Back to the Future: 1^{st Century Christians Speak to 21st Century Christians:}

The Least Popular Virtue

August 20, 2006

Ralph DiBiasio-Snyder

Ephesians 5:15-21

Ephesians started out with theology. Theology: A scary word that simply means what you think about God: how God works in the world, what is the character of God?. Is God angry, vengeful, jealous . . . or merciful, patient, gracious . . . ? Or is God somehow both? That's what your theology tries to figure out. And the theology of Ephesians comes down pretty clearly on the side of grace. Loved, accepted, blessed beyond imagining, children of God . . . that's who the writer says we are in Christ. That's the theology of Ephesians, the first three chapters of the letter.

If that's true, says the writer, how then shall we live? Chapter 4 said that we live out what we believe, we experience the love of God, in community . . . with one another, in the church which is, he says, "the body of Christ" on earth, a visible manifestation of the spirit of Christ. In that community we "speak the truth in love," and help one another grow into the fullness of the character of Christ.

And last week the 4th chapter went on to say that when we "speak the truth in love" it is for the purpose in imparting grace. If we have been graced by God in Christ, we are to grace others by the very words we speak. Speak only grace.

Now let's listen to the passage for today, from the 5th chapter. It's a list of do's and don'ts. How then shall we live? Here's how we live, by faith, because of the grace of God. Now, there's nothing much new here, you'll see; nothing radical, earth-shattering, nor even very controversial, really. Until the end, the very last verse. See what you think!

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A couple of weeks ago I told you about a new word that I learned that week - the word neologism, which means a "new word." When a word is born into a language, it needs a name, so to speak, so we call that new word a neologism.

I came across several new words this week. Really, they aren't new words that are being used in the English language. They are new - brand new - but not really to be used. You'll hear what I mean.

Apparently The Washington Post hosts a contest each year in which readers are invited to take a word from the dictionary, change it just a bit by a letter or two, and supply a definition for the new word. Here are some of the winners from 2005:

Well, you say, what does that have to do with the reading for today? Very little, I say, except to put off having to deal with that very last verse. Did you get that? Submit to one another, out of reverence for Christ.

Submit to one another . . . Really? The Revised Standard Version and others, put it this way: Be subject to one another. That is, let the other person win this time; put their concerns and interests and needs before yours. Give in - not resentfully, reluctantly, but joyfully, out of respect for Christ. Here is the least popular virtue: the virtue of not insisting on my own way, but acting for the good of the other, for the community, especially the community of Christ - Christ who showed us the way on this one, submitting to even death for the sake of the truth.

You see why I don't want to talk about it. It's a tough one, this willingly playing second fiddle (my apologies to the Schwebkes!). So let's put it off a little longer! Let's talk about what leads up to that crowning verse.

The verses preceding, as I noted in the introduction, were nothing new, really. Good advice, surely. And not easy to follow always. But how can you argue with this?

Be very careful, then, how you live. Well, of course, be careful! Who tells their child to go out and live recklessly, as if there's no tomorrow? Who tells a friend to do stupid things, to not think about consequences? We don't tell people we care about, "Act before you think!" No we say, Be careful! There's a lot out there that can go wrong, that can hurt us. A person can be too cautious, of course. But in the context of the first readers of this letter, remember that they had to be pretty courageous, daring people to have joined the Christian community in the first place. These are not the faint-hearted. Not much danger that they would be too careful and cautious.

So here's good advice: be careful how you live. He goes on: don't live as unwise people, but wise people. We all want to live wisely. Here's more good advice: make the most of every opportunity/ Well, again, sure! We don't tell people, why don't you go ahead and just fritter away your life? No, we all agree, I think, that we should use the time we have each day for good.

Because, as the verse goes on, we know that the days are evil. I take that to mean that there are bad things going on in the world today. Who could argue that? It makes my heart heavy to think of the untold sorrow and disruption of lives going on in our world today as foolish leaders of so many nations lead us into wars, sowing the seeds of more war for generations to come. If you think all is well in the world, you haven't been paying attention. And so this advice from this first century Christian still holds for us in the 21st: make the most of the time we have. There are great wrongs to be righted, great injustice to address, great suffering to be alleviated, good news to be announced to the many poor, the many oppressed, the many prisoners.

So far, nothing to argue with here: live wisely, with care, making the most of every day, because the needs of our world and grave, and they are many.

Therefore don't be foolish. Again, yes - let's not do things that will harm ourselves, our loved ones, our community, our world. But instead of being foolish, says the text, understand what the Lord's will is.

