And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.
Ephesians 4:30-5:4
Oddly enough, as Chris has been walking our family through this great book, we both saw the word clamor jump off the page (and not because it was in bold, I did that). From crossing several definitions, clamor aptly describes a loud noise or outcry expressing desire or dissatisfaction. And it aptly describes the Spencer family at times.
Every time we’ve added a new person to our family the great joy has mixed with a little fear. When it’s someones turn for special time with Daddy, or when Mom is putting up a gate to feed the baby, or when the cookie package comes out (yes I said package, fresh baked didn’t make the cut for current attainable standards), clamor is exactly what ensues.
The more I’ve thought about this sin of clamoring, I’ve started to see it all around me, and of course, inside of me . When Chris’ workload starts to mount, when our church starts to grow, when my kids still need me past bedtime, I start to clamor. Will I get what I need, will I be taken care of, will I be forgotten!? Bleh! What an ugly sin is this clamoring, distrusting and self-seeking.
Just a few verses before this passage, Paul is exhorting the Ephesians to “put off” the old self that is deceived by its own desires and “put on” the new self that is created in the likeness of God. Clamor most certainly belongs to the old self and needs to be shed. But what do we “put on” in order to imitate Christ? “But instead let there be thanksgiving.” A heart adorned with thankfulness has no room for wearing clamor. It simply will not fit. So let’s bundle up in thanksgiving because of what Christ has done for us. Let’s put off entitlement and fretful worry and instead start greeting each other with Lucy’s favorite line from Ephesians, “Grathe and Peathe to You!”
Talking Wall 