Sunday, August 5, 2018

“Unity, Not Uniformity” (Ephesians 4:1-16)


Recently our daughter, Candace, asked about bibles.  She was wanting to start reading the bible and was looking for her parents’ opinion—after all, we are clergy and we should know these things.  There seem to so many different bibles to choose from . . . how does one answer that question?  Yet, when we get down to the essentials, there is only one bible . . . but, there are many translations.  When I say, “ice cream”, what pops into your mind?  There are a lot of flavors of ice cream . . . even more than Baskin and Robins 31 flavors . . . and, I think I am safe in assuming that all of us did not think of the same flavor.  It is the same with the bible . . . there are lots of translations.

For worship services we use the New International Version . . . that is what is in our pews.  Yet, when we have our study group before worship, there are a variety of translations being used.  Some like the New Revised Standard Version . . . others like the King James Version . . . there is also the popular Today’s English Version or what we call the Good News Bible . . . there are paraphrases like the Living Bible and the more modern The Message.  It seems that everyone has his or her preference for the bible.  No one bible is the definitive bible when it comes to the followers of faith.  Everyone chooses what works for them . . . what catches their fancy.  Everyone has his or her favorite translation.  Some are from conservative theologians, others are from liberal theologians, and everything in-between.

So, which is the translation of the bible that is the best . . . the one we should all be using?  Our daughter wanted to know, and so did other inquiring minds.  My response to Candace was simple: “The one that you like the best . . . that is the bible for you.”  My wife, on the other hand offered some good advice to our daughter . . . do your homework before you choose . . . and, then, pick the bible that works best for you.

It is a lousy assumption on the part of any clergy to assume that those who are sitting in the pews are using the same bible as he or she is preaching from.  I don’t assume that.  Each week we hear the scripture reading from the same bible that sits in the pews of our church.  It is upon this translation that I base my sermons.  When I encourage ourselves to open up to the Word as it is read from the pulpit, it is there that the message comes from.  If nothing else, at least we try to start from the same place . . . but, I am not stupid, I can see people out there in the pews reading the bibles that they brought from home.

So, what does this all mean?

It means that we are all different.  It means that our relationships with God are all different . . . and, why shouldn’t they be?  We are all created as unique and special creations in the image of God . . . we are all different and we experience God through Jesus differently.  And, because we are different, why should any of us be like anyone else?  We are different.  We are diverse and unique as the snowflakes that fall in the winter . . . so, why would anyone think that we would be the same in our lives, thoughts, or faith?

Last week, the Apostle Paul addressed the issue of whether the Gentiles should be allowed into the fellowship of Jesus’ followers, and if they were, how would they be allowed in . . . would they have to become Jewish first?  Of course, Paul’s argument was, “No!”  The Gentiles were to be allowed to join the fellowship just as they were . . . no conversion to Judaism . . . no circumcision . . . and, they weren’t expected to act Jewish.  They were to come into the fellowship just as they were.

This morning, he continues this train of thought.

I think for us to understand what the apostle is talking about, we need to understand that through faith we do not receive an “product” . . . no, what we receive is a “process”.  Faith is a “process” that works towards the will of God.  Therefore, Paul encourages . . . no, challenges . . . the faithful “to live a life worthy of the calling you received.”  The gift from God is not a prize at the end, but the process that gets us there.  There is one goal . . . God’s will . . . or as he states it: “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—one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”  Thus, the goal of the faithful is unity, not uniformity.  Together, with our diversity, we become one.  Way back in the day, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) had the slogan, “Unity in our diversity.”  Being able to do this is a sign of spiritual maturity.

Paul acknowledges that God gifts everyone with certain gifts . . . “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teacher . . .”  Over in his letters to the church in Corinth we see him expound on this even more.  What the apostle is telling us is that God gifts us all with different gifts . . . we all have gifts from the Spirit to use in our lives.  Together we constitute the body of Christ . . . “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”

Surprisingly, the apostle preaches unity, not uniformity.  Uniformity is a cookie cutter faith in which all the faithful look like copies of each other.  With uniformity the faithful act and speak the same . . . there is no room for differences . . . everyone must be the same.  It is the only way to survive.  Paul says this is impossible . . . impossible because none of us are created the same.  To deny who God created us to be is to defeat the purpose of God’s will.  If God had wanted us to be the same, God would have created us the same.  Instead God created us as unique and different individuals with specific gifts to be used in our lives to work towards God’s will.  We are different, yet we all have the same purpose . . . the same goal . . . to do God’s will in our lives.

As the faithful . . . as the followers of Jesus . . . we need to recognize and accept that none of our journeys with Jesus is the same.  We are all different in how we relate to Jesus and to God.  We are diverse . . . we are unique.  Because we are diverse as a people of faith, we need to hear the words of the apostle this morning as he calls for the faithful to respect those differences and to work together towards the common goal of doing God’s will.  In this the apostle states that the sign of spiritual maturity is the working together in one purpose . . . one goal . . . one God.  He wants the faithful to discover the unity that comes from diversity.  For the Apostle Paul there is the recognition that the growth of faith comes in the differences.

One of my favorite jokes is about two University of Montana football players that come hooting and hollering into a bar telling the bartender to give drinks to everyone in the house . . . they were celebrating.  The bartender asked what they were celebrating.  One of the guys tells the bartender that they had just finished a puzzle.  On the box it said six to eight years and they had completed it in six months.

Now, I am not much of a puzzle person . . . especially when you are talking hundreds of pieces . . . but, I appreciate this idea of the Apostle Paul calling for unity in diversity . . . calling for the faithful, for the followers of Jesus, to accept it and figure out how it all works together—how the puzzle pieces fit—to bring about God’s will.  God’s will of one family as created by God.  The pieces do fit . . . each unique, special, and different piece serves a purpose . . . to be one. 

That is the challenge before us as the followers of Jesus . . . unity, not uniformity.  In unity we are of a like mind in the purpose of doing God’s will even though we might not be of a like mind as to how that will might be done.  Therein lies the challenge . . . the sign of spiritual maturity.  How do we become one though we are many without losing who God created us to be?  We do so by remembering that there are many parts of the body that makes it one . . . or as the apostle states: “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”  And, we remember that it is love . . . love that makes a difference.  May we all discover such love.  Amen.

No comments:

Post a Comment