January 30, 2022: Imagine: An Intentional Church
Ephesians 4:1-7, 11-16
Rev. Rhonda Blevins
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all. 7 But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
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.
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“Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?”
The first of thirteen questions Christ poses to us in the hymn we just heard.[1] It’s the question Jesus posed to his first disciples; it’s the question he poses to us still today.
One of the earliest ways Christ-followers referred to themselves was by calling themselves “Followers of the Way.” I love how this articulates a requisite action. It’s hard to be still or motionless and follow something. The term, “Christian” on the other hand, is a label that was put on Christ-followers. It was derogatory . . . the book of Acts tells us that “the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.” (Acts 11:26) The word “Christian” was a slur—“little Christs”—which isn’t so bad. Today, what does the word “Christian” conjure up for you? For me, a “Christian” is an adherent to a religion—like being a member of a club. “He’s a Rotarian” or “She’s a Delta Delta Delta.” I much prefer the idea of being a “Follower of the Way.” It connotes movement, even mystery. Like a great adventure!
I’m recording the sermon today at Holy Spirit Old Catholic Church in Safety Harbor, home of this beautiful contemplative labyrinth. A labyrinth isn’t a maze, exactly. Rather, it’s a pathway. An ancient contemplative practice, Christians have used labyrinths to aid the life of prayer. In fact, some churches in the Middle Ages had labyrinths in their church buildings, inviting people to think of walking the labyrinth as a pilgrimage without the expense of a trip to Jerusalem.
A Labyrinth has only one pathway to the center. Unlike a maze, you can see the center wherever you are in the labyrinth. It is not intended to be tricky, nor is it a game. The labyrinth is a metaphor for life—there are twists and turns—the way is never straight or linear. But the center beckons us—the center—where we find unity with Christ and with ourselves and one another. There’s not a right way to walk a labyrinth—I took my young son to a labyrinth some time ago. Like you would expect, he ran his way to the center. And like a busy mom I walked a distracted path with one eye on the center and one eye on a child who quickly moved on to other important tasks. The promise of the labyrinth is that we will find our way if we stay on the path.
The problem is, metaphorically speaking, a lot of people leave the path.
How many people do you know who grew up in the church, but left at some point along the way? Some leave church; others leave the faith all together. By doing so they stunt their growth. Like telling a second grader, “You know how to read and you can add and subtract. You don’t need to go to school anymore.”
I have a cousin who is a recovering alcoholic—he began drinking at the age of 14. A therapist told him several years ago that even though he was a 40-something year old man, he was still a teenager emotionally. The drinking stunted his emotional development because instead of dealing with problems, he drank them away.
People who walk away from the church or from faith all together—they stunt their growth. Instead of wrestling with the faith, they choose the easy elixir of life outside the labyrinth. Some may say, “I don’t need the church to be a Christian.” I agree with that statement. I mean, I don’t need to be a member of the jelly-of-the-month club to appreciate jelly! But I would argue that a person needs the church to be a “Follower of the Way.” Why? Because when Jesus called those first disciples, he called them into a community of followers. He didn’t say, “Follow me and it will be just you and me forever.” His invitation to “follow me” was an invitation into a community of followers.
Community isn’t always easy, is it? Using the metaphor of the labyrinth again, someone else on the labyrinth may be in my way, going way too slow! Or, they may be going the opposite direction than me, which obviously means they’re not doing it correctly. Or maybe they tell me I’m not doing it right and I get offended. Or they’re distracting me with their crazy hair or their campaign signs or maybe they’re dancing their way around the labyrinth. It’s hard to be a part of community. Sometimes it would be easier just to leave. Like for my cousin, it was easier to drink than to deal with the challenges that came his way.
Paul, in his letter to the church at Ephesus, recognized how challenging it is to be in community. He urged them to make “every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” He went on to describe to them the richness of diversity in Christ. Each person with different gifts and skills according to the grace of God. But all the gifts, according to Paul, serve one purpose: “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.”
As we are imagining the future of our church, as we are considering what kind of church we want to be a part of as well as what kind of church we’re building for future generations, I want us to imagine what a church looks like that is actively discipling people at all stages of spiritual growth and development—from the youngest to the oldest and everything in between.
Here’s what’s tricky for some: discipleship for some is little more than adherence to a set of doctrines. As a non-doctrinal church, we think there’s so much more to being a “Follower of the Way” than some mental ascent to some creed or dogma. The invitation, rather, is to journey together, as we each make our way to Christ in our own way and in our own time. With our faith and our doubt. With our twists and our turns. With our ups and our downs. Together. On a journey.
Will you come and follow me if I but call your name?
Will you go where you don’t know and never be the same?
Will you let my love be shown, will you let my name be known,
Will you let my life be grown in you and you in me?
Today some of you will enjoy watching NFL playoff games (maybe a little less so now that the Bucs aren’t playing.) I like the game. I’ve watched football my whole life. I know the rules and how the game is supposed to be played. But I’m not a football player. There’s a big difference.
Some people think that knowing the rules and attending church occasionally is the recipe for discipleship. On the contrary, following Christ is not a spectator sport! I get the irony of saying this for a pre-recorded worship service. But, to that point, we are not called to GO to church, we are called to BE the church. Active. Moving. Occasionally bumping into one another, sure, but together on a beautiful, messy, mysterious journey of faith.
Not everyone will get it or want to join us on the journey. That’s OK. It’s way easier to sit on the couch and watch the game than to get in and play it.
So let me ask you this: what about the journey of faith compels you? What is keeping you in the game? What does “next level” maturity in the faith look like for you? In other words, where are your growth edges?
Let us commit ourselves to growing together, speaking the truth in love, growing “up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ.” And may the words of the hymn ring true for us as individuals and as a church community:
Lord your summons echoes true when you but call my name.
Let me turn and follow you and never be the same.
In Your company I'll go where Your love and footsteps show.
Thus I'll move and live and grow in you and you in me.