Welcome to Tuesday’s podcast.

REFLECTION

Our reading today is Ephesians 4:1-10 but today I will focus verses 2-3:

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

This year, STC’s vision is to ‘Join us in Building Communities…’ Today and tomorrow’s Podcasts tap into the Apostle Paul’s thoughts on building and maintaining good community. One such way, I want to suggest, is by keeping our relationships right. Let me share a short story to illustrate how I have not always got this right…

I was at work, waiting to use the franking machine to send my letters off – I started to moan about a colleague. If I’m honest, this guy got on my nerves.

I dealt with it in my usual way – humour.  She saw through that totally.  My friend simply said this: “Don’t forget Tom, the Bible says ‘bear with one another…’”

Those four words – ‘bear with one another’ pulled me up short.

The truth is this guy had said things that had offended me. I clashed with his sense of humour. Rather than deal with it in a helpful manner I had stewed to such an extent that if he said ‘Good morning’ I’d have thought there was an ulterior motive.

The truth is, I was in the wrong. I wasn’t at peace with my brother. I was harbouring stuff against him.  When I saw him or heard other people talking well of him I would stiffen up inside – which is often a good indicator to me that I need to get right with someone.

In the online world of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, to name a few, if we don’t like someone or their posts / pictures annoy us we can just un-follow them.  We pick and choose who we want in our online lives.

But the Apostle Paul doesn’t give us that option in real life. If we’re going to be serious about building community – there is a strong chance we’ll connect with someone who pushes our buttons or aggravates us.

When I was a University student ‘unity’ was a big buzz word. One could be tempted to think that unity is ‘church together meetings’; agreeing to statements of theological beliefs.

The way we preserve that unity is through keeping what St Paul calls the ‘bond of peace’.

Peace. Shalom. We choose to prefer the other person. We choose to pray God’s blessing – his favour – his peace upon that person.

The vision of New Testament community is all kinds of people: different races, classes, from different places, different backgrounds. Men, women and children. It was to be a new society. A God society. And I think Paul was pragmatic too – he knew well that if you get all those people in a room, then that’s going to kick off.  Hence why he says: ‘Bearing with one another in love…’

Choose to keep the bond of peace with someone.

How do you keep the bond of peace?

I find simply praying for God’s blessing on people. Especially those I find challenging. E.g. for your work colleague or that housemate that never washes up – those that get your under your skin.

That helps you not mentally ‘unfollow’.

Pray blessing on them.

You’ll find as you pray God’s blessing and peace on others your own heart will begin to soften.

PRAYER

Lord, we pray this day that we will be people of blessing and peace.

Amen.

READING: EPHESIANS 4:1-10

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: