Meditation on Ephesians 4.1-6

The following short sermon was preached on Monday July 6th in the Ecumenical Centre chapel by Angela Schnepel, Vikarin of the Bremen Landeskirche. Angela has been doing part of her curacy based at the WCC in the Decade to Overcome Violence programme.
The theme of hope which the service as a whole took comes from the CEC assembly in Lyon "Called to One Hope in Christ".

Meditation on Ephesians 4:1-6

In the WCC programme called “public witness” which I have been working with, we have something you could call “Staff Team Values”. At our last programme staff retreat we defined a list of ideas how we understand our work and service and in what way we should interact with one another. The first point states: “We value our role as prophetic witness as found in our biblical tradition…” This is a conviction that could be shared by all of you. While working here at the Ecumenical Centre we are undertaking prophetic witness. This is what the text in Ephesians 4:1-6 is about. Verse 2 speaks of leading “a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called”. Do have a closer look at the text, on your worship-sheets.
The text goes on in verse 3 to telling us how to live in a way that is worthy of this vocation. Living worthy to one’s calling means interacting with our fellow human beings in a particular way: “with all humility and gentleness, with patience and with bearing one another in love”. During the discussion about our staff team values one of the colleagues said: “We do not need to be friends with everybody, but we do need to work together.” That is true. We cannot chose our colleagues. There are some we like better than others. And then there may be conflicts about work, controversial opinions how best to do things….
Here, the Bible text gives us advice how to behave in love, also when our relationships are complicated. Nevertheless we shall bear the other in love. Bearing the other in love does not mean falling in love with them, nor to become their best friend. But it means to see the other as being a beloved child of God, as part of the same and one community and therefore caring about and for them. In this way Christian love is an expression of responsibility towards the other person: it shows “gentleness” and “patience”.
Behaving in this way, we make real “efforts to maintain the unity in the Spirit in the bond of peace”. In the Ecumenical Centre we try to live in unity as Christians of different confessions. This means also trying to live unity in the service we do together in our teams. And not only unity within the team, but also within the programmes and within the whole institution … and unity within the WCC, the CEC, the LWF, the WSCF, and all the other organizations. And then of course networked unity between all of our organizations in the Ecumenical Centre.
Living out unity is not easy. We know this. Within the house there are different opinions and from time to time fiery discussions. Among and between confessions controversies remain. But we must carry on with our efforts for unity, because God calls us to have hope as we read in verse 5. Having hope is not a sensation, neither a sudden feeling, nor a reflection on what is likely or probable. To have hope is not a personal decision but a vocation. God tells us to have hope. So we have no other choice. That is why hope is so important. Hope is like a motor which takes us forward. Hope tells us to carry on, to continue our work in spite of the financial crisis and all other difficulties.
Let us believe in unity as the common goal in all our programmes, projects and activities. This common goal of our work shall also have its reflection in living community with colleagues here in the house.
Our hope of unity has a steady foundation. This is the “one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” Let us set our hope in the Lord. He is the one, who empowers us in all the work we do in his name.

Copyright (c) Angela Schnepel