Ah! Here IS a challenge! Understand what the Lord's will is . . . somehow know what God wants you to do! I get very nervous around people who think they know the will of God, not just for themselves, but for me too, and the rest of the world, don't you? On the other hand, we prayed today and every Sunday Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, and I think we do know what the general will of God is . . . . that people and nations live in peace, with justice, caring for the poor, everyone living full and free lives. But when it comes to more specifics about the will of God for me, for you, and for all of us together, that's more of a problem. But it's a goal for us: to discern the way of the God, and to walk in it.

Whatever it is, this understanding the will of God, it is the opposite of being a fool. Don't be foolish; instead, do what you honestly believe God is calling you to do.

He goes on now with more unassailable advice. Don't be drunk on wine. It's hard to argue with that - all sorts of bad things happen "under the influence," not the least of which in our day are the thousands of deaths caused every year by drunk drivers. And the disease of alcoholism, I would venture to say, has sadly effected everyone here, to some extent. So sure: let's not drink to excess. And the writer goes on to say that instead of letting your body and mind submit to a drug in your system, be filled with the Spirit. That is, let the Presence of God within lead you (remember, we're supposed to be looking for that "will of God" is). If you're going to be under the influence of something, let it be the gracious, loving Spirit of God within.

And what is one of the marks of being filled with the Spirit, under the influence of God's powerful, gentle, and gracious presence? Music!

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Speak to one another . . . in music! Jesus, we learned in chapter two, came speaking peace [2:17] - and he broke down walls of race and religion. And we have been told twice now to speak the truth to each other, in love [4:15, 4:25]. And remember that we are to speak only grace [4:29]. In 5:4 the writer tells us to speak words of thanksgiving.

Speak truth in love, with grace, always with thanksgiving . . . and better yet, says the writer, let us do it all in song! Speak to each other with psalms, and hymns and spiritual songs. One can almost picture here a church service as opera . . . spontaneous opera! I don't think that there ever was such a thing. But the point of the verse is that a sure mark of the presence of God in a person, and in a Spirit-filled church, is the presence of joy - joy that can be expressed best in song, in music. That is why music - especially congregational singing - has always been so central to vital, living faith communities. When mere words have run out, when the boundaries of language have been reached, when a Realty beyond thought has been sensed, then Christians have turned to music to express their awe, wonder, joy, and need.

Leonard Bernstein said that Music names the unnameable, and communicates the unknowable. Music names the unnameable. In our faith context, the unnameable is the Holy One whose names are innumerable because no one name is complete. Music communicates the unknowable. The unknowable, to use the language of the third chapter of Ephesians, is "the breadth and length and height and depth of the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge," the "fullness of God."

Distrust - no, flee! - any theology that reduces God to a prosaic series of statements, that insists on a single name, that presumes to predict what God will do. Instead, embrace a faith that sings, that knows how little we know, that revels in mystery, and calls people to truth, and to grace.

Make music in your hearts . . . giving thanks - for everything! - (that should give us something more to ponder this week). Give thanks, sing to one another the praise of God!

And then comes that last verse that I have been studiously avoiding now for some ten minutes or more. Submit to one another. Be subject to one another, out of reverence for Christ. What does that mean? Our culture is long on individualism and short on community. We seem to value more the "me" than the "we." I know that is a sweeping accusation, and there are remarkable exceptions. But the idea of willingly putting ourselves second, of "being subject" even to people we love - life partners, children, parents, good friends - let alone strangers, enemies, people we just don't like - that doesn't just happen for most of us. Servanthood isn't second nature, at least it is not for me.

A couple of recent translations have tried to soften it a bit. Be willing to help and care for each other says one [The New Life Version, 1969]. Well, sure we should be willing to "help" . . . but that's not what the verse means. And The Message [1993] puts it this way: Be courteously reverent . . . But I don't think we're talking about being courteous. Jesus wasn't just being courteous before Pilate. And he didn't wash the disciples' feet that night just to be "polite." He was putting himself not merely second, but last - and very specifically said that he was setting an example for us.

Which is why I don't want to talk about it very much. And that's a good thing because I am out of time! And besides, in the end, we all of us know that the way of Christ is the way of being a servant. That's what Jesus taught; that's what he lived. And the way of servanthood - we all know this - is the way of giving, of serving, of loving, of being gracious.

I would quickly add that being subject to one another is not being a doormat to one another. This is not simply the weaker serving the stronger; is surely is not the strong abusing the weak. That may be the way of the world, but that is not the way of the Christ.

No, this is about being gracious and kind; this is about being strong, not weak; it is about following the way of the Christ and finding in that way our truest self, our deepest joy, our most complete freedom. May God grant us all grace as we each in our own ways seek to live out this way of serving one another. Amen.