Lent
New Daily Inspirations take a break from Ash Wednesday (5th March) through Lent – they will return in Holy Week, Monday 14th April. Our team of churches are enjoying devotions from a great book called ‘The Rest is Worship’ for this season. You can also check out our extensive back catalogue of previous series. Many other organisations are offering daily reflections for Lent, including the Church of England and the Bible Society. Stewardship charity also offer their ’40 acts’ for Lent. May the Lord bless us all richly in this special season.
New Year 2025 – The Book of Ephesians
For the first few weeks of 2025, we’ll taking our inspiration from the wonderful book of Ephesians.
Tuesday 4th March – Ephesians 6:21-24 ‘Peace and grace’
And so, we come to our final instalment in this wonderful little book – what a journey it’s been. 46 days, and we’ve barely scratched the surface! At least, it feels like that – Ephesians is so rich, you can never really plumb its depths. But, hopefully, we’ve dipped a big toe in the water, and discovered that the water’s lovely.
I love the endings of these letters – it’s that point when Paul throws in some personal greetings and bits of news. However, in line with our opening reflection, if, as we surmise, this is more of a circular written to multiple churches, of which we have the surviving edition to Ephesus, then, not surprisingly, we’re a bit light on these individual flourishes. All we have is the messenger appointed to take Paul’s letter from his prison cell to his readers: Tychicus.
Tychicus is actually mentioned a number of times in the New Testament. He was clearly a close friend of Paul, who accompanied him to Jerusalem (Acts 20:4) in all likelihood with the financial collection for the Lord’s people in Jerusalem and Judea (gathered from other churches, and mentioned in 1 Corinthians 16:1-4). Along with delivering this letter to Ephesus, he does something similar for the Colossians (4:7-9) and is mentioned as well in Titus (3:12) and 2 Timothy (4:12) – in fact, in the latter epistle, Paul tells Timothy: ‘I sent Tychicus to Ephesus’ – who knows, to deliver this very letter, or perhaps on a later occasion to offer further pastoral support?
Paul describes Tychicus elsewhere as ‘a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord,’ (Colossians 4:7) whose role is to ‘encourage you’ (v22, and also Col 4:8). Here was a postman who was a living embodiment of some of the principles of this letter! You can imagine how much easier it must have been for this small church community to envisage the vital nature of God’s people as a Spirit-filled dwelling (ch2), or what a life of love and light looks like (ch5), when you have an example right in front of you.
It reminds us that our faith is always embodied. We don’t believe in abstract principles, we believe in a person – Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, the Word made flesh, the light of the world and the love of God incarnate. We follow this Jesus, learning to think as he thinks, love as he loves and live as he lives. Our faith is caught, as well as taught.
Finally, we come full circle: having begun with grace and peace, Paul concludes with a blessing of peace (v23) and grace (v24). It’s a fitting way to end – along with faith and love (v23), we never really move away from these fundamentals. So, as we draw these reflections to a close, pray these blessings for yourself, and for the sisters and brothers on your heart today. And may the Lord grant us all grace to ‘love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.’ Amen.
Monday 3rd March – Ephesians 6:18-20 ‘Always keep on praying’
Prayer is hard. Wherever you’re reading this, put your hand up if you find prayer easy. I can’t see you, obviously – but I already know that no-one has their hand up at this point!
It is both an encouragement and a challenge to see that this amazing letter, written by Paul to the followers of Jesus in Ephesus, is bathed in prayer – at the beginning, the middle and the end. Having outlined all our spiritual blessings in Christ, Paul ‘keeps asking’ in chapter 1 for his readers to know more of the hope, riches and power of this same Christ in their lives. He then prays another iconic prayer in chapter 3: for us to grasp the awesome love of Christ, who dwells in our hearts by faith.
He finishes that prayer by reminding us that God can ‘do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine’ – which is a good introduction to this final encouragement to pray. Having just shared candidly about the reality of the spiritual battle, he knows we need to trust in our mighty God to keep us, and also to keep intervening on our behalf! It is entirely natural, therefore, that his next words turn to prayer: ‘pray in the Spirit,’ he writes (v18). This could be a reference to special languages like tongues, but more likely it covers all types of prayers directed to (and by) God.
As Paul goes on to say, there is no limit to when and how we can pray: we pray on ‘all occasions… with all kinds of prayers and requests… for all the Lord’s people.’ Not just some occasions, or some types of prayer, for some types of people: but all occasions, all types of prayer, for all people!
It’s easy to forget that Christian prayer is wonderfully liberating. So many other worldviews limit prayer to certain places or certain words or certain rituals; but followers of Jesus can pray all the time, anywhere, using any words that Jesus can put his name to. What freedom! What access to Almighty God in heaven!
After offering so much prayer for his readers, it seems entirely fitting that Paul finishes with a short prayer request of his own – and its content might surprise us. He’s in prison, but he doesn’t pray for his personal circumstances, or to be set free, or for kinder guards, or more visitors. He prays that he would continue to have opportunities to share the good news, and that, when those opportunities come, he would make the most of them: ‘pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should’ (v20).
Paul may be getting on in years, and find himself in difficult circumstances, but the fire in his heart burns as brightly as ever. Most powerfully of all, he is free. He may be in chains, but he lives with more freedom than most of us ever do. May the Lord grant us all a taste of that ‘soul freedom’, and may we offer all our prayers (for all kinds of people) in faith and trust to our glorious God today. Amen.
Saturday 1st March – Ephesians 6:14-17 ‘The armour of God’
Today’s reflection is effectively ‘part 2’ of yesterday’s. We finished with Paul giving us two pieces of profound wisdom, of which we focused on the first: that our calling is to stand. In the face of whatever challenges which present themselves, especially those which relate to what you might call ‘the spiritual battle’, we stand – and keep standing.
But we do not stand on our own. We are strong in God’s mighty power, not ours (v10). And the second piece of wisdom Paul gives us in this special scripture is that God’s gives us this power through special armour: ‘the armour of God’ (v13).
This is spiritual armour to wear for the challenging seasons of our lives, the days which feel like a battle – or indeed, every day! There are six items he names: first, the belt of truth. Right before a battle, a Roman solider would tuck his tunic into his belt. In other words the belt of truth holds everything in place and makes us ready for battle.
He then goes on to list the following pieces of armour, which are really Spirit-filled realities or virtues: of righteousness, a godly life which, like a breastplate, guards our heart; of the good news (gospel) which leads our feet to places where God wants us to be; of faith, which, like a shield, parries the lies and doubts which weaken our resolve; of salvation, the ultimate reality which, like a helmet, guards our minds.
All of these items are defensive. Our calling is to stand, and not to attack. But there is one weapon which can be used positively – the sword. It is the ‘sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God’ (v17). Since Jesus has ultimate authority in the universe, his Word and his Spirit are the two things which take the fight to the enemy. They don’t rest on our power, but his.
And we too must use the power of God’s word in our daily battles. God’s truth unmasks the lies that bring us down, and robs them of their power. When we feel useless, God’s word tells us we are loved and special. When we lack hope, God’s word tells us there is always hope. When we think we can’t be forgiven and feel ashamed, God’s word tells us that Christ forgives us completely and sets us free from sin. God’s word is our spiritual sword.
So, today, lay claim to this armour. You already wear it – but there’s no harm choosing to put it on again (v11), tightening those straps, polishing the plate. It’s the power of God which enables you to stand. And if there’s a particular issue which needs the Sword of the Spirit, then may the Lord lead you to a particular scripture which blesses you today. Amen.
Friday 28th February – Ephesians 6:10-13 ‘After all, to stand’
One of the most memorable places I’ve ever visited is the Giants Causeway in Northern Ireland. It’s an iconic place: all those thousands of basalt columns leading down to the sea. And, being a self-assured (euphemism for arrogant) young man in my 20s I decided to ignore the large signs telling you not to step out too far and clambered on the columns right out to the sea. It was amazing to feel the power of nature all around… until a large wave broke over the columns and almost swept me out into the swirling tide. I just about held my balance on the edge of the rocks and retreated quickly, my trousers soaked all the way up my thighs.
