"Grounded In Love"

By Rev. Billy D. Strayhorn

(Ephesians 3:14-21)

Ephes. 3:14-21 [14] For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, [15] from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. [16] I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, [17] and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. [18] I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, [19] and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. [20] Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, [21] to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

(NRSV)

INTRODUCTION:

Because of a housing shortage near a military base where he was stationed, a young doctor, his wife and three children had to live in cramped quarters in a hotel. A friend said to the doctor's six-year-old daughter, "Isn't it too bad that you don't have a home?" She quickly replied, "Oh, we do have a home. We just don't have a house to put it in." (1)

Families are great aren't they. They give us a sense of belonging. They give us a home. They offer love. They offer nurture and care. Of course, sometimes even the best of families have strife.

A college sophomore who had spent most of the school year in one kind of trouble or another received the following card from his parents who were vacationing in Greece: "Dear Son, we are now standing high on the cliff from which the ancient Spartan women once hurled their defective children to the rocks below. Wish you were here." (2)

Haven't you ever felt like that? Sure you have. It's easy to get frustrated with our families. Why? Because we love them so much. And we want the best for them only sometimes they don't know what best is even when we do.

I. ROOTED IN FAMILY:

It's good to be rooted in a family. It's good to know where you came from and the heritage of your family. It's good to know to whom you belong. A lot of you grew up in homes where family heritage was important. It wasn't that way in my family.

I grew up as a the unwanted stepchild. (At least that's how it felt to me as a child.) Even though that's how it felt, I stilled loved my step dad. He's my Dad. And even though we went through some rough times we're reconciled. I love him very much.

But growing up I didn't know anything about my heritage. I didn't know anything about the Strayhorns. My mother never talked about them or their history. When my parents divorced, my father left and never came back. It's only been in the last five years that I've found out anything about the Strayhorns. I've discovered two uncles I never knew I had and a whole slew of cousins. I've made that connection with the family.

I've found out a whole bunch of other stuff, too. For example, everybody with the name Strayhorn can trace their name back to 1754-5 and a man named Gilbert Streaughan, in North Carolina, who changed the family name to Strayhorn. "When asked the reason for the change he replied, 'I have simply put a "horn" to it to make it sound.'" (3) His sons fought in the Revolutionary War.

It's nice to be rooted and to know where you come from but have to be careful, too. While on vacation we stopped in Hoxie, Kansas to find my great grandfather's grave. Well, it turns out the family memories were wrong. He wasn't buried there, my great grand mother was. And in researching her, I found out that in 1922 a warrant for the arrest of Clara Maxwell Strayhorn had been issued. The strange thing was that it was a lunacy warrant. She was tried for being mentally incompetent.

I told Mary not to get her hopes up because the judge and jury found her sane. I have copies of the court records. But you want to know the strangest part? You want to know who brought the charges? Her son, Frank, my grandfather. I have no idea what the squabble was all about but it's an interesting story.

It's nice to be rooted. It's nice to know who your ancestors are and to know your family history but you have to be careful because you never know what skeletons will come popping out of closets.

II. ROOTED IN GOD:

A. There's one relationship though, where you don't have to worry about skeletons popping out of closets.. And that's in our relationship with God. Paul makes a wonderful claim here in his letter to the Church in Ephesus. He writes: "I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name." (14-15)

Wow, every family in heaven and on earth gets its name from God. Now that's some kind of roots. Paul reminds us of the created order, that no matter what our family heritage is here on earth, we have a deeper root system at work. The system of creation. We are created in God's image, we are God's children. We belong to the family of God. And there can't be anything much better than that.

B. And that's the Good News. You see even when we are orphaned by our worldly parents. Even when we are unwanted and unloved by those who should love us the most, there is one who loves us no matter what. It doesn't matter what your heritage or if you don't have a heritage. It doesn't matter if you're smart or dumb; beautiful or ugly as sin. It doesn't matter if you're tall or short, fat or thin; black, brown, yellow, red, white or green. You are a child of God. You don't have to have money. You don't have to be educated. If you're alive, if you're breathing, if you're taking up space on this planet: You are a child of God. And God, our creator, our heavenly parent, loves you.

It doesn't matter what you have done. It doesn't matter what has been done TO you. God loves you. That's the bottom line. That's the Good News. God loves you so much that God sent Jesus to face the scandal of the cross to prove that love. Paul writes: "I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God." (18-19)

III. ROOTED AND GROUNDED IN LOVE:

A. It is this love, the love of God in Christ that gives us our roots. It is this love which is our foundation. As Paul says, when Christ dwells in our hearts through faith, we are rooted and grounded in love. God's love.

Being rooted and grounded and living out that love is hard work. For us and for the spirit. You see, there are so many other voices in this age calling us: radio, music, talk show hosts, politicians, movies, drugs, alcohol, gambling, even the computer. They all have their own agendas, their own message, their own distraction. None of them are intrinsically bad but they are just not the voice of God, the voice of love. And because there are so many other voices competing for our attention, sometimes it's very hard to hear the voice of God.

Let me show you what I mean. I've asked one of the children to help me this morning but we also need your help. In High School Drama Class we learned how to make crowd noises. The drama teacher had us all say one of two words, either 'barber' or 'murmur'. That's what I want you to do on the count of three. While you're doing that, (name of child) has a very special message for you. (Have the child quietly say: "God loves you."

B. You couldn't hear what (he/she) said could you? (He/she) said, "God loves you." But there were too many voices competing to be able to hear. That's the way it is in real life. So many things compete for our attention. It's hard to stay focused on God. That's why it's so important to let Christ dwell in our hearts and to be rooted and grounded in love through our faith in Christ. That's why it's so important to worship and pray and spend time in Bible Study. So that we can stay tuned to God and "be strengthened in your inner being with power through God's Spirit"

That's why it's important to remember that we are the children of God. No matter what our family of origin here on earth; no matter what our heritage here on earth; we have a heritage far greater than any that anyone could claim. We are rooted and grounded in love, the love of God in Christ. We belong to the right family, the family of God for we are God's children.

CONCLUSION:

This morning I want to close with a litany I adapted and used at camp this week, entitled: "I Am God's Child". All you have to do is repeat after me.

I am God's Child, Yes, I am God's Child.

I may be young; I may be old,
I may be hot; I may be cold,
But I am God's Child, Yes, I am God's Child.

I may be educated; I may be unlettered,
I may be free; or I may be fettered,
But I am God's Child, Yes, I am God's Child.

I may be black; I may be brown,
I may be white; I may be a clown,
But I am God's Child, Yes, I am God's Child.

I may be rich; I may be poor,
I may wear a brace; I may even snore,
But I am God's Child, Yes, I am God's Child.

I may be short; I may be tall,
I might have hair; I may be bald,
But I am God's Child, Yes, I am God's Child.

I may be fat; I may be skinny
I may have muscles; or not have any,
But I am God's Child, Yes, I am God's Child.

I may have a family; I may be a alone,
I may be married; I may be divorced,
But I am God's Child, Yes, I am God's Child.

I may live in a house; I may live in a trailer,
I may be successful; I may be a failure,
But I am God's Child, Yes, I am God's Child.

I may be a sinner; I may be a saint,
But a nobody, I certainly ain't
Because my friend Jesus, is my Savior.
And I am God's Child, Yes, I am God's Child! (4)

1. Parables, Etc., June 1986

2. Parables, Etc., November 1983

3. A Historical Sketch of New Hope Church, in Orange County, N.C. (Revised Edition) p. 9

4. Anonymous, adapted.