Day Thirty-two – Blogger’s Choice (Homily on Ephesians 4:1-6)

A Great Gift for Your Priest!

Homily on Ephesians 4:1-6

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

One of the reasons I love St. Paul’s epistles is that he is providing guidance to parishes that are struggling to be Christ to the world. This is what we are trying to do, and while I and the lay leaders of this parish try to serve you well here at St. Michael’s, letters like this one to the community at Ephesus were written by a saint – a status to which we aspire but still fall woefully short.  St. Paul’s epistles contain practical advice to real communities.

So what advice does he give to us today?

Be gentle and long-suffering, protecting the bond that we share in peace.

How do we do when we measure ourselves against this standard? Are we patient in every circumstance? How gentle are we?  Have we  sacrificed ourselves to protect the peace of our fellowship? I suspect that if we are honest we will have to admit that our score on these is mixed; some good, some bad.

• When the situation was favorable for patience, meaning that we had gotten enough sleep, eaten well, the commute was favorable, work wasn’t too stressful, and our family was doing just fine, thank you; then we generally reacted to the challenge of the moment with gentleness…as long as the enormity of that challenge was not too great. This is us when we are at our best. This is who we like to think we really are.

• But when the situation was not so favorable for patience, meaning that we hadn’t slept or eaten well, the commute was full of inconsiderate jerks, our workload was completely over the top, family members have been acting all manner of crazy, and the moment was delivering a huge pile of more than anyone can handle; then we did not suffer well and our reactions were not so gentle. When that happens, the bond of peace that is meant to keep us together feels much more like a noose (the comedian Bill Engvall joked that there is a big difference between bonding with someone and being stuck with them!). We like to think that this isn’t really who we are; that “the devil made us do it”; or if not the devil, then just too much stress.

But should our peace be dependent on what is happening around us? One of the graces of the life in Christ is that we can have His peace no matter what the world throws at us. Is it easier to change all the jerk drivers on I-95 into paragons of consideration, or is it easier to bring rationality and calm to the one sitting in our own driver’s seat?

The Image of the Monkey playing the cymbal.

One of my favorite toys is that monkey with the funny outfit and cymbals. [I saw a real monkey playing the cymbals and dancing to the accordion once in Monterey Bay. That was really cool.] You know the toy I am talking about: you push the button and the money starts clanging his cymbals. Turn it off and he stops. Every time you push the button, he plays the cymbal.  On-play.  Off-stop.  On-play.  Off-stop.  On-play.  Off-stop.

We are like that toy monkey. Life has put all kind of buttons all over us. Push this one and we cry, push this other one and we get angry, push another one and we feel compassion, push this other one and we get depressed. Lots of buttons and lots of reactions. You know it’s true.

But is that who we really are? Is that really who we want to be, a marionette manipulated by chance and the whims of others? Do we really want to be like that toy monkey with the cymbals?

We need to disconnect those buttons so we can be human. So we can be patient. So we can love.

The image of the monkey takes on even greater significance in light of 1 Corinthians 13:1: Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. No matter how good we sound and what kind of actions we take, if they are not motivated by anything other than charity – to include the pushing of the “right” buttons – then they are just spiritual noise.

If we can disconnect those buttons, we can become what the situation requires; we can be the “I AM” to the moment that needs God’s blessing.

Orthopraxis; prayer, tithing, selfless service, repentance, and worship; disconnects those buttons and allows us to react to every moment the way love requires. Yes, it’s hard work; but what is the alternative? A life as puppet on a string? A life held hostage to the manipulation of a fallen world? That is no life. Christ brings life and liberation.

Embrace Him and be free… free to love.