We Need Each Other

There is perhaps nothing I love more than a good, solid metaphor. A good metaphor can both shows how a principle applies to a situation and tells a story about how it might link to a larger narrative as well. Currently, on the metaphors that I return to again and again is that of a spiderweb. When it comes to my faith or my sense of self or my vocation, my goal is not for it to be built up as if it were a building with brick and mortar, but rather I think of them as if they were a spider web. There are foundational, unmoving points, but the things that make up the daily parts of my life are flexible and fluid, and I weave a web around these points; they can handle the winds of change and the weight of unexpected circumstances, but the foundation points are unmoved. Every few years, I check in on these foundation points, to make sure they are still central to my life and to reevaluate their centrality because if I want to make sure that I am in alignment with what I value. In my spiderweb metaphor, there are four-five foundation points and today’s Epistle lessons highlights one that I only learned to value over the last ten or so years: that we need each other.

In today’s lectionary, the Epistle lesson is from Ephesians, and the letter to the Church at Ephesus is not without historical complications. There are 13 letters written by the Apostle Paul in our New Testament, and over the centuries six of them have had their authorship contested. Some of these challenges to the writings are more credible than others as scholars have cited syntax and style and theology; likely some were written by his students or his followers or after his death or some combination of reasons. Regardless, they have been in our Holy Scriptures for about 2,000 years have something sacred to offer us, and Ephesians is one of these letters.

Our passage today begins with a reminder to the people in the congregation that not only have we been called to live this Christian life together, but God equips us to do so faithfully, leaning on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we are called to work together in unity and love. And because God is the giver of all good gifts, this unity is not homogony, is not all the same, it is diversity of gifts – it is preaching and teaching, but it is also supporting and caring for ministries, it is sharing the joy of being together and welcoming others in. And because it is easy to go astray, the letter continues with a reminder that this unity comes with a responsibility to call each other back to Christ. That the guiding light of any of the congregation’s gifts and growth must be God’s love above all else or things will get real wonky real quick.

Now, I have spoken about my hard-won love for Saint Paul before, and I’ll do it again today for our shared love for a metaphor, but not before a caveat. The letters attributed to Paul have been the source of so much harm to so many people in the history of Christianity, and if you aren’t sure why that would be, I encourage you to go home and finish reading the rest of the letter to Ephesians. Before the letter ends, the author offers several takes on what were known as “domestic codes” in early Roman life that dictate how a home was run. Most notably and perhaps of most impactful in our modern world was the command that slaves obey their earthly masters, even though in the Lord’s eyes they are equal. It is a verse that was used again and again in pulpits just like the one in which I stand to convince folks that chattel slavery was not just an okay thing but was a God-ordained way of being. Folks, the church has a lot to apologize for, and how it has misused scripture might be one of the heaviest and holiest apologies someone in my role can offer, and I do lament it dearly.

My caveat, then, is a reminder that even when it comes to how we read and interpret scripture, we should always check it against what is the most important thing we know to be true about God. The letter to the Church at Ephesus is not a letter to the Church in Bowling Green, and it sure ain’t supposed to be executed directly and exactly, but it still holds a truth for us, and I think today’s Lectionary text highlights the best of what the letter has to offer: we need each other.

The passage today ends with the visual of a body knit together, powerfully and purposefully, with each part working and engaged and at work which builds up the congregation, not just so that the congregation can grow for growth’s sake, but so that the congregation can grow stronger and deeper in God’s love. My friends, we are a body at work and as we get ready for next week’s Ministry Fair I ask that you hold three things in your prayer this week:

Where do you see need at Christ Church? It might be a ministry area that used to thrive before COVID or maybe you’ve noticed the same faces in rotation serving as chalice bearers or ushers? When one part of the body is overworked or under-functioning, it risks being an area of danger for the body to hurt itself by keepin up the same pace of growth or activity. Friends, we need each other.
What gifts has God given you and how are you using them? And don’t you dare say you don’t have anything to offer, because that’s not how any of this works. God has equipped you, I promise, it’s a matter of figuring out where you can use your gifts and how you might be able to plug in because we need each other.
How can we lean on each other while we do this work? As the author of our passage relays, we really only do this work when we do it together.We have the unique and brilliant gift to be in this Nave or worshiping online together—we know how to weave our prayers, now we have to interlock our gifts and talents as we create what God has called and equipped us to create. Simply put, it is impossible to do it alone, because we need each other.

Friends, there are so many blaring messages coming from every direction in our world today—and its only August in an election year, so it’s just going to get more intense—and for me, if it doesn’t wrap around the foundational points, if it doesn’t wrap around the fact that we need each other, I’m not sure that it gets to take up space in my life. We need each other to be able to be the people who God has called us to be, to be the congregation God’s has empowered us to grow into, and to help create a world that leans toward a love. Thanks be to God, we need each other.

A sermon delivered to the people of Christ Episcopal Church in Bowling Green, Kentucky on August 4, 2024 for Proper 13B on Ephesians 4:1-16.