South Hill UMC

Accessorizing – that’s the image from the preaching notes that we might work with this week. The author of Ephesians wants us to realize that we are not left without resources as we seek to be made into disciples and to make disciples.

The Ephesians text talks about the times being evil, and it is often hard to argue about the brokenness of the world around us. But haranguing what we identify as societal ills will not likely lead to an experience of gratitude. Certainly, the kin-dom we proclaim is not yet fully here, which is what the author of Ephesians is warning readers about. Yet we can see glimpses of that reality around us if we begin to pay attention and call out what is right in our world, what is reflective of God’s grace and kin-dom living. Even more is the call to be the sign of God’s grace in the world, to be the example that living by kin-dom values is not only possible but preferable to the values of a broken world. This is how we give thanks at all times, by living our gratitude each and every day.

The text begins with a call to be people of the truth. “Putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors . . .” (Eph. 4:25) We often read such a verse and think it must be talking about some deep, profound truth, like Jesus Christ is Lord! And it is that, but not only that. It is truth in general. In a world so caught up in lies and deceit, to be committed to the truth – because we follow one who said of himself “I am the truth” – is to be countercultural in a profound way.

To declare that there is a life worthy of the gospel is to claim that there is a life that isn’t. There are choices to be made in how we live out our faith. And some of those choices reveal whether we are indeed “rooted and grounded in love” or not.

The only way we can know something as deep and as profound as the love of God that we experience through the grace of Christ is through the witness of the church. How do you understand any one’s love? By living it, by sharing it, by talking about it.

We are called to be peacemakers, which isn’t about sitting back and feeling good about ourselves. It is about walking where Christ walked in and among the people.

The God who has blessed us in every way – that’s what we’re celebrating; that’s what we are testifying to. So, how do we celebrate such a gift? By telling our story and our stories. Who can help the whole congregation celebrate being blessed? Who can tell their stories in a way that lifts everyone up? Maybe it is the story of beginning when you first said yes to Jesus. Maybe it is a recent blessing, something that reminded you that you were precious in God’s sight. Share those stories, so that all have an opportunity to reflect on how blessed they are.

Discipleship begins with relationship. With whom are we willing to be in relationship? Who is included in our understanding of bone and flesh? Who is “us” in a world of “us” and “them”? Worship on this day can be about drawing the circle as wide as possible – to acknowledge our common kinship through the Spirit. Let there be less of a nation of boasting and more of a nation striving to be the light on the hill, the shining example of the kin-dom of heaven on earth.

Worship this week is about growing into the new creation that we are called to be in Christ. Jesus told stories. And some of them weren’t even stories, but metaphors, or images. They were hints of stories, glimpses of something just out of reach. We need stories to help us see what living as a disciple is like. We tell our stories, and we tell stories of others as examples of a faithful life.

Jesus went home and found a disturbing environment. Sometimes the place we think will renew us does the opposite and becomes draining. Those we thought were on our side turn out to be against us. It happens in families and in communities both. How do we reinterpret the beloved community of faith? What does it mean to be one family in God?