When I read today’s passage I think of that moment stood on the columns of the Giant’s Causeway. It’s a good image of what Paul has in mind here. We need a firm place to stand, while the tide swirls around us. Sometimes that tide swirls around our feet, or higher. The big difference is that we don’t stand in our own strength: ‘Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.’
Sometimes, life is a battle. And there’s no harm in admitting that. Generally, we feel less comfortable with the martial metaphors in the bible than we used to be. We prefer the images of building, or growing, or running – and, perhaps, rightly so. These are all positive, life-affirming ways of describing the journey of faith. But they don’t reflect the full picture. Obstacles and opposition are noticeably absent in those images.
As Paul finishes his letter to the young church in Ephesus, and to all of us – a letter which is full of images of building and growing – he reminds his readers of another reality. That following Jesus can be challenging, that there are powers in this world (both natural and spiritual) which are opposed to us. These powers are ultimately influenced (or controlled) by the devil (v12), who schemes to disrupt our journey of faith (v11).
What does that actually look like? To be honest, mostly those schemes are mundane. C.S. Lewis in his classic work ‘The Screwtape Letters’ makes the point that the devil does most of his work unnoticed. He presents us with little distractions which undermine the spiritual progress we’re making. Or we let negative emotions build up in us: Paul describes earlier in the letter how nursing anger ‘gives the devil a foothold’ (4:27) – literally a ‘ledge’ where he can stand and whisper nasty things into our ear.
We also have to recognise that the world’s power structures largely do not recognise God, and often oppose his work. This is what Paul has in mind, I think, when he talks about ‘the rulers… authorities… powers of this dark world.’ Think of the authorities in many countries refusing permission for churches to be built, or arresting pastors for sharing their faith. Corrupt human power often hates the idea that there is a Higher Power they will one have to answer to.
Whatever we face – be it subtle distraction, destructive emotions or a hostile culture – Paul gives us two powerful, hopeful, life-giving pieces of wisdom. We’ll look at the second in detail tomorrow, but the first is this: we are to stand. Not to run, or hide, but simply to stand our ground (v13). That is all the Lord asks of us.
If you are a follower of Jesus, your feet are planted firmly on a rock – a rock ‘which does not move grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love,’ as the old hymn puts it. Today, pray simply this: for grace to stand… and after your have done everything, to keep standing. We do it in his mighty power, and his alone. Amen.
Thursday 27th February – Ephesians 6:5-9 ‘Wholehearted service’
I remember, when I was first ordained curate in Bristol diocese, meeting the Bishop of Bristol for the first time. He was leading an induction session for all of us new curates, and I found myself on the same table as him at lunchtime. I knew he was an avid football fan, as am I… but somehow I couldn’t bring myself to talk about the upcoming weekend’s fixtures with a bishop! I then thought I should talk about something… but I felt like the school swot asking about churchy things. The upshot is that I barely said a word all meal; so much for making a good impression.
It’s often hard to be yourself around your boss. And, before we look at what Paul teaches about the workplace in today’s passage, let’s note that these letters were originally designed to be read aloud to the church meeting – which means that slaves and their masters were sat in the same room, worshipping Jesus together, sharing bread and wine around the table together, as equals before God. This was truly revolutionary in the society of that time. It also makes my unease eating with my ‘boss’ pale by comparison!
We know that this revolutionary new society was not without its challenges. St James is very blunt in his biblical letter about church communities where social inequalities were sadly reinforced. It’s also worth noting that the New Testament is pragmatic about the reality of slavery. This does not mean that slavery was ever endorsed, far from it – the church leaders simply acknowledged that a tiny faith group was never going to be able to overthrow systemic structures in their generation, especially since they were sure that Jesus was returning soon and would sort all that out himself. Instead, they undermined and challenged those structures by attempting to model something different – by welcoming all levels of society as full members of a worshipping community.
Paul also takes the opportunity to teach a similar set of principles to those he has outlined over the last two days. Remarkably, he gives both slaves and masters the same command: (v7) ‘serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people.’ Let’s not miss that this command is applied to masters as well, as evidenced by that phrase ‘in the same way’ in v9. In other words, he tells both slaves and their masters that they should relate to their master/slave as if they were Jesus.
Just take a moment to let that sink in. Slaves were considered to be property in that culture – and Paul is here telling masters to serve them wholeheartedly as if they were serving Jesus! So, they are to be gentle with them, and treat them well (v9). They too have a divine Master – how would they wish to be treated by Him?
We may be less surprised to hear the teaching the other round – but it is just as valuable. Slaves (and, by extension, ‘workers’ in today’s language) were to be sincere in their obedience (v5) and consistent in their work (v6) – not to win favour, but to be Christlike in their integrity. The Lord rewards all good done on the same basis, whatever our station in life (v8).
It’s a powerful reminder of some vital principles: first, that our status in society is not the same as our status before God. We are all equally valuable as God’s children: ‘as children of God, we have a new dignity,’ to use the language of the modern baptism service. Second, we are to treat all our work as a high calling. Jesus sees, and knows, that it is done for him, and blesses it accordingly. Brother Lawrence famously practised the presence of God peeling the potatoes in the monastery kitchen. He understood that every task done for the glory of God was something holy: a sacrament, if you will. Our work, whatever it is, matters to God. You may or may not be paid for it – but today, pray that you might serve wholeheartedly in all your tasks, that the Lord would bless all the good that you do. Amen.
Wednesday 26th February – Ephesians 6:1-4 ‘Family values’
When I was a youth worker many years ago, my work mentor (who had three grown-up children) had a sign on her fridge: ‘Take revenge – live long enough to be a problem to your children!’ It often used to make me chuckle, but it captured something of the journey of parent/child interactions. Parents have to give up a lot for their children in their formative years (at least, they should) – but as we all get older, the pendulum swings.
In today’s passage Paul sets out some principles for healthy parent/child relationships – and, as we observed yesterday, he again subverts something of the traditional understanding; more on that in a moment. But the key concept here is ‘honouring’. As he rightly reminds us, this is at the heart of the Fifth Commandment: ‘Honour your father and mother.’ And honouring them has positive consequences: ‘…that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.’
So, this command is for our good, and not just our parents: it has a direct link to our flourishing in life. But it begs the question: what if our parents are not good, or do bad things? Here’s where it’s helpful to draw a line between ‘obeying’ and ‘honouring’. In our early years, we have little choice but to obey. As we grow up, and especially as adults, we can honour our parents even when we no longer need to obey them; and it is even possible to ‘honour’ in those instances where they do not deserve it. The Lord knows our heart in these matters…
I sense Paul understands this nuance, not least because of the instruction he goes on to give to parents – in particular to fathers, who may need to hear this message more directly: ‘Do not exasperate your children.’ Parental authority is about nurturing; a child who grows up in fear, or with the sense that nothing they ever do is good enough, has not been parented according to biblical principles. Break the habit, not the spirit, was some particularly good advice we were given!
As Rev. John Stott comments: ‘Parents can easily misuse their authority either by making irritating or unreasonable demands which make no allowance for the inexperience and immaturity of children, or by harshness and cruelty at one extreme or by favouritism and over-indulgence at the other, or by humiliating and suppressing them, or by those two vindictive weapons sarcasm and ridicule… There is a place for discipline… but it must never be arbitrary… or unkind.’
It comes back to what we observed yesterday: this is a radical reimagining of the role of authority – to serve and to bless, not to enforce or to lord it. Just, indeed, as Jesus himself taught and modelled.
