Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, so as to present the church to himself in splendor, that she may be holy and without blemish. In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one every hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, because we are members of this body. "For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. " This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church. Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband. Ephesians 5:25-33 NRSV
As I said yesterday, the understanding of these verses must include Christ's love for the church, which becomes a husbands' love for his wife. We talk about being Christ's body when we speak of being the church. Therefore the husband should treat his wife as he does his own body, caring for her with consistent tenderness. Christ loves the church as a husband loves his wife.
What I find really interesting is that Paul never mentions the love a wife should have for the husband. Paul says the wife should be subject to her husband and respect the husband but only the husband is instructed to love his wife. And he spends a lot more time instructing husbands than he does wives!!!
As a wife, I understand that sometimes respecting your spouse is harder than loving your spouse. Any married people out their agree with me on this? My understanding is that contempt for one's spouse can be the decisive emotion on the road to divorce. Paul seems to have a good grasp of that making me wonder about his parent's own marriage....
Paul asks husbands to love their wives as they do their own bodies. Paul asks wives to subject themselves to and respect their husbands. But Paul does this within the understanding of what it means to be the Church, the Body of Christ. Self-sacrifice is involved for both marriage partners. This is not an imarriage or a me-marriage. This is about being one.
God, you ask a lot of us in our marriages and in the church. We really are struggling with these things, Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Question for today (and for yesterday, which I forgot): After thinking of what Paul is trying to say about marriage, do you agree? Does your own marriage or your parents' marriage fit the model of Christ and his Church?
Copyright 2009 Amelia G. Sims
Showing posts with label Body of Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Body of Christ. Show all posts
Friday, August 7, 2009
Friday, July 31, 2009
Watch Your Mouth
Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only what is useful for building up, as there is need, so that your words may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4: 29 NRSV
I am thinking that this would be an excellent scripture to have over the door into the sanctuary, on our name tags, and perhaps even on our church voicemail. Maybe open worship with it as well! I can't tell you how many people have been hurt, left church and never darkened a church door again after someone else's "evil talk" came out of their mouths. Forget the color of the carpet or the time of men's bible study! What others say can inflict more damage than any issue in the church.
Recently I have read a couple of John Gottman's books on marriage. One thing that really struck me was the understanding that being verbally critical of your spouse can lead to feelings of contempt. To feel contempt means that you see yourself as superior. And this can lead straight to a total breakdown of the marriage.
What is true within the marital relationship is equally true in the house of God relationship. Being verbally critical of one another can cause more damage among worshippers. It says you think of yourself as better than the other person when the truth is that God sees us as all equally important in the Body of Christ.
Paul reminds the church at Ephesus (and us as well) to watch what we say. Are our words going to build someone up or hurt someone? Do we allow ourselves to spew all kinds of evil talk or open our mouths with love that builds up?
God, help us keep our mouths shut when we are tempted to speak evilly. Guard our mouths and help us build one another up in love. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Question of the day: When have you let evil talk come out of your mouth recently?
Copyright 2009 Amelia G. Sims
I am thinking that this would be an excellent scripture to have over the door into the sanctuary, on our name tags, and perhaps even on our church voicemail. Maybe open worship with it as well! I can't tell you how many people have been hurt, left church and never darkened a church door again after someone else's "evil talk" came out of their mouths. Forget the color of the carpet or the time of men's bible study! What others say can inflict more damage than any issue in the church.
Recently I have read a couple of John Gottman's books on marriage. One thing that really struck me was the understanding that being verbally critical of your spouse can lead to feelings of contempt. To feel contempt means that you see yourself as superior. And this can lead straight to a total breakdown of the marriage.
What is true within the marital relationship is equally true in the house of God relationship. Being verbally critical of one another can cause more damage among worshippers. It says you think of yourself as better than the other person when the truth is that God sees us as all equally important in the Body of Christ.
Paul reminds the church at Ephesus (and us as well) to watch what we say. Are our words going to build someone up or hurt someone? Do we allow ourselves to spew all kinds of evil talk or open our mouths with love that builds up?
God, help us keep our mouths shut when we are tempted to speak evilly. Guard our mouths and help us build one another up in love. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Question of the day: When have you let evil talk come out of your mouth recently?
Copyright 2009 Amelia G. Sims
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Being Tossed Around
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. But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 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. Ephesians 4: 14-16 NRSV
I have a terrible habit of getting distracted. I may be headed into one room in our house to do a certain task but then something will catch my eyes - a project, a problem or a pleasure - and I am suddenly doing that which I had no plans and certainly no time to accomplish. Even in trying to do what God would want me to, I get distracted. I really do try to order my steps but I find myself off course more than once a day!
