Ephesians
1:3-14— God’s
chose and destined us to be His children through Christ. For the next few
weeks, the Epistle lesson will come from St. Paul’s letter to the
Ephesians. This lesson is difficult to relate to the other two lessons. The
central theme of the letter to the Ephesians is the church. This lesson is on
praise to God who in Christ has poured out His love for us, who calls us to be
His children, redeemed us through the blood of Christ, and revealed His will to
us. He has given us His Spirit who is a guarantee of our salvation and eternal
life.
To be chosen is to be wanted. To be wanted means we
are worth something to the one who wants us. Paul says in verse 4 that God
chose us to be his people even before the creation of the world. God has always
wanted us! What an honor to be chosen at any time by anyone, but how great it
is to be chosen by God. It is not so much that we should choose Christ but that
we should rejoice in God’s choice of us.
In Hebrew thought, blood was life. Paul says we have
redemption through the blood of Christ. It means out of love Christ gave his
life that we might be forgiven by the Father. This forgiveness is the result of
the riches of grace. The Father’s love results in the Son’s sacrifice which
makes it possible for us to become the people of God. Thus, we are redeemed
from our lost condition which was one of sin and death.
Is this all theory or fact? Are we forgiven for Jesus’
sake? Are we going to heaven? Paul says here that we have a guarantee of our
salvation in the gift of the Spirit. The Spirit serves as a seal of your
connection to Christ. The Spirit’s presence is a down-payment which assures us
of the inheritance. Your eternal destiny has been signed by the cross, sealed
by the Spirit, and delivered by the church through Word and Sacrament.[2]
Collect for
Pentecost 7—Grant, Lord, that the course of this world may be so
governed by Your direction that Your Church may rejoice in serving You in godly
peace and quietness;[3]
-08 July 2021—
[1] The Beheading of John the Baptist, Schnorr von Carolsfeld woodcut copyright © WELS used with permission
[2] Lectionary Preaching Workbook, Series B, John Brokhoff © 1981 CSS Publishing, Lima, OH
[3] Collect for Pentecost 7; Lutheran Worship © 1980 Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis
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