UNITY. IN JESUS CHRIST
Ephogian 4:1-7,1i-To
Auyubt 26, 1973

| Edmund Steimle, professor at Union Theological Seminary and well known preacher tells
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about the time he was preaching in a University chapel. | He wag talking about the idea of
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God's absence in the Bible, and the way that idea has gained new currency in the theology

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of the twentieth century. | suddenly, a student spoke up from the congregation, his voice

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loud and clear:| "This is a lot of nonsense. God is very much alive and present.\ This man

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is a false prophet." Steimle answered the student, and in telling the story observes that
| "Fron that point on, he had never had such an attentive congregation in his lite)

The point is that most preaching is a one-way-street.\ A monolo uel, You can't question

object - just risten\ And, while some preaching is brilliant, literate, inspiring, and other

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preaching is dull, unintelligent and boring, if it is only a monologue, a matter of one man

talking and a lot of people listening, it is not really preaching.

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The more I do it, the more i am convinced that at the point of the sermon some of our more

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important theological assumptions come into play. \ God, we assume - uses the discipline of

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preaching to address his people.\And that's a rather big assumption. [What the Presbyter‘an

tradition adds to it is that the people - the ones listening to a sermon are part of the

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process.\ God's word comes alive where people do more than Listens| when they wrestle with the
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to happen. \ We've tried to program that on occassion. | I've met with small groups for the pus-
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pos@ of feed back and discussion\, On several summer Sunday's we've had discussions of sermon

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. preacher: \when his words provoke their thinking:| when, that is, some kind of dialogue begins
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ideas here in the sanctuary.| Beyond that, it is my intent to allow the concerns I hear you

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expressing inform me as I prepare weekly. |The importance of that formal and informal dialogue

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was emphasized again as I preached to a congregation of strangers for ten weeks. Being a

guest preacher is rather fin 17 allows the man to pull out his best without worring about

next Sunday. And it allows the dubious freedom of ignowance about the concerns of the

particular people he may be addressing on a particular sunday.\But meaningful preaching, I
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continue to believe, depends on dialogues| good, bad, or_mediocre, the act of sermonizing
can become the vehicle God uses to address you and me as we bend our shoulders to the wheel -
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together.

All that by way of introduction to a sermon that will be a little different. | You have

the text in front of you.\ I propose that we build a sermon together - by examining the text

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RATHER CAREFULLY, BY me suggesting some implications the text has suggested, and then by you
drawing your own conclusions - even to the point of writing them down in the space alloted.
After the service you may take the japer home and continue working or writing. OR, IF YOU
have some ideas that you would like to share with me, leave them on the table in the back.
And in the meantime, 1'11 be preaching my sermon to you.

Fist, let's look at Ephesians. Before examining a particular text it's always helpful
to know a little bit about the document from which it has been extracted. {It appears in the
New Testament under the title "The Letter of Paul to the Ephesians" - that is a personal docu-
ment, written by St. Paul while he was in prison in Rome _/the Christian people in Ephesus -
where he had earlier lived for two years.

And right away we have a problem. Thequestion of authorship, to whom it was written
and for what purpose have long intrigued New Testament scholars.

For starters, Ephesians includes a very highly developed theological system, unlike any
of Paul's other writing. In addition word studies have revealed the use of a startling number

of terms that are used no where else in Paul's writings. And while there is nothing conclusive
“Rew vsveth, wrete. tre

. . . - * Cad ath. stl
in either of these observations the question of readershp presented itself. In the pro ass”

in Galation - Corinthians - for instance - he mentioned people by name, referred knowledgably

to the problem in question and generally wrote frankly and intimately. Ephesians has none of
this ~ a strange phenomenun/that Paul knew these people probably better than any other - in that
he had lived with them for two years.

So, it has been proposed that the letter was written later, by a Christian whose thought
had been informed by Paul's letters; written as a preface or introduction to the collected
letters of Paul - for the purpose of circulating them throughout all the churches in Asia.

Now, that information probably never inspiried anyone - but it’s the kind of thing that
preceeds the study of a particular text. Time doesn't allow us this morning to read the
entire letter, so the next approach to the text is to get some handle on its general, over-
arching theme.

