10 March 2006

The week comes to an end by focusing on another piece by Walter Brueggemann from "The Covenanted Self."

Paul writes:
But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body's growth in building itself up in love. (Ephesians 4:15-16)
Covenanting requires maturity to be "knit together in love." ...And with God, it takes some maturity to move readily and appropriately between complaint and praise. And so with neighbor, this visionary mandate from Ephesians requires that there be growth as the parts of the body are increasingly joined together in trust and loyalty and forgiveness. The writer understands, moreover, that such growth is not happenstance or accidental or automatic, but must be pursued with intentionality.

This love that speaks the truth is no superficial love. It is well-worn by time and sacrifice and suffering together. Speaking truth in love means that the whole story will be told and the whole story will be embraced closely enough so that when we tell that truth - as hard as it may be - there will be this love that will not come undone. When the love within the community is that mature, the possibilities for life together are amazing because people are less afraid to risk their lives in many ways. This risking may be on the most basic level of risking to greet and meet and welcome one another . This risking may be on another level where one person risks her/his life or reputation for the well being of the other. What shows in these two ways of risking and all others it that there is enough of a connection between the people - time spent...lives shared...fences mended - that the love overcomes brokenness and reunites even the separated. This...takes work.

Connection: So bruised saints of God, how will we dig into today and build the relationships that are known to us best by the love of Christ, Jesus?!?

Draw us into your way of love, O God. Draw us in that we may draw in the others around us as your love becomes our love. And when your love is our love, we may even be willing to engage everyone without condition with a loving truthfulness that makes us all a bit more whole. Amen.