by Russell Rathbun
Epistle Reading: Ephesians 5:15-20
For Sunday, August 19, 2012—Ordinary 20
The five little verses that the Lectionari-eers have carved out of chapter 5 of Ephesians for us this week are nice. They are sweet, pleasant—they sound like instructions from a prim and proper Sunday School teacher—be careful now dears how you live, don’t go around with those naughty people, be wise and make the most of your time, don’t be foolish, don’t let spirits intoxicate you, but be filled with the Spirit and make a joyful noise unto the Lord and give thanks for everything!
There is nothing wrong with wisdom and some sober singing. I like being filled with the Spirit making melody to the Lord with my pals, but the dark side of this pleasant scene is the rest of the chapter these beatific verses are pulled from.
The Dark Side
Chapter 5 starts out with a call to be imitators of God as beloved children (maybe the mention of beloved children is where I am getting the Sunday School vibe). We are to live in love, as Christ loved us. That’s all good—imitating God, loving like Christ loved—but then there is the turn.
Fornication, impurity of and kind and greed too, must not even be mentioned among you for proper saints wouldn’t speak of such things (Sunday School teacher is back), obscene, silly and vulgar talk is entirely out of place. Be sure that none of those bad people have any place in the kingdom of Christ and God. Do not even be associated with those horrible sinners. It is shameful to even mention such people.
Sequestered For Jesus?
So are we to sequester ourselves away in the Sunday school room singing sober melodies, not mentioning or associating ourselves with the vulgarities of humanity? Do we seek out like-minded good and proper folks to let into our beloved children’s choir?
It is a good thing that Mother Teresa didn’t take this verse seriously.
The Hardest Question
How are we supposed to live in love the way Jesus did if we avoid the people he loved?
Russell Rathbun is a preacher at House of Mercy in St. Paul, Minnesota, the author of Midrash on the Juanitos (Cathedral Hill Press, 2010) and the curator of The Hardest Question.
