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Ephesians 1:3-14
Christmas 2A
Is there a better way to begin anything, including a new year, than by talking about blessing? Paul might have seemed to think so. He, after all, begins this Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson with three references to the Greek combination of eu and logos that’s often translated as some form of the English word “blessed.” In…
Ephesians 2:1-10: You Were Dead – Lent 4B
You were dead. That’s how the Apostle Paul opened this section of his letter to the Ephesians. You were dead. It’s a startling thing to hear, when you think about it. It also doesn’t make a whole lot of sense on the face of it. Oh, sure, now and then you may run across someone…
Ephesians 1:3-14
Christmas 2C
On this Sunday on which most people stand just inside the doorway to a new year, many of us naturally look ahead to the future. 2024 is already to many of us “so last year.” We’re ready to seize the moment and plunge ahead. But Ephesians 1 invites Jesus’ friends to slow down enough to…
Ephesians 6:10-20
Proper 16B
It’s not surprising that preachers and scholars generally pay most of our attention to this Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson’s military imagery. After all, while Paul’s images are easily misunderstood and misapplied, they’re also prominent in this text, vivid and memorable. We’ve even managed to cram some of them into things like Vacation Bible School weeks. So,…
Ephesians 5:15-20
Proper 15B
Does any subtle difference exist in tone and meaning between a summons to “Be careful” and “Be very careful”? There may be an added urgency that comes through with the addition of the adjective “very.” When, for example, my wife drives home alone from caring for our grandchildren, I always try to ask her to…
Ephesians 4:25-5:2
Proper 14B
Few themes in advertising and social media are more prominent than transformation. We like to put next to each other before-and-after pictures of people who are overweight and people whose weight is later more appropriate, as well as pictures of things like kitchens before and after they were remodeled. The juxtaposition is meant to impress…
Ephesians 4:1-16
Proper 13B
Controversy about how to faithfully respond to God’s grace continues to roil parts of Christ’s Church. It sometimes seems as if some of Jesus’ 21st century North American friends struggle to find our unity in anything but our Christian ethics. Quite simply, we spend a great deal of time arguing about and dividing over what…
Ephesians 3:14-21
Proper 12B
As I’ve said before, there is nothing ordinary about Ordinary Time, and that is surely the case with this text. This is an extraordinary prayer for Ordinary Time. Paul has just described the church’s calling in cosmic terms. The unity of Gentile and Jew in the church is intended by God to make known the…
Ephesians 2:11-22
Proper 11B
If ever there were a text that resonates with life today, it is this ancient word. In this text Paul answers the burning question at the heart of the immigration debate in America. What is the right path to full citizenship? Of course, Paul is not talking about full citizenship in a country; he is…
Ephesians 1:3-14
Proper 10B
It’s ironic and sad that predestination is such a contentious issue among some of Jesus’ friends. We sense, after all, that God graciously intends it to be a source of comfort for rather than division among Christians. Thankfully, then, this Sunday’s Epistolary Lesson offers preachers a chance to let the Spirit help us unpack this…
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