Tuesday, January 14, 2025  

Today's Scripture
Ephesians 3:1–12

This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—

for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him. (NRSV)  

Reflection

In 1838 after having fought back against his enslaver, American orator and leader Frederick Douglass escaped North and became a renowned lecturer and abolitionist. His first lecture, which he gave numerous times throughout his life, was entitled “Self-Made Men.” It was an optimistic ode to the possibilities of creating a new life after throwing off the literal and mental shackles that bound his life and binds all of us. In her book Self Made, author Tara Burton chronicles Douglass’s journey of self-discovery to help us understand the idea of self-making. As she tells it, people like Douglass thought our individual identity to be “an open field to be tilled; the self-maker had to learn to carefully cultivate it, through mental and physical toil alike … to shape [their] own destiny.”

Today self-making is a societal obsession. We curate our image on social media and carefully craft our resumes to produce an ideal portrait of ourselves. The result is something like the typical AI image: it looks appealing but ultimately is too perfect to actually be our true selves.

The truth we are hesitant to concede is that we cannot make ourselves alone. We are part of larger stories, of families, of neighborhoods, of countries and peoples that indelibly shape who we are. Paul reminds the Gentile community in his Ephesian letter that they too did not create themselves. They have been incorporated in a greater story of God’s universal redemption through particular families, cultures, and peoples. Through the power of Jesus’ story, the Israelite journey from slavery to freedom, from sin to righteousness is now their own. This story of redemption was not Gentile in nature, but the miracle of God’s work in Christ is that we are all being woven into a common story meant to benefit all. Will we be a protagonist or antagonist in God’s gracious act?

Prayer
Great Spirit who draws all paths together, thank you for weaving us into your great story. Now help us this day to live toward your promised redemption. Amen.

Written by Joseph L. Morrow, Associate Pastor for Mission and Community Engagement

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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