"Walk in Love" - Ephesians 4:25-5:2

The section of Paul’s letter to the Ephesian that we will hear this Sunday is often entitled, “Rules for the New Life.”  One interesting thing about rules is that they are typically created to stop a behavior that is already occurring.  If, for instance, you see a sign that says, “No swimming with the alligators,” it's a pretty safe bet that someone, at some point, was indeed trying to swim with the alligators.  

As he is enumerating the rules for life in Christian community, Paul addresses one group in particular.  He says, “Thieves must give up stealing; rather let them labor and work honestly with their own hands, so as to have something to share with the needy.”  This direct address to thieves only makes sense if Paul knows there are indeed thieves in the congregation.  Even more surprising is that Paul seems neither shocked nor appalled by their presence.  He isn’t scandalized by the thieves.  He spends no time scolding them.  He simply gives them advice on how to better live in Christian community- they should stop stealing, work with their hands, and give to the needy.  

I think it is important for us to remember that the first Christian churches were not societies of the perfect, but rather a rag-tag group of people seeking to be better- to follow more closely the will of God.  In our time, churches are often viewed as bastions of respectability populated only by the holy and self-righteous.  Such a conception of the church is harmful to those both within and without.  Conceiving of the church as a society of the perfect prevents those of us within from honestly seeking help from God and church with the real struggles in our lives.  It also sends the message to those outside that real people with real problems are not welcome in the church. God calls us to the church not because we are perfect, or even particularly respectable, but precisely because we are in need of help.  We need forgiveness. We need grace.  We need love. If we can acknowledge our imperfections and genuinely seek the help of God, we can make this congregation a place that is welcoming to people from all walks of life- much like that rag-tag first century church was for the Ephesians.

 Pastor Andrew Greenhaw