The theme of Ephesians is this: "God is uniting all thing in Jesus Christ".

Paul, the theologian saw brokeness, alienation, separation as the fundamental human

problem. Men are broken between flesh and spirit: a war rages in every human heart - in

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Paul's words - between what I know I should be - and what, in fact, I am.

The human family is broken - in Paul's world most dramatically in terms of Jesus and
Gentiles. And finally, all men are separated from God: the relationship built into the very
nature of things has been broken by human arrogance, pride and sin.

Ehhesians addresses all three. In Jesus Christ men are brought into a state of wholeness
and peace. The old man dies and a new being is born. In Christ men are brought back into
a state of unity with each other: all the oid barriers and divisions between Jew and Gentile
slave and freeman are broken down. And finally, in Christ - the relationship between God
and man is heated. God himself has come across the divide.

But Jesus Christ - the one who has done all this healing is no longer here. And so
Ephesians holds up the instruement for this continuing process of reconciliation as the church -
the Body of Christ.

Two obsarvations about the theme of the letter: -irst: it attempts ~ as no other document
in the New Testamanet to Define God's untimate purpose - what he's about - and the answer it
presents - is the bringing together of all things in creation - in a state of wholeness,
peace and unity. Second, Ephesians moves dramatically away from the earlier idea that the
day of judgement is immanent - with the obvious outcome that a lot of folks aren't going to
be in the fold - to a new idea - namely that God's work of reconciliation happens in the con-
text of eternity - with the corresponding possibility that everyone will make it.

At this point we've learned a little bit about, Ephesians as literature and theology -
and we're ready to look at the text itself" Une o or fundamental rules of sermon writing
is never to let your exegesis show: exegesis is the disciplined study of a text. It ought
to be there - but the people ought not to be aware of it. Well, this morning since you're
going to write your own sermon, the exegesis will be totally exposed.

As we look at the text the word "therefore" alerts us that the writer has just changed
gears. The first three chapters have been theology ~ the expfication of Gad's gracious plan
for creation. But now we're going to wee” ae! on the particul” ethical meanings -implied
in all that has gone before.

The text, as you have it, leaves out three verses, which are actually an “astde" - im-
portant - but not really related to the logical flow in the agrument. Three major categories

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emerge immediately: a plea for unity in the Church: the formation of that unity: and the

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way unity may be achieved.

A very quick exegesis picks up the following: and jou'll have to follow this carefully -
or - i fear - become rather bored.

"Prisoner for the Lord" - is better translated "in the Lord", and holds up the idea, so

essential for Paul, that theft is a mystical unity between Christ and his people.
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The calling to which you were called ~- means that God has assigned all Christians to

play a part in the fulfilling of God's vast design for the universe.

The qualities f that life are then listed: loveliness ~- meekness - that is, the opposite
of arrogant self assertion.

Patience - i.e. long suffering; not just of pain, but the determined refusal to give up
hope in the midst of trying circumstances. While the world is becoming cynical about the
future ~ in 50 A.D. or 1973 A.D. - Christians are the hopeful people because they know God's
ultinte kX purpose.

Forebearing one another in love - comes across passively -as easy tolerance. It really

means assertive, agressive, healing concern for each other. Notice that the emphasis here and
throughout is within the Christian community.

Eager to maintain the Unity of the spirit - isn't strong enough: the Greek means

“blazing zeal". And the implication is that my imparment of unity within the Church is an
impairment of the Church's usefulness.

Aiso there is no division here between spiritual and functional unity. The early
Christians wouldn't have understood that idea at all - or its comtemporary step child that
allows us to affirm our oneness with the Leutherans, Baptists and Catholics and then compete
against them for new members.

The foundation of unity_is poetically asserted by way of a seven fold formula. One body

one spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God. The dews began with the
oneness of God. The Taw begins "Hear, 0 israel, the Lowd your God is one..." God's oneness
js the foundation of human oneness.

Faith is the jnward disposition of the heart. Baptism is the outward sign by which we are

joined in one Lord and thus to each other.

