Ephesians 5:15-20
15 Be careful then how you live, not as unwise
people but as wise, 16 making the most of the time, because the days
are evil. 17 So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of
the Lord is. 18 Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery;
but be filled with the Spirit, 19 as you sing psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your
hearts, 20 giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for
everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Year B
August 14-20
August 23, 2009
Cross~Wind
Ministries
August 24, 2003
Crawfordsville First
United Methodist Church
Title: Living in
God’s Time
Going deeper
The theme of Ephesians 5:15-20 is the positive characteristics that
distinguish Christian behavior.
Ephesians 5:15-20
[After spending considerable time on
the negative characteristics of those untouched by Christ (5:3-14), Paul moves
in this passage to the positive characteristics that distinguish Christian
behavior. The general tone is upbeat. Yet, the author continues his established
pattern of citing a negative example followed by a positive, Christ-inspired
condition or action. The tightly woven, tersely interlocking nature of separate
texts and ideas is quite evident throughout this section.]
[Verses 15-17 stress
the need to live wisely.] 15 Be
careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, [Verse 15 is
similar to wisdom books. The first
negative/positive example is unwise v. wise.
One aspect of being foolish in the Jewish tradition is not to realize
how brief human life is. The wise and the foolish alike die, and leave the
results of other work to others. See Psalm 39:7-8 and 49:10-12. In line with
this thought, Jesus told a puzzling parable (Matthew 25:1-13) about the wise
and foolish maidens, the latter group did not bring enough oil for their lamps
as they waited for the bridegroom to come. The foolish had to go get more oil,
and when they returned, “the door was shut” for the celebration of the wedding.
In another parable (Luke 12:20), Jesus said the rich man is a fool for not
realizing that his amassing of wealth will pass to another. The point is,
people need to be careful. Far from
becoming hopeless in the midst of evil, however, the imperative is for
Christians to work harder and faster, reclaiming every possible moment through
wise, faithful actions that bear witness and bear fruit. To say be
careful then how you live is the counsel of caution for those living in the
cultural melting pot. Of course, the Greek and Roman world, known for their
philosophers (lovers of wisdom) as wise. We will see a very different notion of
wisdom in these verses. As much as one might like to consider philosophical
questions, and I would be among them, if we are going to be faithful to the
Christian “home,” we find our wisdom in following Christ.] 16
making the most of the time, because the days are evil. [Barth says
this time is the time of the community, the time spared and appointed for the
sake of the gathering, existence, and mission of the community, the time God
give it for profitable account.[1] The adversity in which saints live does not
excuse the people of God from using every opportunity and tackling each task
they are given. In the face of evil, God
calls upon and equips Christians for this time.
What the NRSV translates as "making the most of the time" is
rendered more literally "to buy out" or "to redeem" time.
Coupled with the claim that "the days are evil," this text conveys a
sense of unmistakable urgency. The
"foolishness" against which the author counsels the Ephesians against
appears to have a relationship to vain human attempts to gain easy access to
the divine. Christians are not to waste time through relying upon human
resources.] 17 So do not be
foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. [The writer is
calling the community to avoid the foolishness of pagan unbelief and resolve
instead to “understand what the will of the Lord is.” The wording is a
variation of 5:10, “Try to find out what is pleasing to the Lord.” Christian
wisdom, therefore, is a way of behaving oriented toward the will of God in the
midst of a world that has separated itself from God by its own foolishness. We
have moved from the caution of being careful in verse 15 to the imperative
command not to be foolish in this verse. We see the definite warning to avoid
foolishness and the dangers of the enticing ways of the unwise. Now, the writer
is summarizing the urging made in verses 9-10 to live in the light that Christ
has brought. Here, the will of the Lord is the standard for all Christian
behavior. Disregard or disobedience will be evident by ensuing "unfruitful
works of darkness" (v. 11).]
