Scripture Text (NRSV)
Ephesians 1:11-23
1:11 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,
1:12 so that we, who were the first to set our hope on Christ,
might live for the praise of his glory.
1:13 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;
1:14 this is the pledge of our inheritance toward redemption as
God's own people, to the praise of his glory.
1:15 I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love
toward all the saints, and for this reason
1:16 I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my
prayers.
1:17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of
glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to
know him,
1:18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know
what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of
his glorious inheritance among the saints,
1:19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who
believe, according to the working of his great power.
1:20 God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from
the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,
1:21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and
above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the
age to come.
1:22 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the
head over all things for the church,
1:23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in
all.
Comments:
Looking for ideas...thinking about Saints past and present as a way of
celebrating the witness of faithfulness through time. PL in RI
This passage from Ephesians just knocks me out!! "with the eyes of
your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has
called you!" To me this Sunday is less about the saints of old and
more about the saints of the present--all who use the eyes of their
heart to see what they have in Christ Jesus, and then use the power
that gives them. In these days of accommodation to every wind that
blows, today's saints pray with Paul for the spirit of wisdom and
revelation that holds them to the Truth that sets them free: Jesus
Christ, "the head over all things for the church." Bashed by the media
and Ted Turner, too many preachers, too many church councils are cowed
and assume an attitude of guilt for declaring themselves Christians in
the terms established by Scripture. With terrorism and religious
conflict roaring around us, it takes courage to stand fast on the
Word. The saints do not yield. And they are the winners. OZ in ON
I'm planning on preaching on this too -- but haven't any idea where
I'm going yet. That's why I'm here: to get jump started. May God open
our minds to the wisdom we need!
blessings, rachel
I too am preaching from this text, but mainly from vv. 15, 16--"I have
heard of your faith..." The focus will be how God reaches/influences
others through human beings. I will ask the congregation to remember
who influenced them in the name of Christ (and who may shape them
today), and to remember they still can shape others in the name of
Christ.
jjinchassc
I am planning to use this text on Nov 4 for an "All Saints Sunday."
Like many churches we will acknowledge those saints who have died this
past year. They will be named as a candle is lighted We will follow
that list with the naming of each baby born, which in the past several
years outnumbers the list of those died.
Ephesians refers to saints in a way that includes both the dead and
the living. There is a powerful prayer of thanksgiving based on what
Paul has heard "through the grapevine." Reputation is always greater
than publicity, a truth we United Methodists must keep in mind during
our publicity blitz called 'Igniting Ministries.'
Paul's prayer focuses on three or four aspects: 1 for a spirit of
wisdom and revelation necessary in a confusing world where there is
more than one source claiming to be the truth 2 that they might know
the hope to which they had been called (hope, not as a psychological
state of optimism as "hopeful", rather an embracing response to God 3
riches of glorious inheritance among the saints (inheritance is an
often family splitting event following the death of a loved one. Here,
the real rich inheritance is one that binds the family together: a
place and vital role withing the body and a promise of life eternal 4
promise of immeasurable power. There is more to the promise than a
place as the elect. There is power for those who believe, a power to
make a difference in the world, a power to live in the presence of
grief.
The New INterpreters Bible has a helpful illustration. We have all
been disturbed with the WTC disaster. The days following, still
searching for bodies that no longer exist. Such a futile search and
the absence of a body adds to the weight of those who have lost loved
ones.
But the incredible use of DNA to identify persons brings some comfort,
as a person was in some way "found." How that ever happens is beyond
my understanding, a real mystery.
Interpreters Bible addresses a fear that one person had about heaven.
With billions and billions of people who have died since the
beginning, how can any of us envision ever being reunited with family
members and not simply lost in the crowd. As DNA codes or computers
can sort, find patterns, and match data...God can restore bodies and
families.
This hope to which we have been called inspires us and keeps us
focused on the mission at hand: spreading the faith and loving the
saints.
Fred in LA
at a Hospice conference I heard a woman speak about the cell phone
calls of those who were lost in the September 11 disasters. She spoke
of a preacher who talked of those people calling their loved ones to
say goodbye but in reveiwing some of the transcripts of those calls
she found that people really called to say I love you. Somehow I want
to connect that to the All Saints' Day celebration sermon. When our
world is constantly telling us that God's word is judgement or wrath,
do this, don't do that, what God is really saying if we read the
transcripts carefully is I love you. mouthfull in nc
Thanks everyone so far! Last night I spoke at the nursing home and
asked them who had influenced their faith. They just looked at me.
Then I said, "well, how did you hear about Jesus?" And someone said,
"My Mother and Daddy." And i said, Yes! There are saints like Mother
Teresa and Albert Schweitzer, but the saints who probably influence us
the most are those right here in our own homes and churches and
communities. There are people right around us who let Christ's light
shine in. May we claim our inheritance as Saints!
blessings and hope, rachel
Previous:
Looking for ideas to work this into a stewardship sermon.
Pam in San Bernardino
I'm not planning on using this text specifically, but the word
"inheritance" jumped out at me. It's used at least three times in the
passage. I've done stewardship sermons on the theme, "What's in it for
Me?" This text makes it clear that the "return" on the "investment"
(our life for His Life) is enormous!
KenTucky
The wealth of the Christian is beyond measure. Being joint heirs with
Him we know that he is the heir of all things (Heb.1) Here Paul gives
to us the marvel of our salvation and the surety of it. He tells us of
1) God's Purpose (v. 11) which of course involves and includes His
predestination 2) His Promise (v. 13) which assures us of the fact
that there is an Inheritance involved. 3) His Pledge (v. 14) which is
the Third Person of the Trinity present with us living in us and
empowering us but here primarily putting His seal on us so that His
ownership is manifest to all and particularly in the Heavenlies. 4)His
Power toward us (v. 19) which is resurrection power needed because of
the condition in which he finds us namely dead in trespasses and sins.
