Word to the Wise
Thursday, October 13, 2016 - Thursday in the 28th Week in Ordinary Time
[Eph 1:1-10 and Luke 11:47-54]Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, wo has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved. [Ephesians]
For the remainder of this week and much of next week, the first scripture of the day will be taken from the Letter to the Ephesians. The Pauline authorship of the letter has been a matter of debate for a long time. That should not bother us since we know that the name on any of the gospels and other books of the Bible was not always the author who wrote the words down. What matters is that the early Christian community recognized this writing as Spirit-inspired. And, in the case of the Letter to the Ephesians, the opening words are indeed inspiring!
I think for sheer majesty the opening prayer of Ephesians is hard to match. it can lift us out of the demands of everyday survival by placing everything within a grand vision of God's plan of salvation through Jesus Christ. The entire scope of creation is envisioned in this passage. Since it is divided up over two days, I urge the Beloved Congregation to read the entire prayer at one time and then reflect on the parts. We become part of something beautiful and all-encompassing that is a manifestation of a love beyond all imagining. It is hard to see this when our world is in so much pain from various murderous wars and inhuman persecutions for the sake of political and economic power. Our own country is in the middle of one of the most disedifying political spectacles of all time. Ephesians can lift us out of this guttering mire to remind us of the reason we believe in Jesus as the center of time and the goal of our lives. It is time to enjoy the "riches of his grace that he lavished upon us." AMEN