Plugged In For Others

“According to the Talmud, every blade of grass has its own angel bending over it, whispering, "Grow, grow.”   

Barbara Brown Taylor

Ice Breaker

Share a time when you didn’t have the right skills or tools you needed to get something done and you relied on the gifts of someone else.

Reflection

None of us grows into the fullness of Christ alone. Ephesians reminds us that Christ gives different gifts to different people so that the whole body may be equipped, strengthened, and built up in love. When we lack the skills or tools to accomplish something and must rely on someone else, we are reminded that dependence is not failure; it is part of God’s design for community. Receiving another person’s gift with gratitude—and offering our own in return—helps the whole body grow toward maturity in Christ.

Barbara Brown Taylor’s image of an angel bending over every blade of grass and whispering, “Grow, grow,” offers a tender picture of Christian community. At times, we are the grass receiving encouragement; at other times, we are the ones bending close to encourage another. As we speak the truth in love and use our God-given gifts in service to one another, Christ joins us together and grows us into a mature body in which every part has a purpose.

Recently, Lacy and I moved into the parsonage and after a long day of moving, we had hoped to enjoy some TV and time to relax.  I remember trying to install the mounting hardware to hang our TV on the wall. Yes, I had the new bracket and the instructions, but I soon realized I did not have the right tools—or the experience, really—to know whether the mount would be secure. The truth was that I needed someone who had the proper drill, knew how to locate the studs, and could help me do the job safely. The TV made it onto the wall not because I suddenly knew how to do everything, but because a friend came over, and shared their tools and gifts with us. In much the same way, Christ builds his church as we admit what we lack, receive the gifts of others, and contribute our own.

This week, I encourage you to take one step toward shared growth: name the gift God has given you and offer it where it is needed. Then notice someone else’s gift, encourage them in it, and be willing to receive their help. Together, let us keep whispering God’s invitation to one another: “Grow, grow.”

Wrestling with the Word:  

Read Ephesians 4:11 - 16 (NIV)

11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every
supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Going Deeper:

Next Steps:

Prayer:

Paul invites us to know and experience Christ more deeply through significant involvement in the lives of other believers.

Jesus, help us to live our lives for you. Give us a knowing of how you have prepared us to serve and a desire to use our gifts for the building of your kingdom. Redirect our steps when necessary. Grow us in our trust and reliance on you. Keep us grounded in your love. Amen.