[Verses 18-20 stress the need for Spirit-filled worship. This section
is particularly interesting as it gives us a behind-the-scenes look at what
went on in Christian worship. I Corinthians 14:26-40 is perhaps the only other
passage in Pauline literature that gives such detailed worship information. In
this passage, Colossians 3:16-17 and 4:6 influenced the writer. They are not to
be drunk with wine, which is debauchery. Rather, they are to let the Holy
Spirit fill them, as they sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with each
other, singing and making melody to the Lord in their hearts and giving thanks
to God.] 18 Do not get drunk
with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit,[the
second negative/positive antithesis contrasts being "drunk with wine"
with being "filled with the Spirit." Why the sudden reference to
drunkenness? It might mean that, similar
to I Corinthians 11:21, the saints are having a problem with drunkenness. For
other scholars, it might suggest an attempt to gain unity with God through
alcohol in a way similar to the cult of the god Dionysius. It at least seems to
allude the drunken festivals of the adherents of this god, where people will
lose all sense of themselves and become wild and frenzied. Only in this
uninhibited state, Dionysians maintained, could they become fully open to
divine messages. The equation of
drunkenness with "debauchery" may stem from the common practice in
many first-century pagan cults (including the cult of Dionysus) of using
wine-induced orgies as part of their ritual celebrations/worship gatherings.
There is also a well-established Christian opposition to a lifestyle of over
indulgence (gluttony and drunkenness) - see Paul's allusions in Romans 13:13
and 1 Thessalonians 5:7b. Recalling the
reminder in Romans 14:17 that the kingdom of God is a matter of righteousness,
peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit, this author now urges that the allow God to
fill them with the Holy Spirit. This Spirit is that which fills up both the
believer and the one who does the filling. The Dionysians had to fill
themselves with wine before their god could fill them. The Spirit must fill
Christians. What the Spirit's presence
does is to inspire the right spirit and form of congregational worship. This positive, Spirit-filled version of the
pagan's drunken parties does not try to claim any physical ecstatic effects on
the believer. In addition, we must note
a significant grammatical switch here.
While the pagans are filled with wine, the author breaks up his
comparative sentence with the instrumental use of "en" (translated
"by") to emphasize that Christians are to be filled by the Spirit
even as they are filled with the Spirit. Wine is a passive element - humans
determine whether they will drink and how much they will drunk. The Spirit,
however, exercises its own active role in the imbibing process. Christians are
to open their hearts and souls to accept the incoming flow of the Spirit, but
individual believers in no way control the degree of the Spirit's presence
within and among them. What the Spirit's presence does is inspire the right
spirit and form of congregational worship. Again, it might help to contrast
this author's concept of a proper Spirit-filled experience of worship with the
wild party atmosphere of so many of the pagan cultic worship ceremonies.] 19 as you sing psalms [the
Book of Psalms] and hymns [Christian-composed
songs of praise to Jesus as Lord] and
spiritual songs [Spirit-inspired compositions of the moment] among yourselves, ["Singing to one
another" may suggest antiphonal singing but certainly emphasizes the
communal nature of the singing. "Singing and making melody" or more
simply offering "song and praise" to the Lord is not only a communal
activity - it should also be the experience of each individual believer.] singing and making melody to the Lord in
your hearts, [References to the “heart” are to the total self. The author
thus specifies the Spirit-filled presence of song "in your hearts" as
a positive indication of authentic Christian worship. We should not understand
this reference as some literal reference to an enforced period of silence, but
rather suggests that sincere worshipers experience the Spirit in their hearts,
not just on their lips. Joining voices together in Christian praise and song is
not just a "crowd phenomenon" but is the communal manifestation of
every individual believer's faith.] 20
giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ. [Early communities were joyful, singing
communities. The text could also refer
to musical instruments. Strong emphasis on thanksgiving, though it could refer
to people rather than things. If the
former, they have a priestly function with all humanity. If the latter, they are to be accept with
gratitude all that happens. The natural outpouring of the Spirit-filled
Christian continually and tunefully results in "giving thanks to God the
Father" (v.20). Unlike the Dionysian celebrators, whose attentions turned
to their god only during festival days when they were filled with drink,
Christians filled and fueled with the Spirit will naturally give thanks to God
"at all times and for everything."]
Introduction
How many of us are not here?
We may right now think about the difficulty we had getting here. We may
think about something bad or something very good that happened this past week. Our
minds may already have moved on to the next thing we have to do, whether this
afternoon, tomorrow, or this week. We have a list of things to do, and even
now, we think of ways to get them done.
Regardless of what timepiece you carry, it is clear that we live in a
world obsessed with time. Rarely do people sidle up to you in the grocery store
anymore and ask, "Do you have the time?" because everyone has it
attached to their body in some way. We have multiple apps for tracking our
calendars, managing our deadlines and even timing our walk to the office. We
have time staring at us from the corner of our computer screens, from the
dashboard of the car and from the digital clock on the bank sign down the
street. If you live in a city, you might even look up and see a classic old
clock fixed on a historic building that has been marking the time for
generations.
