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.
Sometimes the everyday-ness of life gets in the way of our seeing the big picture. This introduction to the New Testament book called “Ephesians”, is about “the big picture.” So, unless we quit thinking about what we’re having for lunch or whether we paid the phone bill, (or whatever) and expand our thinking a bit, we will miss the big picture in the midst of the thick flowing phrases and heavy language of this glorious introduction. The writer wanted to make a big point, so he did what we might have done… he borrowed a style of writing reserved for big occasions, a kind of formal eulogy that would have been used for an important public figure. A eulogy like this can be for the living or those recently died. Definition: The eulogy is a work of tribute and praise, in prose or poetry, for a person either very distinguished or recently dead, as in a funeral oration.
My Grandfather’s Obituary
I remembered running across an especially flowery and gushy poetic obituary among my family’s papers years ago, and I tried to find it for you as an example. I kind of got buried in stacks of old musty newspapers in the process and couldn’t find the one I remembered. This one I did find is not quite as flowery as the one I remember seeing, but it makes the point, I think. This is the opening of my grandfather’s obituary from one of those old yellow newspapers. My grandfather was at one time a Methodist circuit rider (about 1900 or so) , but spent much of his life running a pharmacy. So it is ironic that his obituary was just above an ad for Brown’s Lotion which read:
Brown’s Lotion
“DON’T SCRATCH” “It is useless and may lead to serious infection. If your skin itches, get a bottle of Brown’s Lotion from your druggist today and get sure relief for itch, athlete’s foot, tetter eczema, ringworm, impetigo, barber’s itch, and other itching skin irritations. First bottle of Brown’s Lotion is sold with money back guarantee by Ivey’s Drug Store.
I don’t’ think that the paper editor caught the irony of this ad from my grandfather’s competitor drugstore running under his obituary. I remember when I was very young visiting Sallisaw and meeting Skeet Ivey, the owner. He and my grandfather were friends, and I’m sure he wasn’t happy about the coincidence, if he noticed it.
W.O. Luton Obituary Introduction
Anyway, the beginning of W.O. Luton’s obituary reads in the style popular of that day: It is no doubt true of most of us, as was said by one of old, that we have two doors opening into our minds and hearts. There is a front door that is never locked. It opens directly into the main hallway of our natures, and everyone is free to enter. Here we meet our departed friend, Mr. Luton, as the public knew him: The genial yet quiet gentleman; the practical business man, speaking briefly, if at all, of current topics and news of the day; prompt attention to business in hand; listening patiently and quietly while others talked of their woes and troubles; ready to serve and help when needed. This is the man everyone knew and respected. But there is another door, a side door that opens directly into the very sanctum sanctorum of our natures and into this side door I was in the later years, often permitted to enter. Here I was permitted to follow him as he lived over again the days of his youth and early manhood. And it continues on from there. You get the idea. I’m not sure whether the styles of writing changed through the years or the cost of obituary space made flowery speech too expensive!
That’s the kind of writing which opens the book of Ephesians, and that explains why it reads the way it does, the one long original phrase in Greek, translated into English, with all the clauses chopped up into sentences. It’s not meant to work out the details of doctrine as much as it’s a carefully written extravagant praise of God. So, maybe Eugene Peterson’s more down to earth paraphrase will help us make sense of it.
Ephesians 1:3-14 The Message
How blessed is God! And what a blessing he is! He's the Father of our Master, Jesus Christ, and takes us to the high places of blessing in him. Long before he laid down earth's foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ. (What pleasure he took in planning this!) He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hand of his beloved Son. Because of the sacrifice of the Messiah, his blood poured out on the altar of the Cross, we're a free people - free of penalties and punishments chalked up by all our misdeeds. And not just barely free, either. Abundantly free! He thought of everything, provided for everything we could possibly need, letting us in on the plans he took such delight in making. He set it all out before us in Christ, a long-range plan in which everything would be brought together and summed up in him, everything in deepest heaven, everything on planet earth. It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free - signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what's coming, a reminder that we'll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.
Bob’s Summary
You see, God had us in mind from the beginning as a part of a long-range plan which enriches us now… every day, but will also one future day, bring all things in heaven and earth together in one grand and glorious eternal purpose.
Big Picture and the Everyday Come Together
And here’s the “kicker!” You and I are a part of it, as free and forgiven people, in our everyday, ordinary lives, because of what God has done in Jesus. That’s where the “big picture” of what God is doing…and our life journeys come together, if we will lift our eyes up long enough to see it.
Big Picture Helps In Times of Trouble
In order to make it through some of the things life throws at us, we need to have in mind the big picture of God’s purpose for us, so that we can see how it all fits together, especially when trouble comes our way.
