Accountability

Thoughts on Ephesians 4

 

“forgive one another” we cry

“as Christ has forgiven you!” (v. 32)

 

Alleluia, Amen!

 

They are noble thoughts,

the ideas of love and unity

forgiveness and reconciliation

 

so too the idea of being grace full

and lifting each other up! (v. 29)

 

I am in!!

 

I want to live that life

of humility and kindness

 

I want to be a person of love

recognizing the Sacred in each person I meet

seeing them as precious souls

Sacred children

 

I want to live in a community

a nation

a world

united

 

I want to drive through the wasteland (although probably not in a Jeep)

and find the center

the place we all can meet

the peaceable kingdom

 

but the journey to unity is tricky and complex

and costly

 

it requires transformation

it requires openness

it requires honesty (vv. 20-25)

it requires doing whatever is necessary

to “put off our old self” (v22)

so that we might “put on the new self” (v23)

 

and be recreated

 

there are no shortcuts

this is not something we can do “partially”

 

we have to be “all in”

totally honest about that old self

totally open to the new self

which is not really new

but really a restoration of our original, divine blessing

 

we know what happens if the “devil” is left a foothold (v. 27)

if those little pieces of anger remain (v. 26)

if those little deceits linger (v. 25)

if those old patterns of greed, and domination persist  (v. 28)

 

we want to simply make those three happy hops to grace

without the honesty

without the accountability

without true change

 

it doesn’t work

those things in ourselves that are most deeply rooted

those fears, those patterns

those desires   (vv. 17-19)

 

that are not touched by the holy

that are left hidden and unresolved

will ultimately resurface, and take us over

 

I have seen this in my own life!

How about you?

 

And we have seen this in our divided nation

where old sins and old deceits

hidden, denied and ignored have emerged again to divide and harm

 

we have seen where racism

and white supremacy

arrogance, exceptionalism

greed

 

never acknowledged

never dealt with

have seeped out of the deep dark places

to create hate and chaos, and death

 

we want cheap grace

faux unity

we want a body of Christ (and a nation too)

held together with bailing twine and duct tape

 

we want to gloss over our personal (and national) sin

we want to “leave it all behind”

and move forward

 

absolutely

 

but leaving the past behind and moving forward

means leaving the past behind, and not

through neglect or dishonesty

carrying it with us into the future

 

this is hard work

it is hard work for us as individuals

for “letting go” is not easy

accepting those things in us that need to be changed

is difficult indeed

 

and it is even harder as a nation

 

but this hard work must be done

if we would not “grieve” Love (v. 30)

 

this day, as I examine myself

this day, as our national looks at itself

 

may we be brutally honest, and open (think step 4 of the 12 steps)

and may we let the energy of God

move in us, cleaning, restoring,

doing the hard work of transforming us into new creations

 

so that we may indeed

live lives worthy of the calling we have received (v. 1)