This power which is here toward us is said to be in the believer in
Ephesians 3: 20. and in that power he is in the process of bringing
all things to his desired goal.
What is so amazing about the text is that not only do we have an
inheritance in Christ, but He has an inheritance in us. That is mind
boggling. How humbling to us to consider the fact that as a love gift
of the Father to the Son we stand as trophies of His Grace. In that
Grace we have an abundance of blessings (all spiritual blessings in
the Heavenlies) and by him looking at the finished product he sees the
travail of his soul and is satisfied.
Yet to have such blessings and such bestowals demands of us that we
live soberly and godly in this present age. It convicts us of the fact
that too often we follow the crass materialism and gross insenstivity
of this world. May he who loves us so much draw us ever closer to
himself!
What a day this will be as we celebrate those departed beloved
"saints" who envisioned our church, not as a building, but as the
"body of Christ" in mission for the purpose of ministering to this
community and the world.
And yet, among many of our churches there exists living, breathing,
"senior saints" who may no longer be able to take a physically active
part in the ministries of our church, but who are constantly in prayer
and meditation for those who are able. By phone, letter, or in
conversation, these saints continue to encourage, inspire, and support
our ministries.
Let us not only celebrate those who have gone on before, but also
those who are with us this day enhancing our ministries.
Thank you so much for your wisdom. I am preaching on the communion of
the saints as well and I wasn't sure where I was going with it. I have
a number of elderly women in my congregation who feel that they are
"drifting" becasue they can no longer serve the church in a physical
way. This is just what they need to hear. I also have a family who are
celebrating/grieving the first anniversary of the death of their
father/husband. I don't want to go too much into the "remembrance day"
theme of next week, yet I want to lift up the promise of life eternal
and the communion of the saints. Most churches in our area ignore All
Saints Day because they don't know what to do with it but it is a huge
part of our faith and hope for life after life. What do you think?
Wendy
Wendy,
I believe you are on the right track. I think it is exceptionally
comforting to talk about eternity with Christ to those who've lost a
loved one. I also believe it's exceptionally appropriate to speak of
the hope that we have in Jesus to those who physically may not be able
to serve God as they used to. When we think of all the saints who've
loved and been loved by God in Christ, I can't help but feel community
with them. They are each a testimony to our future, our inheritance in
Christ. So be led by the Holy Spirit, acknowledge and yield to Him. He
is leading you even now and He will continue as you sincerely seek
Him.
Rick in Va
Hi all. Been on vacation -- and it's good to be back in the groove. I
am also using this with All Saints in mind...calling it "Saints I Have
Known" -- begin with snippets about the lives of some "official"
saints, then some people in my own journey who have influenced me,
then talking about those in the congregation's past...and then saying
that we are all "saints" - and have influenced and continue to
influence other lives by our own faith and actions. Blessings to all.
You inspire and encourage me. Hey! YOU are saints! RevKK
Hi everyone --I, too am glad to be back after preaching a
non-lectionary series. Here's a quote from John Buchanan of Fourth
Presbyterian in Chicago I had on file, and am working with in
preparing the sermon for this week:
regarding "the communion of saints": "… Now a funny thing happened.
The sentence doesn’t sound so odd anymore. The more people I have
known and loved who have died, the more that peculiar old phrase made
sense to me… "The simple fact is that at twenty-five you don’t know
many of the "company of heaven" except by reputation. Several decades
later you know a lot of them; many of them. "The same thing happens
with the hymn "For All the Saints (who from their labors rest)". You
sing it mostly unconsciously for twenty or thirty years, enjoying
Ralph Vaughan Williams robust tune and either cringing at the images
or else not thinking about them …"And when the fight is fierce, the
warfare long, steals on the ear the distant triumph song, and hearts
are brave again, and arms are strong…" And then someone you love dies
– and the hymn becomes a very personal and powerful affirmation of
something your intellect, your reason, cannot express or quite
comprehend. I still think archangels sound like something the
Episcopalians thought up, but "the whole compnay of heaven" is an idea
I find I like more and more…" _____________________________________
Looking forward to seeing your / our ideas continue to develop this
week,
Kevin in OK
Who submitted the 4 "P" points on 21 Oct? Thanks - really a lot in
that short synopsis. kbc in sc
I don't think we can go far wrong in emphasizing the fourth "P" in the
post above - the Power of the Resurrection available for all the
church. A great many of our churches seem to feel that "stuck in a
rut" feeling of "we've always done it this way" syndrome. It can be as
simple as not wishing to learn new songs, or as complicated as not
desiring to change an order of worship or a habitual practice of
worship - but we need to be reminded that the Newness of Life implicit
in the Power of the Resurrection is not only for the end of earthly
life, but for all of earthly life. Paul does say "what is the
immeasurrable greatness" and not "what will be the immeassurable...."
A great many of our members seem to feel that same way, and need to be
reminded that God's plan for our eternal life begins when we accept
Jesus, and not after we die here. Rev. Rick in cool So. Ga.
I really appreciated the Buchannan quote. I plan to use it before we
sing "For All the Saints" this week. Some folks have a hard time
understanding why I love that hymn (and insist we sing all 6 verses!)
The "pledge of our inheritance" v. is more than just a promise. It is
more akin to a downpayment, or earnest money. I am playing with the
idea of how the Holy Spirit, as revealed to us in the lives of those
saints who have shaped and nurutured us, is that pledge of our
inheritance. Thanks to the person who posted the Buchanan quote.
Rene', Omaha
