Speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. (Ephesians 4:15).
Communication is an essential aspect of any society. In everything we do, we communicate something of ourselves with someone else. Even during times when we feel isolated - or when we choose to be - we are still interacting with goods and services that have the imprint of someone else's soul upon them. So, whether we are intentionally communicating or not, we are always interacting with others through the expression of our character. Some time ago I can recall psychologists making a big deal about nonverbal communication, or body language. Recent studies have shown there to be over ten thousand visibly differing facial expressions! Very few of us are aware of the subtle cues we give off that belie our true feelings. Gamblers call this a tell. A tell gives you away when you are bluffing. A tell is an expression of anxiety - a twitch of the hand or a repeated gesture. We all have at least one. Where is the tell in the Body of Christ? Surely the church has its own expressions. That is not a bad thing, unless we are unaware of it - unless we are unwilling to be truthful about it. Speaking the truth in love means knowing the truth. The truth is that we are limited. The truth is that God is not. The truth is that through God we, as a people, become unlimited when our wills become knit with God’s! Speaking the truth in love means speaking it in such a way that allows our limitations - our tell - to demonstrate God’s providence. During the coming months our Session - the Ruling Elders - will be considering ways in which we communicate as a body. We will consider our internal communications and our community relationships. We will consider how we communicate in print, on line, and in person. We will consider the ways in which we may continue to mature in faith - even as we grow older, even as we grow younger. In all things let all of us consider what we are telling the world about God - even as we experience, explore, and express the love of God. For every moment of our days is a chance to give praise to the one who love us like no other. Amen.
Communication is an essential aspect of any society. In everything we do, we communicate something of ourselves with someone else. Even during times when we feel isolated - or when we choose to be - we are still interacting with goods and services that have the imprint of someone else's soul upon them. So, whether we are intentionally communicating or not, we are always interacting with others through the expression of our character. Some time ago I can recall psychologists making a big deal about nonverbal communication, or body language. Recent studies have shown there to be over ten thousand visibly differing facial expressions! Very few of us are aware of the subtle cues we give off that belie our true feelings. Gamblers call this a tell. A tell gives you away when you are bluffing. A tell is an expression of anxiety - a twitch of the hand or a repeated gesture. We all have at least one. Where is the tell in the Body of Christ? Surely the church has its own expressions. That is not a bad thing, unless we are unaware of it - unless we are unwilling to be truthful about it. Speaking the truth in love means knowing the truth. The truth is that we are limited. The truth is that God is not. The truth is that through God we, as a people, become unlimited when our wills become knit with God’s! Speaking the truth in love means speaking it in such a way that allows our limitations - our tell - to demonstrate God’s providence. During the coming months our Session - the Ruling Elders - will be considering ways in which we communicate as a body. We will consider our internal communications and our community relationships. We will consider how we communicate in print, on line, and in person. We will consider the ways in which we may continue to mature in faith - even as we grow older, even as we grow younger. In all things let all of us consider what we are telling the world about God - even as we experience, explore, and express the love of God. For every moment of our days is a chance to give praise to the one who love us like no other. Amen.
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