Sunday 28 July, 2024

Reflection:    "Abundance for Everyone"

​Psalm 14

2 Samuel 11:1-15

John 6:1-21

Ephesians 3:14-21

In the third section of his letter to the churches in Turkey, around Ephesus, Paul offers a bit of relief from the heavy theological points that he’s been making up to this stage by praying for all the church communities in the area.

In fact, the first seven words of verse 14:
"I bow my knees before the Father" - make it clear that we’re actually overhearing his prayer.

Essentially there are four matters which Paul prays for on behalf of his readers - that they may have:·      

• inner spiritual strength·      
  
• the indwelling of Christ in their hearts·      
  
• the ability to comprehend all the dimensions of spiritual realities    and·      
  
• knowledge of the love of Christ
  

The question that leapt to my mind when preparing this message for you was,
"How do I preach about an overheard prayer, and should I even try?" 

I remember, as a child, tiptoeing past the living room where my parents, faithful in their devotions, were praying. Sometimes I heard them praying for my older brother and sisters, as well as for me.
They probably needed to pray longer and harder for me!

It can be a bit embarrassing to eavesdrop on someone’s prayer - a little like listening in on someone's personal telephone conversation, but prayer on our behalf can be a revelation - about ourselves, and about God.

In hearing my parent's prayers, I learned that the family was a sacred trust, something definitely worth praying for.
The simple fact of their daily prayers let me know they recognized their limits as parents.
There was only just so much that they could do for us, so much from which they couldn't shield us.
Their praying also told me what they believed about God.
They believed they could entrust us to hands stronger than their own, a love wiser than their own.

The prayer before us today, of course, was intended to be overheard.
Generation after generation, the church has handed this text on to us, confident that these petitions include us, and that we, too, need to overhear.

It’s interesting to note that all through these verses, Paul uses the plural second person pronouns (ie. "you", or as the people from southern America say, “Y’all” – a shortening of “you all”).
This way, he makes it clear that it’s the community that’s being lifted to God, not just one person.

If overheard prayer reveals something of ourselves to us, the first revelation to be gleaned is that experiencing fellowship with God is tangled up in being bonded to each other.
Christians are blessed when they are with each other because they can share God’s love with each other. 
Well, we hope it’s that way, but Mahatma Ghandi, the great Hindu leader of India, once said “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians - your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” 
He obviously observed different behaviours when meeting so-called Christians. 
Maybe if we followed the principles Paul sets out in our reading, we’d be more acceptable to Ghandi.

Our Christian lives depend on being in community with each other – sharing with each other - in all its messiness.
You may remember the experiments in community living that emerged out of the culture of the 1970s.

"Community" was part of the rhetoric of that decade.
As existing structures seemed to crumble, some dared to imagine - and try - new ones, including interdependent communities fuelled by utopian visions - many were called communes.In theory, like-minded folk equipped with guitars and good will, would share space, agriculture, income, possessions, and child-rearing responsibilities.
Unsurprisingly, most of these experiments had a short lifespan because such inter-dependence is really hard work.

We know that Christians can be every bit as territorial and opinionated as anyone else.
No wonder the Apostolic Prayer begins with a petition for the presence of the Trinity to move in with us.

God encourages us into communities, but then it takes nothing less than the power of the Trinity to keep us there.
This prayer suggests that progress will be slow – like a crop inching toward fruitfulness, or a building which rises brick-by-brick.
Both are anchored in a love that can do what knowledge alone cannot.

We read about that in verse 19 - the need for knowledge also involves the community.
As individual believers, we have some knowledge of God, however, when we join with others, in the community we call the church, our knowledge of God is increased, and our knowledge of God’s love is compounded.
As we share the little that we have, God produces more than enough for all of us.
We then share the leftovers with those that we meet.

This strength in numbers through community is not just a matter of simple addition, but one of our faith’s enrichment in the fullness of God.
The body of Christ is not just a group of isolated persons of faith, grasping something of Christ’s love. 

We should, therefore, all be filled with the grace of God.
Paul’s prayer is for the church to enjoy - to the fullest extent possible - the living power of God - Christ’s love.
The church, as the community of reconciliation, has begun to live in and move toward redemption – as Paul says:
“it is rooted and grounded in love.”

Maybe we need to post a sign outside the church saying: “WORK IN PROGRESS!” 
Because in, and through, the body of the church, the community is being worked on, healed and restored.

Foundational changes ARE underway, people ARE being grounded in God’s love.
Rooted in grace, for all generations, forever and ever.

This part of Paul’s letter to the churches around Ephesus ends on the same note with which it began – in the worship and praise of God.

I urge us to move forward today, knowing that our God loves us and wants us to live in community with each other, bound by the love of Christ, and sharing with all those around us.
And that he also wants them to join us and accept his great gift of love and forgiveness.

We should be counting our little fishes and loaves of bread, given to us by God and, having asked his blessing on them, see how far and wide we can distribute them.
Sounds miraculous - but it is possible, with the help of God.

My favourite bible verse, Psalm 116:12, says
“What shall I return to the Lord, for all his bounty to me.”

God’s gift to us is so great that we have an abundance of leftovers that can be used to spread among those who are still waiting to hear of his love for them.

Maybe we aren’t able to divide up our loaves and fishes to be able feed the multitude, but we can certainly use the love that God has given us, to repair rifts in relationships that we see around us.
Shower God’s love on others, so that they can mend the hurts that often occur when dealing with others, both within and outside of the church.

​Blessings……………..Pastor Rick