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And then - another intriguing about face.\ We are one in Christ, but our unity is not

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uniformaty. In fact unity is serv ed by our diversity "Grace was given to each of us".

The means for achieving unity are those diverse gifts Christ gives to his church.¢ And
the list differs from another catalogue in Corinthians. This one refleds a church that is
settling in and leatwing to take care of itself, instead of waiting for thes immanent judgement
day. Evangelists, pastors, teachers are permanent functions. And their purpose is to

- equip the saints ~ the people

- the tied Sninistry - "deaconing" the Greek reads, serving

- and building up the body, RERRNGLAIRGYXSWAXAMKMLAREX ERE strengthening and Ruiein

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This section is corporate throughout - even our pronoungs ~ and our individualistic way

nuturing the church.

of thinking don't ordimrily allow ie wWenhood - "Maturity" is not an individual goal, but a
corporate achieveentn.| "We all” doesn't mean that we will achieve our maturity?’ bot that we
do it corporately, together: some may be more mature than others, but what matters is that
the Body come of age - the church.
The opposite of maturity is the erratic flippancy of childhood, following first this
fad and then that one.
And finally - Christ himself energizes the body. He lives and moves and has being in it.
Now - where are you? If you've stayed with me you're ready to write a sermon | You're

ready to apply your perception of the world, your faith, your mind - tem the words of the

Bible = and draw some conclusions. \ And it is here - at this point - that words have the

potential of becomeing God's Word to us in our situation.
My conclusions from all that has gone before are two in nurtbr: land by the wy sermons
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don't have to have three points.
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First - I'm provoked by this idea that God js in the of unifying: \that he doesn't

intend for us to be divided, isolated and alienated \ that at the top of his agenda for his

creation is that we sak should - in the vernacular - be getting it together.

I don't think its possible fo read that - think about it for very long - and then feel

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comfortable with a religion that cultivates divisiveness. \ God is in the business of healing

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us: |he wants us to feel at home - at peace with ourselves - with our bodies, our minds, our

gifts. | I think this idea gives us a clear criteria for judging what is valid religion and what

is invalid | Does it build up? \ does it bring together rather than divide? | Does it reconcile

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and rea? [ow ; the going can get a little rough here - because the Church, for centuries,
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salved its conscience on the race issue - by not wanting to provoke conflict. | And so we have to w

work that through. | But the criteris. is there: will it contribute to God's plan of unity.

I don't think its possible to accept the idea without then taking a fresh look at
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what's happening in our community ~ our nation { think the idea forces us to confront con-
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cepts that may, at first be distastful - like World Community, the United Nations.
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In any cage - that's the first direction in which I am pushed by the text.
Second, the high view of the Church as the appointed_instrument of unity in the world -

but also a living, breathing organism intrigues me. We are currently at the end of a period

of time in the American Church during which our responsibilities in the world have received

a lot of attention, I'm glad I was a minister _of the church during that period: \it was and

is - painful, difficult and trying:\for some it has been dangerous\ But the Church as an
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active agent of change in the world - 1 think - was reborn inthe past decade. sometimes:.

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we forget that the Church is not the Ubiquitous "they" out there - but us - and thousands
of congregations like us. And what we have on our hands here is a living, breathing thing

that needs loving, and nuturing, and caring for and building up. \ The work of ministry
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is located keak - between people. ANWRAHECIKIIRRERRKAHY Serving begins here - between people.

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And we aren't ever going to help unify God's creation - until we experience and celebrate
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our unity in Christ right here - in this church.

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That work of ministry ~ that concrete love of people for each other - not because

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they are mutually compatible and like the same color of paint on the walls ~ but because

jn Christ they share a common Lord - i@ our work here \ It is what we have for each other.| It
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is what we have for a community and world that is inclined to forget how to love people.

bs aml alata lire ial

One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of us ail.

I hope this has been helpfl. Perhaps even fun. May God - use it - and speak to us

through it. AMEN

Father we ak have opened the page. We have brought our abilities of examining to the
words. Speak to us. Enliven our minds and spirits: and grant us courage to be jour people.

Through sus Christ our Lord. AMEN