Lamp On A Starry Night
I have always liked the story that Soren Kierkegaard used to make that point. I don’t remember the exact words, but it was about a traveler holding a lantern high late at night in order to see the path in front of him, and missing the stars. We’re like that sometimes, I think. I know that I can be so focused on the path ahead as I’m working on a problem that I forget how it all fits together in God’s purpose for me… and for everyone.
Hubble Pictures
I love seeing pictures taken from the Hubble telescope of distant galaxies and other views from the unfolding of the universe. It sends chills down my back to read this passage while gazing at those colorful images of distant parts of God’s creation untold light years away. Sometimes we forget that the same God who makes galaxies (and all those beautiful things we see in the images from the Hubble Telescope) not only loves us intimately, but “had us in mind” long before the universe came into being.
The Crisis and the Big Picture
Not only do we sometimes miss the big picture in everyday life as we cope with life’s irritations, challenges, and the occasional little bumps along the way. Sometimes, there is a big crisis and things seem to be falling apart.
The Broken Hammer
Another philosopher speaks of a hammer which doesn’t really exist until it breaks. He reminds us what we already know. We let things become extensions of our selves, and as such, they disappear… until they quit working: like the car that suddenly snaps into focus when it won’t start (like the church van did last week), or the loved one that suddenly appears before us in fullness when there is an illness or death. [Martin Heidegger, Being and Time]
At those times as well, we need to know that God is in charge, and that whatever crisis has us in its grasp is not bigger than God’s big picture. Like many of you, I have had a call from the doctor’s office that changed my life. Here is the story of one family in crisis, and how they kept their eyes on God’s big picture through it.
[Video Clip: Art and Soul, Transformational Storytelling, Volume One: An Unlearner’s Story (4 min. 30 sec.) Copyright 2006 Ginghamsburg Church]
So, this beginning of the book of Ephesians creates a wonderful backdrop for not only navigating everyday life, but also for making it through stormy seas. I hope you were as inspired by this family’s faith as I was.
LET’S HEAR AGAIN THE LAST 3 OR 4 VERSES FROM “THE MESSAGE”:
The Message: Ephesians 1:11-14
It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us, had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working out in everything and everyone. It's in Christ that you, once you heard the truth and believed it (this Message of your salvation), found yourselves home free - signed, sealed, and delivered by the Holy Spirit. This signet from God is the first installment on what's coming, a reminder that we'll get everything God has planned for us, a praising and glorious life.
The Hymn Melody…
Because I’ve been singing the hymns of the church for over 50 years, sometimes when I read a scripture passage, the verse of a hymn drifts into my mind. I had just finished my usual sunrise walk around the neighborhood and had plopped into the lazyboy to drink a cup of coffee and look over the scripture passage for this week. When I read the words, “a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth,” I heard a melody in the back of my mind. “changed from glory into glory, till in heaven we take our place, till we cast our crowns before thee, lost in wonder, love, and praise.” It took me a while come up with the title, and after finding it in the hymnal, I remembered that the words to Love Divine All Loves Excelling were written by Charles Wesley. Listen to how well they mirror our reflections on the beginning of Ephesians. In fact, they are so close to the key parts of this passage, I wonder if Charles Wesley had been reading it when he penned these words.
Love divine, all loves excelling, Joy of heaven to earth come down; Fix in us thy humble dwelling; All thy faithful mercies crown! Jesus, Thou art all compassion; Pure unbounded love Thou art; Visit us with Thy salvation; Enter every trembling heart.
Breathe, O breathe Thy loving Spirit, Into every troubled breast! Let us all in Thee inherit; Let us find that second rest. Take away our bent to sinning; Alpha and Omega be; End of faith, as its Beginning; Set our hearts at liberty.
Come, Almighty to deliver; Let us all Thy life receive; Suddenly return and never, never more Thy temples leave. Thee we would be always blessing, Serve Thee as Thy hosts above; Pray and praise Thee without ceasing, Glory in Thy perfect love.
Finish, then, Thy new creation; Pure and spotless let us be. Let us see Thy great salvation perfectly restored in Thee; Changed from glory into glory, till in heaven we take our place, Till we cast our crowns before Thee, Lost in wonder, love, and praise.
Bob Wept
It doesn’t happen often in my life, but as images of the universe and these final lines swirled around in my head, I wept as I thought of a big wonderful God who creates galaxies as with the sweep of a giant paint brush, but who also knows us, calls us by name, and even had us in mind before the world was made. ISN’T THAT SOMETHING!
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