Ephesians 4:1-8
I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation with which ye are called, with all humility and meekness, with tolerance, forbearing one another in love, being diligent to guard the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all, and in you all. But unto each one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of the Christ. Therefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men.
I distinctly remember my 18th Christmas like it was yesterday. I think it changed my ideology, philosophy and theology all at the same time. My siblings and I had a tradition of waking up very early on Christmas morning to gather up our gifts. Since it was too early to start playing with them, we would take them back to bed and wait until later to assemble and activate them. But on my 18 Christmas I decided I was too old for that stuff. I was in my first year of college and I was feeling grown. At least that’s what I thought.
When I finally got up to check what I had under the tree, I was totally blown away. There were plenty of gifts for everyone else, but not one gift for me. For the first time in memory I didn’t have anything under the tree. After coming to the realization that this wasn’t just a bad dream, I had to process what just happened. Either I’d done something so terrible that I didn’t deserve a gift, or my family no longer loved me for no reason at all. But after discounting both those possibilities, I came to a truism. My parents realized the same thing I had been declaring. I was finally an adult. And this is what being “grown” feels like.
Before you start feeling sorry for me or think ill of my parents let me put this in proper perspective. I am the eldest of five children. During this period of time (1974) we didn’t have a whole lot of money. I had received money for school and gifts for graduation. I already had plenty of gifts. But honestly, I still felt left out. I could of pouted. I could of been angry. I could of been depressed. But instead I decided to wake everyone up and help them assemble their gifts. And I’ve been doing that every Christmas since.
Apostle Paul speaks to the Ephesians from his prison cell, and the content of his message is not only upbeat, but highly instructive. He speaks of hope while in a hopeless environment. He speaks of faith while facing insurmountable odds. And he wraps all that up in the concept of grace as a gift of Christ to every believer. In other words, prior to any and every incident that impacts our lives, God has prepared us in advance with spiritual gifts that make us uniquely strong. Let me say that a different way. Because of Christ in us, we are gifted to handle every crisis that presents itself to us, as the Spirit works through us. Now that’s good news.
Which brings me back to Christmas. Christmas is certainly tied to gifts and giving, but there is an ancillary value in the exchange of gifts. Young recipients need the assistance of experienced folk to properly deploy their new shiny toy. In many cases, there’s some assembly required.
The message of Paul beyond the celebration of grace in our lives, is the necessity of Christian unity. One Lord, one faith and one Baptism. This theme sets in order a continuum of love, support and fellowship. Irrespective what our individual gifts may be, they all work together to support the whole. So what one has received benefits another. In Christ we have a perfect spiritual ecosystem. What a mighty God we serve.
And Saints of God, let’s not be oblivious to the unintended double-entendre (Some Assembly Required), because it is true both physically and spiritually. Many gifts we receive this Christmas will require assembling. And it certainly would be nice to have someone skilled and experienced to help with that. But the same thing is true of spiritual gifts. Oftentimes, they too require the assistance of skilled, experienced helpers. And that happens when we assemble in true Christian love. So if you don’t get anything else from the Lord, pray for the opportunity to be that helper someone desperately needs. Serving is the gift.
God bless
