This is, in a nut-shell, the essence of my sermon this morning, based on Ephesians 4: 1 - 16 with a bit of Psalm 51 stirred in for good measure.
Ephesians 4 is about what, exactly?
Unity - for sure, according to the various commentaries I looked at (unusually I have a few that cover this book) this is a 'given' of what is being written about; similarities with bits of Galatians or Colossians or even Romans and 1 Corinthians about unity, images of bodies and neither/nor suggest that unity-in-diversity is a reasonable expectation among Christians. So I wasn't going to talk about that, despite the lovely list of seven ones with its hints of Trinitarian formulation.
Roles - certainly, it has a long list of them, but they can be a right turn off for those who don't see any connection with the list and themselves, so I wasn't going to major on the roles but their reasons - the equipping of the saints (believers) for service and the building of the body (church). It's not so much which roles we have but why we have them: you can put out chairs to the glory of God or preach to the glory of mammon!
Attitudes - humility, patience, gentleness and love - easily missed, and with hints of Galatians 5 hints at the signs of God's spirit at work to bring us nearer maturity. Certainly, I spent a bit of time on this - along with false humility and low self esteem, impatience and santified procrastination, doormatism and laissez faire licence.
Ultimately, I decided, this passage shows us the need for structure and organisation in the church - not a prescriptive list of 'must fill roles' nor yet a straight-jacket of slavish tradition - along with the kind of attitudes that build others up, allow them to take risks and grow in grace, discover their gifts and fulfil their calling. Churches can fall pray to two extremes, in my experience: a kind of religious chaos (sometimes confused with 'waiting on the Lord' or 'being open to the Spirit's leading' when in fact reflecting a refusal to take responsibility) and the existence of religious dictators (including among others the 'flower dragon' and the 'premises orgre') and power bases. Ironically, and sadly, both can co-exist in the same congregation.
By using David as the foul-up sine qua non (or some such) and Psalm 51 as an entry pint, we ended with a prayer for forgiveness and freedom:
Have mercy upon us, O God, according to your unfailing love;
According to your great compassion blot out our transgressions,
Wash away all our iniquity and cleanse us from our sins.
Where we have been guilty of false humility, publicly denying our God-given abilities in order that we might be seen as spiritual or that we might evade service
Lord, forgive us
Where we have been victims of low self-esteem, unable to recognise our unique gifts and skills, ignorant of our inherent worth, denied opportunities to flourish
Lord, release us
Where we have failed to be gentle, speaking harshly, belittling others, quick to condemn and slow to encourage,
Lord, forgive us
Where we been victims of cruelty or bullying, made to feel worthless and useless, limited in our ambition and thwarted in our service
Lord, release us
Where we have failed to be patient, wanting our own way, ignoring the needs and desires of others, swift to criticise and slow to listen
Lord, forgive us
Where we have been victims of impatience, forced into decisions too soon, denied the space to reflect, dragged unwillingly to new situations
Lord release us
Where we have failed to love, seeking only our own will, asserting our rights, considering only what serves our ambition
Lord, forgive us
Where we have been victims of hate or neglect, our voices unheard, our hurts untended, our longings and aspirations suppressed
Lord, release us
Where we have held onto power, sought self-aggrandisement, confused position with purpose
Lord, forgive us
Where we have abdicated responsibility, refused to get involved, confused wants with needs
Lord, forgive us
Where we have damaged your church, strained the bonds of peace, dashed hope and destroyed faith
Lord, forgive us
From the regrets of the past, the legacy of disappointment and the fear of failing
Lord, release us
To the hope of tomorrow, growing in grace, mercy and love
Lord release us
To live and work to Christ’s praise and glory
Lord, release us.