Devotional Messages

DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE

Ephesians 4:15-16 – 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. (NRSV)

This lovely run-on sentence is the conclusion of our theme scripture for the “Handle with Care!” Pentecost sermon series that we’ve been moving through over the past five weeks.  The “handle with care” reference was a nod to the fire of the Holy Spirit, but also an acknowledgement that part of the reason we must strive for spiritual maturity in congregations is because we’re always dealing with other beloved children of God, and like us, those fellow humans are more fragile than we look.  We do need to take care in our interactions with one another.  We never know what past hurts someone is carrying in their heart and soul, and how those stories might color their experience of how we treat them.

But the body imagery here matters too.  In a sense, our Service of Installation this Sunday is a celebration of the “ligaments with which [our congregation] is equipped.”  When we use the body of Christ metaphor, we usually talk about ears or eyes or hands – the more obvious body parts.  But without those ligaments – the sometimes invisible, background work – the whole thing could fall apart!  Our service of installation asks each lay leader to be a part of the body that is “working properly” by inviting their commitment, not just to the work, but to the spiritual disciplines that undergird that work and their own spiritual health.

Finally, I think it’s important to note that these verses connect two important things: truth and love.  We cannot build the body up in love if we are not committed to being truthful with one another.  But telling the truth can be done in various ways.  These verses invite us to do so with compassion, because otherwise, our words can cause damage instead, even if they are honest.

I hope that you have enjoyed and benefitted from our time with this passage from Ephesians.  It has long been a formative passage for me, in terms of my understanding of how church should work.  As we move into a new ministry year and the future God is setting before us, let us hold onto these ideals, so that we can follow Jesus more faithfully, together!