In some cities, in fact, telling time is literally a big deal. If you
are in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, for example, you cannot help but see the Abraj Al
Bait Towers clock just about anywhere you go. Its clock face is 43 meters in
diameter, roughly the size of a luxury yacht, built on a tower that is 601
meters (almost 2,000 feet) tall. By comparison, Big Ben, arguably the most
famous clock in the world, is just over 6 meters in diameter on a 96-meter-high
tower on the bank of the Thames. Other cities around the world have similar
"big time" clocks to help residents and visitors track the time, some
even assisting with chimes or bells when the clock strikes the hour.
You would think that the plethora of clocks in our world would make us
better at managing our time, but the truth is that time management is one of
the biggest stressors in our culture. We work too many hours, we have too many
distractions, and we are trying to squeeze in more work in less time.
Procrastination is often the result of being so overwhelmed with tasks that we
keep putting things off, only to find that we are now even more squeezed for
time.
The relentless ticking of the clock (or, in their case, the movement of
the shadow around the sundial) is what the ancient Greeks referred to as
chronos time, from which we get "chronological" time. If you buy an
expensive watch today (either to tell time or to make a fashion statement), the
jewelry store will likely refer to it as a "chronograph." It keeps
the time that we are always tracking, managing and running out of.
I hope that in the midst of all these thoughts, you will allow me to
ask you a question. Why should we waste our precious time on something like
worship?
Our Christian faith -- along with the underlying Jewish tradition --
offers a marvelous tool for figuring out how to redeem the time. It is so
important that God devoted one of the 10 commandments to it. It is, of course,
the Sabbath. We set aside time, wisely, to allow ourselves some moments to
remember what is truly important. If we do not set aside such time, the rest of
our time may well become a wasteland.
Paul actually kept a running clock
in his head, but, instead of tracking the chronos, Paul was far more interested
in redeeming the kairos.
Kairos is the brand of time most often mentioned in the New Testament.
You will not find it on the hands of the dial or the digital numbers on a
screen. Instead, kairos refers more to a decisive time -- the right time, the
appropriate time. The writers of the New Testament seem to understand kairos in
relation to the moment when God intervenes or is about to intervene in human
history. However, the word can also mean the time that God's people have to
prepare for the ultimate kairos, thus Paul's admonition to the Ephesians to
"[make] the most of the time [kairos] because the days are evil" (v.
16).
It is that kairos expectation that should fuel the management of our
chronos. I invite you to pause with me for just a moment, before we go any
further.
I want you to meet Randy Hofman. He is an artist — a sculptor dealing
in primarily religious themes. He created monumental works such as “Christ on
the Cross,” “The Last Supper,” “Jesus Praying” and “David and Goliath.” He
creates sculptures out of normal beach sand and seawater. An ordained minister
since 1985, Hofman now earns his living as an artist and views his sand
sculptures as his ministry.
Sand sculpting is a purposely temporary and fragile art form. Here today, gone tomorrow, taken by tide, rain, or wind. Obviously, he does preserve his art in photos, but what he created is gone. The impermanence of sand is part of the magic, part of the beauty. Most of us, however, devalue the temporary. If something does not last, or have staying power, it does not have value. We want durability, sustainability, strength and endurance — whether we are talking about our marriage, our washing machine, our job, our car, our family or our God. We value things that last. We cling to the permanent, perhaps because, deep down, we know that human life is a sand castle before a coming tide.
Sand sculpting is a purposely temporary and fragile art form. Here today, gone tomorrow, taken by tide, rain, or wind. Obviously, he does preserve his art in photos, but what he created is gone. The impermanence of sand is part of the magic, part of the beauty. Most of us, however, devalue the temporary. If something does not last, or have staying power, it does not have value. We want durability, sustainability, strength and endurance — whether we are talking about our marriage, our washing machine, our job, our car, our family or our God. We value things that last. We cling to the permanent, perhaps because, deep down, we know that human life is a sand castle before a coming tide.
One movie that played around with time was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008), about a baby born old,
placed in an old folks home, and increasingly gets younger throughout the
movie.
For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again."[2]
Application
“Be careful then how you live, not as unwise
people but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil”
(5:15, 16).
