3 June 2007

Ephesians 3:14-19

“More of you in our lives”

You know that you are flying a low-class airline when

* Before the flight, the passengers get together and elect a pilot.

* You cannot board the plane unless you have the exact change.

* When they pull the steps away, the plane starts rocking

* You ask the Captain how often their planes crash and he says, “Just once.” 

* You see a man with a gun, but he’s demanding to be let off the plane.

You know this joke reminds me of my trip to Turkey a couple of years ago. There were a few incidents that reminded me we were not in America, but rather in an underdeveloped nation with a lot of flexibility. One day we were rushing to the airport because our shuttle bus was late getting to our hotel.  Just outside the city, I noticed the shuttle bus was driving on the wrong side of the road. It was going so fast that it had to get off the road to avoid oncoming traffic.  When we finally came to a stop light, a traffic police officer was in the intersection. He saw us driving on the wrong side of the road and stopped us. After a minute of screaming at each other, our driver takes off again to the airport. Needless to say, I was very happy when we were finally in the air. 

Having said that, however, there were many good and exciting things that happened on my Turkey trip. For example, I got to visit the roman city of Ephesus, where the apostle Paul preached to the Gentiles.  One of the first things that struck me about the city is that the city is quite big, beautiful and well kept. 

Then I noticed it is full of idols, images of Greek/Roman gods. 

Then, after looking closer at the ruins I noticed there were Christian symbols all over the place. 

Walking around the city of Ephesus, one can image the huge contrast between Christian beliefs and the surrounding culture. It is amazing that Paul described Jesus Christ as having power and dominion over the great and impressive Roman authorities and deities.  Paul writes, “God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him [Jesus Christ] the head over all things (1:20-22).

Besides the belief that it is Jesus Christ who has the ultimate power and authority over everything, another contrasting belief with the surrounding culture is the belief that in Jesus Christ every human, being regardless of their background or ethnicity, has become one. When talking about Jewish and Gentile hostilities and divisions, Paul writes, “For he [Jesus Christ] is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostilities between us. He has abolished the law with its commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself a new humanity in place of two, thus making peace” (2:14, 15). 

It is indeed remarkable that Paul was so bold to say and believe that Jesus Christ was far more powerful than any god or emperor, and powerful enough to bring together people from different backgrounds and ethnicities.  Yet what is even more remarkable is that it is the Church, the body of Christ, which will continue to challenge pagan beliefs and secular authorities.  Paul writes, “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 [meaning the Gospel], 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” (3:8-10).   

It is us, the Church, you and I, who are commanded to be like Paul and proclaim without apology or reservations the greatness of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to the world. “For this reason,” Paul writes, “I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name” (3:14). In other words, because it is through us, the Church, that the truth about God and Jesus Christ will be proclaimed, Paul saw it fit to pray for us. This is the background of our passage for us today. This is the main reason Paul is praying for the believers in Ephesus. 

And what is Paul praying for? What do we need to become the Church that Jesus Christ envisioned? 

1. Power. We need strength from God. We need to have the strength to do what we can not. He writes, “I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit” (3:16).  Paul’s words remind us that if we are to become the Church Jesus Christ envisioned, we can not do it with our own strength. It is indeed foolish and unchristian-like conduct to think that the work we as believers need to do can be done with our own strength and power. Nothing can be further from the truth. To begin to become the Church Christ envisioned, we must first acknowledge that we need God’s strength. We need God to give us the strength and the motivation to do His will. For many of us, this seems obvious. We look at our lives, our gifts and our talents, and we clearly see that we need outside help. However, for some of us, it means acknowledging that our gifts and our talents alone are insufficient. To do the work of God is more than simply knowing how to speak in public well, or how to play an instrument well, or how to teach well or how to organize well. It means submitting the gifts and talents we think we have to the will of God.  It means allowing the Spirit of God to lead us and empower us to do what needs to be done, rather than to do what we feel more comfortable doing. 

2. Love. We need love. However, we do not need a generic secular love; a love driven by politics or humanistic beliefs. It is a love that can only be found in Christ Jesus. It is a love that appears only in those who dwell in Christ.  Paul, continues saying, “and that Christ may dwell in your heart through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love” (v. 17).  To become the Church Christ envisioned is to allow Jesus Christ to dwell in our lives. And to allow Jesus Christ to dwell in our lives is to begin to be rooted in love. It is because of love that Christ came to the world, to save the world. It is because of love that Christ was obedient to God the Father and obedient unto death. It is because of love that the Church of Jesus Christ left tradition and empty practices behind and searched for peace and reconciliation with those who were different than they. To be rooted in love is to see the world through God’s eyes and through the unselfish actions of His Son Jesus Christ.  To allow Christ to dwell in us is to allow love, true love, to be the driving force behind what we say and what we do; to love when we do not feel like loving, to care when we do not feel like caring. 

3. More of God. We need more of God in our lives. Yes, I know. It seems redundant to say we need more of God when Christ already dwells in us. Paul writes, “I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (vv 18, 19). It is the “power to comprehend” God’s vision for the world, connected with “the love of Christ,” that will fill our souls. Are we ever going to be “filled with all the fullness of God” as Paul writes? What does it really mean to be filled with all the fullness of God? You know? I do not have a good answer. I do not know if we can truly be filled with all the fullness of God. I know that in my life I am always lacking power, knowledge and love. I know that if I look at my life, the things I do and say, I can see I need more of God in my life. I still can use some filling from God. My spiritual tank never reaches more than three quarters full. And, maybe the point is not to reach the fullness of God in our lives. Maybe the point is to continue to seek God; to continue to find strength in God, to continue to have the love of Jesus Christ in our lives, to continue to know better the God who created us and the vision He has for the world. 

You know? As Americans we have grown accustomed to a certain standard of living.  None of us would ever fly a plane that is obviously unsafe; a plane that rocks when the steps are rolled away, or when we have to elect the pilot among the passengers. We would simply not accept such low quality. I doubt for example that any taxi driver in America would drive on the wrong side of the road, put every body’s life at risk, simply to make-up a few minutes to get to the airport. That would be unacceptable. That does not happen in the United States. Knowing that, I wonder if we expect the same high standards that we expect in our lives as we do for our spiritual life. In other words, are we concerned with our spiritual maturity (quality and growth) as much as we are with our standard of living?  Do we seek to grow in our faith, allow God to strengthen us, allow Jesus to help us to love and search to “be filled with all the fullness of God.” 

May we always seek more love, more power, more of God in our lives.  Amen.