There is no higher calling than to raise new life in this world; and the stakes have rarely been higher. Today, lets pray for parents, especially those who are followers of Jesus, that we might love and nurture in a Christlike way. And may God grant all of us wisdom and grace to honour our parents – that it, too, may go well with us on the earth. Amen.
Tuesday 25th February – Ephesians 5:21-33 ‘As Christ loved the church’
Over the years I’ve officiated at dozens of weddings – as part of preparing the ceremony, I usually invite the couple to choose the passage they’d like read. About half the time they go for 1 Corinthians 13 and Paul’s great hymn to agape (love); most of the rest of the time it’s Colossians 3 or Philippians 4. Only twice in 14 years have the couple chosen this passage! It’s one that’s very much ‘out of favour’ – but it is also one of the most misunderstood and/or misused texts in scripture. So, today, let’s at least try and give it a fair hearing – and, at least, according to the very nature of Daily Inspirations, by tomorrow, you can be thinking about something else!
To start with, the context: as we saw yesterday, Paul has been talking about mutual submission as being the hallmark, not only of our relationships, but also of the Spirit-filled life of a follower of Jesus. In this next section of the letter, he does something very remarkable; at one level, he pre-empts the inevitable question which his original readers will have in their mind: ‘does that mean social anarchy? That there are no patterns of relating in society anymore?’ In doing so, he not only answers that question, but also subverts most of the assumptions that underlay it. You could summarise Paul’s answer in all of 5:22-6:9 like this: yes, there are still societal patterns… but they’re radically changed – especially for those who normally assume they have the ‘power’.
Although we can read verses 22-24 today and instinctively dismiss Paul as sharing the bigoted views of the age, in fact, what he says in this passage is truly revolutionary, on at least two levels:
First, he sets every marital relationship in the bigger context of mutual submission in all of our relationships. Why this matters so much is because mutual submission presupposes a relationship of equals. This kind of submission is a voluntary act, and as such it is a sign of strength and security, not weakness and domination. This is not a ‘little wife’, this is a strong woman voluntarily respecting her husband (v33).
Second – and this is a feature of all three of the sets of relationships he addresses in this section – he radically reinterprets the role of what would previously have been seen as the ‘dominant’ partner. ‘Husbands, love your wives,’ Paul says, ‘just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.’ (v25) The word he uses here for love is not philia or storge, the two words usually used for ‘liking’ and familial types of love – no, he uses agape i.e. self-giving love. From this point on, he teaches, Christian husbands are to ‘give themselves up’ for their wives: in other words, put their wives’ interests ahead of their own. Their chief goal in human relationships is that their wife would flourish: in fact, the word he uses is ‘radiant’ (v27) – it’s derived from the word doxa meaning glory – so she is to be ‘englorified’ – doesn’t sound so much like bigotry anymore!
If Paul’s readers really listened to this passage and practised its principles, the world would be a very different place. Marital violence and domestic abuse would be non-existent; homes would be happy and secure, and millions more humans would flourish in remarkable ways. Some of us will have been fortunate to have experienced a relationship like this; others will not, and maybe even find it hard to imagine what that kind of relationship could look like. Today, let’s pray for eyes to see, and a heart to receive, whatever the Lord has for us; let’s also pray for healing where there has been hurt and damage; and, finally, let’s pray for Christian marriages everywhere, that they would flourish with the sort of beautiful, agape love which saturates these pages of scripture. Amen.
Monday 24th February – Ephesians 5:18-21 ‘Under the influence’
Alongside the many challenges of the covid pandemic, one which I suspect very few of us missed was the frequency of trips to the petrol station! The lockdown dramatically reduced our mileage, and suddenly what for many of us was a weekly chore became perhaps every month, or even two months. Cars will always need fuel, but for a season we didn’t need to fill them as often.
However, this is not the case with the spiritual life. Today’s passage reminds us that we need to be filled with the presence, love and power of God as often as possible. The word ‘be filled’ in v18 is actually in the ‘continuous present’ tense (something in the Greek language we don’t have in quite the same way in English). It is best translated as ‘go on being filled’ or ‘keep being filled’, or even ‘be continuously filled’. Our lives need the constant refreshment of God’s Spirit to live as followers of Jesus. This, Paul says, is the ‘wise’ way to live (v15).
And, just as a car needs the right fuel, so Paul also encourages us to put the right fuel into our lives. His caution against excessive drinking (note: the issue is drunkenness, not consumption of alcohol per se) is really all about what controls us. We should beware surrendering our bodies to something that leads us to unwise or unhealthy behaviour. As Jesus himself taught, the true test of anything is the fruit it produces. Our lives should be under the influence of the Holy Spirit, so we avoid anything else that controls us and leads us in other directions.
But Paul’s wisdom doesn’t stop there. He actually gives us four ways that we can keep being filled with the Spirit. Verse 18 and 19-21 run together: literally, Paul says ‘keep being filled, as you….’ What? Well, here’s four great ways to keep being filled with the Spirit:
Encourage each other, especially in worship.
Make music in your hearts – something else we appreciated during the pandemic, when singing was banned in church buildings! There’s nothing like being able to sing together – but if you enjoyed singing your heart to online worship on the sofa at home (or still enjoy it), there’s a good reason for that – we are filled with the Spirit as we make music in our hearts to the Lord.
Gratitude in all things – finding things to praise God for fills us with His love, as we gain His perspective on our lives and recognise that all of life is gift.
Practising humility – this is the curveball. Verse 21 is actually part of the same sentence as verses 18-20, even though most modern bibles put it in the next section. We are filled with the Spirit as we submit to each other. There’s a thought! What he means here is not a form of weakness; rather, our choice to put others first is a sign of true strength, of security in God’s love. We do it ‘out of reverence for Christ’. And as we do that, we are filled with the presence of Christ by His Spirit.
So today, let us welcome God’s presence again, and be filled with His precious Spirit. And, perhaps, let’s draw alongside at least one of these four ‘spiritual fuel pumps’, to be refuelled with God’s love.
Saturday 22nd February – Ephesians 5:14-17 ‘Living wisely’
Let’s begin our final reflection of the week where we left off yesterday: the words of an early Christian song (dare I say hymn?!). Waking up for many of us is not easy on a Saturday morning, especially if we’ve been at work all week. You may not want to be reminded today to ‘Wake up’!
Nevertheless, if it’s unwanted advice in our physical lives, it’s very valuable in the spiritual life. Today’s little passage forms a transition between two big blocks of teaching: about lifestyle (4:20-5:13) and Spirit-led relationships (5:21-6:9) – and the bridge is wisdom. ‘Be wise,’ Paul says (v15), and he goes on to explain three simple dimensions of wisdom:
First, we stay awake. Watchfulness, or alertness, is a key theme of the New Testament’s ethical teaching. It’s easy to drift off; we can get caught in bad habits if we’re not paying attention. So, as Paul quotes this hymn, it reminds him to encourage all of us to ‘be careful how you live’ – the thrust of which is essentially this idea of watchfulness. Stay alert to what’s really going on – because ‘the days are evil’ i.e. it’s a challenging world out there.
Second, we make the most of every opportunity (v16). We don’t bash people over the head with our faith; but if an opportunity presents itself, we’re not shy about shining our light. This calls for wisdom to discern the true opportunities, as well as courage to take them and grace to trust the outcome to the Lord.
Finally, we understand what the Lord’s will is (v17). These daily reflections are a small attempt to help us do just that – but, however you like to organise your bible reading time, the same truth applies: the more we understand, the better equipped we’ll be.
How we need wisdom at present! The world seems to have changed radically, even in a few weeks. But we have an anchor – a hope that is steadfast and certain; and we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16). So, let’s be wise; let’s hold fast; let’s pray for the peace that transcends understanding to guard our hearts each day. And may the Lord grant us all grace to make the most of every opportunity, whenever and wherever they come. Amen.
