Voice Box: August 2009

This is the text of the sermon I preached today at the Xalt services at The Church at Mill Run.

THE HINGE

The first half of Ephesians could fill your head like helium. You are adopted, destined, chosen, made alive, given power, given hope, given an inheritance that fills the universe – you are poema, God’s masterpiece, a work of art! Do you feel your head getting bigger and bigger? The first half of Ephesians tells us who we are in Christ. And it’s big news. And it’s good news.

Now in the second half of Ephesians, the Apostle Paul calls us, begs us, urges us to live that large life in principled and practical ways. And I’ll be honest, as we spend the month of August walking through chapters 4, 5, and 6, the helium that filled our heads in the first three chapters will be checked and balanced by the humility of leading a life worthy of that calling. In these three chapters, we’ll deal with unity and purpose in the midst of distraction and division, we’ll look at the damaging and destructive features of an old way of life – we’ll look at things like the way we talk, the way we use our bodies, and our family relationships – we’ll look at the messes we make of these God given mysteries and how we should live to honor Christ. And as we do, we’ll be always reminded of who we are in Christ, and invited to live that way, the way of Jesus.

So here we are at chapter 4, verse 1, swinging on the hinge of the book of Ephesians – making this transition from talking about who we are to talking about how we live. In what we’ve just heard read, Paul is talking mostly about unity. A word that’s often misunderstood and definitely hard to define. What we encounter here is that unity is a wonderful thing: there is a wonder to unity. Unity takes work. And that unity is heavy, there is weight to unity.

THE WONDER OF UNITY

Unity is a wonderful thing. It is, at its best moments, even an indescribable thing. And somehow we know that it’s what we were created for. We weren’t created to be at odds with each other, with God, even ourselves. We were created to be in unity – in harmony – in community. The wonder of unity reveals itself when people are moving in the same direction, walking to the same rhythm.

The Book of Psalms has a section called the Psalms of Ascent. These are 15 songs that the ancient Hebrews sang as they went up to Jerusalem for the major religious holidays throughout the year. So, walking the same direction, stepping in rhythm, singing in harmony, they would sing this. This is Psalm 133.

How very good and pleasant it is
   when kindred live together in unity!
²It is like the precious oil on the head,
   running down upon the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
   running down over the collar of his robes.
³It is like the dew of Hermon,
   which falls on the mountains of Zion                                                                                For there the Lord ordained his blessing,                                                                                    life for evermore.

Using language straight from the creation account in Genesis 1, this song tells us how very good it is when we live together in unity. It uses the image of the ancient version of a shower and a shave – oil on the head, running down upon the beard, and over the collar – and it uses an image from nature – dew on Mount Hermon and Mount Zion. Just as a majestic mountain and a refreshing bath are vibrant and healthy, it is vibrant and healthy when people live together in unity. After all, it’s what we were created.

But it’s not easy. Enemies threaten to divide us. And so Paul tells us the seven ways God has provided to keep us stepping in the same direction, keep us singing the same song. There is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God. One body – this is the community of Christ, local and global, throughout history and right now. This is the church. One Spirit – this is God’s Holy Spirit that is with us, giving life to us and our community. One hope – this is the glorious future of God’s reign. One Lord – this recognizes the supremacy of Christ. Once a year everyone in the Roman Empire had to appear before magistrates to burn a pinch of incense to the godhead of Caesar and to say: 'Caesar is Lord.' To say, instead, that Jesus is Lord, is a serious commitment that builds unity among the body. One faith – this is the knowledge that informs our commitment to Christ as Lord. One baptism – this is our public identity as sons and daughters of God. And one God – one God who is over all, though all, and in all.

These things keep us together, keep us singing the songs of ascent as we climb together. I visited a small village, Kepetoe, in the eastern region of Ghana a few years ago. As we arrived, a group of drummers and singers, decked out in beautiful, colorful costumes, met us at the base of the hill on which the town was built. They began singing and dancing their way up the hill. They invited us to join and we kind of shambled along behind them – not looking as pretty as they looked. But then one of the older men in the village, named Moses, grabbed me over the shoulder and taught me the steps. He and I stepped and laughed, the whole time holding on to each other’s shoulders. When we got to the top of the hill – after 15 or 20 minutes of this procession – an elder in the village told us that this is an ancient ritual that means, ‘now we are no longer strangers.’

Once we were strangers – estranged from God and at odds with each other – but God gave us a song and steps to keep us moving in the same direction. This is one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God. This is the wonder of unity.