A sermon may feel like it lasts
forever. Really, we have just few moments. I hope the next few moments will
help you reflect upon the connection of your life in worship with the rest of
your life.
1. Genuine worship
means being Open-minded
I am sure you have
heard the saying that open-minded does not mean empty headed. Listen to these
words.
"Be
careful then how you live ... because the days are evil" (vv.15-16).
The "wisdom" of Christ calls us to grow quiet and open our
minds up to new possibilities, so that we might begin to understand "what the will of the Lord is"
(v.17). With an open mind, we can embrace ventures and visions that we
previously would have dismissed as beyond our abilities, beyond all hope. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I have
a dream” speech on August 24, 1963. His
dream changed a nation with a new vision of race relationships. Our dream may
not have that grand impact, but it can have an influence upon family, our
friends, community, and us. An open mind invites God's Spirit in and gives us a
glimpse of the best God has for us. Even if it is God's intention that we are to
spend our entire lives creating just one part of a sand castle, an open mind
lets us get a peek at what the finished product will someday look like.
Being open-minded means we need to close our
lips and listen. Preachers make a living with words, but even we need to have
silence and listen. Paul counsels
"So do not be foolish, but understand what
the will of the Lord is." (Verse 17)
There is no rush to
spit out something, anything, in order to fill up the silence. Genuine wisdom
requires silence. Ecclesiastes says,
"Let your words be few to draw near to listen
is better than the sacrifice offered by fools" (Ecclesiastes 5:1)
2. Genuine worship
means being Openhearted
To be openhearted to
the joy of this singing-Spirit is to confront God with genuine human fears,
anger, loss, misery, joy, hope, love and dreams. Since Paul refers to psalms, I
want to share a few with you, around the theme of using our bodies in worship.
•
Psalm 134:1-2: “Come, bless the LORD, all
you servants of the LORD ... Lift up your hands to the holy place, and bless
the LORD.”
•
Psalm 28:1-2: “To you, O LORD, I call ...
Hear the voice of my supplication, as I cry to you for help, as I lift up my
hands toward your most holy sanctuary.”
•
Psalm 63:4: “So I will bless you as long
as I live; I will lift up my hands and call on your name.”
•
Lamentations 2:19: “Arise, cry out in the
night ... Pour out your heart like water before the presence of the Lord! Lift
your hands to him ...”
•
1 Timothy 2:8: “I desire, then, that in
every place the men should pray, lifting up holy hands without anger or
argument ...”
This congregation
loves to worship. I want us to stay that way, and grow in it. Too often,
worship is dull and uninspiring. People do not smile or react. One feels no
warmth of heart with God or with each other. It becomes a lifeless exercise. We
need to be sure that it does not happen here. We need spirited, life-giving
worship. God speaks in hearts burning with love. We need open hearts.
3. Openhanded
To be openhanded is to welcome all those who
are as tongue-tied as we sometimes are. When we are at a loss for words, an
open hand stretched out to another is the most eloquent speech we can make.
Will we be openhanded enough to give ourselves -- our time, our talents, our treasures--to
those within our reach?
Throughout the letter of Ephesians, the Spirit plays the role of
unifying believers, bringing them together as members of one body. The natural
outpouring of the Spirit-filled Christian continually and tunefully results in
"giving thanks to God the Father"
(v.20). Of course,
we sing such thanksgiving and praise to God, but we also sing to each other.
When we sing together, we reinforce the bond created by the Spirit. When we are
weak, when our faith is small, we come, we worship, and we expand. We have
temptations toward evil and foolishness. When we are together, we have a better
chance at saying “No” to the temptation.
Conclusion
Sand art edifies those who see it.
The presence of sand everywhere, its sameness, its blandness, its mundaneness
makes these works of art so refreshing. I have walked along enough beaches to
see such works of art. I pause and admire what the person has created, knowing
that it will soon disappear.
Part of the beauty,
the risk and the tragedy is knowing the sand sculptures are frail and will
fall. Part of our risk, our own beauty and our own tragedy is knowing the same
about us. We are a stretch of sand that can open our lives to the artist who
works with sand, and shape us into God’s work of art. Part of the beauty is
seeking God and finding peace in the permanence of God’s presence.
So
... be careful how you live. Make the most of your time. For the sake of
others. And for your own sake. And for God’s sake.
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