The following introduction
and invitation to reflect comes from www.umcdiscipleship.org. You are encouraged to meditate and pray with this week’s
lectionary text throughout the coming week.
“One body, one Spirit, one hope of calling, one Lord, one faith,
one baptism, one God and Father of all”—that’s seven “ones” in a very short
space. Combine that with Paul’s calling upon the people “to walk worthy of the
calling by which they had been called, being zealous to keep the unity
of the spirit in the bond-chains of peace,” and what is conveyed is a sense of
urgency about the teaching and the practices he is about to offer here. It is
certainly possible the communities that made up the “Ephesian circuit” did have
it all together, or mostly so, and Paul was simply urging them to keep it up.
But the strength of this rhetoric at least suggests Paul may have been
concerned that some of them may not.
Paul offers two watchwords here for those seeking to embody the
oneness that God establishes in the church: “walk worthy” of your calling in
Christ Jesus, and “keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond-chains of peace.”
Very often, groups seeking to build community or improve
partnerships aim and settle for everyone getting along and no one’s feelings
getting hurt. That, however, turns out to be a great recipe for
miscommunication and dysfunction, not healthy community! Paul sets a much
higher bar. Our unity isn’t forged in our feelings. It is forged by the Holy
Spirit and bound together by the peace of Christ. Peace (Shalom) in the Bible
doesn’t mean simply a lack of conflict. Instead, it always points to the abiding
presence of health and wholeness even in differences and conflict.
Paul goes on to enumerate the many ways we are empowered to keep
the unity of the Spirit within and across our congregations. In verses 4-6, he
lists multiple ways God has laid the foundations for our unity.
The work of the Spirit moving among us continues to empower our
unity and peace through the diversity of people and gifts the Spirit gives
us—apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers. While other
“gift-lists” are more expansive (see Romans 12 & I Corinthians 12), these
five seem to include the key roles necessary for the growth and multiplication
of Christian communities, almost wherever they are.
And note that Paul does not say all five gifts are present in
the pastor, or in any one person. Quite the opposite! The people are the gifts!
Some are apostles. Some are prophets. Some are evangelists. Some are shepherds.
Some are teachers. Persons exercising these gifts in the community equip the
followers of Jesus for their hands-on ministries and build up the body
of Christ. Building up the body does necessarily mean making the congregation
or the network larger. It means helping the congregation or the network of
whatever size to function with the unity and integrity of one body.
Further, these five kinds of gifted people and their differing
roles offer these two key functions (equipping the saints and building the
body) toward particular goals—unity in faith (which does not mean merely
uniformity in beliefs), unity in knowing Jesus (which includes following his
direction), and, ultimately, maturity “into the full stature of Christ” (as we
Wesleyan Christians would say, “Christian perfection.”) In short, the goal of
all of these roles is to make us all, with our varying gifts and roles, as
competent in fulfilling and witnessing to God’s reign in our lives as Jesus was
in his.
Finally, this goal was intended to be achieved by all persons
in these communities, not just a select few (verse 13). That’s why Paul is
adamant in the verses that follow that not achieving this goal it is not an option. “That’s
why we must no longer be infants, tossed about and carried along by every
passing fad of teaching, the trickery of people and their skill in methods of
deception; instead, we are [all] to grow up by all means into Christ, the
head.” Perpetual growth (growing in holiness toward perfection in love in
this life) is to be the normal mode of Christian life, not the
exception. Full maturity (perfection) in Christ in this life is its
expected and achievable end.