THE WORK OF UNITY

Moses had to teach me the steps to make it up the hill in Kepetoe. I had to learn the drumming and dancing style of the Eve people in eastern Ghana. The young Israelite children singing the songs of ascent on the way to Jerusalem had to learn the songs and learn the way from those who had been there before. This is the work of unity – that there are people to guide and direct us on the way.

In verses 7 and 8, we’re told that Christ gives grace to each of us according to his measure, and that Christ gives gifts to the people. Now this isn’t talking about something wrapped with a bow and a gift receipt in the card. This isn’t even talking about gifting the way we might refer to a particular person being more or less talented or important than another. In verse 11, it says ‘the gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers.’ The gifts are people, they are leaders who guide us. The apostles are those who, with their own eyes, had seen Jesus after he rose from the dead. They saw and believed and shared resurrection life. Prophets are those who are bold and unashamed and their words guide people with the authority of God. Evangelists are literally ‘people who tell good news.’ What a great way to be known! I want to be known as someone who always has good news to share. Pastors and teachers are more familiar to us. Pastors care for people, look after them like a shepherd looks after sheep. Teachers give us the knowledge that builds our faith.

Christ calls us to unity and gives us people to guide us along the way. And these people, these leaders are expected to fulfill a goal. It’s not based on ROI, or the bottom line, or standardized tests, or a cost-benefit analysis. It’s not even based on how many people come to your church or buy your book or name their children after you. Gifted leaders are those who equip people to serve God, each other, and the world – and as a result, we see the body grow into maturity and unity – this is the test of a leader’s gifts. And this is the work of unity.

THE WEIGHT OF UNITY

Ephesians is one of the letters that Paul writes while he was on house arrest in Rome. He refers to himself a couple times as a prisoner. En route to Rome for his detention and trial, he was shipwrecked. The story is told in Acts 27. It says

When a moderate south wind began to blow, they thought they could achieve their purpose; so they weighed anchor and began to sail past Crete, close to the shore. ¹⁴But soon a violent wind, called the northeaster, rushed down from Crete. Since the ship was caught and could not be turned with its head to the wind, we gave way to it and were driven. ¹⁶By running under the lee of a small island called Cauda we were scarcely able to get the ship’s boat under control. ¹⁷After hoisting it up they took measures to undergird the ship; then, fearing that they would run on the Syrtis, they lowered the sea-anchor and so were driven. ¹⁸We were being pounded by the storm so violently that on the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard, ¹⁹and on the third day with their own hands they threw the ship’s tackle overboard. ²⁰When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest raged, all hope of our being saved was at last abandoned.

I’ve never experienced a shipwreck. I’ve been through some tropical storms when we lived in Virginia, but never a hurricane. But I know that the sea and the wind and the rain have power. It’s when storms like this rage that we especially need those things that keep us moving the same direction, and those gifts that guide us. There are so many influences that try to throw us around – like, as the text says, children tossed to and fro and blown about.

A friend of ours in Virginia named Fred the Dog tied himself to a tree during Hurricane Isabel. Fred did a lot of crazy things – some inspiring, some frightening. But he tied himself to a tree during a hurricane so he could see the power of the storm – so he could see the tempest rage. He picked the right tree and lived to tell me about it. Fred didn’t get blown around by the storm. But other stuff did – debris took to the air – if it was light enough, and if it wasn’t secure, it was gone or damaged.

When storms that threaten our unity come along… when forces attempt to destroy the wonder and work of our life together, we need something heavier than the wind to keep us centered. Christ is the weight that keeps us together, the weight that is heavier than the storm and the winds. Paul compares ‘the measure of the full stature of Christ’ – a powerful and mature and purposed – and heavy – image – to that of little, lightweight, and immature children being blown around in circles. Instead of being blown around, we’re tied tightly to Christ and then, it says in verses 15 and 16, the body will ‘grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knitted 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.’

When we’re grounded by the gravity of Christ, our body grows and builds and is held together, our body matures and keeps moving in the same direction. When we’re held in place by the weight of Christ, we experience the wonder of unity.

A BOLD WAY TO PRAY

Moments before he went out to the garden where he would be betrayed, Jesus prayed this prayer in John 17: I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me through their message. I pray that they may be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me.

So what would it look like if Jesus’ prayer for unity was answered in your life? In your home? In our community? In this city? On this planet? I pray that they may be one.