Friday 21st February – Ephesians 5:3-14 ‘Living as children of light’
God has lots of names in the bible. Scholars debate (as they always do) exactly how many – what counts as a name? – but it’s at least 24, and, if you count every descriptor or title, you can get a total as high as 967! Only an awesome Lord can be truly honoured in such a rich way.
Nevertheless, despite all these wonderful names, only three nouns are applied directly to God in the New Testament: God is love, God is light and God is Spirit. Since our new self is ‘created to be like God’ (4:24 – see Wednesday’s reflection) it follows that our lives should be characterised by exactly these three qualities. Yesterday we looked at what it means to live as children of love. On Monday we will reflect on what it means to be filled with the Spirit. Today, Paul encourages us to ‘live as children of light’ (v8).
The basic assumption here – and a glance around the world makes it immediately clear that this is as true as ever – is that there is a lot of darkness around. We can see this in operation at the global level – but also in the everyday. Most of the behaviour patterns Paul cautions against in verses 3-5 are all, at some level, things which drag us into the darkness. In fact, you could argue that large-scale ‘darkness’ is ultimately the accumulation of lots of little ‘acts of darkness’. Lying, obscenity, unfettered greed becomes commonplace…
Our calling is different. As Jesus taught, we are ‘the light of the world’ (following our Lord, the original Light of the World). Our job is precisely to shine into this darkness. Paul’s words here are strong: ‘not even a hint’ (v3), ‘out of place’ (v4), ‘no inheritance’ (v5), ‘do not be partners’ (v7). It’s sobering stuff – but Paul knows what’s at stake here. ‘You were once darkness,’ he reminds his readers, this was your reality… ‘but now you are light.’
So, we shine. And, as we shine, the darkness gets exposed – that’s what verse 11 means: not that we’re all whistleblowers (though some may be called to that), but that our lives naturally shine into the dark places. It’s amazing how much communities can change when the ‘children of light’ shine brightly. For example, many UK towns and cities who have Street Pastors have witnessed a significant drop in crime on Friday and Saturday nights. ‘A city on a hill can’t be hidden… Let your light shine, that people may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.’ (Mt 5:14,16)
In closing, though, Paul reminds us that light needs a source – and here he quotes what might be one of the earliest Christian songs: ‘Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.’ It is Christ’s light that shines on us first – and then through us. Today, pray for that light to shine brightly in your life; and may the Lord graciously point that light wherever he desires. Amen.
Thursday 20th February – Ephesians 4:30-5:2 ‘Living as children of love’
In recent years, you may have heard the phrase: ‘pay it forward’. It means that if we receive a gift or some sort of kindness, instead of paying it back to the original giver, we ‘pay it forward’ to someone else – in other words, we pass on the blessing or kindness we have received, blessing others in the same generous way we have been blessed.
The phrase actually goes back a to a book written in 1916, ‘In the Garden of Delight.’ There, the author Lily Hardy Hammond reflects, ‘I never repaid Great-aunt Letitia’s love to her, any more than she repaid her mother’s. You don’t pay love back; you pay it forward.’ However, the idea is much older than that. A Greek comedy written in 317BC by Menander, ‘Dyskolos’ (meaning ‘The Grouch’) uses it as its main plot twist.
Most significantly for us, it forms a key element of biblical thinking about discipleship. We love because Jesus first loved us. We pass it on – we pay it forward. This is the central idea of today’s passage: (vv1-2) ‘Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children, and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us.’
It’s a simple, but profound principle, but a couple of things are worth noting. First – and we meet this again and again in this wonderful letter – it flows out of our identity: we are God’s ‘dearly loved children’. We can’t really live this kind of life without that deep sense of being God’s beloved. As Christ’s love fills our hearts – daily, repeatedly, fully – so we are empowered to love others.
Second, it is costly. This kind of love is not ‘sonnets and flowers’, but sacrificial. Christ gave himself up for us; our calling is to keep on giving of ourselves to others. The kind of virtues Paul describes at the end of chapter 4 – kindness, compassion, forgiveness – are too easily sentimentalised. They can hurt; they cost us something. Yes, we receive great blessings as a result – God’s designed it like that, he’s not a killjoy! – but it’s not easy.
Finally, love is incompatible with certain things: bitterness, rage, slander, malice. Life throws challenges at us, and it’s natural for some of these things to start to fill up our hearts. Paul’s advice is blunt: get rid of them. Don’t let rubbish fill up your heart – put it where it belongs: in landfill!
To live this kind of life is both the hardest, and highest, of callings. We cannot do it in our own strength. So, today, start where this passage does: let Christ’s love fill your heart. God gave everything for you, you are his beloved child. Believe it… receive it… and then go pay it forward.
Wednesday 19th February – Ephesians 4:20-29 ‘Put on the new self’
Here in the UK, I suspect most of us are waiting eagerly for the warmer weather, aren’t we? After what seems like endless weeks of damp, cold, grey weather, we’re longing for more light, a bit of sunshine, a milder wind. It will come – eventually! And when it does, we’ll enjoy changing our clothes – the thick jumpers and coats will slowly be replaced by lighter tops and summer jackets. A new season usually means new clothes.
It’s an idea Paul picks up on in today’s reading. Having warned his readers yesterday not to stay stuck in old, self-absorbed and self-destructive patterns of living, today (and in the coming verses) he sets out an alternative way of living, ‘in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus’ (v21).
Here we should note a modest evolution in Paul’s thinking. He is consistent throughout his letters that following Jesus represents an entirely new way of life. Indeed, it is nothing less than becoming the people we were designed by God to be. In his second letter to the Corinthians, written a few years before this one, he says this: ‘If anyone is in Christ – new creation!’ (2 Cor 5:20)
Now, in his letter to the Ephesians, he picks up the same theme, but also emphasises that this act of new creation requires co-operation on our part. Having been ‘made new in the attitude of our minds’ (v23 – absolutely of work of God, since it requires the gift and indwelling of the Holy Spirit), we are then ‘to put on the new self.’ We put this new self on – we don’t create it (Paul reminds us straightaway that this new self is ‘created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness’ – we are still the Lord’s handiwork) but we do have an element of choice. We can choose to align with the Lord’s will for our lives, or stay stuck in the ‘old ways’.
As Paul encourages us all to give our active support and effort towards living the kind of life God longs for us to live, he naturally slips into the language of clothing. For example, we must ‘put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbour.’ (v25) We also need to put off festering anger (v26), stealing (v28), and dirty talk (v29), replacing them with making up quickly, generous sharing and words which build others up.
Think of each vice and virtue as items of clothing. We are new creations: it would be silly to hide our ‘new selves’ under old clothing, wouldn’t it? Take off the grubby old threads of winter and put on the new clothes of spring!
Take a few moments today to reflect on the new self which the Lord is creating you to be. What old garments is the Lord calling you to shed? What new ones do you long to put on? Pray for continued grace to receive and wear these new clothes, that we might live joyfully and hopefully ‘in true righteousness and holiness’. Amen.
Tuesday 18th February – Ephesians 4:17-21 ‘Futile thinking’
One of my favourite books is ‘English Eccentrics’ by John Timpson. It’s a rollicking good read, an uproarious guide to the stranger fellows I can number among my countrymen (and yes, nearly all of them are male – which probably tells you something). Perhaps, not surprisingly, the longest chapter of the book covers clergy, including such luminaries as Robert Hawker, appointed Vicar of Morwenstowe in 1835. Timpson elaborates:
‘He discarded the standard cassock and wore… a yellow blanket with a hole in it for his head… in which he toured his parish, riding a mule and accompanied by his pet pig. He took his other pets into church with him: a small dog which he sat on the altar steps and a covey of cats which sat almost anywhere, though one was excommunicated for catching a mouse during a sermon. He conducted his services wearing red gloves, for no obvious reason. At weddings he would unnerve the bridegroom by throwing the ring in the air before it was handed to him.’ You get the drift…!
