Ephesians 4: 11-16
11 The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. 14 We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. 15 But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.
Living around Lake Erie means having to deal with wind. Whether that wind is a summer thunderstorm blowing over the water creating huge waves, or an “Alberta Clipper” blowing Lake Effect Snow through the trees and bushes, we know all too well how much the wind can toss things around. We have seen the boats bobbing on the Lake like a cork, we have seen the trees swaying like a Samba dancer, we have seen the branches in the grass and the snow drifted in feet not inches. We know how the wind can make things blow all over the place.
Just as the wind can blow things around, so too can things in this world blow us around spiritually. The wind can blow a boat around on the lake, political leaders and their games can blow people all over the place regarding the issues of the day. The wind can move through the trees threatening to push over or uproot, economic agendas and schemes can threaten to push people into unemployment, uproot retirement accounts, and drop people into poverty. The wind can drift snow and pile leaves, and the Covid-19 virus has piled up hosts of the sick and dead. We live in a world that tosses us around like a rag doll, with political tricks, economic hardships, and hidden viral assassins.
Perhaps then in circumstances when the world tosses us about, the following Word of God is needed: we must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. We can relate to the things that tossed the Ephesians around, because they still do to us, heresies, trickeries, craftiness, deceits, schemes. Are these hardships not today’s politics, economics, medicine, life? But the word that strikes out the most in this passage is the word children. Only children or a better word the immature allow themselves to be blown around by these things. Someone without experience and/or wisdom falls for the traps and games and schemes of the day, whether in religion, politics, or academics.
If the children are tossed about, then the Word says, but speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ. Children grow up and mature into adults with wisdom, experience, and endurance to cope with the problems of the age. But in our case, we are not growing up into wisdom and perseverance in a literal sense, but we are growing up into Christ who is perfect wisdom, experience, and perseverance. The one close to Christ is not tossed about because they are anchored in Christ and can weather the storms blowing around. The closer to Christ, the greater the union and connection, and therefore the greater the storms that can be endured. If we find ourselves tossed around, this might just be evidence we need to grow up into Christ more and more and find our true security and anchorage there.
In order to nurture growth, God through the Spirit of Jesus Christ, has given leaders to his people, the gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. The leader’s task is to nurture growth in their charges until their grow up. This is their God-given calling to help God’s people mature closer and closer into Christ and to greater weather the challenges of the day.
If we find ourselves tossed about by the deceits of “Big-Tech,” or grieved by the political shenanigans of a political party or upset by the Church’s Spiritual direction or lack thereof or laid low by the virus and its complications and losses or scandalized by the divisiveness of violent factions of liberals and conservatives, all this only serves to prove the point: that if we are being tossed around. we have some growing up to do. If we are being blown around, we need to move closer and closer into our collective union with the Spirit of Jesus Christ. This means that as leaders we have callings to fulfill and people to nurture. But it also means that as laity, we have prayers to say, scripture to study, worship to offer God, and service to our neighbors to perform. We all need to grow up into Christ to become more mature. As leaders and disciples let us set our faces to our callings and with love move ever forward to greater maturity in Jesus Christ. Let the world’s wind wail as it may, give me the Grace of God to rest in any day! Amen.
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