Sermons for the Month
Building Toward Maturity
DATE: August 6th, 2006
SERVICE: Ninth Sunday After Pentecost
TEXT: Ephesians 4:1-16“To all of you Saints here this morning, grace and peace to you from God our Father, from His Son, Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit. AMEN
When I was growing up we had an "office" in our basement. It was not like the home offices of today with compact furniture, a computer and fax machine. Instead, it was comprised of an old wooden dining room table that had three or four leafs in it, an adding machine and a black rotary phone. This is where my Dad "figured jobs", at least that's what he called it. He owned a plumbing and heating company and had an office and storage buildings - otherwise known as "the shop" - away from our home. He went there every day except when he was figuring a job. Then, the blueprints for a hospital, a school or a shopping mall somewhere in the Midwest would be spread out on that table, the spec books would appear and the adding machine would smoke as he added up long columns of figures written on yellow legal pads. He was preparing his "bid" for the job, and disturbing him was most unwise. As I watched all this I gained an early understanding of how a building is constructed, with each contractor - the carpenters, electricians, masons, drywall installers, painters and, of course, plumbing and heating guys - having a part to play in creating the final product. And, when I visited job sites with my Dad I soon realized that for every group there was a "boss" or "job manager" who guided the process, hopefully in a way that contributed to the smooth creation of something out of nothing. Why, you might ask, am I sharing this memory with you? Well, it's because it came to mind as I read the text from Ephesians about building - or building up - the body of Christ. The process is similar, I think, to creating a building. The Apostle Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians that God has gifted people in various areas. In other words, instead of plumbers, electricians and painters there are pastors, teachers and evangelists. Each one provides leadership in his or her specific area of expertise. And, the overall goal of that leader - in the construction world it's the boss or job manager - is to equip the workers for the task of building. In this case it's the Body of Christ, not a school or hospital, that's being constructed. While the goal in the world of construction is to pass state inspection, the goal in building up the Body of Christ is, to put it simply, Christian maturity. One commentator described this maturity as being able to resist anything that would threaten the health and effectiveness of the Body of Christ. Another echoed Paul's words and wrote that maturity is in sight when believers are unified in Jesus, bound together in purpose and strengthened by their personal knowledge of him that is born of experience. To strive for maturity is to strive to be imitators of him, with being fully like him as the goal. Now, there's debate about whether complete maturity is possible in this life; I would tend to say that it is not. But, I also would stress that this building process is constant, and is one in which we do make progress until the day that Jesus returns in glory. It's interesting, though, that the way that happens often is contrary to the means by which progress is made in other arenas. If our goal is to be imitators of Jesus, then a great deal is implied about how we interact in the world, and particularly how we encourage and equip others for the work of ministry. In the book Adventures in Missing the Point by Brian Mclaren and Tony Campolo, which I'll be referring to in this month's sermons, they propose that the church has sometimes missed the point when it comes to leadership. Instead of imitating Jesus, we often imitate the traditional CEO of a corporation, and may in fact find ourselves moving away from rather than toward Christian maturity. So, as we grow together the characteristics that are important, particularly for those who are guiding others (whether it is a group or one person) include determination to reach a common goal, earnestness and compassion. In this "model" of leadership, wisdom and spiritual focus are more important than analysis or possessing the facts. Listening trumps a slick presentation; love for others does not get in the way of leading and detachment is not a value. There's no need to win or to convince, but rather the goal is to dance together. The focus is on joy, not task. Problem solving still has its place, but so does creating new problems, setting new challenges and launching new adventures. Authority comes not from being right, but through admitting it when you are wrong. There is an attitude that all are included, all are seeking and people who are at different places in the journey are nevertheless peers, partners and friends. (1) These are the attitudes and activities that will help us to grow up in every way into Jesus. As I was considering these things I began to wonder what would happen if Christians applied them not just to their interaction in the church, but to their jobs, or their relationships. I have to admit that I do not know how possible this actually is, but what if people went to work each day and decided that the would listen instead of trying to impress? What if, instead of being afraid that getting too close would get in the way of the job, they truly saw people and loved them? What if instead of being compelled to fix something, or to have all the answers - and feeling stressed by that - there was an attitude that people can empower one another with their ideas and suggestions. Could it be that the influence of Jesus would grow, and people would be imitating him perhaps without even realizing it? Now that's an interesting way to build the body of Christ. At the beginning of today's reading from Ephesians Paul urges the new Christian community to lead a life worthy of the calling to which they have been called. Then he speaks of humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another in love, and the goal of maintaining unity and peace. Isn't that what we want for the church, and for the world? So, as we strive to be mature Christians, imitators of Jesus, let us also be careful not to miss the point.
AMEN
(1) Adventures in Missing the Point, Brian D. McLaren and Tony Campolo, Zondervan: Grand Rapids, MI., 2003, pgs. 157-164.