Today’s passage makes it clear that Christians are to be distinctive in the way they live – although perhaps not quite like Rev. Hawker! Nevertheless, this is something considered so important to emphasise, that Paul ‘insists on it in the Lord’ (v17). We are not to live like those around us, who do not share our faith – but what is fascinating is that Paul locates the root of our behaviour in our minds. He rebukes non-believers for the ‘futility of their thinking.’ As we believe, so we behave.
The contrast is clear: as a result of their ‘darkened understanding’ (v18), much of the culture lived in sensual excess and greed, a spiral of self-destructive behaviour (v19). ‘That, however, is not the way of life you learned,’ notes Paul soberly (v20). Christ offers us a new way of life – but this way of life starts with our thinking. Paul puts it concisely in his letter to the Romans: (12:2) ‘Do not confirm to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds.’ A new mind leads to a new life.
Tomorrow, and in coming days, we’ll reflect more deeply on what this ‘new life’ looks like in practice. Today, though, let’s pray for more wisdom, that we might have the kind of ‘renewed mind’ that leads to a transformed life. And let’s pray, too, for any we know and love who are trapped in self-destructive behaviour patterns. Christ offers us a new way, a new hope; this hope has saved us – may it continue to save others, too.
…with or without a covey of cats in church!
Monday 17th February – Ephesians 4:14-16 ‘Speaking truth in love’
Some years ago, when our family was taking our summer holiday in the Gower peninsula (lovely part of the world!), we decided to go kayaking in the bay near where we were staying. It was a sunny morning, and our children would have been 8 and 7 years old at the time. The kayaks were for two people, so my wife and daughter went in one, and my son and I went in the other.
It all started well: we kayaked out about a quarter of a mile from the shore – still well within the bay – but then the wind started to get up. The clouds rolled in and within five minutes we were battling through driving rain and choppy water. I started paddling as hard as I could straight towards the shore, with my increasingly frightened son in the front of the boat doing his best to help. For some minutes it appeared that we were making no progress, the shore just seemed to be getting further away. It had long since ceased being an exciting ‘experience’ to laugh about later, and I was starting to panic myself… and then, almost as quickly as it arose, the wind died, the rain stopped and suddenly we could see that we were 100 yards closer to the shore than we had been a few minutes previously.
Ten minutes later, we were back at the beach – with my wife and daughter’s kayak thankfully right alongside us. We still had half an hour left on the time we had paid for – but a quick look at my family’s faces told me that no-one wanted to paddle out again! We’d had enough of being tossed back and forth by the waves for one day…
As it turns out, we couldn’t have had a better insight into today’s passage than that adventure in the bay. We now know what it’s like to get caught in a storm out on the water – and, as Paul explains to his readers, it’s a good image of what it sometimes feels like to follow Jesus in a turbulent world. Culture tosses us about, this way and that – there are ‘winds’ of teaching (v14), which blow us in one direction, and then another. We can feel at the mercy of forces outside our control – a small, fragile community struggling to survive in a dangerous world. How do we survive? Overcome, even?
The answer lies in two simple, but immensely powerful things (v15) – truth and love. The truth which sets us free, the love which empowers us to live fruitfully in that freedom. And let’s be clear that we need both – truth without love is harsh, love without truth is weak; love and truth together are world-changing – unbeatable.
The context of Paul’s advice is his inspiring vision of the church, founded on good leadership and growing towards unity and maturity (as we saw in the last two reflections, vv11-13). Today we see why the formation of a church like this matters so much. We have an ocean of challenges to navigate: so, we need each other, we need to be a strong, mature body which rides the waves, and which – empowered by the Spirit of Christ, the great gift-giver – ‘grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work’ (v16).
As we begin this week, give thanks for ‘The Church’ (global) and your church (local) – let’s pray that we continue to grow and be built up, as all of us play our part. And may the Lord fill us with truth and love, for whatever we face, today and this week. Amen.
Saturday 15th February – 1 John 4:7-21 ‘The Source of Love’
A reflection for Valentine’s Day, which was yesterday…
In 2016, a new app was launched: ‘what3words’. The app divides the world into tiny squares 3m wide by 3m long and creates a unique 3-word name for each one. It wasn’t long before pretty much every serious walker or traveller put this app on their phones – if you get lost or have an accident, you just send your 3-word location and a rescue team can pinpoint your location exactly, and not have to comb a mile of wilderness trying to find you. It literally saves lives.
The world defined in 3 unique words. And here in this passage, we discover three words which condense all of the glorious wisdom of Scripture into three fundamental words, which take us to the heart of life itself: God is love.
But let’s be clear as to what kind of love is being described here. It’s not romantic love, or patriotic loyalty, or even based around things that we like or enjoy – though it can include bits of all of those. It is bigger and deeper than that. It is love defined as selfless giving.
This kind of love is Christ-centred (v9). It is also Christ initiated: ‘This is love,’ John says in v10, ‘not that we loved God but that he loved us.’ So often we start from human images of love and work back to God. But the deepest form of love comes from God, and we can only truly find it in him. God loved before we did – and as we receive this divine kind of love, then we find capacity to share that love with others. As we receive, so we give – otherwise the well runs dry.
This is why we have to centre ourselves in Christ, the heart of God’s self-giving love – as we do that, so his love fills us, and flows out of us into others: v17 ‘This is how love is made complete among us… in this world we are like Jesus.’
And not only this, the power of fear in our life is reduced: ‘there is no fear in divine love – perfect love drives out fear.’ (v18) To abide in this healing, cleansing, divine love helps us to live through that same love, and not the fears that whisper in our ear. We no longer need to be right, or important, or liked, or needed. We can simply give ourselves in love, as our Lord directs.
Today, let’s re-centre ourselves by inviting this awesome, self-giving divine love, this love of Christ, to enter our lives afresh and make us whole. And may God grant us grace to overflow in this love: back to God, and out to others. Amen.
Friday 14th February – Ephesians 4:11-13 (ii) ‘Equipping God’s people’
Power corrupts. It’s a basic principle of human behaviour, witnessed repeatedly throughout history. Sadly, despite thousands of years of human civilisation, it’s as true today as it ever was. And you won’t have to look hard to find articles and media content at the moment about leaders around the world – much of it concerned, even anxious, and rightly so.
Today’s passage is a healthy corrective. What does true, godly leadership look like? Like Jesus, would be the obvious answer. But, if we were to probe deeper, what Paul says in these verses sets a template that all leaders should follow: the primary task of leadership is to equip other people to flourish in their lives. Or, as Paul puts it here, referring to leadership gifts in the church: ‘to equip his (Christ’s) people for works of service, so that body of Christ may be built up.’
Good leadership blesses others. It equips them to live fruitfully, and to grow as a community. Note the individual and corporate elements in this – personal and collective flourishing. Leadership ultimately gives itself away – at least, leadership as Jesus intended it to be.
Verse 13 also gives us some pointers as to whether we’re heading in the right direction: the first is unity. A healthy, flourishing community practices Christlike unity. Not uniformity, necessarily – unity. In other words, what binds us together is always more than what divides us.
The second is wisdom: we develop a deep ‘knowledge of the Son of God.’ Leaders impart knowledge – both in word and deed. Most of it is probably caught rather than taught. It reminds us that, in the body of Christ, wisdom is dispersed across the body – it’s not held tightly by the leaders; it’s shared, for the benefit of all.
Finally, maturity. The word here is ‘teleios’, which is the same word Jesus uses in the Sermon on the Mount. It’s often translated ‘perfect’ but it’s best understood as ‘complete’, ‘the finished article’. Whatever the nuance is, it’s basically what Jesus intends us to be: ‘Be teleios, as your Heavenly Father is teleios.’ (The words from that famous sermon, Matthew 5:48)
Today’s passage is one of my personal favourites in all scripture. It gives an inspiring vision of the body of Christ as it’s meant to be – a body I want to be a part of! May the Lord raise up churches like this, led humbly and flourishing widely. And may all of us find our true place in them. Amen.
