Sermon Ephesians 4:1-16

When life becomes chaotic, if we are even able, we ask the question, "Where do we go from here?" We might be sitting across from our doctor when the diagnosis is given, and we wonder, "What now?" Or we see the failing grade, or our name on the layoff list, or we are told, "I want a divorce." Or "I've found someone else". Life becomes chaotic or as the idiom says, "The rug is pulled out from under our feet."

While there are many feelings associated with chaos, often helplessness is a common feeling or experience. We feel powerless to affect any change.

Last Sunday, we had hoped to move forward with our congregational vision and have all three churches move to 6th Ave. It is fair to say that hundreds of hours and over 50 people's prayers and discussions along with some sweat and tears went into the motions presented to the sites last Sunday. Those who attended saw what happened. Special motions and amendments to amendments until at the end it appears that the whole visioning process was done for nothing. And it appears that, on the surface, that the situation appears grim.

And so, amid the congregational chaos, in steps Paul with a word of hope for the churches. He says, "I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; bearing one another in love." It's good advice for many in our congregation, but that is not the most important message in today's text; did you notice where he is writing from? That's right, he's in prison. He's in prison because he's run into trouble for preaching about Jesus.

How is it possible, when faced with what looks like a very grim situation, Paul does not seem to be filled with anxiety, or asking for his friends to come help get him out, or focused on himself at all. His concern is for the Church at Ephesus that is in some sort of crisis over trouble-makers in the church. Paul says to the church in verse 14, "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming."

The answer to the churches problem is that we should no longer be infants in Christian faith and knowledge. It is a call to spiritual maturity such that we can recognize when false teaching occurs in the church, but also the cunning and craftiness of people who would lead the church astray can be recognized.

One teaching that often causes all sorts of chaos is when people come to believe that "this is THEIR church." I know that they mean that "this is their church home", however often people forget that all of our churches belong to our crucified Saviour; not just this little church or even only our denomination. Yes I know the deed for the building is held by the Trustees, but in reality these are not OUR buildings, they are Christ's. That is Christian Basic Teaching 101.

And so the questions we must always ask are "What does Christ want for us to do with Shiloh's building? And more importantly "What does Jesus want for our church community?" The question is never, "How can we save OUR church?" or even as silly as it sounds, "How can we save Christ's church?"

Did you hear Paul's reminder to the church? None of this church stuff is our own doing! Live a life worthy of your calling. We did not choose to be Christians, we were called. He emphasizes this by saying, "the calling we received".

Paul then moves from a simple reminder to some profound theological understandings. He says that there is "one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." Paul goes on to talk of the grace we received from Christ comes because he ascended. He talks about spiritual captivity and about Christ descending into the earth and then ascending above the heavens and filling the whole universe. From this Cosmic power of Christ comes the graces that allow a variety of gifts to serve the unity of the church.

This strange theological talk is the central message to a divided Church. There is much to unpack in these verses, but it is safe to say Paul is reminding us that "doing church and being church" is part of a much bigger plan that we imagine. This is a cosmic and universal mission that we are part of.

During the last few weeks, I reminded one older man that we need to focus on Jesus Christ and what he wants for the mission of the church. He replied, "We don't need theology Jim, we need to get practical." It is a strange feeling to then a few days later to encounter someone with white hair who doesn't even know the basics of Christian faith. I'm sure some of you saw displays of Christian immaturity in people who have been in church for 50 years. I was pleased that you young people noticed this, since it speaks of your own growing maturity in Christ.

Some of you understand what Paul means when he reminds us that we don't run the church. "But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it." It is Christ who gives us the grace to be the church and of course, to live as Christians. When we set our vision just on ourselves, and when we think that we must save the church, if we abandon good Christian beliefs in favour of "being practical" and God have mercy, trouble is around the corner.

Division in the church is not a sign of passion according to Paul, it is a sign that we have forgotten that all this church stuff is a gift of grace from Jesus Christ. That's right. None of the skills we have, and none of the desire to serve Christ, could come except from Christ calling us. This building is not our making, but Christ's. Some of you may have pounded the nails, but it is the one with nail marked hands who called this community into existence, and if he so desires, he can call it out of existence.

Listen, our role is not to save the church. It never has been. Our calling is the BE the church, not trusting in our own power, but in the power of the one who was raised up twice. First on the cross for our salvation, and a second time "into the heavens" So that we might have power to be the church.

Over the past few hundred years most churches have not focused on the "Ascension of Jesus." Maybe once we realized that the earth was round and above the blue sky there wasn't angels, we felt embarrassed about the story of Jesus rising in the clouds above the heavens. But then perhaps we were missing the main theological point; that in Jesus ascension into heaven, he is not leaving us, but rather becoming available to all in the Universe. This is why we believe that Jesus is present where ever two or three gather; Jesus is a real spiritual presence amongst the people because he ascended. This is why we believe that Jesus can be known by all Christians, regardless of the generation or the culture or the background. We believe this because we saw something wonderful happen called the ascension and it was described as Jesus being lifted up into the clouds. What exactly happened at this event remains a mystery, the consequences of the ascension have been experienced by maturing Christians throughout the ages.

What is that experience? The experience of grace, hope, and the loving presence of Jesus Christ amid chaotic situations that exceed people's capacity to deal with them. "Without the love of Jesus Christ, I would have given up. Without knowing the Christ was with us, we would have died of fear. Without Jesus, I could not have faced the news."

This is why, although I have some normal anxiety regarding the current troubles in our church, am not going to fall for foolishness which says, "unless we do this our church is doomed or unless we do that we will all die." Our hope does not rest upon whether we must save Queens or 6th or Shiloh or whatever building in New Westminster. That is to miss the point of Christian faith altogether. Let all the buildings, of all the Christian Church buildings in New Westminster be gone, and you would not see the end of Christian mission here in this city. For there are a host of people in New Westminster, many who are Christians, who have their eyes fixed on the love of Jesus Christ alone. Mature Christians who understand that at the core of our faith is growing in the love of Jesus Christ, not saving buildings. As Paul says, grow in "the fullness of Christ". Buildings can be useful tools in helping us grow in faith, but they can also keep us from the central mission of the church.

Church means, "a gathering", not a place to gather. Remember that the church does not have a mission, it is a mission. Paul reminds us,

"It was [Christ] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. "

As we discern the way ahead, let us not forget our central Christian teachings that the source of our life comes from the living Christ himself. With Jesus, and each other, along with a deep desire to grow in Christian maturity, our church has a vibrant and joyful future. Where we are located, and under what roof is a secondary issue.

If we keep our priorities straight, along the way, by the power of Christ, we will continually be changed into more spiritually mature people. Paul has high hopes that by "speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ."

Let us then talk not about how to save ourselves, but let us talk about what choices Christ is calling us to make, such that we might grow in Christian maturity and faith.