“Living God’s Grace” 2014
1 Thess. 2:5-12 Eph. 4:1-6, 11-16

1 Thess. 2:5-12
As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed; nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ. But we were gentle among you, like a nurse tenderly caring for her own children. So deeply do we care for you that we are determined to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you have become very dear to us. You remember our labor and toil, brothers and sisters; we worked night and day, so that we might not burden any of you while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how pure, upright, and blameless our conduct was toward you believers. As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

Eph. 4:1-6, 11-16
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. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. 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. 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. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 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.

When someone decides to try-out and join a sports team, usually
it is not so they can sit on the bench and wait out the season.
When you give a well-chosen gift or exquisite present to someone,
don’t you hope they will eagerly open it, use it, and enjoy it?

Why did you become a Christian, join the church & become a member?
What is God’s plan and purpose, and what do you think
God wants you to be doing with your life right now?
What do you think Jesus would say about you,
about how God’s grace and blessing are affecting your life?

When it it’s all said and done,
surely we want to be part of making a difference in the world,
and do more than just take up room and accumulate stuff.
Don’t we all want to leave this world at least a little bit better?

That’s the point we read in both Ephesians and 1st Thessalonians:
lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called
lead a life worthy of God who calls you.

The passage from Ephesians helps us understand what that means.

The first 3 chapters of Ephesians, focus on God’s gracious love,
on what Jesus has accomplished for us and for the world,
along with God’s purpose and call
for all humanity to walk in faithfulness with Him.
Then the rest of the letter of Ephesians
is about the implications of God’s love, and how
we are to live out God’s grace, that gift and truth …

… or as we read, vs. 1, 7
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, … each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift.

The author is writing about the unity in Christ we all share,
and our gifts given by God for the mission of the Church.
That means that we are part of something greater than ourselves,
and our call to participate and serve in a faith-community
is for the sake of the whole, and for the glory of God…

… and as we, individually, grow deeper in our own faith-walk,
the church collectively, grows more effective and faithful.

Several months ago, the Session suggested a series of sermons
focusing on what Scripture teaches about spiritual gifts.

Surely God has poured out His grace on us, and on this church,
the question is, what we to do with God’s gifts and blessings.

Is it enough to sit back passively as spectators or hoarders,
or does God expect us to move forward, to more effectively
share and spread God’s gifts and blessings with others?

As I read and studied the texts this week, an image came to mind,
of a church I used to see between Manteo and Kitty Hawk,
along the Outer Banks along the North Carolina coast…
… that was built in the shape of a large boat.
I also reminisced
about some long nights spent working on a shrimp boat.

Though we don’t see
many shrimp boats or cruise ships here in Las Cruces,
a large fishing boat or a ship are wonderful images,
* and provide a terrific metaphor for describing the Church.

For example, on any boat or ship, the captain is always
in charge with unquestioned authority and power to lead,
just as Jesus is always head of the Church.

And members of the Church are like members of the ship’s crew,
in that we all have different skills and responsibilities,
yet we are bound together to serve together as one crew…
… vs. 4-6
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

As disciples, we are all of the one body of Christ, the Church.
Each one of us has been blessed, equipped and gifted
with skills, abilities, interests, characteristics
that, guided by the Spirit, fit together perfectly.
They are not something that we have chosen or picked out,
but are entirely gifts from God, as determined by God.

The point is, we are, each of us, a unique creation of the Lord,
every bit as individual as any snowflake or fingerprint.

That means, there has never been,
nor will there ever be a double or an exact duplicate,
and there are no identical replacements or spare parts
for the precious and beloved child of God that we each are,
as planned and determined by our wise and sovereign God.

That also means that our gifts from God
are not just for our own pleasure or sense of satisfaction,
but are actually God’s gifts to the community,
intended to flow unimpeded and creatively through us…

… as according to God’s will, purpose and perfect plan,
the Spirit coordinates and brings together, all of our
specific gifts with an ideal opportunity to serve.

On the youth mission trip this summer,
some of us helped out at a youth center on a rainy day.
One of the in-door activities
was putting puzzles together with the children.

It made me crazy that every puzzle was missing a piece or two,
which seriously detracted from my joy and satisfaction
of having finished a puzzle, completing a whole picture.

Sometimes in the church we contend with “missing pieces”,
when member who have been uniquely blessed with gifts,
for whatever reason hold back what was entrusted to them
or withdraw their gifts, affecting the whole body.

