Who Takes Out the Trash
A sermon by Brent J. Eelman
August 6, 2006
Abington Presbyterian Church

Ephesians 4: 1-16
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life 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 making every effort 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 of your calling, ⁵ one Lord, one faith, one baptism, ⁶ one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
    ⁷ But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. ⁸ Therefore it is said,
        “When he ascended on high he made captivity itself a captive;
     he gave gifts to his people.”
⁹ (When it says, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? ¹⁰ He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) ¹¹ The gifts he gave were that some would be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, ¹² to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, ¹³ until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ. ¹⁴ We must no longer be children, tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine, by people’s trickery, by their craftiness in deceitful scheming. ¹⁵ But speaking the truth in love, we must grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.* 

One of the distinct memories of my adolescent years was the New York garbage strike of 1968. I was a high school student in New Jersey and the garbage strike was the big news. Every day, in the newspaper and on the television news, we would see pictures of the garbage that was piling up on the streets of NYC. New Yorkers are known for their toughness and adaptability. People came up with all types of clever ways to get rid of their trash so that it would not pile up in front of their residences. There is the urban legend about one woman who meticulously gift wrapped her trash and placed the attractive present by her door. Within hours it was stolen, a fitting reward for a thief.

But after a week, the strike was not amusing. People became concerned about the rodent problem and the resulting spread of disease and infection that might result from all the garbage being piled up on the street. Whether or not you think labor strikes are a way to deal with wage negotiations, you have to believe that the New York sanitation workers made a good point. The person who removes the trash is crucial to the smooth operation of any enterprise.

The Apostle Paul, in the letter to the Ephesians, used the image of the body to describe the church. “The whole body, joined and knit together by every ligament with which it is equipped, as each part is working properly, promotes the body’s growth in building itself up in love.” What strikes me about this passage is that it is all inclusive. Paul was writing about the “whole body”. He also emphasized the importance of each part. All the parts were necessary and needed to function. I think that we forget this within the life of the Christian community. I think that we forget this in our families and in our personal lives. We begin to take people for granted… I know that I am guilty of that. The title of this homily asks a silly question: “Who takes out the trash?” The answer is crucial, because the person who takes out the trash is as vital to the operation as the administrator who runs the place. Let it pile up for a few days.. and you will see what I mean. There are 3 simple points that we can draw from this part of the text.

First: there is equality in the body of Christ. Too often we develop these hierarchies with levels and gradations. We do it in the church, and we do it at home, and we do it in the work world. There is a certain usefulness to these hierarchies, but more often than not they become means for putting people down and minimizing them. We need to remember that within the body of Christ, the only hierarchical position is the head.. and that is Christ.

A number of years ago, I was driving through Vermont, and my car began to sputter and finally stopped. After a few minutes it started again, and went a few miles and sputtered and stopped. This continued until I got it to a dealership where it could be repaired. I thought that I would be looking at a major engine overhaul… but when it was examined, the motor, the transmission and all the moving parts were fine…. The problem was the fuel filter. It was clogged and fuel could not get through… It was a two dollar part… seemingly unimportant that stopped the entire vehicle. Nothing could work without it. In the kingdom of Christ.. every part, every person’s function is vital to the whole.

This past week, I led the memorial service for a former church sexton, Ed Freeland. He worked here faithfully for over 40 years. As I was working on that service I began to reflect on the importance of his service to our church. Too often we identify the pastor or the other leaders of the church as the most important individual, but we are absolutely useless and cannot function effectively without people like Ed and others who do their work faithfully. Their service to the Kingdom of Christ is as important as mine.

Second: we need to recognize and affirm the importance of all of God’s people regardless of what they do. This week, the business section of the New York Times ran an article about a new phenomenon which it entitled “Men Not Working”. Apparently a large percentage of men between the ages of 35 and 55 have dropped out of the job market. These individuals had good jobs that paid well, but in the changing economy they lost their jobs and are unwilling to take a job that they feel is “beneath” them. I do not want to judge their work ethic, rather the perception that some work is more important than other, that some jobs are more important that others, and that some work is so crummy that it is perceived to be beneath people. What does this say about those who work hard at these jobs? Are they unimportant?

Third, it speaks to our own sense of self-esteem. Your role, your gift, your talent, your participation is essential. You have a role to play here. You have a calling to fulfill. It might not be the glamorous job that you think it should be, but it is vital to this congregation and I exhort you to fulfill it with joy.

In a few minutes we will celebrate the Lord’s Supper. Last week I recalled the moment a few months ago when the elements were missing from four of the plates. I am reminded of that again today, because it underscores the value of those individuals who cut the bread and fill the cups, who set the tables, and who clean up. They are as important to the celebration of this supper as I am. Do you know who they are? Probably not, but at sometime, when you are in prayer offer thanks for their gifts and their willingness to do it. Offer thanks for the one who takes out the trash. All are important to the Body of Christ… and you are too. Amen.

 
*The New Revised Standard Version Bible, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1989.

Abington Presbyterian Church, Abington, Pennsylvania,  www.apcusa.org