August 12, 2012
Rev. Mark R. Miller
Ephesians 4:25-5:1
“What is a Christian Life?”
My
first reading of the passage this week left me with one distinct thought. Clearly, Paul never lived through an election
cycle. How could he with the call for no
falsehood, slander, bitterness, wrath, malice, and anger? Add to this his call that instead of prison
we give criminals jobs so that they can support the needy. It is not very likely this would be part of
any platform for any candidate who expected to win.
The
more I thought about this, the more I assumed the sermon would focus on just
such things. There would have been some comment, or even diatribe, about
corporate executives and other robber barons that function like Robin Hood in
reverse on steroids. Imagine for a
moment if those same folks spent a little time working with their hands and
then giving the fruits of those labors to support the needy? Would that not, in fact, be a better example
of how a Christian nation functions?
I will say that as I wrote
that sermon there was a lot to say. It would have also said something about the
falsehoods spread about people of other faiths and the power of speech that leads
to the shooting of Sikhs in Minnesota or the burning of Mosques in Joplin, MO
or Nashville, TN. That sermon would have
been a call to make powerful stands against the growing hate and hate filled
language that is tearing at the very fabric of our society. However, that is not where the sermon is
going today. The more I thought about
it, the more I realized that such a sermon might actually lead us into a self-righteous
posture. Or, having heard, it might lead
us to believe we have done all we need to do as good followers of Jesus. But despite my initial inclinations for that
sermon, this text really is not about those people out there.
The
letter to the Ephesians was written to a community of Jesus’ followers as a
communal ethic. It was not written as a
prophetic text against the abuses of society.
Instead, it was intended to be a teaching tool. It was intended to enable and encourage
Christians to grow up and grow deeper in their faith. This passage and this book are about the
disciplines and practices of the Christian life. And at the heart of it is the basic assertion
that faith is not about mental assent but following Jesus, imitating him, in
speech and action.
The practices
in this passage begin with our words.
Put away falsehood, or as we might say in church circles, put away all
gossip. And why would we say that? Well, falsehood, or gossip, is really just
tied to unresolved anger and even feelings of personal insecurities. And because we have been doing it so long
many times we are not even aware that is what happening. What do I mean? Have you ever thought any of the
following: Why are we doing that?
How can they wear something like
that to church? I do not know how
they could think that? How could he say that? Can you believe? Even if these questions do not ever come out
of our mouths, they are toxin to our spirits when we think them. Often, these are questions come to us in the guise
of, “how people are supposed to act.”
But in reality, they reveal our judgmental natures, our personal
insecurities and even unresolved anger.
If people
have a different view of the world or understanding of how to live out their
faith it can lead us to question our own.
And if we are not secure enough to live and let live we will begin to
see different as simply wrong. In its
more toxic form, particularly when we are at odds with another person,
everything they say or do will be perceived as wrong by us. In the end we put them under a microscope and
tearing them to shreds over everything they do.
In its worse form we begin to look for allies in our anger which is
where the gossip rears its head. And
this type of behavior leads to factions and infighting and left unchallenged
and unchecked will eventually tear a community apart. This is not unique to our community, or the
larger Christian community, it is part of the human sinful nature. And the sad part is that this very thing can even
exist under the guise that we are all getting along just fine. And this is exactly why Paul addresses anger
and ties it to falsehood. Gossip is
really just unresolved anger at peoples and actions that are different from our
personal experiences. And this is why
there is the repeated call for love.
Love keeps us from needing everyone to act and think like we do. Love will help us learn that those who are
different do not need to be reformed.
Speak truth to our neighbors for we are all members of
each other. It is a powerful theological statement but it
is not what you might think. We know the
language of being part of the body of Christ.
However, the language here goes beyond the community and the body of
Christ. The assertion is that we are all
tied together whether we are part of the faith community or not. There is an assumption of a social
network. In other words, the community
is connected and our participation is essential. However, before Paul sends the Ephesians out
into the world to practice this, he reminds them that it has to be happening in
the community. We will not speak truth
in love, we will not put away falsehood and gossip, and we will not deal with
our anger well ‘out there’ if we refuse to practice this in the community of
faith.
In a
time when anger is at a premium in our society, we need to learn how to deal
with our own anger. I know that this is
a loving community that values getting along and working by consensus. Those are good and important values. But I also know that we cannot live with
people in community or worship in a community long, before anger comes into
play. We might be more comfortable using
the words disagreement or minor frustration, but I prefer not to mince
words. Eventually someone is going to do
something that makes us angry, particularly those we love. Paul even gives us permission. “Get angry.”
It is all right, anger is not a sin.
Get
angry but do not sin. And that is the
hard part. It is easier to nurse a
grudge or to bury anger and decide to disengage because someone has hurt
us. But reconciliation in Jesus Christ
means more. We are members of one
another, which means that we have to figure a way through the anger. It does not mean giving in with your words
but not in heart, but it does mean being vulnerable and caring enough about
others and the ministry of this church to risk getting angry and then figuring
out how to navigate the anger with love and justice. It is hard work, but that is the calling of a
disciple.
Even
as I say this, the trouble with anger is that we cannot share our anger until there
is a safe space to honor it. What I mean
is that, until folks feel safe to say to each other, brother or sister, you
hurt me when you did this, or when you said that, and know they will not be
dismissed with a, “that was not my intention,” then no one will come
forward. Instead, when faced with
someone who is willing to share their anger, our response needs to be, whether
it was our intention or not, to listen and not get defensive. To say, ‘oh, wow, I am sorry that you were
hurt by that.’ Or, how can we figure this out? Or, is there another way for me
to say this or do that, so I do not hurt you or cause offense? When this happens, true community begins to
flourish. This is what the message of
reconciliation is about. And that is why
Paul says we have to practice it in here because it is not easy.
This
passage from Ephesians is not simply a way to live a more moral life. It is not about learning to be nice. It is about growing up in our faith. Last week, I mentioned that in Greek rhetoric
we needed to be on the lookout for the “therefore.” The ‘therefore’ this week comes in a
different way. In the last passage the
therefore took a long conversation on theology and moved it into practical
application. This week, the reverse is
true. The therefore this week says that
all our practice of reconciliation, all our practice of not lying and not harboring
anger is a sign of our faith in Jesus Christ.
Therefore, be imitators of God, as
beloved children, live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us,
a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Being a
Christian, and offering a witness to the world means imitating the ways of God
that we have come to know in Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, our name, our witness with our neighbors is abysmal. The Christian witness is one of division, scandal;
abuse, pettiness, and worse, hatred towards those not like us. When I was a child, I learned a song about
unity where the refrain was simple… They
will know we are Christians by our love… that can only happen when we are
practicing our love in here. Which leads
me to ask the really hard questions…How are our relationships with one
another? Where are we in need of
reconciliation, where are we in need of dealing with our anger? This is what it means to live a Christian
life…it begins right here. Amen? Amen!
No comments:
Post a Comment