Thursday 13th February – Ephesians 4:11-13 ‘God’s gift of leaders’
‘Where are all the APEs in church?’ This was the provocative title of a seminar I attended a few years ago – well, you would, wouldn’t you, with a title like that?! And no, it wasn’t about the ineffectiveness of the church’s mission among primates – although I’m sure that might be a topic for another day… the APEs in question are to be found at the start of today’s passage.
St Paul is developing his theme of God’s gifts. Yesterday we looked at Christ the great gift-giver – today we get on to some of the actual gifts, as well as (tomorrow) their purpose. In particular, he focuses on what are now known as the ‘leadership’ gifts of the church: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. To return briefly to the seminar, what the convenor was challenging us about was that the church has lots of Pastors and Teachers, to nurture the flock – but not enough Apostles, Prophets and Evangelists – A P E or the APEs of the title.
Apostles are pioneers, the people who break new ground. Evangelists are gifted in bringing people into the kingdom. Prophets have an unusual capacity to see what God is up to (they are vital to the work of apostles and evangelists, as they can sense where these other leaders should be investing their energies).
Without these three gifts, the pastors (alternative word for shepherds) and teachers lack people to nurture. But it is also true that first three gifts tend to sit uneasily within the natural structures of the church, since their heart is always to reach outside it. Somehow a healthy body of Christ needs to find its APEs, and give them enough freedom to live out their calling – out on the frontiers, where ‘church’ gets especially messy and boundaries are blurred.
It is, of course, where Jesus spent a good proportion of his time. Not all of his time – and here, as always, we need to keep a sense of balance; Jesus was the world’s best pastor and teacher as well – but certainly enough to challenge the church in every generation to prioritise pioneering, evangelism and prophetic vision.
Ultimately, these all are the leadership gifts of the church because they reflect the character and calling of Christ himself – the original apostle (‘sent one’, from heaven to earth) who proclaimed the good news (‘evangelion’ – the root word for evangelist, literally a ‘declarer of good news’), spoke prophetic truth to power, and was titled both the ‘Good Shepherd’ (John 10:11) and ‘Teacher and Lord’ (John 13:13). It follows, then, that Christ gifts those who come after him to exercise these callings now, and in each generation.
So, today, let’s pray for our church leaders – whichever of these gifts they exercise. Pray that God would raise up more APEs! And also that God would continue to call pastors and teachers, too. We need every gift to reflect the fullness of Christ’s mission. And tomorrow, we’ll see why…
Wednesday 12th February – Ephesians 4:7-10 ‘Christ the victorious gift-giver’
About 20 years before Paul wrote this amazing letter, the Roman Emperor Claudius travelled to Britain and defeated the local population in a decisive battle at what is now Colchester. He built a temple there to mark his victory and then returned to Rome where he was granted (not that the Senate had much choice!) a ‘Triumph’. This was a great procession through the centre of Rome, where the conquering general/emperor would ride magnificently at the head of his army, whilst captured soldiers would trail behind. The Triumph was an occasional but important cultural landmark, one with which most citizens of the Roman Empire (of which Paul was one) would be familiar.
It also sets the background for today’s passage, which picks up another theme Paul wrote about numerous times in his letters: the unity and diversity of God’s people. If the focus yesterday was on our unity, the focus today is on our diversity: ‘But to each one grace has been given as Christ has apportioned it.’
This theme will occupy our attention for the next few days – however, what is unique about Paul’s treatment of it in Ephesians is where he starts: with Jesus as the conquering King. He uses a quote from Psalm 68, which long predates Roman imperial triumphs, but paints a similar picture of God as the conquering King, receiving gifts from his people – and sharing them in return. (NB There is a lot of debate about whether Paul misquoted the psalm, either accidentally or deliberately; however, various translations of the time, which Paul might have used, refer to the king in Psalm 68 giving gifts – so his usage here is fine!)
We’ll see tomorrow that the ‘gifts’ King Jesus distributes are what we usually refer to as spiritual gifts – given by the Lord to build up God’s people. But the point is that King Jesus distributes these ‘according to his gift’ (the literal translation of v7), as the overflow of his great love (2:4) and incomparable (2:7) and boundless (3:8) riches. He is the One who fills the universe (v10), and so is not limited in the grace/gifts (it’s the same root word) he can share – there is plenty to go around!
Before we explore the purpose and value of these gifts in more detail, Paul reminds his readers what it cost Jesus to become the conquering King. The great victory came through immense personal sacrifice: he ‘descended to the lower earthly regions’ (v9), which I think refers to more than just his incarnation in the world, but also to the depths of the crucifixion.
And yet, he overcame! ‘Up from the grave he arose…’ He ascended ‘higher than all the heavens’ (v10), and now pours out his loving authority to bless his people. To each one of us, Christ apportions his grace, which we know is sufficient for us. Pray today for this grace to abound in you – and may we all worship this glorious One, who fills the universe, with our hearts and our lives. Amen.
Tuesday 11th February – Ephesians 4:3-6 ‘The power of one’
The diversity of the worldwide church is extraordinary. Every culture and every society is included. In fact, in every country in the world there is at least one follower of Jesus – and for many, following this path to life comes at great personal cost. Christians are also remarkably flexible in terms of the places where they gather; in our parish alone, we have churches meeting in every type of building: mediaeval, modern purpose-built worship centres, a number of schools and community centres – even, on occasions, the local pub. Church happens when Christians gather together, and the history of the church proves that this can happen anywhere – in caves, in prisons, in shopping centres and even on rubbish dumps, in the case of one fantastic church serving destitute people in Cairo.
But what holds us together? What are the things we can agree on, which represent the glue for this vast diversity of humanity? Here in Ephesians chapter 4, St. Paul gives us the vital clues. To start with, as we saw yesterday, we all have a common calling: to ‘live a life worthy of the calling you have received’ (v1). As we’ve seen in the first half of the letter, we share an identity: chosen children of God, forgiven and freed and brought into God’s family – and this calling stirs us to a grace-filled life of gratitude. A life marked by humility, gentleness, patience and love (v2).
But we also share common convictions, a core of truths that bind us together (vv4-6). We worship one God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are part of one Body – the universal and worldwide family of God. We profess one faith in this glorious Trinitarian God, and (almost universally) acknowledge one special way of declaring and signifying our faith: baptism – in water and the Spirit.
This is the power of one – one hope for the world, and for ourselves. It creates a ‘bond of peace’ (v3) which overrides all our differences, and keeps our eyes fixed on the true and deeper realities which we share.
The unity of the church is not just something to treasure (which it is) and a source of great strength and comfort for all who are part of it (which it is, too) – it is also a prophetic witness to a divided world. It is powerfully counter-cultural. It’s easy to miss this – on Sunday at our sister church we will welcome a family, whose child was baptised last week, during which the minister will use these words: ‘There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism. NNN, by one Spirit we are all baptised into one body.’ The words are taken from this very passage, but they are more than just nice words of affirmation; they declare something truly radical – the global unity of the family of God.
So, today, let us celebrate what holds us together, what unites us as one big family of God stretching throughout the world. I like to picture it as millions of lights scattered across the globe, worshipping the one true Light of all. May it stir us to gratitude and to prayer, and also to renewed energy and vision – a vital part of a life worthy of the glorious calling we have received. Amen.