For example, on Sundays when the sanctuary is more full,
you can feel more energy and warmth; and so by their absence
members who miss or skip, weaken our corporate worship,
and thereby limit our ability to fulfill our mission.

On the ship, none of the crew gets to sit back and just watch,
for each one is important, their contribution is necessary,
and obviously that is also very true for the Church.
And, if some of the crew are not working and serving together,
the whole ship is held back from fulfilling its mission.

The Church does not exist and we are not blessed with gifts
to sit back in complacent comfort, to relax feeling secure.
A ship exists to be out at sea, and not to grow barnacles in port.

It is also true, that the test and measure of the ship’s crew
isn’t when the sea is easy and calm, or on the sunny days,
but how the crew functions and how the ship handles
in the rough weather amid white-capped waves,
and can it stay on course while passing through the storm.

These are pretty stormy times for the Church of Jesus Christ.
The church and the cultural environment around us
have changed radically in recent years,
and to remain faithful amid such change is difficult.

But we are promised and assured by Jesus
that His Church will prevail, that the ship is seaworthy.

The question is,
the commitment of the crew and will we work together well…
or as we read in Ephesians, vs. 14-16
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. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 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.

The truth is, in the church,
we don’t always get every decision right the first time.
We fail, we make mistakes, we argue, and sometimes
we don’t reflect God’s truth, God’s love and mercy.

If you have ever been out on a boat rocking amid powerful waves,
then you know you can’t help it, but sometimes you slip and fall.
But there are others of the crew to help you get back up,
which is very different than falling overboard,
or jumping ship at the first sign of trouble.

Going through the rough seas, the storms and waves together
also helps the crew members build trust and relationships,
for a faithful crew is steadfast, they hang in there,
and come through life’s storms stronger & together.

In the church, it is when we work and serve well together
that we get to know each other and build good friendships,
and that is how we discover
how our own set of gifts and blessings work best
and contribute to the mission of the whole body…
… but how tragic if we don’t get use the gifts God has given.

A friend told about finding a box of some very exquisite china
while cleaning out her grandmother’s attic after her funeral.
The box had some incredibly beautiful and fine dishes,
but none of her friends or relatives knew about them,
and they couldn’t remember even ever seeing them before.

Well, that made my friend all the more curious,
so she started questioning the oldest of her relatives
to see if anyone knew the story behind the fine china…
… and finally one of her great aunts remembered something.

They were a wedding present given to her great-grandmother,
and were the most beautiful china anyone had ever seen,
so she put them away until the right occasion to use them.
As the years went by, there never was an occasion special enough,
so they were passed down to her daughter, and the next,
each of whom also stored them and never used them,
… so no one ever got to enjoy eating a meal on that amazing china.

I don’t want to die without having eaten off my best china ,
or without ever having used and enjoyed, maybe even worn out
all the gifts and blessings entrusted to me by God.

I don’t want to go to my grave with any of my gifts left unopened,
and I want to be part of a church everyone’s gifts
are encouraged, welcomed, celebrated and well used.

Consider with me, how do any of us ever know and recognize
which gifts and blessing God has given and entrusted to us?
We know because someone has taken the time & effort to tell us so.

The Lord chose to give the Church, the people of God
and incredible opportunity, gifts and power.

Each of us, are in fact a gift to the rest of the church,
and we are responsible and called by God,
to help recognize and unwrap the gifts of other people,
so that together, we can reflect God’s truth, God’s love, grace and mercy out into the world.

It is our power and privilege that we can help other members
recognize and find ways to live beyond themselves,
to discover, use and delight in their God-given gifts.
We have an amazing potential to bless and encourage each other.

That is how Paul related to the Christians of Thessalonica,
when he wrote, vs. 11-12
As you know, we dealt with each one of you like a father with his children, urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

Paul is describing a community of grace, character & commitment
where we do affirm, strengthen and encourage one another,
and such acts of kindness will surely change the world.
That the sort church of grace, joy and hope, that we want to be.

This week,
I want us to focus on what sort of people and amazing community
this could be, and that we are called by God to be and become.

Here’s a suggestion about what it might look like,
if we all decided to get off the bench and play in the game,
if we all exercised our gift and power as encouragers.

Suppose every one of us, sometime this next week,
we all made a couple of phone calls or sending a couple of notes:
to thank and appreciate someone for their effort or service,
to encourage or notice someone for their faithfulness,
or the let someone know you are praying for them…

… and if we all do that as a part of our church life, I believe
that would make more of a difference than you or I can imagine.

May we truly hear what Paul urged the Ephesians, vs. 2-3, 16b
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. … as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.