Devotion • January 11
Scripture Reading
Ephesians 1:3–14
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, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love. He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace that he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight he has made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure that he set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth. 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, so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ, might live for the praise of his glory. 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; this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s own people, to the praise of his glory. (NRSV)
Reflection
These opening verses in the epistle to the Ephesians are extremely dense and complex, layering numerous foundational concepts in Paul’s theology on top of the wider arc of God’s work in the world. I’ll confess that it took me a few times reading it to wrap my mind around it all!
The complexity, though, only serves to underscore how paradigm-shifting Christ’s arrival is — not only for Paul’s time, but for our own. Because of Christ, Paul emphasizes, we no longer work or worry for our own salvation. God’s grace has abundantly blessed us, and we are God’s children. In response, we are called to “live for the praise of Christ’s glory” (Ephesians 1:12) since we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, helping us better know the mystery that is God’s will.
These verses are at once a proclamation of God’s immense care for us, yet also a reminder of how small we are amidst it all — a sentiment once beautifully captured in a prayer by the Catholic bishop Ken Untener: “It helps, now and then, to step back and take the long view. The kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work. ... We are workers, not master builders; ministers, not messiahs. We are prophets of a future not our own.”
As each of us looks to play our small part in the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work, may we remember the promises of our faith — a promise we have been blessed with God’s spirit, a promise we are forgiven by God’s grace, and a promise we will be forever held by God’s love.
Prayer
Holy God, through Christ you have brought us closer to you than we could ever imagine. Confident of that relationship, help us to live lives that truly follow Christ’s example. Amen.
Written by Matt Helms, Associate Pastor for Children, Family, and Welcoming Ministries
Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church
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