Joined and knit together

I have been reflecting on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians of late and particularly chapter 4. My focus has been on the role and responsibilities of leaders within the church as I seek to bring a more regional style of ministry to the church in this region. However, once I got past our task to ‘equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the Body of Christ’; I then dallied on the rest of this magnificent picture of the church. Challenging – but magnificent!

Paul uses some great nouns in this chapter: humility, gentleness, patience, unity, truth, kindness, forgiveness. How many of those did you tick?

He uses a lot of ones. One body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith one baptism, one God; Unity was really big for Paul. It was big for Jesus also:

My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. John 17

My quote in the first paragraph was incomplete and it goes on to paint what Paul saw as the ultimate goal of the church: ‘..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. That was Paul’s goal, but he was no blind optimist: 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.’ Here is a Pastor/colleague who sees what might be but is ever aware of what is.

I have often said that I see one of my key roles as being that of defining reality. Everybody else has a go at it, so surely those who believe that we are created in the image of God are entitled to enter into the debate? Paul builds on the image of a body ‘joined and knit together’ that has each part contributing to the whole as it builds itself up in love. This might be the moment when you take a little ‘dream moment’ and reflect on what that could look like for you, your faith community and the world.

We have just survived yet another election here in New South Wales. These events bring language very much into focus for me. We hear different words at these times: factions is a popular word, and we hear that some are left or right of centre, wet or dry, conservative, labour, green and so many other shades or interest group. You don’t hear ‘joined and knit together’ all that much?!

I love Paul’s touch of irony: You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus.

There are truly delicious pictures here! I have no idea why people would opt for a bland, lifeless, formalized – can I toss in anaemic – faith, when an offer such as this is on the table?

You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts,and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.

I don’t know, it’s got me beat. We are offered this amazing gift and sometimes we might stop for a while and ponder; but too often, our response is, ‘Nah! Thanks all the same. I’m cool.’

Paul begins this chapter by begging his audience to take seriously their call to faith and he ends it superbly:

Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.

Thanks Paul. If no one else reads this bit of trifle today; the exercise of reflection in the midst of a busy day has done my heart good.