it is not
just our minds that have answered the call; it is our hearts also. We all
sit here this morning, each and every one of us who has in some way
contributed to the running of this church, because we have allowed our
hearts in some small measure to fall in love. I stand before you this
morning because my love of Christ has led me to fall in love with this
church as well. I stand before you strong in that love, but also very
vulnerable.
The hidden message that radiated from these verses when I read
them was that we need to be very careful with one another. Our hearts are
strong, but easily wounded. Unity is essential to the church. Each person
contributing in their own way is necessary for the church's growth and
survival. But with all of our hearts so deeply committed and so close to
the surface, you can see that we have the potential, not only for great
joy, but also great pain. How do we find the strength, the will, and the
way, to maintain true unity? Unity of purpose and unity of spirit?
We do so by first and foremost, taking care of one another. Christ has
called us and we have responded with our hearts, minds, and souls.
Therefore we need to take good care of one another. As members of one
body, we need to encouraging one another in the roles Christ has
apportioned and we have accepted. How do we do this? Well, for insight
into that, we return, as promised, to the beginning - vs. 1-6.
Part II: The Beginning - Ephesians 4:1-6
Paul says, "As a prisoner for the Lord then, 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. There is one body and
one Spirit- just as you were called to one hope, when you were called -
one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over
all, and through all and in all.
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
How?
Well, in these six verses there are 4 qualities, humbleness,
patience, gentleness and love, 4 qualities we can strive for that maintain
unity. And there are seven foundation stones - one body, one spirit, one
hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all - that we
can build on. Today I would like to focus on the first, and for me, at
least, the hardest.
Humility.
It is so hard to be humble, especially when there is so much at stake, and
deep down you feel that you know what needs to be done and how it can best
be accomplished.
As a teenager I read a book called The Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer, in
which he talks at great length about humility. I set out to practice
humility, thinking it to be the most valuable of virtues. I even found
myself at one point in my self- reflection to have succeeded and instantly
became so proud at my apparent success that my preceding humility was
instantly dashed to pieces. And so I gave up. I realized that you can't
try and be humble; it doesn't work like that. Humility, the ability to be
humble with regard to oneself and others, is a gift of God we can only
receive. It is not a tendency or a virtue we can manufacture from our own
resources. Tozer refers to humility as meekness, and he contrasts it with
the burden of pride. In The Pursuit of God , Tozer writes:
"The Labor of self-love is a heavy one indeed. Think for yourself whether
much of your sorrow has not arisen from someone speaking slightingly of
you. . . . The heart's fierce effort to protect itself from every slight,
to shield its touchy honor from the bad opinion of friend and enemy, will
never let the mind have rest. . . .Yet the sons of earth are carrying this
burden continually, challenging every word spoken against them, cringing
under every criticism, smarting under every fancied slight, tossing
sleepless if another is preferred before them.
Such a burden as this is not necessary to bear. Jesus calls us to
His rest, and meekness is His method. The meek man cares not at all who is
greater than he, for he has long ago decided that the esteem of the world
is not worth the effort. He develops toward himself a kindly sense of
humor and learns to say, "Oh, so you have been overlooked? They have placed
someone else before you? They have whispered that you are pretty small
stuff after all? And now you feel hurt because the world is saying about
you all the very things you have been saying about yourself? Only
yesterday you were telling God you were nothing. . .where is you
consistency? Come on, humble yourself, and cease to care what men think."
But meekness is not self-abasement. Tozer continues:
"The meek man is not a mouse afflicted with his own sense of inferiority.
Ratherhe has stopped being fooled about himself. He has accepted God's
estimate of his own life. He knows he is as weak and helpless as God has
declared him to be, but, paradoxically, he knows at the same time that he
is, in the sight of God, more important than the angels. In himself,
nothing; in God, everything. That is his motto. He knows well that the
world will never see him as God sees him, and he has stopped caring. . .
.As he walks on in meekness he will be happy to let God defend him. The
old struggle to defend himself is over. He has found the peace that
meekness brings."
