We Are Part of God’s Life – Ephesisans 1:3-14

A text – Ephesians 1:3-14

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, ⁴ just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. ⁵ He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, ⁶ to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. ⁷ In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace ⁸ that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight ⁹ he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, ¹⁰ as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. ¹¹ In Christ we have also obtained an inheritance, having been destined according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all things according to his counsel and will, ¹² so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. ¹³ In him you also, when you had heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and had believed in him, were marked with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit; ¹⁴ this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory.

A reflection:

This letter was always attributed to Paul while in prison in Rome. Today scholars feel that Paul may have written it or a very close disciple of Paul’s wrote it to further develop themes Paul had been preaching. It summarizes the big vision of God, who began a bold mission in becoming human in Jesus. God is reclaiming God’s lordship over everything God created: people, nature, the planet itself, and life in community. It is a huge, all-encompassing vision. One thing leads to everything else in God’s plan, and will culminate in everything everywhere participating in the very life of God.

The New Testament scholar Israel Kamudzandu of Kansas City says this:

“Believers are cautioned to remember that our presence on earth depends on God’s intention and not ours…In lifting the blessings or riches that believers ‘In Christ’ now enjoy, the author redefines the nature and quality of the church as a place or space where God intends to manifest salvation and presence, as a way of doing God’s ongoing creation…Hence, the church in Ephesus and the church of the 21st century are not just about buildings, but rather about God’s domain where a new humanity is being created. This new creation (the church) is called to be hospitable to all nations, races, ethnic groups, rich and poor, people of all genders and persuasions. In a world so polarized, Ephesians 1:3-14 reminds believers that the Church is to be the heart of all humanity. Everyone must feel welcomed into the church, because it is a place where God molds, forms, and shapes us into a Christ-like image.”

God is still creating. The Holy Trinity, having become one with us in the life of Jesus, is re-creating all life to be connected to itself. Thanks to Jesus’s life we are now part of God’s life, living and breathing anew as God breathes. And we are being re-formed and re-shaped into God’s vision for how the world will operate when it is one unified creation once again. We go to church, we meet in community, to be inspired and taught to let ourselves be shaped into this new creation by God. We have a destiny in the actual life of God, not just in some heavenly future but right now. Today. Starting right now. Today. As the old year passes and the new one begins, let’s take a moment to notice God at work, take a deep breath, and let ourselves be taken up into that work we are called to share with our Creator, just as Jesus did. Happy New Year and New Life!

A prayer:

Lord God, thank you for loving us. Thank you for wanting us to be part of your vision of one unified creation whose heart beats to your will. Help us to remember that we are part of your cosmic vision and that our being and doing helps make that vision come alive every day. Amen.