Ephesians 4:1-16
Proper 13 (18) - Year B
Each person is given grace; each given gifts to aid in building the whole body, the whole ministry of G*D in Christ Jesus in Church in All.
A blocking point for these graceful gifts is trickery and craftiness of doctrine taken out of the context of a history movement of doctrine and lifted to idolatry.
So we can deny the grace and gifts of a whole Iraqi people by appealing to the behavior of a limited number of "bad apples." So we can deny the grace and gifts of an individual gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender person by appealing to generalized statements categorically denying their reality.
We can manipulate grace and gifts to fit our biases with so little difficulty. Self-referencing system (idolatry) - thou art me and you and we together.
Grace and gift's great grace and gift come to disburden us of such use of grace and gift.
It is tough being this mature beyond spiritual infancy and this unified beyond imposed unity. And, yet, it is worth it. Rejoice in having this path to follow. "And mark that you do this with humility and discipline - not in fits and starts, but steadily, pouring yourselves out for each other in acts of love, alert at noticing differences [of grace and gift] and quick at mending fences [where grace and gift have been denied]." [The Message, vss 2-3 with additions]
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2003/august2003.html
The politics of the church are always a marvel to behold. What might be this thing called "speaking the truth in love" when so many different gifts are interacting with one another. We might say that the divisions between the people of G*D go back to the gifts given to these same people. In fact, this day our Episcopalian friends are "debating" sexual gifts. Religion is rather unligamented. Evidence? My bias within my caucus within my denomination within my Christianity within my projection of life....
There is a connection here between the gift of creation given and the various responses to it that the earliest of folks used as excuses so they might be seen in the best light. Just how might the various categories of apostles and prophets and evangelists and pastors and teachers not shade the the truth for their own enhancement.
In The United Methodist Church how we do struggle with Local Pastors and Full Elders and all the rest. In local congregations how we do struggle with the various mini-congregations within it, each desiring the best hearing and the ability to set the agenda.
This passage is probably more about maturity than it is about unity. The maturest of of the apostles know about serving rather than being serviced. The same with the other gift categories. New-born and adolescent apostles need to validate their gift by being honored rather than honoring others. The same with the other gift categories.
This is a challenge to the church as the maturest are understanding and the less mature do whatever they can to shift the church to understand them rather than to understand other gifted people. The tendency is to the lowest common denominator. Lord, have mercy on the political life of religion.
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2003/august2003.html
Ephesians 4:1-16
2 Samuel 11:26 - 12:13a or Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15
Psalm 51:1-12 or Psalm 78:23-29
John 6:24-35
Ah, sweet fleshpots! There is nothing sweeter than vain imaginings that something other than a worthy life will satisfy. We look for that "more" in sex and getting what we want through betrayal. We look for that "more" in "the good old days" (that really weren't). We look for that "more" in controlling unanimity using fear of the "other" to keep us in line. We look for that "more" in fullness of stomach and pocketbook.
The John passage in particular is antidote to the prosperity theology so popular these days. Always looking for one more buck, one more sign, these "theologians" continually miss life-bread in the simplicity of living oriented toward deeper meaning. As long as the Ponzi Scheme of prosperity theology holds, folks will give untold dollars for a food that perishes. In short, short-cuts bring us up short and cut us to the quick. There is no slot-machine God who will consistently pay out - it is all a ploy to pay out a little, because we remember that, in order to suck us in further and further -- all the way to bankruptcy.
- - -
our transgression
needing untold mercy
is the violence
to which we will go
to get a full stomach
no matter how we cover it over
sin is connected with violence
this is its ultimate ending place
little by little we accommodate
and fear fear enough to instill fear
a clean heart restores joy
so lacking in short-cuts
that lead to violence
so focus on joy
sustain a willing joy
joy-gifts touch us
deeper than tokens of fear
joy that sees abundance
all around
reveals the lie of violence
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2007_07_01_archive.html
I, a practitioner, invite you toward a life worthy of a calling to humility and gentleness, patient bearing with one another in love, and maintaining a Spirit of unity in bonds of peace. [verses 1-3, edited]
It is those who walk the talk who are able to intentionally model the interconnections between body, spirit, and hope. Whether on the way up (sprouting, birthing) or on the way down (wilting, dying) we have a gift to live out. Whether we do or not is quite another matter.
The gifts we have come to and those yet to come are never quite categorical. In fact they usually are in the process of breaking categories. Without crossing lines our gifts are no more life-giving than only talking holy happy talk. We are called to take a long view, not like children seeing everything through the lens of their stage of life. A part of this long view is speaking love truthfully and growing up as did Jesus, with an eye on G*D's presence with every ligament of creation. Wherever those two ways of living come together, we have the high calling of "practitioner of life".
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2009_07_01_archive.html
“Make captivity a captive.” This reversal of fortune is key in every story worth the telling and hearing. It is the journey we are on toward some larger wholeness or maturity. It is a changed relationship to ourselves and the world around us that reveals a loyal opposition to our desires and social discrimination.
When we wrestle with that which holds us captive we discover gifts aplenty within that had been tamped down through self-censorship and peer pressure. Gifts here reveal our part in building up a context that will be healthy for others as well as ourselves.
It is these various gifts that we yearn for and eventually allow to come forth. Until they begin to bloom and blossom, we find our desires running away from our own better judgment and behaviors subject to all manner of crafty, deceitful scheming of others.
Without our gifts being engaged we continue to fall apart. With our gifts engaged in growing and maturing we are bound together, stronger.
Claim your gift and simply engage its implementation. In this we live our version of Jesus and other heroines and heroes.
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2012/08/ephesians-41-16.html