Relationship, Relationships, Relationships


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Ephesians 4:1-6

 Commune
Communion
Community

What do these words have in common?  They all are about relationships.

Commune:  to feel a close spiritual relationship with someone or something.
Communion:  a communal, shared spiritual experience.
Community:  a group of individuals connected through shared interests, core beliefs, purpose and in the case of the Church, the unifying spirit of Christ's love.
 Aesop told this fable:

A certain father had a family of sons, who were forever quarreling among themselves. No words he could say did the least good, so he cast about in his mind for some very striking example that should make them see that discord would lead them to misfortune.
One day when the quarreling had been much more violent than usual and each of the Sons was moping in a surly manner, he asked one of them to bring him a bundle of sticks. Then handing the bundle to each of his Sons in turn he told them to try to break it. But although each one tried his best, none was able to do so.
The Father then untied the bundle and gave the sticks to his Sons to break one by one. This they did very easily.
Like many churches today, the church in Ephesus and else where had to deal with hot-button issues that caused disagreements and arguments in the church.  Some said that in order to become a Christian, one must first become a Jew.  There were arguments over which teacher they should follow, and as gentile believers struggled with being Christian in a pagan culture, different groups who thought they and they alone had the only solution arose.

No wonder Paul opens the chapter with this admonishment:   "I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 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."

 The community of faith is like the bundle of sticks tied together by a cord in Aesop's fable.  As individuals, we are unified by our core belief of oneness:

  • One body.
  • One Spirit.
  • One calling to salvation and to the mission of God.
  • One faith.
  • One baptism.
  • One God and Father of all, who is above all, through all and in all.
And the cord that gives us as the church strength and power is love.  Not human love, because human love is prone to fail.  It is the love we find in the new commandment of John 15:12.  "This is my commandment," says Jesus to his disciples through the ages, " that you love one another as I have loved you.

The love of Christ never fails, never falls short.  It is unconditional.  Christ loves us sacrificially with kindness, patience and forgiveness.  He sees and encourages the best in us, and even when we turn away, continues to love us.  When we love and support one another like that, than I believe we are living a life worthy of our calling that glorifies God and lifts up Christ.  I also believe that one of our greatest witnesses is the Christ-like quality of the love and caring we have for one another.

It sounds like an overwhelming task, but here's the good news.  Each commandment comes with Christ's promise to be with us and empower us to live out that commandment in our lives.

“My Sons,” said the Father, “do you not see how certain it is that if you agree with each other and help each other, it will be impossible for your enemies to injure you? But if you are divided among yourselves, you will be no stronger than a single stick in that bundle.   As long as the bundle stays bound together, you will remain united and strong.”
As long as we keep the main thing the main thing and stay bound together by Christ's love, we will remain united and strong, no matter what challenges we face as the church.







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