Diocese of Costa Rica Morning Prayer
Oct. 28, 2026
Ephesians 4: 1-16
Ministry. A calling God invites us to accept as part of the community of Christ. Everyone has a call to serve. But I think those of us gathered here for morning prayer all know that it is not easy. Being a disciple of Christ is a blessing and it is hard work. Because we work against the grain of the way the world around us operates. The Way of Christ turns the mechanisms of power and greed upside down, so there is always friction as we walk a path that goes against the grain. Yet it also flows into the River of Life, the grace of God that carries and sustains us.
Sometimes folks look at priests or deacons and think they are the only ones called to ministry. They are the ones that God gave something special to to lead the church, or to lead a community. They do have a unique calling, but so does every Christian. And this Way of Christ that we walk, the community of gathered faithful who are to proclaim and live the Good News of Jesus Christ also have a unique calling–each and every one. Each and every one is necessary.
Some don’t feel worthy, some don’t really want to, some don’t feel their offering is appreciated, and some may just want to be told what to do. Obviously the church in Ephesus was struggling with the same things we do and Paul reminded them that each one was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift–Jesus gave gifts to his people. We have been given what each of us needs to serve in the Body of Christ. And like gifts that you give to your families, they are not the same for every person. But they are a part of the whole.
And this wholeness has a purpose. Until we all come to the unity of the faith. It’s important to remember that unity does not mean uniformity. But our unity in the faith, our nurturing and appreciation of each other’s gifts, even if different from our own, helps us withstand the blowing winds of doctrine by people’s trickery and crafty, deceitful scheming. When the Way of Jesus Christ begins to touch the forces of greed, power, and evil intent, Christians have to stand as one, carrying the strength that God gifts us–the power of God’s love.
To be in unity, Paul points out, is to continue to grow together until we become one body–truly a body joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped. And every ligament, whether apostle or priest or healer or visiting the sick or writing letters of comfort or cleaning or feeding the hungry or helping those who are seeking shelter or a preacher–every part of what we do in the community of Christ is a necessary ligament, tendon, or muscle that holds the whole framework together. (Or else we’d just be a bag of bones!) A body moves as one, works as one, and if one part is hurt or ill, the whole body feels it as one. And it is all built up with Love.
The gifts we have been given fulfill our calling. Our education, our training, our studies, or any effort we make to improve our knowledge or hone our skills are important but they are not what creates the gift, they serve the gift. Paul begs us to be worthy of the gift, and that means be true to who you have been created to be. Do not try to be someone else or something else. You deny your own worthiness.
On his deathbed, St. Francis told his followers who were gathered around, “I’ve done what is mine to do. You go do what is yours.” Meaning, they were not to try to go out and be little replicas of Francis, but live fully into who God had created and gifted them to be. We each have our own, unique gifts. And they are not for us to be individual ministers, but always to be a part of the whole, a part of a body, to remember we are a community–one in Christ.
And so, to be fully this body that is able to function as a whole unit, we are to walk together in a way that keeps us worthy. And as a body we are not just concerned with our own worthiness, but each other. We are to be humble, gentle, and patient. And obviously this wasn’t easy for the Ephesians just like it isn’t easy for us. So we bear with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. It sounds so simple and sounds so appealing, but it is hard work! Yet it is the work we are called to in this world. And this world right now needs the Good News desperately and to see it lived out through us in the midst of fear and corruption and war and climate change.
So we stay centered on Christ for it is Christ that builds us up, it is Christ who equips us for this work, who gives us the gift of purpose. Jesus truly is our way. May we walk with him in a manner worthy of the calling to which we have been called.
