Letters - May 15

Today’s Readings:

AM Psalm 101, 109:1-4 (5-19) 20-30; PM Psalm 119:121-144
Isa. 4:2-6; Eph. 4:1-16; Matt. 8:28-34

My longest childhood friend is named Katherine. We grew up in the same neighborhood and went to school together from preschool through high school graduation. Our families have been close for more than four decades. Katherine’s older daughter was preparing for her own high school graduation a couple of years ago. Katherine asked me to write a letter to Hannah, marking this threshold of life and offering encouragement to stay grounded in her Christian faith. I pondered what to write to this lovely young person who I watched growing up, often from a distance. I knew her, yet I was not sure how much she really knew me. After procrastinating for too long, I began writing.

As I sit with Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus (4:1-16) that is appointed in our Daily Office lectionary today, I am thinking about the notes and letters we write to one another. Letters can be transformative. They shape the person who receives it, and they form or reaffirm the one who writes the message. Paul asks those reading his missile to “lead a life worthy of the calling to which [they] have been called” with humility, patience, and a commitment to maintaining unity. And why? Because they are grounded in the uniting bonds of God’s love. Perhaps Paul needs to feel the reminders of staying humble and patient, as he learns of the early churches ways of fumbling and stumbling to walk in the ways taught by Jesus.

Paul goes further on this topic of being grounded in God’s unity, writing, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” (v. 4-6) Do these words sound familiar to you? They ring in my ears, for sure! This portion of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is foundational to the beginning of the service of Holy Baptism in the Episcopal church. In our current Book of Common Prayer, these words are found on page 299:

Priest              There is one Body and one Spirit;

People            There is one hope in God's call to us;

Priest  One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism;

People            One God and Father of all.

I invite you to think about the letters you have received that have formed you in meaningful ways. Maybe there were hard truths imparted or deep words of love. There could have been stories of hope, or reminders of family history. Simple or extensive, those letters are messages we hold onto. Let us also hold onto the reflection of the apostle Paul, who keeps us grounded in the invitation to speak the truth in love so that we may mature in ways that make us more like Jesus and more connected with one another.

In resurrection hope,

Katherine+

Reflection and Challenge

Re-read Ephesians 4:1-16.

Then, take time to write a letter to someone today. Share how meaningful they are to you. Incorporate messages of hope and care. Speak to the ways God's love pulls you together in community.