Since today is my birthday…I’ll be the first to admit that I am one of those people who love their birthday. Some people dread their birthday, but I love mine! It means a day that is mine to celebrate and when I get presents…what’s not to love? Birthdays were always a big event in my family growing up. My sister and I always had the best birthday cakes, (usually with Disney princesses or weird animals on them) the biggest slumber parties, and the most fun things to do with our friends. I have many fond memories of my birthdays growing up, and I remember thinking that today was all about me, and nothing else could matter, and nothing could go wrong! One birthday I got a wake up call though- I was turning 6 years old, and my parents had a surprise for me- they took me outside to the driveway and unveiled a shiny, pink bicycle complete with one of those bells and a basket up front…any little girl’s dream…and I burst into tears! How could they? I asked myself. I can’t ride that! Even with the training wheels still in tact, this thing looked like the scariest thing I had ever seen. And this memory is now a very famous picture in one of the family photo albums- Jill on her pink birthday bicycle screaming and crying her eyes out- I never knew my face could get so red!
The point of all of this is that that day I realized that even though it is my birthday, that this life is not all about me. There are other people in this world who deserve just as much as I do and that we all have a purpose to serve. And my parents were not trying to torture me with a scary pink big girl bike- they wanted bigger and better things for me. They wanted to teach me how to ride it and pick me up when I scrape my knees and elbows. They wanted me to have the confidence to learn to ride the bike. We would work together so that I could ride it. I wasn’t alone in this world, it didn’t revolve around me and I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself for a change. Of course, it took me many more years to come to this realization- I had to go through the Disney princess stage first! But over time we all learn that we have to share and work together if anything is going to get accomplished. It’s simply part of life.
So we turn to today’s scripture passage, which is actually very simple. The author of Ephesians is probably writing a letter that is meant to be distributed to many churches- a circular letter of sorts. This is a letter that celebrates the author’s vision for the church as a place of reconciliation, a place where differences are put aside, a place where all are unified, a place where all are one in Christ. In our text for today, the author identifies himself as a prisoner of the Lord, probably put in prison for preaching the name of Jesus Christ, which was dangerous business in a world of persecution and division. Nevertheless, he writes to these churches and tells them of his vision and his hopes. He tells them to “lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with humility, gentleness, and patience…making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Then he tells us seven ways in which people of God are united- we are of one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God and Father of all…who is above all, and through all, and in all. One, One, One…seven times he says we are one. One means that we set aside our differences because we are one in Christ. One means that we try to help each other because we are united through one Lord. One means that we build each other up in love because we are of one baptism. And finally, one means that we are called to use our individual gifts give to us by God to strengthen the body of Christ because we have one God and Father of us all who is above all, through all, and in all.
So we get that we are one, but how are we also different? We are told next that each of us is given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift- so all are worthy of grace through Jesus Christ…and then we are told that when Christ ascended (or when he was taken from the earth after his resurrection) he gave gifts to his people. We already know that at Pentecost he gave us the gift of the Holy Spirit which unites us all, but he gave individual gifts as well- for some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers…all to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ. What gift do you identify with? Now some might look at this list and be intimidated. Some might look at it and say, I don’t fit any one of these. And some might look at it and see right where their gift is. I would suggest that this is nowhere near a completed list. I asked the lectionary bible study class this week what they would add to the list, and one of the answers was prayer. One was presence. Someone said that silent leadership is a gift- someone that works behind the scenes. The possibilities are endless, and I believe that this list is a good start. When I learned that I was going to be appointed here as your associate pastor, Diane sent me a package full of old monthly newsletters and worship bulletins. One of the first things I noticed in the monthly newsletters was something typed on the very bottom of the first page in small letters. It said senior pastor: Scott Johnson, associate pastor: the name of the associate, and then…Ministers: all the people of Memorial. I quickly pointed this out to my husband and said, “Look! Here is a church that acknowledges and affirms that all people are ministers! This is a place where all gifts are celebrated and put into use all for the glory of God and building up the body of Christ as the church!” That said to me that Memorial is a place where all are ministers, no matter what gift you bring to the table. You have something to offer. You don’t need a seminary degree to lead and build up a church- just passionate, hard working people who are willing to share their gifts and talents with the world to glorify God’s name. We all have a part to play in building and strengthening the Body of Christ.
