Sermon

Ephesians 4: 2-7
 This week’s focus for the kids was about the church; specifically, THIS church
 And you may ask, “Michaela, what does that mean? That’s such a broad topic?”
 Fear not, for despite the large scope of the phrase “the church”, I have a feeling
that we will all by the conclusion, arrive at a similar desitination. Note that I did
not say, the same destination
 When I talk with people about my church upbringing, I have a difficult time
explaining things
 People my age often have experience with the church in one of two ways
o The have grown up and turned away
o They currently have a church home and have their own preconceived
notions about what my experience was like
 Brief story about my experience in the church
o Was never told, “that’s wrong” or “this is the correct way to think”
o I WAS asked, “why do you think that” or “what led you to that conclusion”
o Never with an air of judgment
o Going to other churches
o Usually welcoming, seldom free thinking
o And this experience has largely shaped how I interact with the world
o Largely a positive thing
o May lead me to be presumptuous about other people’s autonomy in
religion
 Let’s look back at the Ephesians passage
o Talking this week about types of sentences in the second grade class that
I was subbing at
 Interrogative
 Declarative
 Exclamatory
  Imperative
o Passage starts with imperative
 “beg you, lead a life worthy of the calling”
 This is not talking theology”
o Concerned with action, not thought
 To how we are to live a life “worthy of the calling”, we
continue on
 With all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one
another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the
spirit in the bond of peace.
 So the first method “bearing with one another in love” and
“maintaining the bond of peace” start with the words “bearing with”
and “maintaining”
 These words definitely conjure this idea of this labor
intensive
 It’s probably not as easy in practice
 If you’ve read any of the bible before, this is probably not
news to you
o We are to love friends and enemies, as God calls us
to love everyone
o We then end with two declarative thoughts
 There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to the 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 all.
 But each of us was given grace according to the measure of
Christ’s gift.
 Looking at the first thought, there is this definite theme of
cohesion or unity
 In some translations, like the NIV, we actually see the
phrase “Unity of the Spirit”
  However, it is critical to realize the tie of the earlier section,
the imperative, to the later section
o Unity does not mean uniformity
o This is an explanation of the good that comes from
loving one another, friend or foe, as a welcomed
member of the wholly inclusive community of church
o The important aspect of this wholeness, this
cohesion, this unity is the binding nature that love
already provides
o We are not called to be the same
o We are called to be a strong community with the
assistance of our differences
o We are all given the grace as a gift, because Christ
recognizes the strength in DISsimilarity
o We are a stronger community not in spite of our
differences, but because of them
 But why does this matter?
o Well to tie back into my role in this church, I am the children’s intern
o I have the amazing privilege of interacting with the children at the church
on (usually) a biweekly basis
o I get to watch them change and grow
o And most importantly, I get to watch them imitate
o Children love to be see as the individuals that they are, and one of the
ways that they do this is by mimicking adults behaviors, because they
know that this way of behavior often earns them credit in their interactions
with adults (parents, teachers, grocery store workings, pastors, etc…)
 And so I often get to see them imitate the ways that individuals at
this church are able to accept one another in love
 Because I assure you that everybody in the sanctuary has very
different experiences and beliefs, but that every week I see you all
 (especially folks in the first service) be so excited to see their
church family
o And children are able to mimic this inside the church and outside the
church
o And I strongly believe that one of the best ways to share the good news is
to testify with action
 And you all who have been around for a bit know that I like to have an engaging
activity toward the end of the service
 ACTIVITY
 Before you leave today, I want you to look at the chain that you all have made.
Look at the support system that you have surrounding you each an every day.
 I will leave you with a piece of advice given to me by Lee Carlson for continuing
to enact your faith as believers in Christ, both at this church and outside of it

1. Show up
a. Possibly the hardest part, but also ask the least of you
2. After you show up, stand firm
a. Not in your theology, but the way you model yourself as a believer in
Christ
3. And the gel that holds this all together, Love profusely

 Amen