So... our dear Pastor John had a weekend off, this weekend and he asked if SG and I would give a reflection/sermonette/message on the passage of the week. Being raised in Baptist and community churches, we didn't know what to think about being women speaking from the front of the sanctuary. I confess, I still don't know what I think, but it happened. And this is what I said...
Hi, my name is Little Miss Sunshine, and today I want to tell you about a fantastic cleaning product. It’s called ReligionOn, and it will change your life. It has the power to clean up your life, your relationships, and your career. The secret to ReligionOn is its dynamic combination of ingredients. Specially formulated by scientists, it combines Jesus Christ, ethics, morality, philosophy, and the essence of self-esteem and positivity to clean away any grime you have in your life. You can buy this revolutionary product all for the amazing price of $19.95. You heard me, $19.95!
An advertisement like this would be something to laugh at, if you were to find it on TV or in the newspaper, but really, ads like this exist and they are no laughing matter. The world has all kinds of products that claim to make your life better. Meditation, spirituality, community involvement, even a promotion and taking up running would do you good.
The people found in our reading today lived in a similar situation. They didn’t have TVs or email, but they lived in a place that was full of people telling them that a solution other than Jesus could be found for life’s big questions.
The book of Ephesians is a letter Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus. Here are some things you should know about the city of Ephesus. In 100 AD, it had a population of about half a million. There were three major roads that passed through Ephesus, as well as a port that brought in cargo from around the area. Because it was a sort of international/intercultural crossroads, it was also an important religious hub. That gives us a little historical/cultural/geographical background.
As Sarah mentioned earlier, this portion of the book of Ephesians is a prayer. Paul has worked with this church, we read about that in Acts 19, and he knows their situation. He spent a couple of years teaching and preaching there. God was doing miracles and people were coming to know Him. So Paul knows that they are a strong, growing church. When we come to the prayer, which is a common feature in Paul’s letters, he says this, the first part Sarah read to you, and here’s the second part, beginning in chapter 1, verse 19:
… and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 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 one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
As Sarah talked about earlier, this prayer for a spirit of wisdom and revelation in knowledge of God, and a knowledge of this great hope and inheritance finishes with a prayer that the followers of Jesus in Ephesus would know the huge, great, awesome power that God has toward those who believe. He doesn’t conclude there with an Amen and dive into instructions for the church. Instead, Paul takes a moment to write about the ultimate demonstration of that power, the resurrection of Jesus, to give credence to this idea of power in the lives of believers.
After the resurrection, Jesus was seated at the Father’s right hand, “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 one to come.” The Ephesians would have been well acquainted with those ideas of hierarchical power, in everything from being governed by the Roman Empire to the pagan religious powers present in the city.
It wasn’t just that Jesus died and God evacuated him from the situation and left us to our own devices. He didn’t come to earth as a secret agent, complete his mission, and move into retirement. Paul says “[God] put all things under [Jesus’] feet and gave him as head over all things to the church”. Jesus is the head of the church and its chief cornerstone. He is not absent or distant. He is not outdated or so meek as to be rendered powerless. He is still in on the action, working in his church around the world today. This is the Lamb John writes about in Revelation 5:9-10
“And they sang a new song, saying, ‘Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.’”
This is the God of power that Paul prays the Ephesians would know. He doesn’t ask that they would know the power of God through Jesus and the power of positivity. He doesn’t ask that they would know the power of God through Jesus and the power of being involved in organizations. Jesus and Jesus alone is King, worthy of our time and trust. There is no need to buy the exclusive Jesus plus package. Luke summarizes this for us in Acts 4:11-12 when he quotes Peter speaking to the high priest:
“This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
The power of the empty tomb is enough. It is this power that Paul prays so fervently for the Ephesians to know in their own lives. Is our own situation so different? Living in a world where commerce and culture are constantly being transacted, where the theme of the day is religious pluralism – whatever works for you is fine, Jesus plus Buddha, or Jesus plus mystical spirituality, or even a common favorite, Jesus plus apathy! Jesus is fine, as long as you leave room for everything else, a religious buffet. But this Jesus who healed the blind and raised the dead, this Jesus who wept in the garden, who defeated death by his resurrection, this Jesus fills us so completely with his hope and his power, that there is room for nothing else.
What is our response to such a prayer? How do our lives reflect the eternal truth of Paul’s description of God’s power through Jesus? As Sarah said earlier, pray it! Pray it for the people you love, for yourself, for the world, that people would know the power of God that is found through Jesus Christ. Remember it. Tomorrow when you wake up, remember that you serve a King whose power is bigger than circumstances, worry, and broken hearts, and whose presence is forever with his people through his Holy Spirit. Live it. Live every moment as a person of hope, as a citizen of an eternal kingdom. Pray it, remember it, live it. Thank you.
* Three roads, major port, temple of Artemis, library of celsus (BiblePlaces.com/Ephesus.htm) 500,000 pop in 100 ad, 27 bc, under Augustus, was second only to Rome. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ephesus)
*Verses taken from the ESV Bible
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