Skip to main content

Thoughts on Ephesians 5.1-2, 6-14

S  Therefore, imitate God like dearly loved children.  Live your life with love, following the example of Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us.  He was a sacrificial offering that smelled sweet to God.  Nobody should deceive you with stupid ideas.  God’s anger comes down on those who are disobedient because of this kind of thing.  So you shouldn’t have anything to do with them.  You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord, so live your life as children of light.  Light produces fruit that consists of every sort of goodness, justice, and truth.  Therefore, test everything to see what’s pleasing to the Lord, and don’t participate in the unfruitful actions of darkness.  Instead, you should reveal the truth about them.  It’s embarrassing to even talk about what certain persons do in secret.  But everything exposed to the light is revealed by the light.  Everything that is revealed by the light is light.  Therefore, it says, Wake up, sleeper!  Get up from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.  (Ephesians 5.1-2, 6-14, CEB)

O  Here St. Paul reinforces his teaching to the Ephesian church regarding a Christlike life: how it's marked by utter humility and complete uprightness.  Moreover, a life aware of God is given to actions that please God and reveal God's goodness in the world.

A  The idea of imitating God--and the exhortation to the same--is a powerful one, especially when joined with the description of Christ-followers as "dearly loved children."  Children often imitate their parents.  They want to do what mommy and daddy do.  They want to say what mommy and daddy say, and go where they go.  In essence, children portray their parents--and so demonstrate who their parents are.  So should followers of Christ portray their heavenly Parent, and the apostle tells us how: "Live your life with love...as children of light [producing] fruit...of goodness, justice, and truth."  Our blessed Lord, himself an imitator (indeed, the very image) of God, shows us through his life what this looks like.

P  Gracious Father,
shine your light on us all, illuminating your way, 
that we might see and follow;
and help us by our lives to reflect your nature,
which is defined by your love.
In Jesus' name, amen.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Come, Holy Spirit, Our Hearts Inspire!

I heard recently about a young boy who was standing in his church’s narthex, admiring a large wooden plaque with bronze plates, each bearing someone’s name.  Curious, he asked an usher, “Why are all these names here?”   Smiling, the usher replied, “Those are the names of folks who died in the service.”   The boy paused, then—seeking clarification—inquired, “Was it the morning service or the evening service?”              It’s true that sometimes church services can seem somewhat dead.  It’s true as well that we who gather to worship can sometimes appear lifeless.  Our founder, John Wesley, was well aware of this; he wrote in his directions for singing (which can be found in the front of The United Methodist Hymnal ) that Christians should beware of singing as if they were “half dead, or half asleep.” [1]   The fact is, sometimes our hearts just aren’t in it.  Sometimes, when we assemble, ...
1 comment
Read more

Journal, October 27: By Grace Alone

Scripture: For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions, and in the present age to live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly, while we wait for the blessed hope and the manifestation of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.  He it is who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.  (Titus 2.11-14) Observation: In this passage, the author (traditionally St. Paul) is reminding Titus of the effects of divine grace on and in the life of the believer.  It's said that grace "bring[s] salvation," which is widely affirmed in most Christian traditions––but also held up as some future state we're awaiting.  Salvation , however, has a much broader meaning, as the root of the word––which means "healing"––indicates.  What these verses point to, then, isn't just a concern for how...
Post a Comment
Read more

Thoughts on Ritual

One of the issues I’ve most frequently bumped up against in my relatively young ministry is that of the use of ritual in worship.  To clarify, the arguments against ritual have normatively been aimed at use of specific liturgical elements—responsive readings, recited creeds, written prayers, et cetera (rarely, if ever, has anyone groaned about lighting candles, processing the Bible, or offering a benediction at the conclusion of worship—though these are ritual too).  All the same I’m sympathetic to those who are hesitant to embrace ritual, because I’ve been there.  I’m well aware that it can feel cold, rigid, or uninspired.  I realize that, at times, it seems like dropping formalities in favor of extemporaneity can facilitate a feeling of “Spirit-led” worship. Yet the problems so many Christians have with ritual stem, in my opinion, from a lack of understanding about what it is.  Ritual is, in reality, just a particular way of doing something.   It’s a...
Post a Comment
Read more