This past spring, Penny and I were driving home from Columbus to Athens and we stopped at a fast-food drive-through to get some ice cream. It was a crazy long line of cars, and I was complaining about the long wait.
When we finally made it to the window, the worker had a big smile on her face, the opposite of my facial expression, and she said, “There’s no charge. There was a car way ahead of you that gave money to pay for as many cars behind them as possible and you’re one of them! Isn’t that so nice?”
My attitude changed in an instant and I smiled in agreement. And as I pulled away, I noticed that I wasn’t grouchy or impatient anymore. Those feelings were replaced with gratitude and appreciation.
It’s amazing how someone’s unexpected act of kindness can change your attitude and brighten your day. In our Ephesians scripture reading for today, the Apostle Paul talks about being kind, tender-hearted, forgiving, and speaking words that build up others and offer grace to those who hear. In other words, being like God who is kind, tender-hearted, forgiving, and offering grace.
What a difference we can make when we become more like God and offer a simple act of kindness toward others. Paul is actually writing to the whole church when he offers these words. So, imagine what a difference a congregation can make when we each do something kind for others on a regular basis and not just when we feel like it.
Notice that Paul doesn’t give specific examples of kindness like randomly paying for people’s ice cream. But Paul does go on to say, “Be imitators of God as God’s beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loves us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
Be imitators of God. What a powerful phrase!
That’s something that we can remember as we go throughout our day. Be imitators of God. Imitate God and live in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.
Thomas a’Kempis who lived during the 15th century wrote a book called, “The Imitation of Christ” which has become a Christian classic. It was one of John Wesley’s favorite books to read on what it means to be a faithful follower of Jesus.
In his book, Thomas a’Kempis offers this thought, “Whoever wishes to understand fully the words of Christ must try to pattern his whole life on that of Christ.” This is really what the Apostle is saying in our scripture reading for today. Be imitators of God. Be imitators of Christ.
This is what is so unique about the Christian faith. We have someone to imitate in how we pattern our lives.
While Paul himself was not perfect, and he would be the first to admit that, in other letters that he wrote, he encourages people to imitate him. He was able to say this because he was seeking to imitate Christ.
In I Corinthians chapter four, Paul writes, “I appeal to you, then, be imitators of me.”
In Galatians 4:12, he writes, “Friends, I beg you, become as I am.” In I Thessalonians, we read these words, “And you became imitators of us and of the Lord.” Philippians 3:17 – “Brothers and sisters, join in imitating me, and observe those who live according to the example you have in us.”
Imitate. They say that that imitation is the best form of flattery. But in Paul’s case, it’s not so that the flattery is to be directed at Paul himself. It’s to be directed, as he says in today’s scripture reading to Christ who loves us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Paul also offers us a powerful theological thought to help us be imitators of God. He reminds us that we have been marked with a seal of the Holy Spirit for the day of redemption.
The day of redemption is that time in the future when God will make all things new. It’s that time in the future when all of God’s people will be raised up and given new bodies.
Paul is saying that the mark of the Holy Spirit in our lives is a sign of that glorious future reality. And it’s a reminder to us that we are to live in such a way in the present that anticipates that new world. It gives us a frame of reference. Every kind deed that we do is like adding another splash of water to the river that is leading to this greater ocean of God’s kingdom which is a kingdom where there is nothing but beauty, love, joy, peace, and kindness.
Maybe you’ve heard of people who tape a picture of a new house or a new boat on their bedroom mirror. They do that to remind themselves of a future reality when they will be able to have enough money to purchase those things. It helps them to anticipate and not dread the future.
In a similar kind of way, Paul is wanting us live in such a way now that helps us to anticipate a glorious future in God’s kingdom. Live in such a way where people can begin to see what lies ahead. Remember that you have been marked with the seal of the Spirit. And this is what leads us to be imitators of God.
I often think of how the church is to be that place that helps us to anticipate the future that God has in mind for the world. We might not think that people are trying to imitate us but we may be surprised.
When our children were around kindergarten/early elementary age, they would play at the house of a neighbor. Jill, our next door neighbor said to us one day, “You won’t believe what your kids have been doing in our back yard.” We weren’t sure if we wanted to hear the answer!
She said that they have been playing in the dirt over at their house and making mud pies. They were pretending that they were cooks in the church kitchen making meals for people who were hungry.
Our neighbor said how our daughter was the cook and she would mix the dirt and the water in a bowl and then pour it on toy plates that had been set out on their plastic picnic table. Our son who is two years younger than our daughter would then serve the people represented by stuffed animals by handing them the plates of mud.
By telling us this fun story, our neighbor was helping us to see that our children were imitating our church members who would make meals for the people in our community. And they also had watched our members offering hospitality by serving the food to each person. They were imitating them. And by imitating them, they were also becoming imitators of God.
There is nothing wrong with people imitating us as long as it’s because we are seeking to imitate God by showing kindness, by being tender hearted and forgiving, and by using words that build up rather than tear down.
We have so many people who offer their time and skills to serve through the church. It’s truly amazing to be part of such a loving and caring congregation.
One of our members loves doing things around the church to help us save money. He is a true jack of all trades.
One day, in an email, he sent me a picture of a small rural church out in Indiana. And under that picture, he said, “You might be wondering why I’m able to do a lot of the different projects around the church. It’s because when I was a youth, I spent a lot of time with a man who fixed things around our little country church. I learned how to repair things thanks to that church member. That’s why I’m able to do things around here.”
We are called to be imitators. Imitators of God who live in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. And imitators of others who are imitating Christ in how they live.
Several years ago, when our daughter was around five years old, I went to an airport to pick up a family member who came to visit us for the week. The flight was delayed so we had to wait an extra hour there.
I took her over to the large window to look at the planes on the runway. And as we were looking at the planes, she starting repeating the words from Holy Communion.
“This is the body of Christ broken for you. Take and eat. This is the blood of Christ shed for you. Take and drink.”
My daughter memorized these words at such an early age because I would often take her with me on pastoral visits in people’s homes that often included the sharing of Holy Communion. There in the airport, she was imitating me by repeating the words from the communion liturgy.
Paul tells us to be imitators of God by living in love as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us. It’s how we are able to make a difference in someone’s life and make this world a better place.
Imitators of God
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