It’s amazing what our natural world can teach us about how to live this way. Corey and I went through a period of a few months where all we watched on TV was Meerkat Manor on Animal Planet. We were amazed at these cute little animals in the African desert- they live underground in communities called mobs or clans of anywhere from 20-50 meerkats, they raise each other’s young, they eat mostly insects and small reptiles, and they each have a special gift or job to do to keep the clan alive and thriving. Meerkats hunt and forage in groups with one meerkat, called a sentry, on guard looking for predators while the others hunt for food. At the first sign of any danger, the sentry will alert the group and must be willing to sacrifice itself if necessary. Without the sentry, the meerkats would not survive. Another interesting thing is that meerkat pups are raised by everyone in the clan and are mentored by the older members in the clan who teach them to hunt and what to do with their food, especially eating scorpions without getting stung! They also groom one another, keep each other warm, and shelter each other from all harm. They can also be pretty entertaining to watch!
Or what about ant colonies? There are literally thousands of ants that make up any given colony, and each has a part to play. There is the queen who reproduces, the male ants who aid in reproduction, and the worker ants who build the nest, maintain it, and bring food for storage and nourishment to the colony. Or the fact that ants can carry items 10-50 times heavier than their own body weight- just imagine what a hundred ants could carry! There is strength in numbers, diversity, various gifts and strengths, and yet they have one common goal of survival and maintaining a place to live in community. Not so different than the church that we know and love today.
And of course there is the image of our own human bodies that the author of this letter puts so beautifully in Ephesians- “But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit 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.” We all know that our bodies are miraculous machines- each part of our body, each cell, each vein, each ligament, is crucial to our very being and each piece works together to strengthen, to move, and to function. Our brains and our hearts are so intricate that if one tiny thing goes wrong, things shut down and we know something is wrong. Each tiny or large piece has a function that is vital to our very survival, and one cannot work without the other. And each piece, whether tiny or large, come together to create one strong and healthy human body with each part serving its purpose.
It’s such a simple message…yet one we need to be reminded of often. The church is the body of Christ, and each of us are its members. We need one another. We are one in the Spirit, one in the Lord, one in hope, one in faith, one in our baptism, and one in the God and Father of us all. One, one, one (!) he tells us. One, but yet many. Unified, yet diverse. We are to use the gifts we have been given to build each other up in hope and love and to help one another grow in our relationship with God. If you know of someone struggling, find out how you can help them. If you see a member of your church family grieving, console them. If you know of someone who is ill, offer to help in some way. And if you do nothing else, simply pray. Simply be present. Find out and explore what your gift is. The possibilities are endless, and the list given here is simply a starting point.
Take a look at this picture. (Thanks to a fellow blogger for this!)
It’s a simple picture, yet it has a lot of meaning. One night while we were in seminary, Corey and I got this crazy idea to buy one of those big 1,000 piece puzzles of a Thomas Kincade painting. As we began sorting through the pile of cardboard that were the puzzle pieces, we knew we had quite a task ahead of us. If only one or two pieces were missing at the end, then all of our hard work would be in vain. If all were there, then we would have one beautiful puzzle picture. Sadly, final exams and papers got in the way, and we never finished it. I think the puzzle actually ended up at Goodwill for someone else to finish. So this picture says a lot…the puzzle isn’t finished because a piece is missing. It’s waiting for that one missing piece to complete the big picture. Is it waiting for you? What piece do you bring to complete the picture? Or for you, is this picture symbolic of Jesus Christ being the one piece in all and through all that holds us all together? If so, how can we bring this piece to others who are outside of the picture? Either way you look at this, I invite you to remember that we are many, but we are one in the Spirit and one in Jesus Christ, who calls us to bring our gifts to the table to build and strengthen each other in love, and invites us to continually and perpetually finish the puzzle. Amen.
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