Bethany Bullet - August 7, 2012

Ephesians 4:1-16

Paul picks up from where we left off last week:  God’s great love for us. 

This love that surpasses all things is to be passed on by us to others.  What do you think is the most effective way to share God’s love?

Go back with me to that printer shop of long ago; to be among the first to publish the Bible in mass with the invention of moveable type. What did that girl do when she found that scrap of printed paper?  Did she scurry to the sanctuary with that scrap and start sermonizing? No! Not that there is anything wrong with preaching. Did she think to herself, “If dad can put words on paper can I put them on fabric?  If he can sell Christian books can I sell Christian T-shirts?”  No!  Not that there is anything wrong with Christian Tee’s!  Blessed are the entrepreneurs for theirs is the joy of creating. 

I still remember my first Christian Tee…

(While it effectively started some deep conversations, I’m not sure it was extremely effective at communicating God’s love.)

How did that young girl communicate God’s love to her family?  She went from being hot tempered to being gentle, from having a chip on her shoulder to having a humble spirit, and from intolerant to bearing with others in love. Love changed her; and love that flowed from her moved others to inquire about the change. 

What is the most effective way to share God’s love in Christ with the world? Begin with our neighbors, co-workers, class mates, and even family members - living a life of Christ-like love. 

The speaker of the Lutheran Hour* and a good friend of mine tells the story of what he said to a person who was into studying the Bible and listening to messages but didn’t want to go to worship.  “Why should I go to church?” the man asked. The reply, “Because there are people there you won’t like and you need to learn to love them.” 

*(Web address for Lutheran Hour Ministries: http://lhm.org/)

Bethany is the lab where we learn to love one another!  Here we strive to live in a manner that is gentle, humble, patient, and loving.  Learning that if we can do it here (at church) we can do it there (out in the world) because if we can’t do it here (at church) there is no chance of living that way out there (in the world) and a church that can’t live that way in the world is one that can’t effectively communicate God’s love.

-Pastor Kevin Kritzer