December 9, 2021 — Ephesians 4:1–16  

“I, therefore, the prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live worthily of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you too were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he captured captives; he gave gifts to men.” Now what is the meaning of “he ascended,” except that he also descended to the lower regions, namely, the earth? He, the very one who descended, is also the one who ascended above all the heavens, in order to fill all things. It was he who gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, that is, to build up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God – a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christʼs full stature. So we are no longer to be children, tossed back and forth by waves and carried about by every wind of teaching by the trickery of people who craftily carry out their deceitful schemes. But practicing the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ, who is the head. From him the whole body grows, fitted and held together through every supporting ligament. As each one does its part, the body grows in love.” Ephesians 4:1-16 

Paul, here uses two metaphors to express the joining and the resulting closeness with G-d: Jews and Gentiles form one body with Christ as its head, and a oneness with Christ as its cornerstone. This is the unity the church should reflect, or at least try to reflect. But Paul also makes clear that the perfection of the church is a process — not a completed event. Christ has equipped the church with gifts so that the church as Christ’s body may reach maturity.

The body metaphor of verses 12-16 is fully in line with Paul’s thinking: the church is depicted as growing into its own body. Christ is already “mature” (the Greek that the NRSV translates as “maturity” is more literally “the complete man”). Yet the church, which is Christ’s body, must build up the body until it arrives at the “maturity” of Christ. Likewise, in verses 14-15 the image evoked is that of the body growing up to meet him who is the head, Christ. Paul then sees that the church is already the body of Christ, even as it continues to grow toward Christ as the head of the church. 

Every church should keep this is mind — we are in a process of growth to full maturity — even if we are in the declination of life, as people, and as the church. We will never complete the journey until we die — both us as individuals and we, the body, the church. 

Let us pray,

Lord Christ, you are the head of the church. Help us to remember this when we proclaim to be the church, the body of Christ. You are mature in all things, while we continue to grow and learn and mature in all things. Amen

Pastor Dave