The same thing happens in church work - someone says something and I get totally off course in the way I was trying to act or the non-anxious presence I was trying hard to convey.
So when Paul says we must no longer be children, being tossed to and fro and blown about by any wind, I really can relate!
But what can I do to stay on track?
His solution: speak truth in a loving way and grow in our life with Christ. In other words, we must be mature in our faith and be willing to stick with that maturity in our words and actions. If we feel like we are being led astray, we need to say so but in a loving manner. The best part of this is we are not to try to do this alone. Paul says we are a part of the Body of Christ. When we find ourselves trying to be a finger when we are an ear, that is when we need to be corrected by one another. If the other person is not aware of where they are straying, we need to lovingly steer them in the right direction. Notice the lovingly part, though!
God, you have given each one of us with different gifts so that we complement one another. Help us to be the body parts you call us to be and help us to lovingly correct each other when we lose our sense of direction. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Question of the day: Where have you gotten off track lately?
Copyright 2009 Amelia G. Sims
I have a terrible habit of getting distracted. I may be headed into one room in our house to do a certain task but then something will catch my eyes - a project, a problem or a pleasure - and I am suddenly doing that which I had no plans and certainly no time to accomplish. Even in trying to do what God would want me to, I get distracted. I really do try to order my steps but I find myself off course more than once a day!
The same thing happens in church work - someone says something and I get totally off course in the way I was trying to act or the non-anxious presence I was trying hard to convey.
So when Paul says we must no longer be children, being tossed to and fro and blown about by any wind, I really can relate!
But what can I do to stay on track?
His solution: speak truth in a loving way and grow in our life with Christ. In other words, we must be mature in our faith and be willing to stick with that maturity in our words and actions. If we feel like we are being led astray, we need to say so but in a loving manner. The best part of this is we are not to try to do this alone. Paul says we are a part of the Body of Christ. When we find ourselves trying to be a finger when we are an ear, that is when we need to be corrected by one another. If the other person is not aware of where they are straying, we need to lovingly steer them in the right direction. Notice the lovingly part, though!
God, you have given each one of us with different gifts so that we complement one another. Help us to be the body parts you call us to be and help us to lovingly correct each other when we lose our sense of direction. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Question of the day: Where have you gotten off track lately?
Copyright 2009 Amelia G. Sims
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Breaking Down the Dividing Wall
For he is our peace: in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. Ephesians 2: 14 NRSV
We humans are good at building walls. There is the Great Wall of China. Hadrian's Wall between England and Scotland. The wall of the Soviet Block Countries. Now we have the wall between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
We Christians are even better at building walls. We can create divisions, impasses and hostilities in our churches faster than anyone could get the bricks and mortar ready.
Yet, Christ has abolished division with his own flesh. This fleshy part could be interpreted as either the establishment of the Last Supper, Christ's giving himself up to death, or even his resurrected body. Maybe he brought folks together with all three! In any case, in Christ both Jews and Gentiles were able to be believers and live a new life. Without all that Christ had done, such a peace would not have been possible.
Where in the world, in your neighborhood, in your church or in your life, do you see the need for Christ's flesh to once again create peace and break down hostility?
Whether you have realized this, Christ has also become flesh through you.
There is some peaceful work for this Body to be doing!
God, thank you for the gift of Christ in the flesh. Thank you for helping us become part of that Body. Help us, God, to take our responsibilities seriously. We can do it with your help! Amen.
Question for today: Where do you need to start breaking down walls?
Copyright 2009 Amelia G. Sims
We humans are good at building walls. There is the Great Wall of China. Hadrian's Wall between England and Scotland. The wall of the Soviet Block Countries. Now we have the wall between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
We Christians are even better at building walls. We can create divisions, impasses and hostilities in our churches faster than anyone could get the bricks and mortar ready.
Yet, Christ has abolished division with his own flesh. This fleshy part could be interpreted as either the establishment of the Last Supper, Christ's giving himself up to death, or even his resurrected body. Maybe he brought folks together with all three! In any case, in Christ both Jews and Gentiles were able to be believers and live a new life. Without all that Christ had done, such a peace would not have been possible.
Where in the world, in your neighborhood, in your church or in your life, do you see the need for Christ's flesh to once again create peace and break down hostility?
Whether you have realized this, Christ has also become flesh through you.
There is some peaceful work for this Body to be doing!
God, thank you for the gift of Christ in the flesh. Thank you for helping us become part of that Body. Help us, God, to take our responsibilities seriously. We can do it with your help! Amen.
Question for today: Where do you need to start breaking down walls?
Copyright 2009 Amelia G. Sims
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