Message: The Bond of Peace / Ephesians 4:1-3 / 2024 World Day of Prayer

“I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:1-3)

The Apostle Paul was imprisoned several times for sharing the gospel. But he never became discouraged or despairing because nothing in this world could break Christ's love and grace for him. Paul knew that Christ, who died for the whole world, would never leave him alone. For this reason, he never stopped proclaiming the gospel even while in prison. 

Today's text, Ephesians, is known as one of his letters written when Paul was in prison. Here, Paul stresses the Christian mission that is to “make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of life, harmony, and reconciliation. The Holy Spirit mends our broken relationships. The Holy Spirit empowers us to make intimate relationships between God and us, between us and others, and between us and creation. The Holy Spirit reminds us that we are all made in God's image and we are all God's beloved children. The Holy Spirit teaches us that in Jesus Christ, there is neither Jew nor Gentile, male nor female, free nor slave. In Christ, we are an orchestra, playing our unique instruments to create beautiful harmonies. 

For our mission to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, Paul mentions four virtues in the text: humility, gentleness, patience, and love. When we are humble, we can have the courage to trust God, who works in mysterious ways beyond our understanding. When we are gentle, we can embrace the differences of others as gifts from God. When we are patient, we can faithfully continue our journey towards God's Kingdom. When we love, we can rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep.

Where are the Christian mission and virtues that Paul talks about needed the most right now? One of those places would be Palestine, where there's terrible violence happening. In Gaza, hospitals are getting destroyed, kids are being killed, people are starving. I will not get into all the complicated politics and history between Israel and Palestine, but what's important is that we have to stand against anything that tries to break the bond of peace.

No war, no violence, no hatred, or no discrimination can ever be justified in God's name. Jonathan Sacks (1948-2020), a renowned rabbi of the 21st century, begins his book titled "Not in God's Name" with this statement: "When religion turns men into murderers, God weeps." God is weeping right now. God is weeping in Palestine where children are hungry. God is weeping in Palestine where people are deprived of their freedom by a huge wall. God is weeping in Palestine with those who cry out in despair and helplessness. God is weeping and calling us to pray and act for Palestine. This is a crucial way for us today to make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. May this World Day of Prayer service be a precious opportunity for us to respond to God’s call.

Thanks be to God. Amen.


Rev. Min Hwang
South Stormont Pastoral Charge



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