Equipped

Ephesians 4:7, 11-16 (NRSV)

7 But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ¹¹The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, ¹²to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³until 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. ¹⁴We 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. ¹⁵But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶from whom the whole body, joined and knitted 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.

Those who read my blog who are, like me, members of St. Paul’s Lutheran church, probably are familiar with this passage.  It is posted at the entry to the church office and has been quoted much in the past year by both Pastor Mark and myself.  It was the part of scripture in fact that got the ball rolling for me to be the Director of Equipping Ministries.

It’s good to have a focus – being equipped for ministry – but here Paul tells it is more than that.  We have to have a reason for being equipped - a reason even for ministry.  More than that even, a reason for building up the body of Christ.

That reason is for all to “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.” 

Mature in the faith.  No longer children, tossed to and fro.  Our faith then is not a static thing.  It is an ever-growing thing.

It strikes me that as with maturing biologically, maturing in our faith is going to sometimes be uncomfortable.  It’s sometimes going to be awkward and strange and painful.  Growing is never a smooth process.

That means part of growing and maturing to this unity Paul is talking about means sometimes we are going to hear things that confront us and we disagree with.  It means we aren’t always going to get it right even if people we’ve known and trusted in our growing faith have assured us that we are.

It’s going to mean sometimes having our faith shaken.

Growing hurts.  Ligaments and muscles are knitted together and stretch and grow and it hurts.

Until it doesn’t anymore.

Equipping God, please remind me that pain means I am growing. Remind me that as I stumble and fall and get up again you are there, your truth always surrounding me with love until I am fully knit together as part of your new creation. Amen.