Monday 10th February – Ephesians 4:1-2 ‘Worthy of our calling’
When I was young, I used to love the game ‘Consequences’. Most people my age or older will probably remember it: you gather in a circle and each of you starts with a piece of blank paper and begin by, say, writing the names of two people. Then you fold over the paper and pass it to your left. The next thing you write might be ‘met (somewhere)’ – write in the meeting place. Fold paper – then write on the next segment what they did… what the first person said… what the second person said… and the consequence was… Then you would all unfold your pieces of paper and read out what had been written – hopefully with some comic scenarios!
What makes the game work is that you don’t know what’s been written beforehand – the consequence may have nothing to do with the previous text; in fact, the more wildly different/ weird/ unlikely, the better.
Strange as it may sound, there’s more of a risk that we might take this kind of approach to the spiritual life than we might imagine. We don’t always stop to think through the consequences: why do we live like we do? Or, to put it another way, is there a natural consequence between what we believe and how we live. Does the ‘consequence’ fit?
The second half of Ephesians (chs 4-6) is like the ‘consequence’ to chapters 1-3, which describe in wonderful depth and detail who we are in Christ. Having got to the end of chapter 3, the big question is, therefore – if this is who we are, how then should we live? Paul makes this transition very clear in the first verse of ch4: ‘I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received’ – the ‘calling’ being everything he’s shared in the first half of the letter.
So, what does this ‘worthy’ life look like? What’s the consequence?
What’s fascinating is where he starts. It’s all about character. I used to teach the book of Ephesians to people who had just become followers of Jesus, and what I usually found is that enthusiastic new believers wanted to know what they needed to do. They wanted some rules!
That’s natural… but Paul puts the brakes on that approach. What matters is that what you do flows out of who you are. This is the whole thrust of the first half of the letter. It’s about identity – who we are in Christ. And, having won our hearts, our loving Saviour will now set about slowly transforming us from the inside out, cultivating Christlike virtues: ‘be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.’ The qualities of our Saviour, now being generated through his life-giving Spirit in us.
It’s a quiet revolution. Not so much do – be. This is what a life worthy of our calling looks like, first and foremost. As we begin this week, may the Lord grant us all grace to live this kind of life. May his Spirit continue that transformative work – ‘to the praise of his glory.’ Amen.
Saturday 8th February – Ephesians 3:14-21 (iii) ‘Grace and peace in action’
If you were asked to give a three-word summary of the theology of the Christian faith, what would you say? The early church’s first answer was probably this: Jesus is Lord! But its second answer – and certainly Paul’s other main answer – is this: grace and peace. As we saw in our very first reflection in this series, it’s how he starts all of his letters, including this one. God’s grace leads to our peace. Salvation, and the life that flows from it, in one simple phrase.
Chapter 2 of Ephesians then goes on to outline grace and peace in more detail. The first half looks at how God’s wonderful grace saves us; the second half, how Christ’s atoning work brings us near to God and also to others – he is, therefore, ‘our peace’.
As we look one more time at this awesome prayer, my final reflection is simply that, alongside all the other marvellous layers and dimensions to these extraordinary verses, it is also a prayer for grace and peace in action – or, you could say, the outworking of grace and peace in our lives.
So, here’s a prayer for what grace looks like in action: (vv17-19) Paul prays that we ‘being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.’
Note how the language echoes chapter 2 – we are rooted in love, just as grace is rooted in God’s great love for us (2:4). And as we grasp just how much Christ loves us, so we are filled to all the measure of the fullness of God. This grace empowers our lives. This grace enables the love of God to fill us so much that it overflows to others. Grace is meant not just to be received, but to be passed on. It energises us to live a life of love.
It’s the same with peace: (vv16-17) ‘I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.’ He doesn’t mention peace directly, but he does mention spiritual strengthening in our inner being. What are the fruit of the spirit that comprise this strengthening? Love, joy and – yes – peace! Christ dwelling in our hearts produces real growth of character. We live with peace, and other virtues, in our hearts.
This is a prayer for a life, a heart, captivated by God’s grace and peace. This is a prayer for us and for our church. Our hearts, our churches, are to be oases of God’s grace and peace. And we can pray this prayer because Paul starts and finishes it by reminding us of the source and the means of these life-transforming virtues: the Lord himself. We don’t manufacture grace and peace – but we know where to go to find it: (v14, v20) ‘For this reason, I kneel before the Father… to him who is able to do immeasurably more… be glory.’
As we close our week and another remarkable chapter in this letter, may this be our prayer. And may grace and peace be ours in abundance this day, this weekend, always. Amen.
Friday 7th February – Ephesians 3:14-21 (ii) ‘Faith hope and love’
‘And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.’
So concludes Paul’s great hymn to love in 1 Corinthians 13 – beloved of wedding ceremonies, and rightly so. It is not sentimental love, but gritty, real love – manifested in patience, forgiveness and trust. It finds its necessary companions in faith and hope – for without these, you could argue that true, self-giving love would be impossible to sustain.
Although the idea of faith, hope and love forming some sort of ‘holy trinity’ of virtues finds its greatest expression in Paul’s iconic hymn, it’s not the first time we encounter this in his writing. Indeed, it appears that Paul used this as a shorthand for our blessings in his earlier ministry. One of the earliest letters – possibly the earliest, 1 Thessalonians – begins like this: (1:2-3) ‘We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.’
Faith, hope and love… only this time they also produce transformative outcomes: faith produces fruitful work, love produces self-giving labour and hope gives us endurance for the journey of faith.
Fast-forward about ten years to this letter to the Ephesians and Paul’s great prayer picks up the same themes of faith, hope and love, and prays them for his readers in yet another marvellous way. The prayer broadly splits into three main parts: the first prays for faith: ‘I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.’
The second prays for love: ‘I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge…’
The final part is rooted in hope: ‘Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us…’ He may not use the word, but a prayer to the one who can do more than all we ask or imagine: what else is that a prayer for, if not for hope?!
What is so powerful in all of Paul’s reflections on these virtues is that they are not just ‘feelings’ or ‘values’ – they produce transformative outcomes. Faith enables Christ to really dwell in our hearts – we can sense his presence daily. Love is not just something to grasp, but to know at a deep and intimate level. Hope inspires to pray confidently, trusting in the One who can do what seems to us impossible.
Faith, hope and love. As we pray this prayer today, may we, like Paul, be filled with praise: ‘to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen!’
Thursday 6th February – Ephesians 3:14-21 (i) ‘The great invitation’
You might it isn’t possible for this letter to get any better! We’ve hit so many heights already, what else is there left to say?! But, at this point – and after a modest diversion of twelve verses (3:2-13) when Paul stops to reflect briefly on his own role in the family of God – we get to one of the great peaks of all scripture: Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians, and by extension all believers.
There’s so many dimensions to this prayer, you can never really exhaust its riches. It’s also not one I would dare to break up into chunks, it would be like looking separately at the Mona Lisa’s face, then her clothes and then the background! Much better to dwell in this text for three days, looking at the whole of it each time, but emphasising a particular facet.
Today, then, I’m going to look at what it says about God in its most essential form: God as Trinity – one Being with three natures: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The important thing we have to realise is that scripture treats the Trinity as a reality, but doesn’t define it systematically. It was the Church which did that later, and, whilst the insights of great theologians such as Tertullian, Athanasius and Augustine are foundational to our understanding of who God is, it’s vital that we don’t reduce this extraordinary doctrine to a puzzle that needs to be solved. Rather, what we have is a great invitation from God to experience a three-dimensional relationship with him as a reality.
We see this approach here in Ephesians. The Trinity appears regularly, right from the start: verse 3 of chapter 1 talks about God the Father, the Lord Jesus Christ and every spiritual blessing – which could equally be translated ‘blessing of the Spirit’. Similarly in verses 13-14 of chapter 1, we are included in Christ, given the promised Holy Spirit and described as God’s possession – which here most likely refers to God the Father.
