FROM PRIVATE TO PUBLIC

 I love irony.  Irony is a figure of speech in which there is an incongruity between what is said, and what is understood.  To understand irony, one must see past the literal words to the incongruity between what is said and what is actually meant. 

 I love irony in any from, for irony always causes me to think a bit more and probe a little deeper.

 There are different kinds of irony.  There is verbal irony, dramatic irony and situational irony to name a few.  Here is an example of situational irony:   In June 2005, the State of Virginia Employment Agency, which handles unemployment compensation, announced that they would lay off 400 employees because they didn’t have enough work because unemployment was so low in their state.  

 I hope you see the irony in that. If not, see me afterward, and I’ll try to explain it.

 Jesus used irony frequently in his teaching and preaching.  He told stories about judges who granted justice only after being pestered repeatedly; businessmen who amassed riches only to die the next day; priests too religious to help a man who had been beaten up; people who gave stones in the place of bread; people who saw the speck in the eye of another but ignored the log in their own. He talked about the blind leading the blind and he called the holy men of his day “whitewashed tombs.”

 The epistle this morning contains situational irony. But it is hard to see if you don’t dig past the surface and probe deeper.   Look at verses 7 and 8.

 “But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift.  Therefore it is said, ‘When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his people.’”

 That’s ironic!  And you are saying, “How? Where? Why?” 

 That is a quote of Psalm 68:18, but there is one little problem. It is intentionally misquoted, therefore creating situational irony. This is what Psalm 68:18 actually says: “You ascended the high mount leading captives in your trains, receiving gifts from them, even from those who rebelled against the Lord…”

 Psalm 68 is a liturgy used at the return of a conquering king entering Jerusalem.  It was customary for a conquering king to return home on a white horse with the captives of the conquered enemy following him in chains and bearing gifts from the conquered land to be given to the conquering king. It was a way to elevate the victorious king and humiliate the conquered and defeated enemy. 

 But in Ephesians it is not the captives or conquered people who are humbled and are giving the gifts to the king.  In Ephesians it is the victorious king who is humbled and giving gifts to the people, and that’s ironic!   

 Jesus is the humble yet victorious king.  He went to the cross to die, and on the cross attained a victory for those who were his enemies in sin.   In Romans 5:8 Paul says, “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.”    

 Christ is the victorious king, but what does he do in victory?  Does he ride into town on a white horse with us, his enemies, following behind bound in chains bearing gifts as a tribute to his victory?  No, and that’s the irony.  The victorious king comes humbly to us bearing gifts for us, the very ones who were his enemies who now, by his victory, he has made into his friends.

 He gives us gifts!  Is there anybody here this morning who doesn’t like to receive a gift? Of course not!  Gifts are terrific, and let me tell you why.  Gifts are undeserved, and are an unconditional affirmation of your worth and value as a person.  Rewards are something different.  Rewards are pay-offs for merits and credits accumulated, but not gifts.  Gifts are free and unconditional.   Nothing feels better than a gift! 

 Our victorious king, Jesus Christ, approaches you and me bearing gifts – undeserved and unconditional expressions from his heart to ours signifying that we are of un-surpassing value and worth to him. And that’s the glorious irony of the whole deal!

 Once the gift is given, the question becomes what do we do with our gift?       

 First, we un-wrap it and that is always exciting, for those are moments of great anticipation!  Have you ever watched your children unwrap a gift?  What do they do?  Usually with a big smile and enthusiasm the wrapping paper is shredded and the gift cannot be unwrapped fast enough!

 The next thing is an intense moment of truth that involves you as the giver.  If you are the giver, you hope the child will appreciate the gift, and children are usually pretty honest in their response.  If they don’t like the gift or don’t understand the gift, the gift will soon be set aside and forgotten, and you as the giver might be disappointed.  If the child enthusiastically receives the gift and incorporates the gift into his/her life, you as the giver are filled with joy.

 Our victorious king, Jesus Christ, approaches bearing gifts – undeserved and unconditional expressions from his heart to yours.

 Have you even un-wrapped your gift?  Paul tells us what the gift might be.  “The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers…”

 Paul talks more about God’s gifts in Romans and 1 Corinthians.  He mentions gifts like prophecy, ministry, public speaking, service, generosity, leadership, compassion, cheerfulness, wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, discernment, tongues, and more.  And these lists of gifts are not exhaustive, but descriptive of what he saw in those particular faith communities.   There are many more gifts.   Have you un-wrapped your gift, or have you spurned the gift, or done the unthinkable and not even opened it? 

 Last winter a sincere effort was made to empower this congregation to un-wrap their gift and discover the wonder of the gift in a series on cottage meetings designed to do exactly that, but the response was meager and minimal at best!  Imagine if you sent out invitations to your friends for a party at your home that said, “You are invited to a party at my home.  Food and fellowship will be offered along with valuable and unique free gifts given to each guest.  No strings attached!”  Imagine if no one came!  I believe it would be ironic to say the least.

 After the gift is unwrapped and discovered, its purpose and function is revealed.  If it’s a book it is meant to be read; a toy, played with; money, invested or spent; on it goes. 

 The gifts that Jesus gives have a purpose and function, and it’s clearly stated in the Ephesians letter:  “…to equip the saints for the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ.” 

 You see, the gifts Jesus gives are personal, but never private.  The gift Jesus gives are personal, but also public.  The gifts are communal and are to be shared and expressed in the community of faith “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ.”   

 Ah ha!  Perhaps that is why the gifts that Jesus gives are so often left unwrapped, unappreciated and spurned.  I suppose, you see, there is a risk in opening the gift, and the risk is the gift might move my life in a direction that I perceive I do not wish to go.  Faith in Jesus Christ moves us from the private to the public.  Faith is not, contrary to what many think and practice, just between you and God.  God save us from our self-indulgence!

 The gifts that Jesus gives are first of all about putting them to work publicly in the faith community. The gifts connect us to one another and to Jesus Christ.

 I will only stand in this place one more time on August 20^th.   For whatever reasons, many of you seem to think that my leaving this congregation is going to be a huge set-back for this community of faith.  I certainly do not minimize the many relationships that we have that have developed over these last seven years.  They will always be precious to me in ways I cannot express.  However, a set-back, I do not believe so for even a minute! 

 This is a community of faith.  What makes this community dynamic, alive, and vital is not me, but you!  You are the body of Christ, each and every one of you and all of you together as you move your faith from the narrow parameters of the private to the broader parameters of the public.  What will empower this congregation to sail through the transition from this pastor to the next and far into the future is you, unwrapping your God-given gifts, not spurning them or setting them to the side, but in thanksgiving using your gifts “to equip the saints for the work of the ministry for the building up of the body of Christ.” 

 *Lee, I thank you and I thank God that year after year and year for 17 years you have unwrapped your gift and used it to the glory of God “to equip the saints for the work of the ministry for the building up of the body of Christ.” 

 The public expression of your gift mentors us to “go and do likewise.”

 In a few moments we will gather around this table, by the Lord’s invitation, to receive the most precious gift we could ever be given – his body and blood that binds us to himself, and to each other, and to all believers of every time and place.  Do not spurn or set the gift aside, but use it publicly “to equip the saints for the work of the ministry for the building up of the body of Christ.”    

 Amen.

* ON this This Sunday Lee Mueller, choir director for 16 years, was honored in worship.