“I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” -Ephesians 4:1-6

I’ve often reflected on the wonder that God calls so many people from numerous backgrounds to confess and believe a shared faith in Christ. Pulling any group of Christians into a room will reveal that so many of the superficial ways people come together are not really what brings us together as Christians. We like different music, we watch and root for different sports teams, we enjoy different movies, we wear different clothing, we talk in different patterns and sometimes speak different languages, just to name a few.

If that were not enough, real people are needy, hurting, rough around the edges, difficult, and many times, simply disappointing. Even the person we once trusted or relied on will sometimes hurt us and will inevitably prove a truth about all of us: we are sinners and we desperately need the forgiveness of Jesus Christ. This is as true for me as it is for you. As a pastor I don’t just preach forgiveness in Jesus, I personally need it. I need it from Christ, from you as God’s beloved sheep, from my family, from everyone around me.

Paul’s words here in Ephesians gives us a certain perspective on what ultimately unites us. The people we worship with in this congregation are bonded together with us in one hope. We have together one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. We are together in Jesus one body; we are together the temple of the one Spirit. This unity we have is built on the strong foundation of our one Lord Jesus Christ.

If I could only utter a single prayer for our congregation today, it would be that we would honor our calling to walk with humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. We can foster that unity by meeting hurt with forgiveness, by speaking blessing over bitterness, by believing the best instead of assuming the worst. We can foster that unity by choosing to love one another in spite of our misgivings, choosing to love in spite of our disappointments, choosing to love in spite of our weaknesses and sins against one another.

It is fitting that we are named Hope, for we will need our one hope often in the days and years ahead. We will need hope for healing, hope for forgiveness, hope for fruitful mission, hope for our families, hope for our community, and hope for our world. Knowing the one hope we have in our Triune God, I am incredibly hopeful for our lives and future together in this congregation. I truly believe we can continue to build on a strong foundation and grow together for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in Wake Forest.

I leave you with some words that have begun to resonate more and more in my heart and mind:

We are one hope,

We have one hope,

We build one hope.

Sincerely,

Pastor Devin