Sermon
Ephesians 3:14-21
Grounded in Love

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By Dr. Keith Wagner

Ephesians 3:14-21

If you have been to Yosemite or Sequoia National Park you have enjoyed the beauty of the majestic Redwood. They are so huge that cars can drive through them and dances can be held on their stumps. There is an interesting fact about the giant Sequoia Redwood trees. These trees, which reach so high you can’t see their tops, have a very shallow root system. The roots practically lay on top of the ground. When you consider the height and weight of the trees and the high winds in the Sierra Nevada’s, it is amazing that these trees don’t come crashing down during a storm.

Why Don’t they? It is the grove factor, the tree growing in close proximity to one another, that help the great Redwoods to withstand nature’s onslaught. What happens is the roots reach out in all directions and they get tangled up with the roots from other Redwoods. The roots grow together, intertwining with each other and creating a stabilizing root bed that helps each tree continue to stand. A lone Redwood tree growing by itself wouldn’t last long, but a Redwood forest can last for thousands of years.

That’s the way it should be with us as believers. We need to be “knit together in love” to grow strong, to be stable and to be able to stand as people of faith. God has established the forest, which we call the church in which we are to grow. We sink our roots into the local body and become entwined with each other’s lives. Then when the storms of life start blowing, we too, are stabilized and able to withstand the winds of affliction, temptation and/or persecution.

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To stand tall in our faith means we must have strong roots. Paul told the Church at Ephesus that they should be “rooted and grounded in love.” Like the Redwood trees our faith will be stronger when we are tangled with others in close proximity.

In our society faith has become a very private matter. People rarely discuss their religion and almost never share personal experiences that affect the way they believe. In fact, it has almost become taboo to talk about our faith, our lives in the church or how we see God working in the world. But, like the great Redwood trees, without entangled roots we won’t last long, especially when we face difficulties or crises.

To be grounded in love is to have a relationship with others who have faith. The more our roots are entangled with the roots of others who have faith the stronger our faith will be. It’s not enough just to be a member of the church or identify with some denomination or building. We need to develop relationships with others whose lives also have a connection to the community of faith.

During my childhood and youth I remember those folks in my church who we did things with besides sit in the pews. We camped with several other families in the church. I bowled on the church team and played on the church softball team. I went to summer camp with other youth. I remember being in the homes of other church people, going on trips together and attending leisure activities together.

Our lives were intertwined and we celebrated our victories together and mourned our tragedies together. It is strong relationships which enable us to endure not the church as an institution. Paul was speaking to people who had no church structure. The temple was in ruins. They had no sacred altar or any sacred artifacts to use as a centerpiece for their worship. They only had each other.

Paul was also striving to bring both Jews and Christians together. Being grounded in love would require people of different traditions to be together, loving one another instead of competing with one another.

Today we are enjoying the fruits of our vacation Bible school. The children are singing songs they have learned over the past week. They come from different families, different communities and even different school systems. Some live in the city while others live in the country. For a few days they have been entangled, working together and sharing a common journey.

To be grounded in love means we must be willing to reach beyond our families and familiar neighborhood and embrace people who are strangers. It is not sameness that will make us a strong community of faith but rather diversity, people of different backgrounds and faith journeys coming together as one.

One time there was a little boy who wanted to have a puppy. His mother told him he would have to earn the money. He did all kinds of odd jobs until he finally earned enough money to buy a puppy. He went to the pet store and observed a litter of puppies in the window. He went into the store and one of the puppies lying in a corner got his attention. The store manager came over and asked if he could help. The little boy told the store manager that he wanted the puppy in the corner.

But the store manager said that he should choose one of the other puppies. That one was not very healthy. He was the runt of the litter. He said he wouldn’t feel right selling a puppy that was less than normal. But, the little boy insisted. “Mr.,” he said, “That little puppy needs me and I need him.” The store manager replied, “But, I don’t feel right selling you a puppy who doesn’t have much of a chance.” The little boy then rolled up his pants leg, revealing a brace on his leg. “You see Sir, I haven’t had much of a chance to be normal, that’s why we need each other.”

Paul also said that to be grounded in love is to comprehend all the breath, length, height and depth. I believe he means our faith is stronger when we can realize that we are part of a bigger picture.

Many of you who are here today are only witnessing one small part of the life of this congregation. Your children participated in VBS and they are singing as a part of worship. But, many other things are happening here. Friday, there was a memorial service for the oldest member of the congregation. Yesterday and next Saturday there are two weddings which involve church families. Last Sunday we observed the sacrament of Holy communion. There were several committee meetings here this past week. The trustees were also here meeting with contractors to discuss possible modifications to the facility.

Each of us lives in a small world. Our faith becomes stronger when we see ourselves as something much larger. Paul wanted his listeners to understand that they didn’t live in a vacuum. They were a part of something much greater and the love of Christ within them would reach beyond their wildest imaginations.

To stand tall as people of faith like the giant Redwood trees in California we need to be “intertwined with others in the faith.” We will also stand out as a community of faith when we include people who are different from ourselves. And hopefully, we will be a congregation who can see the forest through the trees by seeing ourselves as a small, but vital part of a much larger faith community.

Copyright 2003, Keith Wagner. Used by permission.