Meekness . . . humility. . . the idea that in myself I am nothing but in
God I am everything - it is a state of the heart that God will grant us if
we ask. An almost Buddhist detachment of the desire to be first in all
things. In order to live and function as a whole community - one that can
keep unity of spirit through a bond of peace - we need to treat one
another, and receive one another, in a state of humility. We also need to
be gentle and patient with one another. For the sake of time I will not
elaborate on these other virtues. I think they are somewhat more
self-explanatory than humility, and I think that once God has brought us to
a place of humility we will find that patience and gentleness flow quite
naturally.
But I do want to point out that there are two ways to view this
need to be humble, gentle, and patient in our community. These qualities
are not just descriptions of the attitudes we should maintain in our
treatment of each other; they are also descriptions of the way we should
respond to how others treat us.
What do I mean by this? I mean that I should not only be humble or gentle
or patient when I approach you with an idea, but I should receive your
ideas with humility, gentleness, and patience as well. So the rules are to
be good to one another, but if someone breaks the rules and comes across as
overbearing, harsh, or impatient, we need not respond in kind, but with a
redoubled effort to be humble, gentle, and patient. I think ultimately,
that this is what it means to bear with one another in love.
In order to live a life worthy of the calling we have received, we
need to ask that God would make us humble, patient, gentle and loving.
Unity of spirit does not come easily. These are simple words, basic ideas,
but they are difficult to master. And there are times when our best
intentions will fail us. Humility, patience, these will slip from our
grasp. Our hearts will grow silent. But hopefully at these times, are
minds will remember. In vs. 4-6 Paul reminds us that, "There is one body
and one Spirit- just as you were called to one hope, when you were called
- one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over
all, and through all and in all".
Ultimately, when we take a step back from our task, or take a time
out from our disagreements, or just stop to rest and reflect, we can
remember that we are all in this for the same reason Remember, when you
are tired, frustrated, or discouraged, we are all in this because our Lord
has called us and we have responded out of love. Remember this when you
look at your neighbor and his way of doing things seems wrong, or her ideas
seem just plain silly. Bear with one another in love, because we are all
doing the best we can for the very same reason. Ultimately we are all at
work around here because we all love the Lord and his church.
And now for the conclusion. If we accept the roles Christ has
offered us with all our heart, soul, and mind, and recognize that those
around us have done likewise, and we care for one in another in all
humility, gentleness, patience, and love-- then turning back to scripture,
we read in Ephesians 1:14-16:
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the
waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the
cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead,
speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is
the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body joined and held
together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love,
as each part does its work.
According to these verses, if we live peaceably in unity we will a)
be strongly rooted in the truth and b) more importantly, we will know what
it is to speak the truth in love. Before I draw this to a close I want to
highlight this one verse in particular. Verse 15 is my favorite verse in
all of Ephesians. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all
things grow up into him who is the head, that is, Christ. My friends, it
takes courage, clear thinking, and conviction to speak the truth, but it
takes love to express it in such a way that it can be heard with
understanding and without pain. To speak the truth in love is to
understand and live out what it is to be a Christian, to be a little
Christ. Keep this in mind the next time you speak with one another. It is
okay and necessary to confront issues within the church, to encourage one
another, and to speak out when we feel the Lord is moving us to do so, but
when we do, I pray that we would do so in love.
Taking the truths to heart in these verses gives us a picture of what it
would mean to be joined and held together by Christ, through Christ, and in
Christ. By being here and by functioning as a loving and productive part
of this community, we will not only have fellowship with one another; but
if we stop and take it all in, we will have fellowship with the Lord as
well. We are not only part of one church body, we become a living,
breathing, integral part of the body of Christ. I think that puts the
responsibility of planning the next church breakfast in a new, more
luminous light.
Let us pray:
Dear Lord Jesus,
You have called us into your service and we have responded, but
Lord, there are times when the work seems so overwhelming. There are times
when we lose patience with one another, and even with you Lord. There is
so much to be done and sometimes it seems that there are simply too few of
us. Lord give us courage and help us to heed the advice of your servant
Paul in all of this. Help us to be humble, gentle, and patient. Help us
in all things to bear with one another in love. Even when we can find very
little love for one another, help us to realize that it is our love for you
that ultimately binds us together. Help us to love one another as you have
loved us. We give you thanks for the many ways you have given us to serve
you and serve one another. We pray for the strength, the grace, and the
love, to meet the challenges you have placed before us. May you be
glorified in all that we do.
Amen
Copyright 2001 by Rev. Sarah Buteux
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