Devotional Messages

DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE

Ephesians 4:15-16 – Speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the 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. (NRSV)

The fourth chapter of Ephesians is one of my favorite scriptural portrayals of the church.  It contains many powerful truths about the church, in both beautiful language and somewhat graphic imagery.  I don’t think of the word “ligament” as a particularly “biblical” sounding word, do you?  But that’s one of the reasons I like this passage so much; it doesn’t pretend that the church is always an ethereal vision of harmony and peace.  It recognizes that it’s often harder than that.  Paul knew the church was made up of human beings.

So if we’re going to use these oddly biological metaphors, let’s do it!  What are the ligaments our church is equipped with, which join and knit us together?  How do they help us grow up into Christ?  How do they help us build the body up in love?

The most important ligament is being together.  Whether it’s in Sunday worship, Disciples Class, or another church event, your presence – our presence together, physically and online – is what makes us a community.  Our participation in these gatherings both helps us as individuals “grow up into Christ” and builds the body up in love.  Another vital ligament is our prayer chain and the broader sharing of prayer concerns; you could call this our spiritual presence with one another.  Those who have been held by our prayers have no doubt that this ligament knits us together.

Other ligaments are as mundane as actual ligaments.  The various ways we have to communicate with one another as a church family are important ligaments.  This email, our Facebook page, announcements in the bulletin and in worship, sign-up sheets on clipboards in Bailey Hall, the monthly newsletter, texts from the pastor – can you think of any others?  Our communications cover a wide variety of topics, from the spiritual (like sermons or devotional messages) to the detail-oriented (like reminders of what to bring to the potluck).  But if you’re not reading them or listening to them, you’re in danger of suffering from a torn ligament.  And torn ligaments can cause as much pain in the body of Christ as they do in our own bodies!

Another “worldly” ligament that holds the church together is our shared practice of the spiritual discipline of stewardship.  Dedicating a portion of our resources to share with God’s church is an important way to “grow up into Christ”.  Joining others in the ritual of giving thanks by putting something from your pocket into the offering plate is a way of building up the church in love.

There are a lot of ligaments that hold a church together.  I’d be interested to hear some of the ones you’ve noticed.  Let’s make sure we stretch and strengthen all of them, so the part of the body of Christ that is Vista La Mesa Christian Church can continue to be built up in love!