Whole and Holy

Ephesians 1: 3 – 14

 

(preached on June 2, 2019)

 

Nursery rhymes were created for children, but they have a way of staying with us, even when we’re older.  Take, for example, the nursery rhyme, “Humpty Dumpty.”   You may not have heard it for years, but I bet you could still recite it by heart:

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall;

Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.

All the king’s horses and all the king’s men

Couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty together again.

 

Nursery rhymes might sound like nonsense, but often they have a message.  That’s the case for Humpty Dumpty.  The rhyme originated during the English Civil War of the 1600s.  This was a war between the people who supported the king, and the other people who wanted to limit the power of the monarchy.

 

Humpty Dumpty was the nickname of a weapon used in that war, a big cannon that was used by the army that supported the king.  During one battle, the king’s army came under attack by the anti-monarchy folks.  In the battle, Humpty Dumpty suffered serious damage.  We know how it ends: all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty together again.  Humpty Dumpty was broken beyond repair.

 

Seventeenth century England wasn’t the only time when things got broken.  Humpty Dumpty was only one example of the brokenness we continue to find in the world around us.  It doesn’t take a war to break things.  Things get broken all the time.  And that brokenness is nothing new.

 

The world in which the apostle Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians, our New Testament passage for today, was also broken in a lot of places.  The city of Ephesus, where the Ephesians lived, was under the domination of the Roman Empire.  Roman laws were strictly enforced.  Some of these laws were different from our laws today because Roman law didn’t see people as we do.  Roman law didn’t see people as individuals with what we call human rights.  The idea that each person has the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, as our Declaration of Independence puts it – that idea did not exist.  The idea that all people were created equal did not exist.  Under Roman law, slavery was commonplace.  Under Roman law, women and children were considered disposable.

 

In the Roman world, it was not unusual for a pregnant woman to receive a note from her husband about what to do when she gave birth.  Husbands often gave this instruction: “If it is a boy keep it; if it is a girl, discard it.”  Discarding a baby usually meant leaving it outside on the nearest pile of trash, where the baby would die of exposure within a few hours.

 

But Christians in Ephesus strongly disagreed with that.  They valued every baby.  The followers of Jesus in Ephesus would watch over places where babies were abandoned.  When they found babies, they would adopt them.  Christians would explain the adoption by saying that “Jesus came to us as a baby that we might treasure life.”  In the new worldview of Christianity, no one was disposable.  Jesus taught that even the very young were precious in God’s sight.   Even those who were very vulnerable, female and male, were children of God to be cherished.

 

Paul wrote his letter to encourage the Ephesians in their lives as followers of Jesus.  He declares in our passage for today that, although the world is broken in a lot of places, God will put it all together.  God will, as Paul puts it, “gather up all things in Christ.”

 

It’s impossible to miss Paul’s joy here.  His joy bubbles up, “How blessed is God!  And what a blessing he is!  Long before he laid down the earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.”  God had us in mind, from the very beginning, and God will make us whole.  Not just us; the entire world.

 

The Roman Empire is long gone, but today it can also feel as if life is broken.  We might feel as if life is coming apart at the seams when a family member goes through a divorce.  The conflict over property, the battle over custody of the kids, rips apart the fabric of the family.  The conflict divides them into bitterly opposing camps.

 

It can also feel like the world is coming apart when children grow up and move away, and become estranged from their parents.  Maybe the estrangement happens because the child chooses a path in life very different from what her parents had in mind.  She and her parents just can’t find it in their hearts to reconcile.  Or maybe, as adults, sisters and brothers become estranged from one another.  Bitter feelings might arise because of decisions their parents made about who would inherit what.  Relationships break down. Resentment festers and pulls the family apart.

 

The world is broken in a lot of places.  Families crumble because of bitterness.  Relationships come apart at the seams.  When Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he might also have felt that his life was coming apart.  You see, Paul was writing his letter from a prison cell.  He had been arrested because the Roman rulers didn’t like the way his ministry was stirring people up.  The authorities didn’t like the way the structure of society was being turned upside down by the teachings of Jesus.

 

In spite of his imprisonment, Paul was full of joy.  He knew that in Christ God would put together all the broken pieces of the world.  He was convinced that in Christ God was bringing a beautiful new creation.  Even from a prison cell, Paul could write,

“How blessed is God!  And what a blessing he is!  Long before he laid down the earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love.”

 

Paul never knew the man Jesus.  In fact, he was an active persecutor of Christians.  A couple of weeks ago we heard the story of what happened to Paul on the way to the city of Damascus.  On that road, Paul encountered the risen Christ.  In the encounter, Paul was blinded.  Because he couldn’t see, Paul was completely dependent on the members of the Christian community.  They welcomed him into their home, took care of him, and loved him with a love like the love of Jesus.

 

Surrounded by that acceptance and love, Paul became a fervent follower of Jesus.  His sight was restored, and he was baptized.  For the rest of his life, Paul went about the work of mending a broken world with the love of Christ.

 

These days, out in Ohio, one man has become part of God’s work of mending a broken world.  You wouldn’t guess it to look at him, but Willie Pham has a gift for soothing patients in a hospital intensive care unit.  Willie mops the floors and cleans the bathrooms at University Hospitals of Cleveland, but he would be the first to tell you that that’s not the only work he does.  Willie frequently offers patients a comforting word and prays with them.  He loves his work of keeping the hospital clean.  He says, “I don’t look at my job as a lower job.”  Still, there’s more to his work than cleaning.  He says, “I was placed here for a purpose.”

 

Willie never pushes himself on a patient.  He wouldn’t force his religion on anyone.  He waits, with great respect, for some one to ask him.  Then, and only then, he offers words of prayer and spiritual support.  The hospital reports that Willie Pham has helped some patients in a special way.  It takes them less time to recover.  He helps their families, and makes their stay more comfortable (The Springfield Republican, February 4, 2006).

 

You and I can also be part of God’s work of mending the world.  How might we roll up our sleeves and help others with hands-on ministry?  Maybe today you took a minute to put a can of soup or a box of pasta in the basket we have here in the sanctuary for donations to the food pantry.  Or maybe you spent a Tuesday evening in our knitting ministry, turning strands of yarn into hats and mittens to keep kids warm on their way to school.   Maybe you picked up the phone one evening to check in with a friend who can’t get out much.  Your friend had a lot on his mind.  You listened, with kindness, and showed him that he wasn’t alone.

 

In the world, we see brokenness.  But as followers of Jesus we believe that God is always working to mend the broken places.  We believe that God wants to enlist us in that work.  We believe that God will give us what we need to be the hands of Christ, the feet of Christ, the voice of Christ, and, by God’s grace, even the face of Christ.  With God’s help, you and I can be part of God’s that holy work of mending the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rev. Elva Merry Pawle

Seventh Sunday of Easter