Daily Devotion – August 30, 2021 – Dr. Pat Taylor Ellison

Ephesians 4:1-16
4:1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
4:2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
4:3 making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4:4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling,
4:5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
4:6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
4:7 But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
4:8 Therefore it is said, “When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.”
4:9 (When it says, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth?
4:10 He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.)
4:11 The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,
4:12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
4:13 until 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.
4:14 We 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.
4:15 But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
4:16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit 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.

Let’s look in particular at verses 11-13.

We have a diversity of gifts, given by God, SO THAT we might work in unity, building up the Body of Christ. Many of us know we have gifts, and if we weren’t so Northern European, we would be able to say that out loud. Some of us are musicians, some of us poets, some artists, some teachers, some preachers. And we are to use these gifts not to entertain ourselves but to reach out with them – to equip the saints – to build up the Body of Christ. To do our missional vocation IN AND ON BEHALF OF THE WORLD that God loves.

When I see congregations that have built themselves to be comforting places of refuge from the world for their members, I have to say that while comfort and support is important, it is important because it equips us to do God’s work IN AND ON BEHALF OF THE WORLD that God loves, not just to make us feel good among ourselves.

In addition to gifts God has given us, God has given us callings. Some are called to use their giftedness to heal the planet. Some are called to create safe places for children who have no safe place. Some are called to point out where the city needs help to make things more just and fair for its people. The Body of Christ, the Church, is called to engage in these works using our particular God-given gifts, not just to soothe ourselves. We are called to share God’s abundance with others.

What are your gifts? What is your calling? How do these things go together for you?

Gracious God, thank you for loving us. Thank you for giving us both gifts and talents as well as a missional vocation, a calling to use our gifts to help the world you love. If we have become too small in our gift sharing, help us to become bigger, through the power of your Holy Spirit.   Amen.