May 28, 2024

GOD’S WORD FOR TODAY:

“Find out what pleases the Lord. Peace to the brothers and sisters, and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying love.” (Ephesians 5.10; Ephesians 6.23-24)

REFLECTION ON GOD’S WORD:

Some might see Paul’s benediction to His letter as a type of “oh by the way.” Having established and confirmed the true purpose and intention of his letter as sharing what makes for a true life on righteousness in the midst of the world, he identifies Tychicus as a personal ambassador. Tychicus may well have deferred all inquiries about Paul to the very end as the reading of the letter is concluded. “Oh, by the way, I am fine.” Of course, we know that Paul is suffering imprisonment. Paul is facing a death penalty because he will not recant his faith in Jesus as the Christ and the establishment of a superior kingdom on earth which is emblematic of that which is in Heaven. He may or may not be receiving some treatment for malaria which he contracted in his journeys through Asia Minor. He is not living the life of Riley; more like the life of “oh really.” Paul is undeterred in his pledge to fulfill the great commission given to him and to the apostles when they were still disciples gathered with Jesus a last time at Mt. Tabor. Paul is reaching to the west with hopes of Spain and Britannia in his sights. Even his imprisonment will not persuade him to give up hope to accomplish sharing the gospel with those who are truly gentile. For now, however, ministering in Rome to his captors, visitors and various audiences with heads of state with the issuing of songs, letters and teachings is sufficient. The priority of a life committed to serving the Lord Jesus is what pleases God.

He is not quite finished. The letter does not conclude with his “oh, by the way I am doing fine.” Returning to his salutation at the beginning of the letter “Peace be to you…,” Paul is able to apply a teaching paradigm and further establish his place among the people of God gathered in Jesus’ name as teacher. That paradigm is simple and allows the student to reflect back on what was said. With a paralleled beginning and end, what is in between them is the crux of the matter. That is it six chapters full of valued instruction seems a bit much to some. But the voice of the teach continues to echo and draw the listener back to ask what was said. It incorporates everyone who heard something in the reading that spoke directly to them. No one was taking notes. In their reflection and rehearsal of the words which Paul had sent to them, the depth of what was said is a community event. In conclusion, Paul issues three posits which will provide a boundary for their interaction with each other. These three posits will also serve as entry points for all future seekers of “The Way.” Those three posits are: peace, love and grace.

PEACE represents the calm assurance of placing their faith in the gospel which has called them together. In the words of John the Beloved, we hear Jesus declaring “Peace, I give to you; not as the world gives it to you. I give you My peace.” The peace which the world gives is conditional and fraught with caveats of obedience to worldly authority. Jesus warned His disciples that they should not rule as the Gentiles do (nor, for that matter, the way the Judaizers and Temple leadership do.) The establishment of a community of peace and mutuality which seeks the benefit of each other is a critical testimony to being disciples of Jesus the Christ.

LOVE represents that other testimony which we have already addressed where Jesus said, “By this they will know you are My disciples- that you love one another.” Early in Jesus’ ministry, the disciples, especially those who had followed John the Baptizer for a short time, asked to be taught effective prayer. They wanted to have an identity of spiritual power and authority which set them apart from John the Baptizer. Not that John was wrong or bad, but that Jesus was different. They wanted a defining line between “the old” and “the new.” It is here we can allow the words of Jesus to resonate in us as His disciples even today, “I give you now a new commandment: love one another.” The powerful statement of “…by this the world will know you are MY disciples” becomes that dividing and divining line between the old and the new: covenant, testament, religion and community.

GRACE represents the affection which is seen in the sharing of gifts. Grace itself, charis, means “gift” and/or “gifting.” We might even see a sense of bequeathing these words from the speaker to the hearer. They were intended for all to hear, listen to, mull over, discuss with one another, pray about and ultimately to put into action. They were a treasure of great price which Paul was now leaving with those in Ephesus with whom he had shared the faith in Jesus as the Christ. They were, to Paul, like sons and daughters. They shared this in common with Timothy just as Jesus had shared the duty to “love” His mother to John the Beloved. It spoke of a divine and spiritual truth where the word of God was seeds of righteousness bearing the fruit of the Spirit. There was no question of who deserved it more or less. The words of Paul were gifts of peace and love to be shared gracefully with one another. This pleases God greatly. It ought to be the practice of every community of faith in Christ to do so. It is not a conclusion as if something is coming to an end. Rather, it is the invitation to share in the new beginning which has already come to pass upon their confession of sinfulness and the profession of faith. “Behold, the old has passed and the new has come.”

TODAY’S PRAYER IN RESPONSE TO GOD’S WORD:

Father, before we were conceived in the womb, You had already formed us in Your love and by Your Spirit brought us into being. Each one of us is blessed with the opportunity of doing right, being good and producing the fruit of the Spirit so that others may be fed the truth of that same love so that the two will become one. It is our soul’s sincere desire to embrace the oneness You have in mind that we would know that we are Your people and that You are our God. Lead us in that discovery of the truth and the manifestation of that love for us all. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.