Chapter 2 verse 18 is perhaps the most concise expression of how the Trinity works in all of scripture: ‘For through Jesus we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.’ But, even if this one verse lays the foundation of much of our Trinitarian theology, it was not written for that express purpose. Paul invites all of us to know God as Father, Son and Spirit as a lived experience and in multiple ways, and his prayer at the end of chapter 3 reflects that.
In today’s passage, he kneels before the Father (v14) and prays for us to be strengthened with the power of the spirit (v16) so that Christ may dwell in our hearts (v17). He then goes on to pray for that same power (of the Spirit) to enable us to grasp the depth of Christ’s love, that we may be filled with the fulness of God (the Spirit and Christ, as well as the Father).
For each of us to grow into mature faith, we need to cultivate a relationship with the Father, the Son and the Spirit. Each part matters – to know that we are God’s beloved children, to imitate to example of Christ, to be empowered and transformed by the Spirit. Where might you most need to focus at the moment? Why not pray to receive that invitation, to experience that reality more fully?
If you have time, why not spend a few minutes reflecting on Andrei Rublev’s famous icon. Here we see Father, Son and Spirit in a perfect relationship of love. The side of the table nearest to us is open: we are all invited to join them. Will you?
Wednesday 5th February – Ephesians 3:10-13 ‘Freedom and confidence in Christ’
The first two chapters of Ephesians are possibly the most theologically rich chapters in all of scripture. As I observed at the start of our series, it’s as if Paul is cramming all his decades of wisdom, reflection and experience into a unique distillation of what it really means to be a follower of Jesus: who we are in Christ, what blessings we enjoy, what it means to be a united body of Christ globally.
You might think that he’d said more or less everything that could reasonably be said about our spiritual blessings; however, in today’s passage he references one other outcome of these blessings, which he hasn’t referred to yet: (v12) ‘In him and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence.’
Freedom and confidence. This might sound obvious at first sight; but when you think about it, is actually quite a mind-blowing thought. Our God is a great big God – to coin a phrase! The Creator and Lord of the Universe, the One whose Son holds all things together and will one day return as Judge; the King of kings and Lord of lords. You might think it would be hard to approach this God – certainly terrifying. That would be what we might expect of any other (earthly) ruler.
To return to King Henry VIII, whose court we referenced a few days ago. We stopped at the point when you entered the throne room. But what happened next? How did you approach the king? Well, you had at all times to face towards him (never turn your back on the monarch) and inch forward slowly, legs bent, head bowed in order to present your business to the king. King Henry even changed the form of address – it was no longer simply ‘your grace’ or ‘your highness’, but from 1519 ‘your majesty’ (Emperor Charles V had recently adopted this form of address and Henry couldn’t bear to be outdone.) In short, it was a constant reminder that Henry was great and you were not, Henry was powerful and you were not, Henry held your life in his hands.
Henry’s bombast was no different to the great rulers of Paul’s time. Imagine, then, what it must have sounded like to Paul’s first readers to hear this: ‘we may approach God with freedom and confidence.’ Wow! No bowing and scraping, no cowed pleading – thanks to Jesus, we have a full and free invitation into the heavenly throne room.
This sense of the freedom we enjoy in Christ is one repeated in several other letters of Paul (1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Colossians) and also by James and Peter. Confidence, however, is much less mentioned – only once in 2 Corinthians. I think this emphasis here in Ephesians is significant. It is possible for us to be free, but not confident. We might believe in principle that we have access to God, but not take God up on this access, as it were.
Paul’s encouragement, however, is that we can be both free and confident in approaching God. Followers of Jesus are warmly invited into the throne room. God does not grant this amazing privilege grudgingly, but willingly.
Take a moment today to reflect on this awesome truth. Pray for grace to really believe it. And take that step of faith: approach the Lord’s loving throne and ask for all you need.
Tuesday 4th February – Ephesians 3:7-11 ‘The boundless riches of Christ’
We hear a lot about enormous wealth today. Certainly, the figures quoted can be mind-boggling. Last week’s stock-market dip caused by news of a cheap AI competitor wiped about $600 billion off tech share prices; indeed, the spectacularly wealthy individuals who own some of these tech companies lost about $100 billion in their own personal wealth. In a day. For context: $100 billion is roughly enough to provide permanent housing or accommodation for every homeless person in America…. or buy malaria vaccines for the entire continent of Africa.
Most of us can’t imagine it. It is, literally, unimaginable wealth. But there is someone who is even richer. Much, much richer in fact. This person’s riches are not just unimaginable, they are inexhaustible. The word that Paul uses in today’s passage is ‘boundless’ (v8).
And not just boundless – eternal (v11). One thing we know about all these other individuals’ spectacular wealth is that it doesn’t last. They can’t keep it themselves beyond their own lifetime; and, even if they do pass it on to their relations, it does eventually disappear.
In a world which monetises everything, we urgently need to recapture a sense of what true riches are. Here in this passage, Paul gets us on the right track. The One we need to look to is none other than Jesus Christ. Everything that makes us truly rich – love, joy, peace, hope, purpose, relationship, security, forgiveness, community, not just in this world but the next, too – is found in him.
Paul was given this ‘secret’ – indeed he discovered personally that no-one is beyond Christ’s love, and this awesome revelation fired his passion to share this ‘secret’ with as many as possible (vv8-9).
We live in difficult times, and many of us will always face the temptation to worry about money and other material provision in our lives. May we find true hope and inspiration in today’s passage. According to God’s eternal promise, Christ has all the ‘riches’ we really need. What do you need to ask him for today?
Monday 3rd February – Ephesians 3:1-6 ‘The mystery of Christ’
Many of us love a good mystery. Flick through any TV guide, or scroll through any streaming service, and you’ll see dozens of ‘mysteries’: whether detective dramas, natural history and science programmes, true crime, reality TV, or quiz shows. In each instance there are mysteries to solve, even if the mystery sometimes is: why would anyone choose to watch this?!
Some mysteries are much more serious. We all have hard questions we can’t answer, often based on our own life experiences, or those of others. God is bigger than our limited minds can fully grasp – it follows, then, that we can’t explain everything about the life, the universe and everything.
There is, though, one mystery that is perhaps more important than any other in all of history. And thankfully this mystery has been comprehensively revealed and declared to a waiting world, fully two thousand years ago. The mystery is this: who really has access to God? Or, to put it another way: who can know life forever and share in God’s eternal rest?
Many cultures have tried to answer that question, and the answer is usually that access is restricted to certain people. Any faithful Jew of Paul’s generation would naturally and automatically have said that the Lord chose a certain people as his own, and only those either born or grafted into that people would receive their divine inheritance. This is what Paul himself believed for many years; so passionately that he viciously oppressed others – followers of Jesus – who disagreed with him.
But this same Paul had a revelation (v3) – one so powerful it changed his life. It’s what he now describes to his readers as ‘the mystery of Christ’ (v4): one which was not revealed to previous generations of faithful worshippers of God, but is now clear to see (v5), and which Paul has been uniquely commissioned to share with as many people as possible (v2). In fact, he is so convinced of his calling to do so, that, not only is he repeatedly imprisoned for it (v1), he also disrupts the flow of this letter for a whole chapter to remind his readers what it is….
The mystery is simply this: thanks to Christ, everyone now has access to God. Christ opens the door to all peoples, all races and cultures, all ages and backgrounds: rich, poor, young old. All who come to Christ are heirs of the same inheritance, all part of God’s global family, which they all share equally (v6).
We’ve looked in detail at these amazing truths in previous reflections; however, as we begin our week, what Paul does here is a healthy reminder that we can never repeat these blessings too often. It is the best news we ever heard! Like Paul, may we never lose that sense of awe, of wonder, that this glorious mystery has been revealed to us, that we might share in its life-giving love and power. And may the Lord direct our paths to pray for those we know who we’d love to embrace this mystery… and, who knows, maybe we can play a part in ‘revealing’ it to them?