Church programs for Monday, Jan. 22 will resume their normal schedule at all locations this evening.
Leawood’s Sunday night in-person worship has been moved to 4 pm for Sunday, February 11.
29 Don’t let any foul words come out of your mouth. Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community so that it benefits those who hear what you say. 30 Don’t make the Holy Spirit of God unhappy—you were sealed by him for the day of redemption. 31 Put aside all bitterness, losing your temper, anger, shouting, and slander, along with every other evil. 32 Be kind, compassionate, and forgiving to each other, in the same way God forgave you in Christ.
5:1 Therefore, imitate God like dearly loved children. 2 Live your life with love, following the example of Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us. He was a sacrificial offering that smelled sweet to God.
Across our country and around the world, we see the result of words that tear down community and set people against one another. Our “Do Unto Others” campaign is particularly timely because the nation has a general election next month. Our aim is to follow Ephesians 4:29: “Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community.” Treating one another in un-Christlike ways (“bitterness, losing your temper, anger, shouting, and slander, along with every other evil”) damages and often destroys relationships. Letting Christ change your life from the inside out opens you to growing qualities like compassion, kindness, and a forgiving heart. God works through these qualities to strengthen (and heal when needed) our relationships, even (maybe especially) in a heated election season.
Scholar N. T. Wright wrote, “People… enslaved to anger and malice may think they are ‘free’ to ‘be themselves’, but they are in bondage.” * When have you said hurtful words, and then wondered, “Why did I say that?” What helps you understand your feelings better, so you don’t blurt out damaging words? Before you forward that e-mail, or post that tart response on social media, are you willing to ask, “Does this give grace? Does it build up? Can I picture Jesus sending this?” Today’s reading didn’t say, “Behave nicely to others—no matter how much you despise them inside.” “Paul sums up his advice. He tells us to be kind (chrēstos). The Greeks defined this quality as the disposition of mind which thinks as much of its neighbor’s affairs as it does of its own. He tells us to forgive others as God forgave us. In one sentence, Paul lays down the law of personal relationships—that we should treat others as Jesus Christ has treated us.” ** In what area(s) of life do you most want to live that way?
Lord Jesus, when you make me aware of anger or bitterness inside myself, help me not to hide from or rationalize that. Do your transforming work in me, shaping a life worthy of my calling. Amen.
Penny Ellwood serves as the Location Pastor for Resurrection Blue Springs in Blue Springs, MO.
The Ephesians passage from today’s GPS always reminds me of a workshop I took years ago based on a book written by Florence Littauer back in 1989, called Silver Boxes.* In the book, Littauer, a Christian self-help author and public speaker, tells the story of being spontaneously asked to deliver a children’s message at a church where she was to be the guest speaker the following day. Not having prepared anything, she decided to teach a favorite verse to the church children. The verse was Ephesians 4:29. “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers (KJV).”
Littnauer and her husband used this verse at home to teach their children to use positive words when speaking to one another. Words that would edify or “build up the community,” as it is stated in our translation. Over time the verse for the family was shortened to a question, “Is it edifying?,” whenever a negative, unkind or sarcastic comment was heard.
After Littnauer explained the first part of the verse to the church children, she asked them how we might make our words good for edifying others. After some discussion, the children determined that “our words should be like building blocks,” and we should keep adding good words to build up each other’s pile of blocks. “And that we shouldn’t go around knocking other people’s blocks down.”
Littauer then explained the last part of the verse, which says our words should “minister grace to the hearer.” She told the children that “minister” means to serve or give to others, and “grace” they knew from Sunday school was a gift from God that one didn’t necessarily deserve. One precious little girl, inspired by the conversation, stepped into the aisle and stated to the entire congregation, “What she means is that our words should be like little silver boxes with bows on top.” She captured the essence of the verse well.
After retelling this story at another speaking engagement, a women gifted Littnauer with a small Christmas ornament shaped like a little silver box with a bow on top. She suggested it could be placed on her tree as a reminder to say kind words. Littnauer‘s little box never made it to the tree. She placed it where she could see it every day as a reminder to use kind words. This little story became the basis for her book about offering words as gifts of encouragement.
At the end of our workshop, we were each given a little silver box to take home. I had mine sitting where I could see it every day for quite some time. In this political season, it might be time for me to get out another little silver box. Might this be a good reminder for you?
*Florence Littauer, Silver Boxes: The Gift of Encouragement, (Dallas, Word Publishing, 1989)
* N. T. Wright, Paul for Everyone: The Prison Letters (Westminster John Knox Press, 2004, p. 56).
** William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: The Letters to the Galatians and Ephesians (Revised Edition). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1976, p. 160.