The List Comes Up Short

Text: Ephesians 5:1-2 (4:25-5:2)

Focus: Simply Christian

Function: To help people embrace grace.

Form: Story Telling

Intro: I was recently asked by a friend for some help with a devotional for High School youth at a COB work camp she is leading this week.

She had a pretty good devotional, it centered on Jesus and Jesus' command to take up our crosses and follow him.

I agree, young people, especially youth, need to be inspired, not coddled. I prefer work camps and service projects to fun events. I liked the mix that Camp Brethren Heights had. It was spiritual the entire week. Even the recreation was born out of our study of the Holy Spirit. And it was affirming.

And the questions asked in the devotional guide that this friend of mine shared with me reminded me of how I often felt during my childhood and Christian upbringing.

Most often, I felt ashamed.

I had a lot of doubts. A lot of things just didn't add up. Faith was not simple and I was the kid who heard from the Sunday School Teacher, and from my own parents after the teacher talked to them after class -often, that I really asked good questions.

One time, I was frightened by the teachers comment because I didn't have the idiomatic reference in my mind about the phrase: “Devil's advocate.”

I was afraid that I was demon possessed! And, there was no way to Google the expression to see if I was over reacting!

My mom calmed me down right away be explaining that it is an expression where we take the other side of an issue just to ferret out any inconsistencies with the thesis.

And, I got worse at it than better. In my early teen years, I memorized Matthew, Romans and 1 Corinthians. And my dad was recovering from a heart attack, so his preaching was often sporadic guest appearances at churches in the area.

And after the sermon, he had to face me with my questions and corrections for him.

And I still didn't stop. In Seminary, I was showing off my knowledge of Matthew during a class on said book and the professor finally, in exasperation, interrupted me and said: “Ummm, Phil, you do realize that I read the book as well?”

My desperation showed up in pride. But it didn't feel like pride to me. To me, it was desperation.

I kept thinking that if I learn more of this book, somehow, I will never doubt again.

I still doubt.

But guess what? I don't doubt the simple things like this: “God is Love.” “God loves us.” “God is.”

God made it simple, “love Me by loving others.”

Let me repeat that, say it with me: Love Me by loving others.

As I mentioned Friday, the opposite of faith is not doubt, it is fear.

God's salvation brings us into that place of rest and trust.

Every time I feel fear, I pray, because that is where I know the Evil one is attacking me and sometimes, he attacks all of us by attacking just one of us.

Now, our Church Denomination has people who pray for us and seek to learn what God is saying to the Churches in this day, in this place, and at this time.

And they discern the lectionary text and choose one to emphasize in worship.

Although we only read Ephesians 5:1-2 in the reading for today, the entire text is Chapter 4:25-5:2.

And they emphasized an important command: verses 29: “²⁹Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.

Only say what builds up.

Man do we all need to hear that! Amen?

Let me just read for you the entirety of verses 25-34 in Chapter 4, it is great stuff!

²⁵So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. (expose)

²⁶Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, ²⁷and do not make room for the devil. (expose)

²⁸Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy. (expose)

²⁹Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear.

³⁰And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. (expose)

³¹Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, (expose)

³²and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. (expose)

This is a great list of stuff to preach about!

I can think of at least one of my Seminary professors pursing his lips in disapproval if I didn't plan to preach each one of those concepts per week with a clever title like: “Rules for a New Life” as it is stated in the New Revised Standard Version.

This stuff is gripping (do the Tony Compolo head bowed, hands grasping gesture).

It is. I especially like “put off bitterness, wrath and anger...” Oh God! I always have to remind myself to do that and I am grateful that the woman I love loves me enough to show it to me. (mouth “thank you” to Kathy)

Oh, my heart longs for this list to be completely true in my own life. My heart aches for the days when the Church is known as the people who put off bitterness, wrath, anger, malice, slander and fighting.

I want that to be our legacy. I want that to be my legacy. And I admit, the times I fall away from that ideal are not the times that I doubt, no, it is fear that drives people to violate those convictions.

It is a great list.

But I realize, as I advised my friend who was preparing devotions for senior high youth this week when I said to her: “I always avoid any message that shames my listener. And doubly so with youth.”

Now, I realize that I have just projected my own issues into the way I do ministry.

Others may be able to do it without doing harm. I simply remember the harm.

The list comes up short of one thing.

And, before you think I just said that the bible isn't complete here, I didn't. I am that the lectionary text crosses chapter lines to include the commands in verses 25-32 with the principle defined in Chapter 5:1-2.

The list comes up short simply because there is an unfortunate chapter break. Remember, the chapters and verses were not in the original. This is just taken from a letter that Paul sent to the Church in Ephesus.

The list is summarized in verses 1-2 of Chapter 5. ¹Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, ²and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

We know that because it starts with “Therefore.”

We read Chapter 4's end to see what the “therefore” is “there for.”

Because of this list, brother Paul is saying: “love like God loves.” In context of the passage, Be imitators of God means “love like God loves.” It is a passage about love.

And then he re-states it -more simply- this way: “live in love.”

We are imitating God when we live in love.

The list is not shorter, it is just more simple to discern when it is considered in the manner: “Live in love.”

And then, Paul adds a caveat to the simple message: “Live in love.”

Paul says, “live sacrificially in love, like Jesus.”

Put it together. When I think of God's love, I remember this perfect loving parent. The Black Woman described as what we have traditionally called “The Father” in the trinity is in my opinion one of the best descriptions of the separate roles of the trinity I have ever read.

God, the one of the Throne that Jesus stands next to in the book of Revelation is probably best understood in the concept of “Unconditional love.”

And I would add a great big period right there. Everything else is secondary.

But the text also reminds us of something more than unconditional love. It reminds us of sacrificial love.”

Love goes beyond the convenience times when we are feeling charity towards others. Nope, love sometimes, maybe even for a season oftentimes, includes personal sacrifice.

I love this principle here and it is explained in detail in Philippians 2: ⁶who, though He was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, ⁷but emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form,⁸He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death—even death on a cross.

And again, I fall short and I, we, are all surrounded by this God who loves us.

So let us make it simple, live in love.